Netflix lifts limits on streaming movies
Posted
Jan 14 2008, 06:24 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Netflix does most of its business by mail, but the company is getting ready for the future by spending $40 million on a video streaming service for customers with high-speed Internet connections. Today, the company is lifting restrictions on that service so that customers can watch as many movies and television shows as they want from Netflix's library of 6,000 titles.
Netflix previously set time limits on how much customers could watch per month, presumably to save money on bandwidth and the fees it must pay Hollywood when a movie is streamed. Today's move could be costly, because the company isn't raising its monthly rates to compensate for the added expenses.
Why the sudden burst of generosity? We probably have Apple to thank. If the rumors are true, Apple is set to announce movie rentals over iTunes tomorrow at its Macworld Expo. Apple hasn't been much of a competitor to Netflix before, but with a movie rental service the company becomes a threat.
Netflix's unlimited streaming could take off later this year when the company debuts a set-top box by LG Electronics that will stream movies to TVs.
Not everyone can use the unlimited streaming feature. Customers on Netflix's $4.99-a-month plan aren't invited. Mac users are out of luck as well, because the service only works with Windows.
So is the streaming library any good? At the top of Netflix's Top 50 streamed list are full seasons of "Heroes," "The Office" and "30 Rock." Films on that list include "Pan's Labyrinth," "The Italian Job" and a bunch of movies I've never heard of.
Has anyone streamed Netflix movies to their PC? How did you like it? Share your experiences in the comments.
