Netflix streaming on PS3, worth it?

R

rvdrock

CAGiversary!
So I am looking to possibly get Netflix mainly to stream from my PS3, I have a rock solid internet connection, but my concerns are about the movie selection. Can anyone that has Netflix on their PS3 lend some info. Are there new releases or is it just older stuff?
 
For $10.99 / month (might be $11.99), you get unlimited streaming on PS3 plus one Bluray out at a time.

That's 4-5 Blus a month plus unlimited streaming of tons of TV shows (LOST, The Office, etc) and tons of Movies.

But to answer your question:

The movie selection is pretty good for streaming. They have some old\, some new, and just about every genre you could imagine. Everytime I was bore,d there was a movie I wanted to see. But I guess it depends a lot on taste, so the only way to know for sure is to go to www.netflix.com, where you can find the EXACT answer to your question.
 
Love it. Never been much of a tv guy so now I can watch all the great shows I've been missing out on whenever I want. I've watched Dexter, Spartacus, Weeds, Californication, Lost, The Office, 30 Rock and tons of other movies and shows. Working on My Name Is Earl now. The only time I watch cable tv is for sports now. Oh, and if it helps, a lot of the movie selections are from Starz Play so I believe that most of the movies that are playing on premium Starz channel can be played through Netflix. There's also a two week trial to test everything out and see how you like it. I tried that 18 months ago and never looked back.
 
They recently signed a deal with most of the major studios to expand their on-demand offerings, while delaying rentals of new releases by a few weeks.

I think the selection of the streaming content will be expanding, but I don't know how quickly or how new release stuff will be handled.

There's a ton of TV shows available though, so if you're into that, I'd say it's worth it.

Edit: Also, if you do sign up, you can get bonus Reward Zone points through Best Buy, if you sign up through their link on the Reward Zone website.
 
I say yes.
I loved it for watching complete seasons of tv shows and catching up on old ones.
The movie selection is great.
For 9 bucks a month I think its an awesome deal.
 
I'm glad you guys are giving a glowing recommendation for Netflix through the ps3... because I can't.

There are very few "new" movies... nothing really spectacular. 90+% of the TV shows are older, no-longer aired shows... and quite a few of the older ones have "disc only" on random episodes. For example, quantum leap is entirely jacked up. "Season 1" shows 9 episodes.. a few of which are disc only... fast forward to season 2... and there's 1 or 2 season 1 episodes there.

If you already had an unlimited plan, then I would say have at it since it's free... but the decision to sign up a new account depends on how many movies you actually would rent or care to rent a month. Also, quite a few people said that BBV was running promotion adding games to your movie requesting at no charge... which could also be an option (at least worth looking in to)
 
Its cool but after my ps3 died i started watching netflix on my wii which is better for netflix imo. Ps3 does offer some movies and tv show in hd though. I've been enjoying the tick, 21 jump street, fraggle rock, firefly, weeds, and spaceballs the animated series. They have a good selection but i was pissed they took macgyver off instant watch 1 week after i got netflix.
 
For me it isn't worth it. They do not have new release for streaming nor DVD/Blu-ray. The movies are just too old for me. I rather get a membership at blockbuster for rental.
 
As a Netflix user since the early days (and a heavy Netflix instant watch user) I would say its IMPOSSIBLE to find a better deal. With that said one presons deal is another persons money waster. If your concern is new movies, not a good idea, basicly only Movies that are on "STARS" movie channel and some independents are ready to watch as they are released on DVD. Netflix as some stated, has got some agreements to have more NEW instant stuff, but the agreement (as far as I read) is that new releases will only be DVD only for 1-3 months (not weeks as some have said) then be avialble for Instant. So if 1-3 months is not to long, DEPENDING on who signed this with netflix (just one major studio as far as i know so far) it may or may not be a good thing. but there are 1000's of good movies I'm sure you have never seen I'm betting. ANd many series (again, as many have stated). I watch alot of series and didnt notice to many that had the episiodes on DVD only, in fact right now I just ran into my first (arrested Development, and its only the Pilot).

In my book it would get down to how many moves i rented, most rental places around here are $3 a rental on new stuff. SO Netflix is basicly 3 movies worth. I can easily get 2 movies (in the cheapest Netflix plan) a week from um (new DVD's), so that is $24 worth of rentals Of BRAND NEW movies. Then tack on the instant to watch stuff, cant see how it could be a bad deal for $10. So you get your brand new movies (but only by mail) and all the rest...

As for PS3 compared to 360 or Wii (or roku box or Netflix enabled device).. 360 is clearly the easiest of the 3 consoles, no disc. Quality and streaming, no difference that I can see, controls, that would be 100% prefrence, or opinion, they all work the same to me. But I would get a Roku box.. small easy to use and has more then just Netflix.

I honestly cant see a downside to a $10 neflix plan unless you are to far away from a disto center, dont have time to watch (which makes the whole discussion moot) or are so impulsive you cant plan a movie a day or two in advance (nopthing wrong with that, who knows when you will ahve time nowdays).
 
netflix streaming is awesome for tv shows. find a show on there you like and you can generally watch all of it.

At the same time, you compile a queue of movies you've always kinda wanted to see, and they get sent to you on bluray one at a time.

Honestly, though, my last movie has sat there for over a month... I just watch instant streaming and play games; the bluray movies are a perk (irony?).
 
I freaking love Netflix instant stream. You can find lots of great indie movies you won't be able to see elsewhere. I recommend Netflix to damn near everybody.
 
Definitely worth it, the only thing that's slightly annoying is that you have to put in a disc to use it. I've been using netflix and playon to quit cable.
 
Also a benefit is some older out of print/never available on DVD movies are available for instant watch. They've gotten better as of late offering more recent television shows such as all of Prison Break, all but the most recent season of 24, Showtime and Starz series.
 
here's my take.. I used to be a Netflix subscriber before streaming was even an option at all... does it have all the newest movies? no...

But the regular mail service, combined with the option to stream a ton of stuff, is definitely worth it.
 
Definitely. It sets up easy even with the disc. And it plays in HD. To get streaming, you need a disc based subscription so you still have access to the new blu rays as well. You would be surprised how much good content is on there, even if it is not new. Plus as mentioned earlier, some of the current shows are on there as well including Lost and Legend of the Seeker. As a bonus, there are no commercials unlike on demand.

If I push it I can watch 3-4 disc movies a week. Instant fills in all the gaps.

You can try a free trial and see how it works for you.
 
The only new movies they don't have available on disc are the ones like Weinstein that have exclusivity contracts.. correct?
 
I only liked it somewhat when I had netflix. The selection was few for streaming and there are time periods when you can only watch them. That was nearly a year ago so maybe they've changed their library.
 
Here's my rundown on the Netflix-ready machines in my house:


Wii (Wireless) - Interface is fastest out of all, runs as smooth as the standard Wii Dashboard. Haven't had any problems yet.

PS3 (Wired connection) - Interface runs slowly, typically SD quality only, takes up to a full minute to load in to the Netflix queue, and even longer to start a movie.

PS3 (Wireless connection) - Absolute garbage. I suppose it could be my set up, but nothing else really seems to have problems with my Belkin N+ router, and everything runs slow on this machine, from internet, to the PSN store, and especially Netflix.

Insignia NS WBR-DVD (Wireless connection) Interface is actually the same as that on the PS3 discs, but runs faster on this machine. I would say it's because it's located right on the other side of the wall from the router, but it runs faster than the wired PS3, so no explanations there.

Xbox 360 (Wired direct to router) - Interface is fast and smooth, rarely have problems streaming in HD quality, never have problems with SD.

My Live membership just expired, but I only ever used it for Netflix, so I won't be re-upping. Inconvenient, yes. But cost effective also. I'm hoping that when the exclusivity deal runs out Netflix can make a dedicated app for PS3 that might improve how the interface runs.
 
The majority of movies available to stream are pretty terrible. It can be fun to see how bad some of those knock-off movies like Transmorphers are. Crap aside there are still plenty of great films to watch. It's totally worth the price.
 
[quote name='halfbent']The only new movies they don't have available on disc are the ones like Weinstein that have exclusivity contracts.. correct?[/QUOTE]
I'm pretty sure the deal they signed with some (most?) of the studios delays the availability of disc rentals by a few weeks. Avatar is a recent example. It was available for sale on disc a while back but it just came available to rent on Netflix.

Supposedly the deal also give Netflix greater access to movies to expand their streaming content, but I haven't seen too much of a jump with that lately.
 
Well I signed up, I mean even if I rent a few blu rays a month, its pays for itself instead of buying movies...and I am interested in watching the tv shows, but really PS3 wireless is crappy? I've never had an issue with my wireless, does it run different for netflix?
 
Most netflix streaming devices have junk for selection. It's key that you add movies you want to see on the netflix streaming website (via PC or Mac) to your streaming queues so that you can watch them on your PS3. Thats how I add extra content to my PS3's netflix. All netflix devices have the same amount of content which is significantly less than the website (why I have no clue).

In any case, I love netflix on the PS3 if you have a fast enough connection your video should avoid that awkward pixelated stage very quickly (like in 2-5 seconds) and be at near cable on demand quality (picture quality improves the longer you watch the video if you have a crappy connection).

My one annoyance with Netflix on the PS3 is that the fans kick in pretty early on (I think that has more to do with PS3 architecture and design than netflix itself). I'm pretty sure when the PS3 is on it's running at damn near full strength the whole time (i.e. both the GPU and CPU are running). I think it would be a more intelligent move if only the CPU was running and the GPU shut off for power savings like a laptop. I'm sure XBOX users experience the same thing or worse (seriously my xbox sounds like a chainsaw all the time).

Seriously though Netflix on the Wii is marginally better just because the system itself runs very quite and cool. The fans on my wii rarely turn on even when I'm watch a long video session. After several hours of netflix streaming it's only luke warm and not nearly as warm as gaming. Nintendo just designed that system to save power really well...kudos to them. The only reason why it's my preferred player is the fact it operates in dead silence with little to no heat and no fan activity. Thats pretty impressive considering it only has a couple hundred megahertz processor and a pretty weak GPU (when compared to the PS3 and Xbox). I would have though netflix would have been more demanding on the system but it's really not...Now thats some amazing engineering on nintendos part! I don't know a single laptop or PC with wii specs that could handle streaming that well...seriously my crappy 3 gigahertz AMD compaq laptop has a hard time running netflix streams.

I will say the picture quality on the wii version is somewhat worse than the PS3 (both aren't close to DVD quality even at the best streaming quality...it's more like cable on demand). With the Wii Sometimes it's too hard to see whats going on during dark/black night shots and it generally takes the wii longer to kick into higher quality video mode (maybe 2-3 mins where as the PS3 does it in seconds right at the start of the video).

However the overall video loads really fast. Seriously some how that tiny wii loads video faster then the PS3 (by a lot), but the wii starts off at crappy quality where as the PS3 is displaying high qualty streams from the start (in all honesty at most the PS3 takes 10-40 seconds to load, the wii does it in like 2-5 secs).

Also the video on the wii version is usually more compressed some episodies of the X-Files were damn near impossible to watch with all that ugly pixilation during night shots, these episodes looked fine on my PS3. Basically 90% of the time my Wii is fine to watch video it's only that 10% of the time the PS3 is needed.

(P.S. both my wii and my PS3 are right next to each other and right about my wifi router). Seriously though my picture complaint is only a minor one 90% of the video I've seen on both the wii and the PS3 looked fine for a streamed movie (better than hulu any day).
 
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Like most others here, I would recommend getting it. Decent streaming selection, and anything else you want, you can have sent to you on DVD/BR.
 
try it. if you are expecting main stream movies on the instant Q you will be disappointed. My PS3 wireless runs fine with netflix (cable modem). There are a few shows like southpark and some other shows where the audio doesn't sync which is unacceptable. Streaming tv shows are very good though. I was about to get rid of it until my lady found buffy season 1 -7 and wanted to watch em all again. I also decided to give the whole prison break series a shot and I was VERY satisfied with the show.
 
I cant believe some people are crying so much about the crap collection for streaming. Is it all great? Nope but you can still find 50-100 different movies that you like or want to see. That doesn't even include a pretty good collection of TV Shows available as well.
 
I don't use it all that much anymore, but as soon as they integrate it into the XMB, I'll definitely start using it more often. Some nights I come home, sit back on the couch and just want to relax...getting up and walking those 10 feet just isn't in me. Call me lazy, but I want the convenience of not having to put the disc in.
 
[quote name='SynGamer']I don't use it all that much anymore, but as soon as they integrate it into the XMB, I'll definitely start using it more often. Some nights I come home, sit back on the couch and just want to relax...getting up and walking those 10 feet just isn't in me. Call me lazy, but I want the convenience of not having to put the disc in.[/QUOTE]

I can't blame you there! That's why the Wii has it's disk and hasn't been removed since it went in! Of course that will be changing this week for SMG2.

As for if it's worth it? I'd say it's a great feature. My wife and I use it everyday. Then again we don't have cable, just OTA HD. It's a great supplement for only $10 a month since it has a bunch of great TV shows we enjoy watching. Plus it's so much more convenient to watch a movie on there than it is to head to RedBox!

So overall it gets my vote. Yes it's a little slow but honestly it doesn't really both us. The only thing we don't love about it is you can't view the entire collection, only recently added or liked content.
 
[quote name='bobo2k4']Sweet! Just saw that District 9 is now on instant stream![/QUOTE]

wow, I am very impressed with that even though I've seen it a couple times. I don't think they have any other BIG recent movie titles on the instant stream. I hope they add more like that.
 
[quote name='dyeknom']I'm glad you guys are giving a glowing recommendation for Netflix through the ps3... because I can't.

There are very few "new" movies... nothing really spectacular.

If you already had an unlimited plan, then I would say have at it since it's free... but the decision to sign up a new account depends on how many movies you actually would rent or care to rent a month. Also, quite a few people said that BBV was running promotion adding games to your movie requesting at no charge... which could also be an option (at least worth looking in to)[/QUOTE]

[quote name='Mr. 420']Its cool but after my ps3 died i started watching netflix on my wii which is better for netflix imo. Ps3 does offer some movies and tv show in hd though.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='rvdrock']I tried going on the website, I didn't see a lot of new stuff, thats why I was concerned.[/QUOTE]

I feel the same way.
I also find myself asking if I should quit netflix and start renting from redbox because I "caught up" with what ever I wanted to watch. I say you try it out for a month or two, catch up, then rent from redbox. Check out man vs food, if you decide to stream.
 
If you absolutely have to watch the newest releases, then Netflix is not for you.

I don't mind because my backlog is so huge for unwatched movies/TV shows, it'll take me years to catchup with everything that is in Netflix's catalog.

But just having the convenience of instant streaming has been great. It can also be a detriment because sometimes you end up never leaving the couch... to do something more productive.
 
They do get some new releases to instant stream, but most new releases go to DVD. If you pay the 9$ a month, you get the DVD rentals too. Soooo you could get new releases on DVD, and then stream other movies, they also get a lot of TV shows like CSI, 24, NCIS, King of the Hill, southpark, etc etc etc....

and another thing, I have a very fast connection but it gets "interrupted" once in awhile through the xbox, but it NEVER happens when I stream through my ps3.
 
While the instant streaming list may not have all the "latest and greatest" Hollywood has to offer, it does have a lot of underrated and overlooked movies/TV series. And as others have pointed out, you can use the 1 disc out for the new releases and have your fill of instant streaming.

for less than $10 a month, you can have 1 DVD out and unlimited streaming. i don't think that there's a rental service out there that can top that. An even better deal for the PS3 users since you don't have to pay for XBL gold.
 
I just started using Netflix yesterday, and I must say, for someone such as myself who does not have cable service (bunch of reality programming made me ditch cable), having it is worthwhile for those weekends when there is absolutely nothing on television. Since my Netflix streaming disc arrived I've been watching nothing but NewsRadio (it's been years seen I've seen that show, and it's still very funny!).

One question I have though... is the streaming disc a Blu-ray disc, or regular ol' DVD? I can't quite tell, and I don't want to risk scratching it. ;)
 
District 9 started airing on Starz so that is why it is available on netflix instant watch, most of the recent movies on instant watch are a part of "Starz Play."
 
[quote name='clok1966'] I watch alot of series and didnt notice to many that had the episiodes on DVD only, in fact right now I just ran into my first (arrested Development, and its only the Pilot).[/QUOTE]

i think they got the numbering screwed up but the episodes are all actually there.
 
[quote name='freakyzeeky']I just started using Netflix yesterday, and I must say, for someone such as myself who does not have cable service (bunch of reality programming made me ditch cable), having it is worthwhile for those weekends when there is absolutely nothing on television. Since my Netflix streaming disc arrived I've been watching nothing but NewsRadio (it's been years seen I've seen that show, and it's still very funny!).

One question I have though... is the streaming disc a Blu-ray disc, or regular ol' DVD? I can't quite tell, and I don't want to risk scratching it. ;)[/QUOTE]
It's a Blu-ray. They let you request more if your disc stops working for whatever reason.
 
[quote name='guardian_owl']District 9 started airing on Starz so that is why it is available on netflix instant watch, most of the recent movies on instant watch are a part of "Starz Play."[/QUOTE]

the only problem with Starz is the video quality isn't that great... in fact, most of their selection is not in HD.
 
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