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• Netflix videos coming to Xbox 360

  Posted Jul 15 2008, 12:06 PM by Kim Peterson
  Filed under: Microsoft, Netflix
  Rating:

  Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is doing a great job lining up distribution deals, but he should spare a few minutes for the content side of the business. Sure, you'll be able to watch Netflix videos in lots of places, but what happens when people discover that those videos are mostly lousy?

  Take yesterday's announcement with Microsoft. Starting this fall, people who are paid subscribers of both Netflix and Xbox Live will be able to watch Netflix videos on the Xbox 360. Great news for Netflix, which gets access to millions more potential members (Microsoft says most of its 12 million Xbox Live members pay; the rest use a free, but limited, version of the service). Netflix shares bounced slightly on the news and are at $27.84 today.

  But Netflix's streaming video library needs help. The top movies in it include "The Contract" and "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead." Eh. I won't be rushing to my Xbox with this lineup.   Read More...

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• Time Warner trial ends flat-rate Internet fees

  Posted Jan 17 2008, 12:32 PM by Kim Peterson
  Filed under: Microsoft, Apple, Netflix, Time Warner Cable, online video
  Rating:

  

  Talk about bad timing. Apple just announced it will offer downloaded movie rentals (including high-def) over the Internet. Netflix is working on a set-top box to do the same thing, and Microsoft has been ramping up its downloadable movie offerings over Xbox Live. 

  Now, one cable company is starting to push back at excessive bandwidth usage caused mainly by video downloading. After an internal memo was leaked, Time Warner Cable confirmed it's planning a trial in Beaumont, Tex., in which it will charge Internet subscribers based on usage. (Time Warner's shares closed down 22 cents to $22.35 Friday.)

  It's a tricky situation for Time Warner and other cable companies. Customers generally pay a flat rate for Internet (about $50 a month in my case), but a small minority are basically torrenting HD movies like crazy and sucking up a bunch of bandwidth. According to the leaked memo, 5% of subscribers were using up half of the total bandwidth.   Read More...

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• Next-gen DVD battle already becoming irrelevant

  Posted Jan 08 2008, 12:19 PM by Kim Peterson
  Filed under: Microsoft, Comcast, Netflix
  Rating:

  

  The Blu-ray and HD-DVD folks can bicker all they want about whose next-generation format is going to win. Comcast and other companies are laying plans now that could make that battle irrelevant.

  Comcast today announced "Project Infinity," a grandiose name for a plan to make 1,000 high-def movies and TV shows available each month by the end of this year. By 2009, Comcast wants to offer 6,000 movies on demand -- half in HD.

  Comcast will also begin rolling out ultra-high-speed Internet that allegedly allows you to download a high-def copy of a movie like "Batman Begins" in four minutes. I say "allegedly" because downloads in real life never seem to happen as fast as promised.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 9 comments) 3,258 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this