I have the New Xbox Experience with netflix and....

[Nick]

I was selected to be part of the NXE program and just recieved it yesterday. I signed up with Netflix and I'm sorry to say that movie selection is terrible. Most of the movies I'm finding I've never heard of or are so old. My hope is that I'm new to netflix and searching wrong or something.

The good news is that, with my direct connected Comcast connection, the movies load very fast and stream flawlessly. If only they had some decent selections!

[Mort in Detroit]

Most of the movies I'm finding I've never heard of or are so old.

That's probably because you haven't heard of most movies or consider them "so old."

You can request that they carry a movie. Though, nearly always, when they don't have a film I want, it isn't available on DVD--and I've subscribed to Netflix for 5 years. Their Instant Watch selection has many thousands more films than any video store I've seen. Their DVD collection seems almost all-inclusive.

[Nick]

That's probably because you haven't heard of most movies or consider them "so old."

^
That's exactly what I said. But if they want more Xbox users to subscribe which I'm guessing that's why they've teamed up with Microsoft, they need to syncronize there dvd rentals along with the streaming videos.

[photo heathen]

If you consider "old" to be a negative, which I'm guessing you do, than Netflix's Instant Watch feature may not be the best fit for you.

Netflix does the best they can to get as many movies and television programs available for IW, but it's not just a matter of throwing them up on a server and letting people go at it. It is, however, an ever expanding and evolving catalog, and one that movie and television lovers frequently find very useful.

Perfect? Certainly not. A great supplement to all the other entertainment choices out there? Yes indeed.

[Alan-Not So Nice Not So Helpful]

The good news is that, with my direct connected Comcast connection, the movies load very fast and stream flawlessly. If only they had some decent selections!

I hate to say it but if the only good news you have is that you have a Comcast connection, then prepare yourself for a lot of heartache. :-)

[Adrian]

Movies are released by the studios in phases. A common sequence is that new releases on DVD/Blu-Ray are followed about 30 days later by pay-per-view release. I think the Xbox has an existing pay-per-view service that is separate from Netflix. About 90 days after DVD release, the movie is available for streaming and cable TV channels like Starz. Since Netflix has done a deal with Starz, movies like Ratatouille and Superbad are available for unlimited viewing at no extra cost as part of the Netflix service. There are also a lot of older movies.

The situation for TV shows is quite different. Netflix has done deals to get shows like Heroes, CSI and Hannah Montana where episodes appear about a day after they are shown on TV, and before they come out on DVD.

You can see the big and popular movies and TV shows via the Top50 on instant watch this week link.

[Adrian]

Also, I just released an update of my iPhone app that you can use to find/search and add movies to your instant queue more easily. Its free until Thursday, then its 99c. Please let other Xbox users know about it...
More info in this forum, and at the app home page http://www.millicomputer.com.

[don]

Well like anything its just a matter of time before more movies are added and everyone works out the licenses to who is allowed to use what movies. But i still need to add netflix to my xbox360 tomorrow.

[Rayny]

We just added Netflix to our Xbox 360 this afternoon. It took a whole 20 seconds (if that) to complete the process. We were going to get the Roku for Christmas for the kids, but decided to see what the Xbox offered first. While there are some instant watch titles that aren't available via the Xbox, I think we're going to stick with it and see how it plays out. Netflix is already working on the licensing issues. It's also free since we already had the Xbox 360, the selection is still pretty nice, and the 2 videos that we loaded so far (didn't watch either completely yet), look fantastic on the 46 HDTV.

I'm not at all disappointed.

[don]

ya im trying it right now on my xbox and so far im exciting about being able to sit down in the living room to watch these movies and not have to hind out in the computer room. But it would be nice to get some better shows but so far im finding enough to get me by for a while. Plus i have those plastic things call dvds :o).

[Rob]

Nick,
I agree with you 100%. I was not a Netflix subscriber until the new XBOX experience came out, so i decided it would be cool to instantly stream movies. While this is a great idea it would be nice to get some newer movies on the watch instantly section. I'm not sure if I will keep my membership or not. I'm not very happy with the selection.

[DontAskMyName]

Ok, this should be freaggin obvious ..the selection available to stream to the xbox360 is WEAK!
Stop lying to yourselves

I like old flicks as much as any other nostalgic person out there.. but thats not enough to PAY netflix any money a month for a streaming service. Lets be honest. No one really cares about the niceties, just put the movies up once they are on dvd.

"...it's not just a matter of throwing them up on a server and letting people go at it. It is, however, an ever expanding and evolving catalog, and one that movie and television lovers frequently find very useful."
-photo heathen

Well then start with the new releases and work your way back.. der.


NXE with netflix is simply the '2, 4, 7, 20, 50' of streaming videos online.. another words the basic boring service.

[thatboy]

You are correct. None of NFs 12,000 Watch Instantly selections are worth watching. You should find a different service to satisfy your entertainment needs.