Microsoft Xbox 360, New LG Electronics Device to Stream Netflix Titles

DVD's-by-mail company, Netflix--which recently teamed with
streaming media specialist, Roku, on a $99.99 set-top box, dubbed
The Netflix Player by Roku, that allows Netflix subscribers to
stream a selection of movies and TV shows from Netflix' library
directly to their TV sets, recently signed a deal
with Microsoft to enable its customers to instantly stream movies
and TV shows from its library on their television sets via
Microsoft's Xbox 360 video game console. The exclusive deal
designates the Xbox as the only game system that will allow
consumers to instantly watch titles streamed from Netflix. The new
service will be available to Xbox LIVE Gold members who are also
Netflix subscribers, and will enable them to access Netflix titles at
no additional cost.

According to the companies, when Netflix service launches on Xbox in
late fall, it will offer around 12,000 titles (including "scores" of
Academy Award winners and nominees, episodes from a number of
current and classic TV shows, and 24 of the movies rated by the AFI as
the greatest ever), with additional titles being added over time.
Microsoft claims that, thanks to the new service, together with its
existing Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store (which currently offers
around 6,000 titles), the Xbox 360 will "be home to more movies and
TV shows on-demand than any other device connected to the TV."
According to the company, the new Netflix on Xbox 360 service is an
important component of "the new Xbox experience," an initiative
announced at the E3 Media and Business Summit, that is billed as
making "a new generation of games and entertainment
experiences...available on the Xbox 360 consoles," and as representing
"the first time in history that a mass-market consumer electronics
device has been reinvented through free software, giving people more
fun and intuitive ways to interact, play and enjoy entertainment
content" (note: among other things, the "new Xbox experience"
initiative will make content from NBC Universal, Universal Studios
Home Entertainment, SCI FI Channel, USA Network, Constantin and
MGM available through Xbox LIVE, as well as a new channel called
Xbox LIVE Primetime that will feature mass-participation virtual
gameshows, such as the Endemol-created format, "1 vs. 100").

In order to use the service, Netflix customers will first use the Netflix
Web site to add titles to their individual instant queues; their choices
will then be automatically displayed on the TV screen via the Xbox 360
and available to watch instantly. The companies claim that, once a title
is selected, it will begin playing in as little as 30 seconds. End-users
will be able to fast-forward, pause and rewind content using either their
Xbox 360 Controller or Media Remote. "Netflix and Xbox 360 are a
perfect combination, the leading online movie rental service and the
leading games and entertainment system joining forces to create an
all-in-one entertainment experience with content for everyone," Netflix
chairman and CEO, Reed Hastings, said in a prepared statement. "For
Netflix, it represents an important step forward in making instantly
streaming movies on the TV more broadly available to our members."

In related news: As [itvt] was going to press, LG Electronics
announced plans to launch the first Blu-ray disc player that will
allow Netflix subscribers to instantly stream Netflix content to their
television sets. Dubbed the LG BD300 Network Blu-ray Disc
Player, the new device will also play high-definition Blu-ray discs
and up-convert standard DVD's to 1080p. In order to use the new
device to view Netflix content (note: the content will be in SD),
Netflix subscribers will, like those accessing the service over the
Xbox 360, first have to use the Netflix Web site to add movies to
their individual instant queues: their choices will then
automatically be displayed on their TV's, and, once selected, titles
will begin playing in around 30 seconds. According to Netflix and
LG Electronics, the BD300's remote will enable Netflix subscribers
to browse and make selections on their TV screens, access synopses
and rate titles. In addition, the companies say, a feature called BD
Live will provide "real-time interactivity for movie enthusiasts
seeking extras, new previews or special content," and a feature
called BonusView will provide "picture-in-picture access to Blu-
ray disc special features." The device also includes LG's SimpLink
technology, which allows end-users to control similarly equipped
LG TV and AV products via on-screen menus or directly from the
device itself.