Netflix’s ‘Watch Instantly’ video streaming service is now available on all three major home consoles after finally making it to the Wii. This being despite the Wii having no HD options, meaning video quality suffers as a result.
Netflix ‘Watch Instantly’
Netflix’s ‘Watch Instantly’ is the online video streaming service available to all Netflix subscribers. It offers thousands of movies and episodes of TV shows for subscribers to watch in addition to the DVD and Blu-ray mailing service which is the company’s main offering.
‘Watch Instantly’ is available on an increasing number of different platforms, with the PC joined by Internet-connected consumer electronics such as Blu-ray players, televisions, and set-top boxes.
Netflix On Consoles
Netflix has also realized the potential inherent in games consoles, of which all three of the major current generation connect to the Internet.
Microsoft’s Xbox 360 has had full support for ‘Watch Instantly’ since the rollout of the New Xbox Experience in November 2008. While Sony’s PS3 gained support last November with the sending out of streaming discs which allow Netflix content to be streamed to the console.
Netflix On Wii
Now, finally, Netflix has also made it to the Wii, again with the addition of streaming discs. They started being sent out to selected subscribers at the end of last week, with feedback sought before a full launch in the months to come.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings suggested at CES 2010 in January that this would be happening, and he’s proved true to his word.
No HD, No Joy?
Unlike the PS3 and Xbox 360, there isn’t the option to connect the Wii to a TV through an HD connection, which is an obvious downside to streaming ‘Watch Instantly’ via the console. However, the Wii Remote works well as a remote control substitute.
ZatzNotFunny! found this video review in which Marcus Penn makes clear his feelings on the poor video quality of Netflix when watched through the Wii.
Conclusions
The Xbox 360 is clearly the first choice console for streaming Netflix at the moment, followed by the PS3 and its annoying streaming disc solution. However, I’m glad to even see Netflix available on the Wii, as I feel games consoles could prove important to streaming video in the longterm.
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