Netflix New "Instant viewing" feature

Did a search on it couldnt find anything. So here it goes.

Netflix has this new feature called Instant viewing

"This feature allows Netflix members to instantly watch movies on their PCs. It is included in your monthly membership plan at no additional charge."

BUT, it only works with Win XP or Vista. Firefox isn't supported either you'd have to use IE.

To quote Ellen Feiss "kinda...like... a bummer"


UPDATE: I wrote them an email, asking whether they're planing on making this feature available for mac users (firefox users)

This is their reply:

Thanks for your message.

Thank you for your interest in the new instant viewing feature from Netflix! We are proud to offer an ever-growing selection of movie and television titles that our members may choose to view instantly, rather than having a DVD delivered via mail. All Netflix accounts will have this feature enabled by June of 2007 at no additional charge.

Currently, this content is viewable only through Internet Explorer 6 or above on PCs running Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista operating systems. However, this is only the first step in our instant viewing program. In the months and years to come, we intend to bring the instant viewing experience to a widening array of browsers, operating systems and devices. However, we have no support for specific other operating systems announced at this time.

We welcome any and all suggestions from our members, and will be happy to take your comments into consideration. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us via phone. You may reach us at 1-866-402-2616 between 7am and 11pm Pacific time, seven days a week.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.

Thanks,
Kevin
Netflix Customer Service


"...years to come...."

Where would this feature be located at on the homepage? I don't see it.

Log into Netflix.
• Click on "Your Account"
• Look for a small graphic on the right column that says "How can I watch movies on my PC?"
• Click the "Start Now" link, and voila, you have a new tab next to Queue.

That's cool, at least for those of us who have Win also.

Is there a limit on how many you can do online or titles to watch online?

I actually am going to be reloading XP on my PC laptop this weekend so I can check this feature out (last version of windows I loaded on there was Vista RC1... which is obviously expired ) The IE requirement is kind of a drag!

The Watch Now tab just popped up as an option for me about 2 weeks ago. I think they must be rolling it out by how long you have been a member so the feature won't be available for all yet. Last I read the plans were to have this fully available in mid summer.

Currently you get 1 hour of play time for each dollar you pay per month. I have the 3 at a time unlimited plan which is 17.99... so I get 18 hours of on demand video. I have heard the quality is pretty good and the selection is decent.

I doubt I'd pay anything extra for the service or for more hours if they decide to go this route in the future... but if i get to watch 8 or 9 movies for "free" a month I am sure I'll use the feature from time to time...

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9692709-1.html?tag=cnetfd.mt

I found this review on Cnet Crave. Sounds like they have some refining to do and, unfortunately, it comes with a lot of Windows-related issues.

fleurya said:

Windows-related issues.

Click to expand...

Redundant.

fleurya said:

Is there a limit on how many you can do online or titles to watch online?

Click to expand...

It depends on your plan: If you have the 4.99 plan you'll get 5 hours a month, with the 9.99 plan 10 hours and so on...