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Microsoft tied up the exclusive rights to disk free Netflix console streaming, but all things must come to an end, and I’m sure most PS3 owners are more than happy to count this odd business deal among them. Starting today US viewers can download the new disk-free Netflix application from the Sony Store, even though the actual service behind it won’t go live until tomorrow.
Early impressions of the new Netflix PS3 interface is overwhelmingly positive with support for 1080p, 5.1 surround sound, and even closed captioning if the title supports it. With the Wii capped at 480p, the Xbox 360 capped at 720p, the PS3 which will support resolutions up to 1080p is starting to look like the superior solution. Very few titles will support the higher resolutions at launch, but this will no doubt chance fairly quickly.
Do you intend to start using your PS3 for Netflix over your previous solution?
Comments are closed on this article
JohnP
October 19, 2010 at 5:57am
Started watching the movie "Angels and Demons" which I also have a DVD of. First thing I notice was that they skanked the formatting to fill my screen rather than the true 16:9 format the movie comes in on. The little label up in the corner said Standadard Def- I KNOW this movie does have High-Def release- guess not for Netflix. They chopped pieces of the movie out (perhaps I have the directors cut? who knows?). The final thing that I disliked was the sound on all the movies I tried was stereo, no 5.1 on the 4 new movies I started up (checked my PS3 settings and DVDs do 5.1).
Bottom line, meh. Only thing going for it was that it was free...
JohnP
October 17, 2010 at 10:41pm
I had no idea that Netflix even CAME in 1080P wrappers. I have never seen a good hi res movie with any of my PCs. I have both the 360 and PS3. I never tried Netflix on the 360 as I don't have a gold membership (I get beat up enough by the AI without bothering to also be humilitated online, thank you). I also have the older 360 without the hi res bump. I guess I will have to try out the PS3 version to see if there really is a high res version of Netflix movies.
The funny thing is that I don't bother to WATCH Netflix streaming as the resolution has been so poor on my PC and HTPC. Is there a way to SELECT what res a movie is streamed at? God know I have the bandwidth (71Mbps down, 4.3 Mbps up- Docsis 3.0 at Cox).
joeking
October 17, 2010 at 11:38pm
The "hi res bump" was a software/firmware update. It applies to all 360's, old or new.
IronFox
October 17, 2010 at 4:41pm
The 360 supports 720p upscaled to 1080p, not true native 1080p. Get your facts straight.
"On the PS3, developers must provide specific resolution support at the software level, whereas on the Xbox 360, games that are not rendered natively at 1080p are upscaled using a built in scaler (meaning that all X360 games can be displayed in 1080p via upscaling)."
joeking
October 17, 2010 at 6:22pm
My facts are straight. The XBOX360 does indeed support 1080p natively. It has the necessary bandwidth between CPUs and graphics processors to move a 1080p signal. This information was first confirmed in 2006 by Microsoft in a interview with IGN, as I said years ago. Go look it up.
It is up to software developers to take advantage of this capability, so if Netflix limits the signal to 720p native on XBOX360, that is their fault, not a limitation of the console.
The 720p upscaling you mentioned is referring to exisiting titles released before the update, they can be scaled to 1080p.
Elric
October 18, 2010 at 2:43pm
The point is, that as an end user, the 360 CAN NOT be used to stream netflix @ 1080p. It's irrelevant whether it is a hardware or software limitation. It's the reality of the current situation that you cannot use the service this way with a 360.
So, if like me, you have an XBOX360 and a PS3 connected to your 1080p TV, you'll probably want to use the PS3 as the netflix device since some content will be displayed in a superior resolution and surround sound.
It's disingenuous (and dumb) to say that the 360 "supports" 1080p Netflix when it's not actually possible for a user to use it that way.
Justin.Kerr
October 17, 2010 at 7:57pm
The information I found agrees with your comment, but not your point. The Xbox 360 supports 1080p video and gaming, but the Netflix app on the Xbox won't send you native 1080p based on the information I was given. It may come with time, but for Netflix PS3 now has a slight edge.
SmurfEater
October 17, 2010 at 1:30pm
Is there going to be an update for the xbox as well?
In the picture theres an option for search, which is lacking on the xbox.
Anyone know if/when this will happen?
dmscpu
October 17, 2010 at 12:36pm
Went all over Sony Store and online; no download to be found.... Is there something I'm missing?
ebeale
October 18, 2010 at 5:45am
I was able to download the app by clicking on the Netflix Icon listed under video on the PS3. This icon was originally created when you used the DVD to access Netflix. Once you click on the icon it prompts you to update the application. Once you do this the disk is no longer needed but as of 8AM EST Monday the service was still not working.
kowal
October 17, 2010 at 12:27pm
I have both a PS3 and a ....home built quad core HTPC........i will continue to use my HTPC for netflix streaming on my 47" sharp tv.
