  We recently gained access to the Netflix Instant Watching movie streaming service and put it through its paces. Overall, we're pleasantly surprised with the service and think it's a great first step by Netflix. Read more for details of our first look.
| Review Category | Score | | Features | 4 | | Performance | 6 | | Ease of Use | 9 | | Installation/Setup | 9 | | Build Quality/Reliability | 9 | | Customer Support | 3 | | Price | 10 | | Total | 7/10 | What is it? Netflix subscribers can watch streaming movies real-time for the same number of hours per month as their Netflix bill is in dollars. For example, a $17.99 plan gives you 18 hours per month of movie watching. Netflix will let you track how many hours you have watched. How does it work? You select a movie on the Netflix site that is available to Watch Now and press the play button. Movies can only be streamed (not saved or burned to disc) so a fast network connection is necessary, although Netflix automatically adjusts the quality of the movie to your network settings. You'll probably want your computer connected to your HDTV for that home theater experience. What movies can I watch? The complete Netflix movie library is not available. About 1,000 movies are available, including only a few new releases. Sherrybaby (released on DVD 01/23/2007) is an example of a new release. How can I get it? You can't ask for it. Netflix is rolling out the service to about 250,000 customers per week. Hopefully, you're next on their list. Can I pause for popcorn? While it is a streaming service, the movie starts nearly instantly. The Netflix player automatically caches content locally and gives you basic movie controls. These controls allow you to pause/play the movie and move the position slider to any part of the movie (forward or backward) with near real-time response.  Instant Watching Activity
What's the video quality? Movies are not HD. However, with a 'High' network connection (see below), the movies can look pretty good. Although not as good as many DVD transfers on an upscaling DVD player. They tend to be software with less detail. Also, during playback network stalls and scene changes can cause macroblocking (blotchy squares in darker areas of a picture).  Full screen movie. Click to see 1280x720 actual screen capture.
How does it sound? There is no AC-3 5.1 digital sound. While audio is a stereo signal, we noticed that the two movies we tried were Dolby Pro-logic II encoded, so you'll likely get some surround sound if your system supports it. Do I need a computer? Yes, no set-top boxes are supported at this time. What software and hardware do I need? Software is required. IE 6 or newer and the ActiveX Netflix Movie Player (less than 1MB in size) is required. Windows XP and Vista only. Macs without Parallels or Bootcamp need not apply.  Netflix Active X Installation Screen How good does my network have to be? For best quality, Netflix says a 3 megabits-per-second connection is required for DVD quality. According to Speedtest.net, the TechDigs.net test network is running at nearly 11Mbps download and, depending on when we clicked the Netflix 'network connection speed test', we got results in each of the 3 video quality levels. However, during movie watching it appears that it moved between 'Good' and 'High'. We're really starting to wonder if Comcast is throttling certain kinds of data. Or, maybe the Netflix servers were busy during our test. Our test was midday on a weekday, probably not a heavy Netflix traffic time, but who knows.  Netflix designated our network in all three categories depending on when we tested -- despite our fast network speed.  Speedtest.net shows us much higher than the 3Mbps required. Do I have to watch the movie in a browser? Yes and no. Yes, you must start the movie in the web browser, but you are able to click full screen to show only the movie.  Netflix movie in the browser window.
Pros - Immediate gratification. We love things that happen instantly.
- Free - no additional cost beyond your Netflix subscription.
- Decent quality depending on your network connection.
- Easy to use.
Cons - Windows only.
- Limited movie selection.
- No HD.
- No supported set-top box – we think this would be perfect for TiVo, Xbox 360 and others.
- Minor quibbles:
- Can't watch beyond the number of hours in your subscription level. So if you only spend $6.00 per month, you only get 6 hours.
- Movie quality varies based on your network connection to the Netflix servers.
- No 5.1 sound – we probably won't be watching a block buster action & adventure movie on it soon.
- Not available yet for everyone. A problem to be solved by June according to Netflix.
What does TechDigs.net think? An excellent first step from Netflix. It feels easier and less cumbersome than CinemaNow, MovieLink, Amazon Unbox, Vongo, etc. And it's certainly cheaper than buying iTunes movies with a very similar viewing experience. We watched a bit of 12-Monkeys and Liar Liar on a 61" DLP set connected to a Windows Media Center PC with good, but not perfect results. It's an experience that we'll repeat regularly for certain types of movies. We look forward continued improvement in the service from Netflix. Netflix
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