1160°

What Microsoft Does Not Want You to Know About Netflix Streaming

TG Daily's Samantha Rose writes:

Earlier this week, Microsoft and Netflix announced that movie streaming will be coming to the Xbox 360. This could be a big deal. But if you are really interested in watching Netflix content on your Xbox, you don't have to wait and you don't have to pay twice. If you have an Xbox 360 and a Windows Vista PC, you have everything you need to stream Netflix movies already.

juuken5763d ago

I knew all along there was an easier way to stream movies from Netflix without the fees of gold membership.

Microsoft...how they amuse me by the day.

GodsHand5763d ago

As long as people are willing to pay for it, Microsft will keep charging, even if some people know how to get it without the fee.

TheColbertinator5763d ago

I did'nt realize this.Mainly because I am a hardcore gamer who goes online to play resistance(ps3) or cod4(360) or something.

TheXgamerLive5763d ago (Edited 5763d ago )

There would "NOT" be any fee's on Xbox live for Netflix movies.

It's easy to prove this, watch the friggin conference video.

Ya know what else cracks me up, all these fake wannabe sony b1tch girls posting on an Xbox thread, never fails does it.

Spin spin away girls.

captainjy5763d ago

Oh geezus, you Phonyites are constantly reaching for anything. Most people barely know how to turn the computer on let only setup a stream through their PC. Get real. And what you are really missing is that you can't share a movie streaming through your PC on Live like you can through the integrated service. And on top of these two things, it's just not as cool to stream through your PC. I have a Vista Media Center and configured my 360 as an extender and could have streamed Netflix, but why go through the hassle and bother, especially now that it's right on Live. You get what you pay for, as you POS3 people know with lagville POSN.

Stop posting this garbage and worry about your pathetic Dome and Trophies.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 5763d ago
truth for gamers5763d ago (Edited 5763d ago )

What about for the people who don't have Vista or a PC?, this is a stupid article

The Wood5763d ago (Edited 5763d ago )

i totally agree with 'truth for gamers'. The truth is MOST people who own consoles own a pc but not all of them have wireless or have their pcs in the same room as their consoles

xJxdOggyStYLe5763d ago

is DUMB..no idea how it got approved and should be taken off

KillJoi995763d ago

First off this is old news. Second of all no one is stupid enough to have Vista, or if they do its very likely that their computer will/already has fried or they have simply downgraded.

JsonHenry5763d ago

This is a no brainer. But how many people have a wireless setup and vista? Not too many that I know of.

gta_cb5763d ago

.... obviously you havnt used Vista SP1. yes i have used both versions of Vista, i had problems in the first day when using the original version. but now been using SP1 for about 3months and everything was and is working fine.

Megatron085763d ago (Edited 5763d ago )

I dont remember MS saying that you needed a gold account to use netflix I'd be very surprised if you did need a gold membership cause you never needed one before to buy anything off the marketplace.

Even if you did most people have a gold membership anyways to play games

iHEARTboobs5763d ago (Edited 5763d ago )

This is from the Netflix site:

"What are the system requirements to watch movies instantly on my PC?

You must have a computer running Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or higher, or Windows Vista; Internet Explorer version 6 or higher; Windows Media Player version 11 or higher; an active broadband connection to the Internet; 1.0 GHz processor; 512 MB RAM; 3 GB free hard disk drive space."

Netflix is cool and all but some might be disapppointed in the quality of selection if you are in fact receiving the same selection that has currently been available. It is nice to have, although I wouldn't suggest buying a membership to LIVE just for this.

Edit: Yeah, disagree and hide. Good job.

deeznuts5763d ago

"What about for the people who don't have Vista or a PC?, this is a stupid article"

Then this article isn't for them, get it? When it says, this is for people with Vista PC, well if you don't, then ... drumroll ... article isn't for you.

See how that works? Now run along and play.

player9115763d ago

Sure you can do a lot of things streaming through to a Vista machine but that doesn't make any difference with the netflix alliance.

The point of the new Netflix support is to have it directly on your 360 console and cycle through movies in your que. All you need is a netflix subscription. Who cares if you can hack it and slash it to work in some other, more complicated major.

Plus why stream a stream?

The Netflix support is to allow movies to be delivered without them having to shell out 2-way postage. It is a win-win-win.

My wife and I rent a few movies at least once a month. I own a 360 with Live Gold service. We've discussed getting a movie subscription to blockbuster or netflix... but haven't really moved on it. But after the announcement it is a no-brainer. We rented 2 movies the other day and it was $9.50 or something. That's a month's worth of movie downloads with this service.

And to the above: Live is free, you only pay for the Gold Service. So every xbox with an internet connection can still take advantage of this.

There is absolutely no negative side effect to having this new addition.

Thugbot1875763d ago (Edited 5763d ago )

This is a completely stupid article because Microsoft never said it was there service. They said it’s a partnership to offer Netflix, services through XBL. In addition it would allow for purchase of more movies for those that didn’t have Netflix service. I guess it’s out of the question to ask people writing or approving articles to have common sense.

@You don't need Vista to watch Netflix online...

umair_s515763d ago

THAT IS MICROSOFT FOR YOU FOLKS.PLEASE ENJOY !

uie4rhig5762d ago (Edited 5762d ago )

tbh i like the deal, but why only for Gold members? i mean you have to pay netflix members ship aside from the gold membership its just stupid.. and this article speaks truth, but its a nobrainer so stupid article, also you dont need Vista per se to use netflix, XP works fine..

but also i have got my personal netflix which is free, and works on my PS3 and if i had a Wii, it also worked on a wii.. it's called Veoh and YouTube and a gazillion other video sharing websites :)

so i think both this deal, and this article are the most stupidest things of its kind...

+ Show (10) more repliesLast reply 5762d ago
Truplaya5763d ago

what? So instead of getting an xbox update i could buy a PC, Vista Premium, cables to connect it to my HDTV and get a netflix account?

What is this article on about? A PC with Vista and cable is gonna cost more than a 360, plus you probably cant invite friends in to watch the film with you.

i love how he says "I personally have been streaming Netflix movies for a while now, and I pay nothing for it, except for my Netflix subscription." (but what about your PC, copy of Vista and a cable to go to a HDTV in your living room, what that all free too?

gaffyh5763d ago

If you've ALREADY got a PC with Vista, it's not gonna cost you too much. And pretty much all new PCs come with Vista...

joemayo765763d ago

I think truplayas point is that the writer is makin it sound like its cheaper to do it this way, yet the fall update will be free to download as well. So i wont have to pay for anything either this fall (given the obvious NetFlix membership) However me personally won't be using this feature. Just commented to get across the message across (that hopefully) Truplaya originally meant.

Although the intent of the writer i guess was to highlight a potential ability of the xbox 360 that many probaby dont know, the way the writer went about it is ridiculous, sounding like a pompous prick.
(although im not too sure if u NEED to have gold to use netflix on live)

THIS JUST IN!!! Guess what, who needs a console when u can play PC games on an hdtv with a vga input, all u need is a GOOD pc with a vga port out (or laptop) and a vga cable. :/

tada!!! u can now enjoy half life 2 or Crysis on a 60" Bravia :|

kingme715763d ago

Yeah, because it is just so easy for the casual market to setup the vmcNetflix plugin and integrate it with their Media Center before streaming it to their 360. For the technical, not so hard, but MS is making a play for the casual market who just want to click a button and start watching. They don't mind paying for convenience.

HateBoy5763d ago

Good comment, bubbles to you, though you don't need any... Tech guys always asume everyone 1) has all the components needed for "the smart and free" way of doing things, and 2) that everyone has the knowledge to use those components. One has to remember that most people with an xbox 360 or ps3 never ever visit these kind of websites.

kingme715763d ago

Lol... thanks, I'll give you a bubble back :)

I always do an acid test. If I think my mother can do it, then it is casual, if not it's too hardcore. My mother has a snowballs chance in Hades of setting it up via a PC.

Funny story (although way off topic). My mother brought me her laptop and said it is just dead, just powers up and resets. She said she dropped a paperclip into the keyboard, but couldn't figure out how that would break it, especially since she had this great idea and used a magnet to scan over her keyboard and pulled out the paperclip within minutes :O

Ok, that was probably way way off topic :)

chrisnick5763d ago

"It’s a prime example of a corporation merely taking advantage of the public with an attempt to charge for something that should be available to customers for free."........AGAIN.

Kleptic5763d ago

I don't use Netflix, my wife and I have total access from blockbuster...but I would assume you can do this on the PS3 too right?...i stream video from my PC to the PS3 all the time...so you could stream a Netflix vid too I would imagine, although I don't know the codecs for Netflix downloads...

but crap I didn't know MS was charging anothef fee for this...I thought it was just cool if you had a netflix account you could now access it through your XBL account...getting rid of the middle-man (the PC)...this is total crap...can't say I am surprised though...

bosels115763d ago

It surprises me not - This has been Microsofts MO since Bill Gates started the worst company ever started.

captainjy5763d ago

Kleptic, your wife should leave you because you are obviously very uninformed. MS isn't charging anything more on top of an Xbox Live Gold membership and you obviously have to have a Netflix account. See, when you have over 20,000 items in market, unlike the POSN that has 12 items, it's worth the money. And quite honestly, if you can't afford $3 a month or less for gaming, you shouldn't own a console. It's just that simple.

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290°

Microsoft’s Surface and Xbox hardware revenues take a big hit in Q3

Microsoft just posted the third quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $61.9 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q3. Revenue is up 17 percent, and net income has increased by 20 percent.

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theverge.com
darthv722d ago

Xbox content + services up 62% while hardware down 31%... seems about right with the way they tout you don't need the hardware to play. People can play on their phones or smart tv or other means. I don't hardly play on my consoles directly since getting devices like the logitech g-cloud and ps portal. Which is to also say I have been playing more digital than physical because of these devices.

solideagle1d 20h ago

you should apply in MS PR team buddy, I think you will do a great job in my humble opinion :)

Sonic18811d 17h ago

I thought darthv72 and Obscure_Observer already work for Microsoft 🤔

dveio1d 17h ago

MS: "Xbox services and content without AB up 1%, with AB up 62%. Hardware down 31%. In total a loss of 350 mill."

darthv72: "Seems about right."

MS: "Excuse m ..."

darthv72: "I don't hardly play on my consoles directly."

MS:

Lightning771d 12h ago

What he said was facts. How he plays games is no concern of you. Don't get too mad about it.

Cacabunga1d 19h ago

I can tell people like you are an absolute minority..

If service is up means their fans and fanboys accepted this model and subscribed to it. The near future you will see a big decline because the service is saturated.

darthv721d 5h ago

to you it may seem like the minority... but your bubble is shrinking because more and more are following suit. convenience is a hell of a drug and its also why physical sales only amount to 30% of overall game sales. times are changing, you either get with them or you get left behind.

neutralgamer19921d ago

Darth

30% physical sales: yet Phil and xbox division are in a rush go give up on that 30%. they don't have any right to give up any piece of the pie since the control such a little of the pie to begin with

also, the market is clearly speaking that the model Xbox is pushing isn't working right now the keyword being right now. you are right about freedom to play anywhere so i hope they put their games on steam

shinoff21831d 19h ago

But that's been ms for years. When things aren't going their way they try to change the way things are said. For instance console sales are down, they stop telling how many sold instead telling us how many hours spent in halo or headshots. So it makes sense console sales down just say people are playing on more devices then previous. What they won't say is how many xbox players jumped ship to ps5.

Cacabunga1d 17h ago

Hardware sales are so bad that Sony and Nintendo are blowing the sales off the water with their hardware.

If Xbox are losers, others aren’t..
Xbox already tried everything with Xbox live then subscriptions went down so much that they had to find something else. Their fans subscribed then reached saturation rather quickly.

Hardware and exclusive games is where it’s at! Keep gamers excited, announce decent software and people will support you

itsmebryan1d 13h ago

@shin
Well keep it simple Sony 's operating income is down 26% and Microsoft's is up 32%. No MS spin there, just facts. 😉
Cheers

S2Killinit1d 6h ago

MS is after diminishing consoles as a medium. They want to destroy this market because they couldnt win. MS’s vision is to dissolve console gaming.

romulus231d 12h ago

Odd that a company that touts you dont need the hardware to play is already touting another console in the works.

darthv721d 12h ago

They are not reliant on the HW but still want to maintain a presence (no matter how small) is a good thing. It shows commitment to the craft. It reminds me of SNK and how they made games for their own hardware (Neo Geo) while also making them for others because they knew there was a market to do so. They knew they would sell more to others but also sell to their own niche fan base.

TheEroica1d 6h ago (Edited 1d 6h ago )

Perfectly reasonable post down voted by insecure corporation friendly folk.... But not gamers. Real gamer want accessibility and ease of acquisition for all.... Company shills are the only ones still telling us that hardware locking people from games is good for us.

Chevalier1d 1h ago

@Darth

You should stop parroting metrics like an idiot without context.

"Xbox content and services revenue grew 62% in Q3 from a year earlier, “driven by 61 points of net impact” from the purchase of the third-party video game giant, Microsoft said."

61 of the 62% was from their merger so net increase is ONLY 1%

https://www.mesaonline.org/...

itsmebryan16h ago

@chevalier

It looks like made a great purchase. Much better then Sony buying Bungie. 😉
Cheers

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 16h ago
purple1011d 22h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos1d 22h ago

I'm not surprised surface is struggling they aren't relevant anymore

DOMination-1d 11h ago

In the last two years they've started exiting the consumer market altogether. All of the newest Surface products are business models only. They can't seem to work out what they want to do with it.

XBManiac1d 21h ago

Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.

SimpleDad1d 21h ago (Edited 1d 21h ago )

"Despite some early successes for Xbox games on rival platforms, Xbox hardware is down by a massive 31 percent this quarter."
"Without Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue would have actually declined this quarter."
"Xbox content and services would have only been up a single percent without Activision Blizzard..."
"It looks like next quarter is going to be a similar story for gaming at Microsoft, too."

That is crazy... so A/B/K is carrying the whole Xbox gaming.
Oh and Microsoft will be fine. Windows, Office and Cloud are growing with each pc purchase.

purple1011d 20h ago

Activision: "we gonna need a bigger rucksack/backpack please"

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos1d 20h ago (Edited 1d 20h ago )

Top brass have also wanted to start seeing returns on the 100 billion they have put into various Xbox related moves so seeing more multiplatform games is highly likely especially from abk

It's basically saying that PlayStation is the reason Xbox is afloat right now thinks to Ps5 versions of COD

Kornholic1d 19h ago

So basically PS and PC gamers' money is keeping Xbox on life support.

MrDead1d 12h ago

The only growth MS will get out of the console industry is if it supports it's rivals platforms. Xbox is a pointless machine now. I can see them on a big push for live next, and they won't give up on trying to buy Steam.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1d 12h ago
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