The New NetfliXbox Experience

Xbox 360 owners are already aware that the New Xbox Experience launched today, and regular readers of this site might be aware that the feature I was most looking forward to was the Netflix streaming. So after downloading the update (which surprisingly took only two minutes... literally!) and creating my avatar (from the limited options -- what, you couldn't let us pick the style of clothes and then customize a color?), the first thing I did was find the Netflix section and check out my queue.

As long as you're a Netflix member and have a Gold Xbox LIVE account, you're good. All you need to do is download a little update, and off you go. The second time I used it, the same download screen came up for some reason, but the third time there was an automatic update which I think fixed that little glitch. The Xbox gives you a code that you enter into the Netflix website and then you're in business. As written elsewhere, not everything is going to be available for streaming, but what they do have on demand is a sizable collection. Of course, when you browse your queue on the website, you will notice certain titles that are marked "Not Available On Xbox" which are the kinds of titles Asterick wrote about earlier. So I'll just have to wait for those to come in the mail.

When you select a movie from your queue, you can browse information about it and read a quick summary, as well as play or delete it. When you select play, there's a brief pause as the system checks your internet connection and then buffers the video. I'm impressed at how quickly it starts playing, and equally impressed with the video quality. Sound and video are obviously not going to be as clear and clean as a DVD, and it's not in high-def (yet). But it looks better to me than what the regular cable channels look like on our HDTV, and it's more than totally watchable. Once paused, restarting is instantaneous, while fast-forwarding and rewinding requires a slight buffering period before playing again. Another nice touch is that the system keeps track of where you are in a film so if you need to stop and come back to it later, it starts you right where you left off. And I noticed it keeping track of more than a few movies at a time, but I'm not sure what the upper limit might be.

If I have any complaints about the system, it's that the aspect ratios are hit or miss. Watching anything in a 1.33:1 or 1.85:1 ratio is fine. If it's square, it's centered with black on the right and left. If it's 1.85 widescreen, it nicely fills the widescreen TV. However, if it's a really widescreen movie, in the 2.35:1 ratio, you're in trouble. Well, only if you're a film geek like me. I started watching Flash Gordon, and was disappointed when after the credits it zoomed in to a 1.85:1 ratio to fill the screen. And to add insult to injury, it looked squished, too. Yuck. I added some more movies to my queue to test this out, and of the few I tested, none of them were in their proper aspect ratio. Alien was actually not anamorphic widescreen, in a tiny box in the center of the screen, Capricorn One was actually 1.33:1 like a TV print, and Mad Max and Scarface both zoomed in to fill the 1.85:1 HDTV screen. Annoying, but like I said, it will probably only bother other film snobs.

Also, the on-screen controls for fast-forwarding and rewinding are a little counter intuitive. You can fast-forward, and small chapter-like boxes scroll across the screen so you can see where you are in the video, but to go back to play, you have to select the play button, which is a few too many buttons away from fast forward. Why it's on the far left rather than in between FF and REW is beyond me. I suppose I could get a remote control, and if I'm going to watch as many streaming Netflix movies as I suspect I will, it might be a good investment. As long as it works with Netflix. Anyone out there know for sure before I spend the money?

Wootini
Posted to Video Games on 19 November 2008 · Comments (12)
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