Instant Watching on Mac/Linux/X360/PS3 Status
(Netflix Analyst Day 2008 update May 28, in bold)
The short answer is:
Intel Mac: probably around Sept 2008 (definitely this year)
PowerPC Mac: unknown (probably never)
Linux: probably mid-2009
PS3/Xbox360: unknown (maybe never) but they are working on it
Stand alone set-top box players: On May 20th, the Netflix Player by Roku was released for $100, more expected in Fall 2008. (Remember: "Members with a Netflix plan that includes unlimited instant watching may associate up to 4 unique devices with an account during a twelve month period." If you aren't sure, you may want to call Netflix and see how many computers you have activated in the last year.)
Read on for the long answer.
As far as I know, Netflix has nothing planned that will allow them to support PowerPC Macs.
They will likely have support for Intel Macs some time in the 2nd half of 2008. They will most likely be switching to Silverlight shortly after version 2.0 comes out. 2.0 has the DRM that the studios require. This will allow them to add support for multiple browsers and Mac (and likely Linux in mid 2009).
Microsoft's Silverlight 2 Beta 1 was released on March 5th at MIX08. (At MIX07 Netflix's movie watching demo on Silverlight was a big deal, this year they didn't seem to have any presence at MIX08. Though Bill Scott (Netflix UI Engineering) just took part in judging a Silverlight contest.) The final release is currently rumored to be in August. The latest word from Microsoft is "before the end of the year."
I would currently guess at Intel Mac support coming around September or so. Future release dates are subject to change, and likely will. Thats just reality in the software world.
In the meantime, there is a workaround for Intel Macs by installing Boot Camp, Parallels, and Windows. There is a similar workaround for Linux.
Netflix is also attempting to get Instant Watching on XBox 360 and Playstation 3, but it is unknown if either will ever happen.
On April 15, Sony's Peter Dille said:
Their upcoming download video service may or may not include a deal with Netflix, but I will update this page when they give out more details "very soon".
On April 21st, Reed Hastings (Netflix CEO) said that they have deals with 4 companies to produce hardware for Instant Watching. LG was previously announced to be one of the 4. They should announce the other 3 by the end of the year.
On April 25th, Michael Pachter (of Wedbush Morgan) predicted that Microsoft & Netflix have a deal to get Instant Watching on the XBox 360. Pachter has a very good track record (about 60%) for predicting big things in the video game console world.
On May 20th, the Netflix Player by Roku was released for $100, more expected in Fall 2008.
On May 28th, from 'Netflix Analyst Day 2008': The other 3 Instant Watch hardware partners are on target for 08/09 releases (One is LG, still no hint on who the other 2 are). Netflix has created an SDK that can be added to existing Blu-Ray/dvd players (that have internet connections) to allow them to stream Netflix movies the same way the The Roku Netflix Player does. It is now up to the Blu-Ray player/game console makers to add this feature into their firmware. Whether any or all of them will opt to do so is unknown yet. Their hope is that once their current 4 partners start showing big success, others will jump on board.
Mac support definitely coming this year. I assume Intel Mac only. It was only mentioned in passing and more as a joke (2 sentences out of about 2 hours that were devoted to discussing movie downloads).
The SDK I mentioned above is "Portable Linux code". Whether that means anything for Instant Watching on computers with Linux, I don't know.
The short answer is:
Intel Mac: probably around Sept 2008 (definitely this year)
PowerPC Mac: unknown (probably never)
Linux: probably mid-2009
PS3/Xbox360: unknown (maybe never) but they are working on it
Stand alone set-top box players: On May 20th, the Netflix Player by Roku was released for $100, more expected in Fall 2008. (Remember: "Members with a Netflix plan that includes unlimited instant watching may associate up to 4 unique devices with an account during a twelve month period." If you aren't sure, you may want to call Netflix and see how many computers you have activated in the last year.)
Read on for the long answer.
As far as I know, Netflix has nothing planned that will allow them to support PowerPC Macs.
They will likely have support for Intel Macs some time in the 2nd half of 2008. They will most likely be switching to Silverlight shortly after version 2.0 comes out. 2.0 has the DRM that the studios require. This will allow them to add support for multiple browsers and Mac (and likely Linux in mid 2009).
Microsoft's Silverlight 2 Beta 1 was released on March 5th at MIX08. (At MIX07 Netflix's movie watching demo on Silverlight was a big deal, this year they didn't seem to have any presence at MIX08. Though Bill Scott (Netflix UI Engineering) just took part in judging a Silverlight contest.) The final release is currently rumored to be in August. The latest word from Microsoft is "before the end of the year."
I would currently guess at Intel Mac support coming around September or so. Future release dates are subject to change, and likely will. Thats just reality in the software world.
In the meantime, there is a workaround for Intel Macs by installing Boot Camp, Parallels, and Windows. There is a similar workaround for Linux.
Netflix is also attempting to get Instant Watching on XBox 360 and Playstation 3, but it is unknown if either will ever happen.
On April 15, Sony's Peter Dille said:
Many of you have been hearing rumblings about a video service that will allow you to download full-length TV shows and movies via PLAYSTATION Network for North America. While I don’t have any new announcements here for the PlayStation Nation, it’s already been confirmed that we’ll be offering a video service for PS3 in a way that separates the service from others you’ve seen or used. Ultimately the goal of the PLAYSTATION Network service will be to break through the overwhelming clutter of digital media to give you the TV, movies and gaming content you want. More on this very soon …
Their upcoming download video service may or may not include a deal with Netflix, but I will update this page when they give out more details "very soon".
On April 21st, Reed Hastings (Netflix CEO) said that they have deals with 4 companies to produce hardware for Instant Watching. LG was previously announced to be one of the 4. They should announce the other 3 by the end of the year.
On April 25th, Michael Pachter (of Wedbush Morgan) predicted that Microsoft & Netflix have a deal to get Instant Watching on the XBox 360. Pachter has a very good track record (about 60%) for predicting big things in the video game console world.
On May 20th, the Netflix Player by Roku was released for $100, more expected in Fall 2008.
On May 28th, from 'Netflix Analyst Day 2008': The other 3 Instant Watch hardware partners are on target for 08/09 releases (One is LG, still no hint on who the other 2 are). Netflix has created an SDK that can be added to existing Blu-Ray/dvd players (that have internet connections) to allow them to stream Netflix movies the same way the The Roku Netflix Player does. It is now up to the Blu-Ray player/game console makers to add this feature into their firmware. Whether any or all of them will opt to do so is unknown yet. Their hope is that once their current 4 partners start showing big success, others will jump on board.
Mac support definitely coming this year. I assume Intel Mac only. It was only mentioned in passing and more as a joke (2 sentences out of about 2 hours that were devoted to discussing movie downloads).
The SDK I mentioned above is "Portable Linux code". Whether that means anything for Instant Watching on computers with Linux, I don't know.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jeremiah on -
Hey Droidmaker, how much hard drive space does boot camp and parallels chew up? I'm running a macbook, it's not a pro but I did upgrade to the model with a 2ghz core 2 duo and a gig of ram. I think it should be speedy enough, but I've got the hard drive loaded to the gills as it is (final cut, photoshop, and a bunch of recording software). So I'm worried about packing in a whole new OS..
Also has anyone heard any clue about them making a viewer that compatible the the Playstation 3? I think it would be a great match, most people wouldn't have to worry about cabling up their lappies either...
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Permalink Reply by Baff on -
Netflix would like to see Instant Watch on PS3 and X360, but unknown if either will ever happen.
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Permalink Reply by JMO on -
Baff -
Thanks for the update. It still seems like a long time, but then again patience is a virtue. Still, whenever I see those little blue play buttons I shed a tear.
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Permalink Reply by rlp on -
Has anyone tried running IE in Wine on Linux? I have to admit that I do not know (haven't checked) whether IE is even available as a separate download anymore. I remember using my ISDN connection at work because my dialup was undependable in the 90's to download that monstrous 10 MB file for IE3 and using Winzip to span it across 1.4 MB floppies. Apologize for rambling.
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Permalink Reply by Baff on
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I someone mentioned having that (or something similar) work a few months back. I used to have a small comment about that here, but accidentally deleted it when I redid my write-up recently. Added it back in.
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Permalink Reply by pterosaur on -
Mac people - Help! I'm typing this on my brand spankin' new Intel Macbook Pro. Now that I have the capability, how do I set up instant watch?
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Permalink Reply by The Professor on -
Ptero, I saw you mention that the other day, and didn't know if it was possible.......I'm following your progress closely. Please post if you learn anything good. :)
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Permalink Reply by pterosaur on
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You need to have an Intel based Mac, Professor. If you have a PowerPC, you're screwed.
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Permalink Reply by Spindaddydad on -
You'll need to buy a copy of Parallels (allows you to run windows) and also a copy of Windows XP. Then once you are running Windows, you can go to the Netflix site and watch movies.
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Permalink Reply by pterosaur on
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So basically, I need to spend $79.99 on Parallels and then who knows how much for a copy of XP?
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Permalink Reply by Spindaddydad on
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Yep, unfortunately. However, I will tell you that once you get them both installed (installation is very easy) Instant Watch works like a champ. I think XP is $129? I went through it too with my new MacBook Pro last year. Now I'm trying to figure out how to hook it up to my big screen, but I've hit a bit of a snag.
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