E3 2008: Xbox 360 gains Netflix support

XBox 360 News

By Hector Cortez Jul 14, 2008, 20:26 GMT

At the E3 Media and Business Summit, Microsoft and Netflix unveiled an exclusive partnership to offer consumers the ability to instantly stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix to the television via the Xbox 360.

Xbox 360 will be the only game system that lets users instantly watch movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix. This service will be available to Xbox LIVE Gold members who are also Netflix subscribers.

A growing library of more than 10,000 movies and TV episodes will be available from Netflix when it launches on Xbox LIVE in late fall, with more choices added over time.
From the Netflix Web site, members simply add movies and TV episodes to their individual instant Queues. Those choices will be automatically displayed on the TV screen via Xbox 360 and available to watch instantly. Once selected, movies will begin playing in as little as 30 seconds. In addition to instantly streaming movies to the TV, Xbox LIVE Gold members can fast-forward, pause and rewind, all using either their Xbox 360 Controller or Media Remote.

The library of movies and TV episodes that will be available for instant streaming from Netflix via Xbox 360 includes scores of Academy Award winners and nominees, episodes from a number of popular, currently running and classic TV shows, and 24 of the movies rated by the American Film Institute as the greatest ever. At the E3 Media and Business Summit, Microsoft and Netflix unveiled an exclusive partnership to offer consumers the ability to instantly stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix to the television via the Xbox 360.