Netflix on Wii now accessible without disc

Due to exclusivity agreements with Microsoft, users of Netflix’s popular Instant Streaming feature on PlayStation 3 and Wii consoles were restricted to using a disc the company provided to access the service. Thankfully, those times are over.

Nintendo has announced that starting today, Netflix subscribers can download the new Netflix Channel from the Wii Shop Channel. This new channel allows users to view and access any of the thousands of TV programs and movies right from the Wii’s main menu. It also means you won’t have to eject your copy of Kirby’s Epic Yarn every time you have a craving for Law & Order: SVU.

Sony made similar moves last week, ditching the disc to support Instant Streaming from the main system menu.

Via : thetanooki

Netflix on PS3 goes disc-free, gets 1080p streaming and 5.1 surround sound (update)

Rejoice, PS3 owners, your Netflix streaming experience just got vastly better than anything else on the market. Starting October 18 Netflix on the PS3 will no longer require a disc, and it'll stream some content with 1080i 1080p resolution and / or 5.1-channel surround audio, while everyone else will be stuck with a max of 720p stereo for the time being. Oh, and you'll get subtitles on some content as well.

Netflix is partnering with Dolby on the audio side, and the surround format will be Dolby Digital Plus, which is the same codec used by the VUDU HDX streaming service -- we're guessing it'll require a tiny bit more bandwidth but the results should sound pretty great.

Netflix says 5.1 will come to other platforms "over time," so we'll see how long that takes -- and given that the PS3 is now disc-free and the company's eschewed the SRS surround features baked into its Silverlight-based platform, we're guessing Microsoft's exclusivity period has now completely run its course. Video and PR after the break.

Via : engadget, Playstation blog