Report: Netflix streaming video headed to iPhone, Wii
Citing an unnamed source described as "an industry executive familiar with Netflix?s plans," an industry trade journal is claiming that Netflix will soon offer its Watch Instantly streaming video service on the iPhone, iPod touch and the Nintendo Wii.
The brief report by Multichannel News describes the move as the next step for Netflix' content, which currently streams to Windows PCs, Macs, the Xbox 360, TiVo DVRs, the Roku, and certain TV and Blu-Ray players built to support video downloads.
Netflix Watch Instantly vs iTunes
Unlike Netflix' DVDs-by-mail service, its Watch Instantly library offers much less variety, with limited popular content such as recent movies and TV series. Its older titles and oddball independent films are available for immediate viewing however. The Watch Instantly service is also included for viewing at no extra cost over the base Netflix subscription, in contrast to iTunes' pay per view pricing.
Unlike media purchased or rented from iTunes, Netflix' streaming content plays back directly with no download. That requires no local storage on the playback device, but results in playback quality that is dependent upon the available network bandwidth. With iTunes and the Apple TV, content is progressively downloaded, enabling users to obtain HD content even with a slower connection, albeit with a longer wait.
Having a movie downloaded locally before or during playback makes reviewing or fast forwarding scenes quick and fluid. Netflix' streaming video has to stop to buffer the stream if it is paused or the playback point is changed, and simply can't do anything if a network outage occurs. In contrast, an Apple TV can be loaded with content and unplugged for remote playback, just like an iPod.
The advantage of Netflix' instantly streaming video is that little or no storage is required. If the iPhone and Wii are powerful enough to decode the live stream, customers may appreciate having a number of titles to watch on demand without consuming any available storage space, or in the case of the Wii, without needing to add some type of offline storage.
Hardware acceleration and mobile network access
Netflix uses Microsoft's DRM to protect playback of its streaming video, which requires Windows Media Player or Microsoft's Silverlight web plugin, which is akin to Adobe Flash. Dedicated devices like the Roku box use hardware decompression to deliver low cost playback.
Whether the iPhone or Wii could decode quality video only using software may be an issue, as Netflix playback even on the more powerful Apple TV has been cited by some as not practical due to its lack of any Windows Media codec hardware acceleration.
Video playback over AT&T's mobile network would likely also be prohibited by any Netflix streaming player app, making any iPhone version WiFi only, in line with other video streaming apps such as SlingPlayer Mobile.
Potential for HTTP Live Streaming
As a workaround to the iPhone's intentionally missing support for Windows DRM, Netflix could also take a page from Google and leverage the native support in iPhone 3.0 for HTTP Live Streaming, which plays streaming video to the iPhone and iPod Touch using standard MPEG AAC/H.264 codecs over familiar web-based protocols.
At the launch of the iPhone, Google shifted its Flash-based YouTube service to also support H.264 at Apple's behest, allowing the iPhone to skirt the primary need for Flash playback while also delivering high performance, hardware accelerated video playback using open protocols.
Support for HTTP Live Streaming will also be built into QuickTime X playback for Snow Leopard, and appears to be slated for adoption in the next revision of Apple TV. Third parties will also be able to implement HTTP Live Streaming on their own devices.
The brief report by Multichannel News describes the move as the next step for Netflix' content, which currently streams to Windows PCs, Macs, the Xbox 360, TiVo DVRs, the Roku, and certain TV and Blu-Ray players built to support video downloads.
Netflix Watch Instantly vs iTunes
Unlike Netflix' DVDs-by-mail service, its Watch Instantly library offers much less variety, with limited popular content such as recent movies and TV series. Its older titles and oddball independent films are available for immediate viewing however. The Watch Instantly service is also included for viewing at no extra cost over the base Netflix subscription, in contrast to iTunes' pay per view pricing.
Unlike media purchased or rented from iTunes, Netflix' streaming content plays back directly with no download. That requires no local storage on the playback device, but results in playback quality that is dependent upon the available network bandwidth. With iTunes and the Apple TV, content is progressively downloaded, enabling users to obtain HD content even with a slower connection, albeit with a longer wait.
Having a movie downloaded locally before or during playback makes reviewing or fast forwarding scenes quick and fluid. Netflix' streaming video has to stop to buffer the stream if it is paused or the playback point is changed, and simply can't do anything if a network outage occurs. In contrast, an Apple TV can be loaded with content and unplugged for remote playback, just like an iPod.
The advantage of Netflix' instantly streaming video is that little or no storage is required. If the iPhone and Wii are powerful enough to decode the live stream, customers may appreciate having a number of titles to watch on demand without consuming any available storage space, or in the case of the Wii, without needing to add some type of offline storage.
Hardware acceleration and mobile network access
Netflix uses Microsoft's DRM to protect playback of its streaming video, which requires Windows Media Player or Microsoft's Silverlight web plugin, which is akin to Adobe Flash. Dedicated devices like the Roku box use hardware decompression to deliver low cost playback.
Whether the iPhone or Wii could decode quality video only using software may be an issue, as Netflix playback even on the more powerful Apple TV has been cited by some as not practical due to its lack of any Windows Media codec hardware acceleration.
Video playback over AT&T's mobile network would likely also be prohibited by any Netflix streaming player app, making any iPhone version WiFi only, in line with other video streaming apps such as SlingPlayer Mobile.
Potential for HTTP Live Streaming
As a workaround to the iPhone's intentionally missing support for Windows DRM, Netflix could also take a page from Google and leverage the native support in iPhone 3.0 for HTTP Live Streaming, which plays streaming video to the iPhone and iPod Touch using standard MPEG AAC/H.264 codecs over familiar web-based protocols.
At the launch of the iPhone, Google shifted its Flash-based YouTube service to also support H.264 at Apple's behest, allowing the iPhone to skirt the primary need for Flash playback while also delivering high performance, hardware accelerated video playback using open protocols.
Support for HTTP Live Streaming will also be built into QuickTime X playback for Snow Leopard, and appears to be slated for adoption in the next revision of Apple TV. Third parties will also be able to implement HTTP Live Streaming on their own devices.
Comments
Unless they become the first licensee of Fairplay (that I know of), what other options does Netflix have?
How long before AT&T pulls the plug on this one?
Did you read the article?
I'm certainly all for getting rid of Microsoft's version of DRM and the necessity for Silverlight on a Mac, but what would Netflix use instead? They can't simply stream everything out unprotected, as people would simply make copies of everything.
Unless they become the first licensee of Fairplay (that I know of), what other options does Netflix have?
Netflix doesn't need DRM to stream to the iPhone. There is no way to record or divert the stream
that's what I was thinking....
Just trained back home - watching an iNetflix movie would have been nice...
that's what I was thinking....
Just trained back home - watching an iNetflix movie would have been nice...
Given Apple & AT&T's reluctance to allow Slingbox (Streaming Video) I don't see this ever happening.
Apple wants you to use iTunes and nothing else for revenue reasons (even as lousy as there HD is). You are in a closed Apple World. That is why my next phone will not be an iPhone.
Edit. Not to mention the fact that Netflix uses Windows DRM. Yeah, like Jobs would allow that on the iPhone.
It would be like saying... Nobody is really using iTunes so we will use Microsoft's DRM on the iPhone.
That is why we don't have Flash on the iPhone.
No Revenue to Apple means you are being kept in a closed Apple confined world.
That is why my next phone will not be an iPhone.
C'ya...
I'm loving my closed Apple confined world.
sincerely, fanboi
Given Apple & AT&T's reluctance to allow Slingbox (Streaming Video) I don't see this ever happening.
Apple wants you to use iTunes and nothing else for revenue reasons (even as lousy as there HD is). You are in a closed Apple World. That is why my next phone will not be an iPhone.
Edit. Not to mention the fact that Netflix uses Windows DRM. Yeah, like Jobs would allow that on the iPhone.
It would be like saying... Nobody is really using iTunes so we will use Microsoft's DRM on the iPhone.
That is why we don't have Flash on the iPhone.
No Revenue to Apple means you are being kept in a closed Apple confined world.
Another person that didn't bother to read the article.
Given Apple & AT&T's reluctance to allow Slingbox (Streaming Video) I don't see this ever happening.
Apple wants you to use iTunes and nothing else for revenue reasons (even as lousy as there HD is). You are in a closed Apple World. That is why my next phone will not be an iPhone.
While I agree that Apple's closed ecosystem is designed to enhance revenue, it isn't completely closed. I watch tons of content from other sources on my iPhone. It just requires a file (rather than streaming) which I can convert to the iTunes format.
Not that I would ever torrent anything, but if I did, it would be a snap to convert the AVI file to MPEG-4 and import it to iTunes.
Given Apple & AT&T's reluctance to allow Slingbox (Streaming Video) I don't see this ever happening.
Apple wants you to use iTunes and nothing else for revenue reasons (even as lousy as there HD is). You are in a closed Apple World. That is why my next phone will not be an iPhone.
Edit. Not to mention the fact that Netflix uses Windows DRM. Yeah, like Jobs would allow that on the iPhone.
It would be like saying... Nobody is really using iTunes so we will use Microsoft's DRM on the iPhone.
That is why we don't have Flash on the iPhone.
No Revenue to Apple means you are being kept in a closed Apple confined world.
Video streaming should NOT be allowed on the iPhone. If you want to watch movie, stay your ass at home. There is already enough distractions on the road. No damn video streaming.
If AT&T allows this to go thru, then everybody will be allowed. And if that happens, making phone calls or using internet will become a headache, just like cable is a headache.
Video streaming should NOT be allowed on the iPhone. If you want to watch movie, stay your ass at home. There is already enough distractions on the road. No damn video streaming.
Yes because all iPhone users only commute by car. And no one but the driver in the car has an iPhone.
Seriously, with the exception of iTunes removing DRM from music in all countries at once, non-Americans always get the shaft from Big Content, who can't get their s*** together in more than one country at a time.
There is little Apple or AT&T can do to block http live streaming. Streaming video to the iPhone does not need DRM.
Yes I did read the Video and unless (currently) they Video is is QuickTime (W ich is dead to the rest the world) or YouTube which has to be converted and can only be viewed on the iphone.
Live with Steve dragging his skinny Ass upgrading potention virus Risks and know that you will NEVER HAVE STREAMING WITH ANYTHING THAT IS A COMPETING STANDARD.
DUMB A?? SHEEP.
If AT&T allows this to go thru, then everybody will be allowed. And if that happens, making phone calls or using internet will become a headache, just like cable is a headache.
Video streaming should NOT be allowed on the iPhone. If you want to watch movie, stay your ass at home. There is already enough distractions on the road. No damn video streaming.
You're hilarious! So the only time people are watching video on the iPhone is when their driving? LOL.
What I don't understand from these services is why don't they just use the browser in Safari instead of making an app. Slingbox for the Mac already forces you to watch it through Sling.com. Why don't Sling and Netflix follow suit?
If AT&T allows this to go thru, then everybody will be allowed. And if that happens, making phone calls or using internet will become a headache, just like cable is a headache.
Video streaming should NOT be allowed on the iPhone. If you want to watch movie, stay your ass at home. There is already enough distractions on the road. No damn video streaming.
HTC is about to release a phone witch full Adobe Flash on it. It does Multi-Tasking and you can watch HULU on it as well as anything in Windows Media Format.
WinMo (6.5) will be known as Windows Phone and as for now Windows 7 will also be Windows Phone.
End licensers can pick and choose what they want their phone to do. Kind of sounds like Google but not Free.
.
Google Donut will be multi touch as well as have full Flash compatibily.
Can anyone say Motorola RAZR?
You're hilarious! So the only time people are watching video on the iPhone is when their driving? LOL.
What I don't understand from these services is why don't they just use the browser in Safari instead of making an app. Slingbox for the Mac already forces you to watch it through Sling.com. Why don't Sling and Netflix follow suit?
Because of Apple. No other reason. They gain no revenue so you are screwed into paying for their POS Video which can't even be compared with 720p. It looks more like VHS.