Cry your eyes out due to the realization that no matter what casual feature Microsoft add to the Xbox 360 the console will still fail to attract casual audiences due to it's hardcore image.

If this is how it is going to run i am severely disappointed. I have my 360 (and PS3 and Wii) hooked up to a 42 inch, 1080p LCD flat screen. What this means is I have invested lots of money in HD entertainment. If Xbox360 really wants to be the entertainment hub in my living room it has to offer HD entertainment. If not, how is it going to compete with the HD movies on demand through my cable provider and, even better, the Blu-ray player built into my PS3? Honestly, my 1080p Blu-rays are sounding better than ever. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE MY 360, but HD entertainment can't be underestimated.

This is just bad news all around. I was super excited about this new service. Here i thought i was going to be watching limitless HD content a month, for a fee, from the comfort of my couch. Turns out I am still much better off heading to Blockbuster and renting/buying Blu-ray there. At least its true HD. Hell, at least its standard def!! Sorry Microsoft and Netflix, but unless this changes you won't be getting my hard earned dollar, Blu-ray and Blockbuster will. If you can pull it off, sign me up.

Now, according to the engadget blog i read earlier at
http://www.engadgethd.com/2... HD movie downloads will be available through the 360's Netflix service. I hope they are right. However, 300 non-new release movies isn't much of an offering. I'm sure that number will improve over time. Hopefully, what all of this really means--taking info from both IGN and engadget's articles--is that we have the option to choose the video quality: 1) Watch it immediately at a significantly lower resolution, or 2) Wait half an hour or so and watch it in glorious HD (720p).

I never thought IGN could be so...gay.
http://gizmodo.com/5070290/...
I suppose they have had this pitched to them a thousand times on their forums.
Engadget and Gizmodo, not only think the NXE is great---but they have spent MORE time with it.
They also have A LOT more experience in HD A/V, which is more than I'm willing to say about IGN. They are almost as bad as N4G. Netflix Streaming is gonna be great. Maybe IGN should review their connection speeds.

@FBI-"That's the problem with the Xbox 360;Everything it does the PC does it better"
That may be true to some extent. But Everything the 360 does, the PS3 does 2 years later(and not as well I might add).
And the addition of browsing movies thru the 360 instead of the PC isnt such a big deal, since you had to be on your PC anyway to setup which movies you want by mail. But I wouldnt be surprised if that "issue for lazys" wasn't fixed by the release of the NXE.

Both of which have superior PC versions.

Which reminds me,have Epic games announced the release date for Gears of War 2 on PC?Or are they still in the "We're not going to make a PC version" denial stage,the same one they were on before formally announcing Gears of War 1 on PC?

Yeeeeeaaaaaah that sucks

This sounds good but what about the Comcast Customers and the whole 250 GB Cap they put out on people. Why offer this when one of the biggest Internet Providers is going to come down on people who watch a ton of movies.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008...

I don't own a 360 and not with Comcast but I see this as a bad deal for people who are with them who watch a ton of HD movies.

Wait . . . what were you guys expecting??? Do you not have netflix??? The video on demand service seems like a dream come true, until you realize it has 3 movies on it you actually want to watch.

Don't get me wrong, I have been excited about NXE and Netfilx on my Xbox 360 for months, but I knew not to have high expectations. If you are a Netflix subscriber already, you know the instant library is nothing to get excited about, although it is getting better.

Oh, and you should have expected the quality to be bad. They don't offer HD even over the computer.

This aritcle comes out right as several other sites have shown and reported (Aaron Greenberg confirms it with Sarcastic Gamer)that Netflix will be launching with 300+ HD movies/programs on top of the standard definition programs/movies.

From the sounds of it, Netflix has been working to make the HD option happen with the help of MS. I don't think the HD movies were available at this time of preview as the "previewer" at IGN mentions that HD isn't even an option. I am sure he would have commented on it had it been.

Netflix has always based their streaming technology on the performance of the destination. I have streamed a few movies from my laptop (HP 1.16ghz) as well as my desktop (AMD 2.4ghz) and using wired and wireless and can say the quality was adjusted accordingly. I have also used play-on on my desktop to stream a movie or two to my 360 and it looks quite good. It looks like regular dvd quality so I am not complaining.

If someone does not want to watch a regular quality movie streamed from netflix then they can always turn to the video marketplace and look for the 720p version. I dont find the issue of not being able to browse for movies to be that much of a deal breaker. I use netflix enough from my pc to order regular dvd's and can easily add a few "watch now" movies to my queue. What people need to remember is this is a convenience. If you have used the service on a pc then you know what to expect. Nothing more nothing less. Just that now I wont have to have my pc on to watch a movie (direct or streamed through play-on). I can now just click on a movie to watch from 360.

It will serve my expectations just fine.

Once again, Microsoft talks big but delivers so little.

I just want to let you know something, kids. Netflix also did a wonderful deal for the PS3 where I can stream videos. It's a nifty little tool called "internet browser", and I can also use it to access Youtube, Hulu, Alluc, and other free sites. Good job, M$!

Just leave it be what it is.

everyday im glad to be able to go into the PSN and not some half ass service like live.P L A Y B 3 Y O N D !!!!

Heres how to save all your time and money. Go to blockbuster get the movie pass. Then you can have unlimited rentals and no late fees. Yep, problem solved. Or just get tivo hd.

WOW. That sucks. Hopefully they work things out.

i have been catching up on my TV shows using my PS3 on HULU.com

its nice

oh on point: one more bullet point MS tossed around and G4 took a bite out of! After E3 that was the 2nd biggest thing they talked about! Netflix on your 360!

oh sorry

we mean PC

I thought you guys were Internet savy?
before flash 9 support on ps3 you could watch movies & shows in great sub-hd quality.
there's over thousands of websites to download & stream for free.

Now with flash 9 support & the inclusion of divxVOD just gearing towards Sony's next major partner,
it opens up a whole new world of free media & eventually mom & pop websites with competitive prices.
maybe blockbuster may jump on board but with ps3 its all choice. Pay credit or free. I choose free.

This is just another department where Sony killed xboxlive by thinking about the future.
better luck next time champ.

Another BS article from IGN, if you read the Joystiq preview:

"Although Microsoft dodged this exact question every single time we asked it (and oh, we asked multiple times) – and temporarily dropped other, already confirmed features like movie sharing – the New Xbox Experience's Netflix app will indeed stream HD content, if your connection can handle it. Interesting thing is, this is exclusive to the Xbox 360 for now: the various Netflix-enabled devices don't; Netflix's own "Watch Instantly" portal doesn't!

Engadget took an episode of Heroes in HD for a spin and reported that "the quality was stunning." There's only about 300 titles (and some of those are Heroes episodes, so you'll probably want to subtract those) but make no mistake: HD streaming is one of the strongest reasons yet to become a Netflix subscriber if you aren't already."

Engadget never gives out positive MS news, they typically are an Apple-centric site. So this is pretty shocking to see them write it.

So do I believe a site like IGN whose 360 podcast is called the RROD Podcast? A site who repeats reviews from consoles to consoles? A site who knowingly writes wrong informed previews? I said it before IGN has two years left at best...

Also, it's been known and was stated when announced you'll have to use your PC to que your movies up nothing new there either. Seriously, what is going on with IGN?

B!tching about getting up to set your queue, when you still have to get up to put a movie disc in the tray to watch. Your going to get up, find the movie, take it out of the case, insert disc in tray, press play and wait to load, But you won't go to your PC? LOL and you still have to get in your car and drive, stand in line, and drive back home when you buy the movie disc.

ROTFLMMFALO