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Comments: 145 +-   Netflix Coming To Sony PS3 on Monday October 26, @06:16PM

Posted by Soulskill on Monday October 26, @06:16PM
from the inclusively-exclusive dept.
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playstation
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itwbennett writes "'Microsoft has always seemed rather enthusiastic when it comes to throwing around the word 'exclusive,' and here is another case in point,' says blogger Peter Smith. Netflix and Sony have announced that Netflix streaming is coming to the Sony PlayStation 3 as early as next month. Back in August, when Microsoft was rolling out its new dashboard update, one of the features it was talking up was Netflix streaming, says Smith, and it said, 'This exclusive partnership offers you the ability to instantly stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix to the television via Xbox 360. Xbox 360 will be the only game console to offer this movie-watching experience...' Apparently, in Microsoft parlance, 'exclusive partnership' means 'we launched it first' and not 'we inked a deal with Netflix preventing this feature from appearing on the competition's hardware.' All this is good news for PS3 owners who can now sign up to be notified of Netflix availability for their system."
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Submission: Netflix Coming to Sony PS3 by itwbennett (1594911)
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  • exclusive partnership (Score:5, Funny)

    by DesertBlade (741219) on Monday October 26, @06:20PM (#29878927)
    They did have an exclusive partnership for about 3 months.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by XPeter (1429763) *
      Until it became popular and Netflix wanted more cash.

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by schon (31600)

      Methinks you don't understand what "exclusive" means.

      It doesn't mean "nobody else is doing it".

      It means "nobody else is is *allowed* to do it" (examine the root "exclude [wiktionary.org]")

      • Re:exclusive partnership (Score:4, Insightful)

        by maharb (1534501) on Monday October 26, @07:54PM (#29879689)

        You also might want to note we live in a world that has time and exclusivity doesn't necessarily include all times past and present. Microsoft may have been told that for X period of time the service would not appear on any other consoles thus their statement, at that point, was true.

        I think it is fairly standard human behavior to judge statements based on when they occurred and not the present situation. That is why newton is considered 'genius' despite getting lots of physics wrong.

        • Re:exclusive partnership (Score:4, Insightful)

          by Blakey Rat (99501) on Monday October 26, @08:59PM (#29880065)

          I thought Slashdotters hated marketer-speak. Why is everybody debating this? Who cares?

          • Perhaps Sony excluded themselves, until right now.

          • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

            by nacturation (646836) *

            I think you're getting a bit worked up because some marketing guy spun this in a way favorable to Microsoft.

            Bizdev guy: "Hey, we just signed a deal to get Netflix streaming on the XBox 360!"
            Marketing guy: "Do any other consoles have this functionality?"
            Bizdev guy: "Nope, just the XBox."

            [Two hours later]

            Press release: "This exclusive partnership offers you the ability to instantly stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix to the television via Xbox 360. Xbox 360 will be the only game console to offer this m

          • > Wow, you MS apologists just don't quit, do you?
            >
            >Here's the thing: If it was exclusive then what caused the exclusivity to change?

            It's typically specified in the contract. MS probably demanded a period of exclusivity in exchange for the development/integration/distribution of making Netflix streaming available to their huge installed base of users. Netflix wanted to retain the flexibility to partner with anyone they wanted. So, they negotiated a mutually agreeable term of exclusivity.

            This is

          • Re:exclusive partnership (Score:4, Insightful)

            by Toonol (1057698) on Tuesday October 27, @01:35AM (#29881205)
            It's not being an MS apologist, you paranoid git. It's being cognizant of the meaning of words. Limited exclusitivity is common, particularly in the gaming field, and typically referred to as, yes, "exclusive". If you had asked MS if "They could guarantee that NetFlix could never, ever, offer a movie on any other console ever", of course they would say there was no such agreement. Fallout 3 was touted as an MS exclusive; it's now made its way onto the PS3. There's been similar Sony exclusives that are now on the 360. They were exclusives, now they're not.

            I don't own a 360; but I don't twist words to try to find excuses to hate. The summary is guilty of that. Geez. Unreasonable hate directed at MS just makes the REASONABLE hate directed at MS seem less valid. I'd tone it down.
      • Methinks the term exclusive can have more than one meaning. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/exclusive [merriam-webster.com]
        b : limiting or limited to possession, control, or use by a single individual or group

        or from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/exclusive [reference.com]
        single or sole

        So the netflix was limited to one console (XBOX 360) whether by contract or just first entry.

  • More (Score:2, Interesting)

    by elsJake (1129889)
    Power to the people! Is it an international feature at least ? I Have yet to see a video streaming service that works for non-US folk.

    • Not coming to Canada... unfortunately. *sigh* Linky [eontarionow.com].

      I don't understand the statement "The service will not be available in Canada due to licensing agreements and other legal issues."
      We can buy/rent most (all?) of the media coming out of the states off the shelves, no questions asked.

      Perhaps someone like Walmart will have to come out with a streaming service, and bring it to Canada to open the floodgates. As much as I'm not fond of the huge Megacorps they tend to lead the way in for things such as this.

      • Duh! I can't imagine why it takes the act of those controlling the rights of the movies to get anything done! Sure, Wal-Mart doesn't control the rights, but they have the power to make arrangements with those that do. It seems like the media companies fail miserably at extracting money from people by selling their products and instead chose to wait until some big name comes along and promises them lots of cash if they just listen.

        The only slightly strange thing is that I thought Netflix was in with the r

      • Unfortunately, the right to distribute via the internet is not the same as the right to distribute physical copies. It is a much larger legal hurdle than physical one.
      • Sadly, it's worthless to the majority of the world. What a non-story.

  • I'm a fan of Netflix streaming (to my Tivo HD), warts and all. But if you're not a fan of old movies and TV shows, it's probably of very little interest to you. Not all that much new stuff is available for streaming, and what is there seems to get cycled randomly in and out at the whim of the content owners.

    The shortcomings aren't Netflix's fault, I don't believe - it's squarely due to the MPAA dinosaurs that continue to insist that the genii will fit back in that darn bottle if they just push harder...

    • There are new movies on it, have you looked? Walle, for instance in on Netflix instant view. That qualifies as a new movie in my book.

      Better than that though, they often have TV shows from Europe or the UK, like the IT Crowd on Instant View.

      • There are new movies on it, have you looked? Walle, for instance in on Netflix instant view. That qualifies as a new movie in my book.

        Yeah, Wall-E is in my queue actually - but my experience has been you're much more likely to find that any particular old movie has the streaming option than, say, any particular movie from the past 1-2 decades.

        Your point about the Europe/UK television shows is well taken.

      • I suppose it depends how you define new, Wall-E is almost 18 months old for example so personally I wouldn't call it a new film, even stuff from the beginning of 2009 would be a push. I'd call things like District 9 new films - I guess it depends if you want the latest films or if you're content with the stuff people were watching over a year ago in the cinema and on DVD.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Eternauta3k (680157)

      insist that the genii will fit back in that darn bottle

      There's a special circle of hell for people who talk at the movies and those who do what you just did.

    • On the other hand, mass adoption of Netflix streaming is absolutely key to getting more titles available through it. So this announcement is good news even for those of us who don't own a gaming console.
    • Old, obscure, and foreign movies are the only reasons I would subscribe to Netflix. None of my local rental stores have "The Thin Man." Can you believe that? They have all the SAW movies...
      • Relatively poor quality compared to what? They allow higher quality streaming on netflix ready devices than they do computers. A lot of the newer stuff streams in HD and looks pretty good on my modest 37" lcd. Most things tend to look better than TWC's HD cable service, contain fewer artificats if any, and have much better sound quality.

        As far as pipes go, I have the second cheapest tier of roadrunner and it still manages HD streams on my xbox while my roommate is watching another stream on his lapt

  • It was (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Luthair (847766) on Monday October 26, @06:27PM (#29878993)
    This is a non-story, it was exclusive to the X360 at the time. There is no difference than the umpteen movies (some of which Sony is undoubtedly behind) which exclaim 'only in theatres!' in their trailers.

  • Inclusive (Score:5, Insightful)

    by StikyPad (445176) on Monday October 26, @06:31PM (#29879033) Homepage

    Apparently, in Microsoft parlance, 'exclusive partnership' means 'we launched it first' and not 'we inked a deal with Netflix preventing this feature from appearing on the competition's hardware.

    Isn't that what exclusive usually means? It makes a statement about the present, not the future. Exclusive interviews, for example, are seldom exclusive for very long. iPhones are exclusive to AT&T (in the US, for now). Some vehicle has exclusive feature X, until next year when they all do. Etc., etc...

    • Re:Inclusive (Score:4, Insightful)

      by registrar (1220876) on Monday October 26, @06:57PM (#29879255)

      Isn't that what exclusive usually means?

      No. Exclusive has some sense of "to the exclusion of others" even though that exclusion might not exist forever. In the case of interviews, "exclusive" means that the interview was carried out with only our interviewer---as opposed to a press conference or similar, where the competition is not excluded. "Exclusive" hotels and cars purport to cater only to the good and great, excluding others. Exclusive features in cars or phones? rot---unless they are, by contract, not provided to competitors.

      In the case of partnerships, if it doesn't mean "to the exclusion of others" then the word is being used deceptively. Put it this way: I have an exclusive partnership with my wife, and will be sorely disappointed if it means anything other than "to the exclusion of others."

      • Based on the number of these types of comments, I'm beginning to suspect the original post was basically a troll. Give it a rest. It's a couple of marketing announcements.

      • You're wrong, to provide some examples you often get TV stations claiming exclusive interviews on certain subjects, or radio stations getting exclusive access to play new songs. This does not mean exclusivity is maintained indefinitely.

        To use your analogy, yes, you might have an exclusive relationship with your wife right now (at least you assume so), but you can't guarantee that under any circumstance she wont ever have an affair with someone else, because you simply cannot predict the future.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by nilbog (732352)

      TFA says "Xbox 360 will be the only game console to offer this movie-watching experience..."

      Seems to me that they are defining the time period as any point in the future and making that statement that Xbox will continue to be the only game console to offer netflix. Key words "will be the only."

  • Using BD-Live is the real story (Score:5, Interesting)

    by RalphBNumbers (655475) on Monday October 26, @06:55PM (#29879243)

    The report on this this that I saw at ars technica [arstechnica.com] said this is implemented using BD-Live. If that's right, then it means that any fully featured BluRay player could do it.

    So Netflix will have effectively co-opted the next generation physical media installed base for their online distribution system. I think that's a pretty big deal compared semi-supporting one more console, don't you?

  • This is only news to me if Netflix can and will start working in the UK and beyond. If the service can make a profit in the USA why not the rest of the world?

  • Joystiq has a Q&A with Netflix (Score:5, Informative)

    by moniker (9961) on Monday October 26, @07:29PM (#29879501)

    from http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/26/netflix-ps3-disc-must-remain-in-system-until-2010-update/ [joystiq.com]

    Joystiq: Was the PS3 application developed internally by Netflix?

    Netflix: Yes, with the help of the Sony team.

    Can the Netflix application be installed to the PS3 hard dive from the disc? Or must the disc be inserted every time a user wants to access Netflix?

    Yes, the Netflix disc has to be inserted every time to access the Netflix service.

    Why not distribute the application via PSN download or firmware update, and then embed it into the XMB?

    Again, the instant streaming disc represented the fastest and easiest way to let PS3 enthusiasts get Netflix on the PS3. Late next year we expect to have an embedded solution available for PS3s via a system software update slated for release through the PlayStation Network.

    • Why not distribute the application via PSN download or firmware update, and then embed it into the XMB?

      Again, the instant streaming disc represented the fastest and easiest way to let PS3 enthusiasts get Netflix on the PS3. Late next year we expect to have an embedded solution available for PS3s via a system software update slated for release through the PlayStation Network.

      We need to somehow convince shareholders that the Blu-Ray drive in the PS3 is still relevant!

      • My PS3 handles 1080p non-BD video just fine, and will handle a 1080p mp4 file on a USB drive- though there is a limitation in the movie file size due to FAT32. Also, you can rent and buy HD movies on the PSN store and download/stream them.

        I believe the Netflix BD is required for the interim because Sony isn't planning on updating the firmware for a while.

  • Goodbye cursed Silverlight (Score:3)

    by SuperKendall (25149) on Monday October 26, @08:26PM (#29879899)

    I installed Silverlight on my media PC (a Mac mini) only because of Netflix streaming, and that with great reluctance. I'll be more than happy to ditch it and just use the PS3 for streaming.

  • using a product called PlayOn from http://www.themediamall.com./ [www.themediamall.com] Yes, PlayOn does cost money, one time fee of $20-$30, but then I can also stream Hulu, CBS, CNN, etc. to my PS3, Wii or my DirecTV DVR or a bunch of other things as well. There is a trial version available. The only downside, it's a Windows app.
      • Not HD, but does fill the screen nicely for me, on an HD TV. FF works well enough for my needs, better for Netflix streams than for Hulu though.

  • Countless "exclusive" 360 games are released on the PC a few months later. It's a marketing gimmick to get consumers to believe that their system is the only one to offer service X or game Y when those same products will be available shortly on another system.

    • Tivos can also do the netflix streaming..

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by dAzED1 (33635)

        ....but they can't play dvds or bluerays. nor are they available for that occasional use as a game console. And I also don't subscribe to cable, so...

    • Is this a problem? I don't mind inserting a disc to watch a movie, even if that movie is streamed, so long as a better solution is in the works.

      According to the Joystiq interview, it was much faster to develop an application on a blueray disc and use that for the streaming application than to develop an embedded application for the PS3. The people at Netflix are implying that there was never an exclusive deal with the 360; the marketing people at Microsoft took the liberty of using "exclusive" despite the

    • I live in Europe right now too. I used to do Netflix when I lived in the States, and I liked it. I suspect that they will block European IPs due to the demands of the content owners. I plan to split this with a friend in the States - they can have all the mail DVDs, and I'll get a fast US proxy to use the streaming. We'll see if it works out.

    • Yes, media companies refusing to license the movies to places like Netflix for use outside the US, companies like Universal, Sony, Warner etc. are the problem with that.

      I think it generally comes down to the issue that movie companies want to charge more in Europe as most companies do for most other things, but that would make the service prohibitively high for for the consumer such that companies like Netflix would get zero profits from it as they'd have to pay it all to the media companies, or the cost wo

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