Wednesday, 16 July 2008

Now Watch Online Movies on Xbox 360

Microsoft has landed a deal with online rental service Netflix under which Netflix will stream movies directly to consumers through Microsoft's Internet-based Xbox Live service.

According to Microsoft, the new service is designed to complement the existing Xbox Live Video Marketplace, not replace it. One of the best features of the Netflix streaming service is that Xbox 360 owners who already subscribe to Netflix and have an Xbox LIVE Gold account will pay nothing more for the service. About 10,000 movies and TV episodes will be available to rent from Netflix when it launches in late fall.

To use the service, Microsoft says Netflix users will simply add TV shows or movies to their instant queues and the media will automatically show up on the Xbox 360. The media can be controlled via the Xbox 360 controller or Media Remote.

Netflix has previously teamed up with Roku to sell set-top boxes that similarly allow subscribers to watch streamed movies. The company offers a streaming service, plus three-at-a-time DVDs, for Windows XP or Vista PCs from USD 19.99 a month.