The Official Netflix Blog

Sony Bravia TVs and Blu-ray Disc Player add streaming from Netflix

2009-11-18T09:13:00.000-08:00

Netflix members can now instantly watch movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix directly to TVs via Sony BRAVIA Internet Video-capable HDTVs and the Sony Network Blu-ray Disc Player. Sony has added the Netflix service to these products through a software update. Specific Sony models now available to instantly stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix include the Sony BRAVIA TV W5100, Z5100, XBR9, and XBR10 series in 40-inch, 46-inch and 52-inch screen sizes; the Sony N460 Network Blu-ray Disc Player; and Sony's BRAVIA Internet video link module when used with compatible BRAVIA TVs.

Netflix for Nokia Phones

2009-11-16T17:54:00.000-08:00

Netflix is now available on five different Nokia phones, including three touch-enabled devices, enabling you to search for titles, manage your queues and watch previews. You can find the Netflix app in the Nokia Ovi Store's Entertainment category.

You can also register to win Nokia's ultimate home/mobile entertainment package, which includes a one year Netflix subscription, Nokia Booklet 3G, Nokia N97 mini, 42" Flat Screen HDTV, Surround Sound System, and Xbox 360. Details can be found here.

Insignia Blu-ray players now instantly stream

2009-11-13T15:24:00.000-08:00

Hi, this note is from Paul Oeschger, Director of partner management. Best Buy has released two new Insignia Blu-ray players that instantly stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix. The models are the Insignia Advanced Series Blu-ray Player NS-WBRDVD, which has built in WiFi wireless networking, and the Insignia Connected Blu-ray Player NS-BRDVD3. Insignia brand products are exclusively available at Best Buy stores and through the Best Buy web site. Netflix members can use these products to play titles from their instant Queue, and they can browse titles by genre from personalized lists and then play those titles immediately or add them to their instant Queue for easy access later.

PS3 now available

2009-11-10T00:11:00.000-08:00

Jessie Becker, VP Marketing, here again. Great news for everyone who wants to instantly watch movies and TV episodes via your PS3: it's available now! If you've requested a Netflix instant streaming disc for PS3, it's on its way to you. If you haven't, go to netflix.com/PS3 to get your disc. Enjoy!

Update on Netflix coming to PS3

2009-11-05T11:35:00.000-08:00

Jessie Becker here, VP Marketing. We know many of you are excited about being able to instantly watch movies and TV episodes via your PS3, and we’re excited as well. Today we shipped instant streaming discs for PS3 to about 100,000 Netflix members who requested them. After we tune a few more details, we expect to ship to everyone else within a couple of weeks. We’ll send you an email as soon as we ship your instant streaming disc. Keep checking here for updates as well.

Netflix coming to PS3

2009-10-25T20:37:00.000-07:00

Greg Peters, VP of product development at Netflix, here. We’ve got good news for PS3 owners! Soon you will be able to instantly watch movies and TV episodes on your TV via your PS3. Today we announced that the PS3 is about to join the ever growing list of Netflix ready devices that allow streaming of movies and TV episodes whenever you want, as much as you want, all included in your unlimited Netflix subscription. The PS3 is a terrific Blu-ray and gaming platform that will get even better in November when we start streaming thousands of movies and TV episodes!

Horror Legend Roger Corman Teams with Netflix this Halloween Season

2009-10-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

Fenot Tekle here from the Netflix communications team. We’re excited to announce that we’ve teamed up with legendary horror filmmaker Roger Corman to create a series of Webisodes which will launch on October 29. Roger has chosen Netflix as the vehicle to make his online debut with “Splatter,” a three-part Web series debuting two days before Halloween and then concluding on Friday the 13th of November.

We’re inviting all of America to instantly stream “Splatter” for free on their computers by going to www.netflix.com/splatter. Netflix members with an unlimited plan will be able watch it directly on their TVs at the conclusion of the series through the variety of Netflix ready devices in the marketplace.

“Splatter” is the haunting tale of rock-and-roll legend Johnny Splatter, a musical genius whose sudden death has brought a small circle of “frenemies” to a mansion for the reading of his will. All came expecting a windfall, but when Johnny rises from the dead to seek gruesome revenge, they soon find out they’ll be getting a lot more than they bargained for. The Webisodes were produced by Roger and Julie Corman, directed by Joe Dante and star Corey Feldman in the title role of Johnny Splatter. The series will launch on October 29, with the second installment scheduled for November 6 and the concluding episode slated for November 13.

In an unprecedented plot twist, Roger is opening up the creative direction of the series by giving viewers the power to choose who lives and dies, making the outcome purely driven by audience participation.

For more information on the series, visit www.netflix.com/splatter. We welcome you to watch and vote and enjoy the fright-fest that is “Splatter!”

Netflix Prize: $1 Million Paid, Another Million Now Up For Grabs

2009-09-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

After nearly three years and efforts by more than 51,000 people worldwide, Netflix today awarded the Netflix Prize and $1 million to a team of seven engineers, statisticians and researchers from Austria, Canada, Israel and the U.S.

The team "BellKor's Pragmatic Chaos" leaderboard met face-to-face for the first time this morning before a news conference at which Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and Chief Product Officer Neil Hunt named them winners, draped Olympic-size "gold" medals around their necks and handed them a check for $1 million. Their collaborative entry had taken place entirely over the net.

Moments later Neil announced details about Netflix Prize 2.

The contest ended in July with moments of real drama. Engineers at Netflix watched in amazement as the contest came down to the last few minutes when the winning team just edged out "The Ensemble," many of whose members were present at the New York award ceremony.

Netflix Prizemasters Stan Lanning and Jon Sanders have been extremely pleased how participants openly offered advice, information, ideas, and even libraries of code on the Prize Forum pages. The final result is a benefit to Netflix members as the movie predictions we make for you will be twice as good as before.

While the final curtain has come down on the Prize, Neil lifted the curtain a bit on the upcoming new Netflix Prize 2 contest. It will focus more on helping customers early in their experience with Netflix, drawing on many more sources of data to try to find just the right movies.

For more information on the winning entry for the original Prize and the new Netflix Prize 2 contest check out http://www.netflixprize.com.

Concert, Screenings and Free Streaming … Oh, My! Celebrate a Cinematic Classic with Netflix

2009-09-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

Catherine Fisher from the Netflix communications team here. It’s been 70 years since Dorothy clicked her heels together and reminded us that there’s no place like home. To help celebrate, Netflix is inviting all of America to instantly watch “The Wizard of Oz” for free online at www.netflix.com/wizardofoz for 24 hours beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Saturday, October 3rd through 9:00 a.m. Eastern the following day. If you are a Netflix member and have a Netflix ready device you will be able to instantly watch the film in HD – watch out for the flying monkeys! This will be the first time that a movie of this stature will be streamed uninterrupted and for free over the Internet. You can RSVP to our event on Facebook to receive a reminder.

Netflix will also host a free, live concert and outdoor movie screening on Tuesday, September 29th, in New York City’s Central Park at Rumsey Playfield. The concert will feature songs from “The Wizard of Oz” performed by Jennifer Hudson, Julianne Hough and ?uestlove. Following the concert, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m., the movie will be shown on a giant inflatable screen.

For more information on the 70th anniversary of “The Wizard of Oz” and how to take advantage of this special streaming offer, visit www.netflix.com/wizardofoz or www.facebook.com/netflix.

We hope you enjoy the movie on October 3rd and that we will see you in NYC for a great concert and screening!

Winner of Netflix FIND Your Voice film competition announced

2009-09-02T09:12:00.001-07:00

After nine months of heated competition, 2,000 applications, some extraordinary scripts, tens of thousands of votes from the public, and review by our panel of judges chaired by Josh Brolin, the verdict is in.

We are thrilled to announce that Philip G. Flores of Hemet, CA is the winner of the “Netflix FIND Your Voice” filmmaking competition. Phillip will receive a prize package worth more than $350,000 to make his film “Touchback.” The package also includes a premiere screening of the film at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June 2010 and distribution on Netflix.

To watch the winning trailer and learn more about the “Netflix FIND Your Voice” film competition, see the official news release or visit www.netflixfindyourvoice.com.

Congratulations, Philip!

Chris Garrity
Netflix communications

Xbox LIVE Update

2009-08-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

Hi, Pedro Freitas here from Netflix product development.

Available today, you will be able to browse and add movies and TV episodes to your instant Queue directly from your Xbox 360. The new Xbox LIVE Update will take advantage of the Netflix recommended category lists of titles that can be watched instantly.

You can also bring your Xbox LIVE Party into Netflix and watch a movie or TV show together with up to seven friends. The improved presence will display what you and your friends are watching in the Friends channel.

In addition, playback has been improved to ensure a better experience when adapting to changing network conditions.

Enjoy the movies!

“Lost,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Desperate Housewives” and “Legend of the Seeker” from ABC available to stream instantly from Netflix

2009-08-03T09:07:00.001-07:00

Hi there, it’s Lynn Tran from the Netflix PR team. If you are a LOSTIE, love a little suburban or young-hip doctor drama, or if epic fantasy is your thing, then we have some good news for you! Starting today, the first four seasons of “LOST” and select seasons of “Desperate Housewives” and “Legend of the Seeker” will be available to be streamed instantly on your computer and to your TV via a Netflix ready device. Plus, starting in September, we’ll also have season five of critically-acclaimed “Grey’s Anatomy” and seasons five of both “LOST” and “Desperate Housewives.”

Netflix is constantly adding to a growing library of over 12,000 movies and TV episodes that you can watch instantly as part of your Netflix membership. And we hope that you enjoy these new additions.

Netflix Prize Competition Closes - But No Winner Announced Yet

2009-07-26T18:38:00.000-07:00

After almost three years, and 44,014 entries from 5,169 teams in 186 countries, the Netflix Prize competition is now closed. Don't know about the Netflix Prize? Read on.

Jon Sanders here. I'm the engineer in charge of the Netflix ratings database and one of the people overseeing the Netflix Prize, which has been a world-wide competition launched in October 2006 to determine who can improve upon the Netflix recommendations system by ten percent. The contest made available to contestants 100 million anonymous movie ratings ranging from one to five stars, the largest such data set ever released. All personal information identifying individual Netflix members was removed from the prize data, which contained only movie titles, star ratings and dates but no text reviews.

The winning team will take home $1 million and Netflix members will benefit as we will incorporate the winner's technology in our recommendations system to continually improve the movie recommendations we make for you.

We'll announce the winner of the Netflix Prize in a few weeks after the submissions have been validated by a team of senior engineers from Netflix and distinguished researchers from the Machine Learning community. Stay tuned for more information, or check www.netflixprize.com if you want to get into the technical details.

Bravo, BRAVIA!

2009-07-09T09:42:00.001-07:00

Come fall, Netflix members on any unlimited plan will be able to instantly watch movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix on Sony’s BRAVIA Internet Video-capable HDTVs and on previous BRAVIA models compatible with Sony’s BRAVIA Internet video link module. With BRAVIA, Sony joins a growing roster of world-class consumer electronics manufacturers providing Netflix ready devices -- Microsoft (Xbox360), LG Electronics, Roku, Samsung, TiVo, VIZIO.

Closed Captions and Subtitles

2009-06-12T16:02:00.000-07:00

This is Neil Hunt, Chief Product Officer at Netflix. We've had some inquiries about why Netflix doesn't yet provide closed captioning or subtitles for streaming movies and TV episodes. Captioning is in our development plans but is about a year away.

You might be asking how it could be so hard, since we already subtitle foreign language streams with English subtitles. These subtitles are "burned in" to the video stream at the time of encoding - they are so-called "open captions" that cannot be turned on and off by the viewer. The majority of viewers would object to English captions on English content, so we have to figure out how to let individual viewers turn them on and off.

Encoding a separate stream for each title is not an option - it takes us about 500 processor-months to make one encode through the entire library, and for this we would have to re-encode four different formats. Duplicating the encoded streams is prohibitive in space too.

So we are working on optionally delivering the SAMI file (Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange), or similar, to the client, and having it render the text and then overlay it on the video at playback time. Unfortunately, the tools for rendering SAMI files in Silverlight, or in CE (Consumer Electronics) devices, are weak or non-existent, and there is some technology development required.

I would expect to deliver subtitles or captions to Silverlight clients sometime in 2010, and roll the same technology out to each CE device as we are able to migrate the technology, and work with the CE manufacturer to deliver firmware updates for each player.

Message to Netflix subscribers who watch instantly via Xbox

2009-06-12T09:29:00.000-07:00

Hi, it’s Catherine again from the PR team. This message is for Netflix subscribers who instantly watch movies on their TVs via their Xbox 360s. As you’ve likely heard from the Xbox team, Xbox LIVE and Xbox.com will be offline most, if not all, day Tuesday, June 16th due to scheduled maintenance. While Xbox is performing this maintenance, you won’t be able to instantly watch movies on your TV via your Xbox 360. If you want to read more about the Xbox maintenance or have questions, visit the Xbox website at www.xbox.com.

Here’s the actual communication from Xbox: “On Tuesday, June 16 beginning at 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. PDT (2009-06-16 0701 to 2009-06-17 0659 UTC) Xbox LIVE and Xbox.com will be offline for scheduled maintenance. As a result, the “My Xbox” section of Xbox.com will not be available, and the Xbox forums will be in read-only mode, and you will be unable to post. The rest of Xbox.com will be functional and available. When services are restored, up to 24 hours later, there will be no new functionality or features.”

Vote for the film you think should win the Netflix FIND Your Voice Film Competition

2009-06-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

Hello movie fans,

It’s Catherine Fisher again and we are in phase two of the Netflix FIND Your Voice Film Competition – it’s time to vote for the film you think should be made and ultimately distributed on Netflix. We blogged about the contest back in January, but as a refresher, Netflix is working with Film Independent (FIND) in search of the next great independent filmmaker. In addition to a total prize value of $350,000, the winning film will premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival in 2010, and it will be distributed through Netflix.

More than 2,000 applications were submitted, and now we are asking the public to vote on the 10 semifinalists’ three-minute videos at http://www.netflixfindyourvoice.com/. If you are a Facebook user, you can download an application that allows you to watch the semifinalists’ videos and vote on them from the Netflix fan page here. Once the votes are tallied, five finalists will be reviewed by our panel of judges, chaired by Josh Brolin. Voting ends on July 5th, so watch and vote today!

New Ways to Enjoy Netflix on your Xbox 360

2009-06-01T17:03:00.000-07:00

Hi, Catherine Fisher here from Netflix Corporate Communications. Microsoft swept E3 today with some exciting new ways to experience the Xbox 360. The news we are most excited about, of course, involves Netflix. Available this Fall, if you are an Xbox Gold LIVE member, you will be able to browse and add movies and TV episodes to your instant Queue directly from your Xbox 360 – you don’t have to go to your computer. And with the announcement of Xbox LIVE Party, you will be able to simultaneously watch movies on your Xbox 360 with up to seven friends – bantering back and forth about what you are watching. More than one million Xbox LIVE Gold members have already enjoyed more than 1.5 billion minutes of movies and TV episodes via Netflix since November 2008, and we hope you are as excited about the new ways to enjoy movies and TV episodes from Netflix on your Xbox 360 as we are.

Netflix on Windows Media Center

2009-05-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

Hi, Pedro Freitas here from Netflix product development.

We are pleased to announce Netflix is now available in Windows Media Center for Windows Vista-based PCs.

Windows Media Center is the first integration to take advantage of the new Netflix recommended category lists of titles that can be watched instantly.

In Windows Media Center, a new Netflix tile will appear under “TV + Movies”. To stream movies and TV shows from Netflix, just click on the new Netflix tile and login with your Netflix account.

The entire Netflix library can be searched using the PC keyboard or a Windows Media Center-compatible remote control and manage both the instant and DVD Queues.

See the news release for more details.

Enjoy the movies!

(update: added details on how to find Netflix on Windows Media Center)

The Netflix App Gallery

2009-05-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

Hi, Michael Hart here from Netflix product development. I’m excited to tell you about the launch of the Netflix App Gallery. The App Gallery showcases the diversity of Netflix-integrated applications and websites from partners.

Looking for a way to access Netflix on your phone? Choose from nine different mobile applications. Want to search for movies and add them to your queue from Twitter? We’ve got you covered.

Watch this space: new applications are being developed every week, so come back and visit the Gallery often to see what's new as well as rate and review the apps you've already tried out.

Application developers looking for more information about how to develop their own Netflix-integrated applications can find more information at the Netflix Developer Portal.

Issue last night with watching instantly on the computer

2009-05-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

Hi, this is Jessie Becker, VP of Marketing, with an update about a technical issue we had last night.

From about 5 to 11 Pacific time last night, most Netflix members who tried to instantly watch movies or TV shows on their PCs or Macs were unable to do so.

During this time period, our members could instantly watch movies and TV shows on their TVs via Netflix Ready Devices (Xbox 360, Roku, LG Electronics and Samsung Blu-ray disc players and TiVo HD DVR).

We apologize to those members who visited the site last night and couldn’t watch instantly on their computers. We are contacting those members today to offer a credit to their next billing statement.

More Accurate Star Predictions

2009-05-07T14:51:00.000-07:00

Hi, this is Todd Yellin, Director of Product Management, and Jon Sanders, Director of Recommendation Systems, here at Netflix. We’re pleased to announce that we have improved the way we predict the movies you’re going to love. We’ve deployed a new algorithm that allows us to make more accurate guesses at how much our members will enjoy each movie in our the vast Netflix catalog. We are indebted to the Netflix Prize contestants who made these improvements possible, and who continue to innovate in this area. (If you’re not familiar with the Netflix Prize, it’s kind of like “Who Wants to Be A Millionaire” for data miners. Read about it here: http://www.netflixprize.com/ )

Members who rate movies will now receive better guidance on how many stars they’re likely to give movies they haven’t seen (aka “our best guess for you”). These star predictions influence the movies we feature on many pages of the Netflix website, in particular in the Movies You’ll Love area. For most members the effect of the new algorithm will be subtle, and we hope rewarding. In the coming months we’ll be testing ways to use these improved star predictions so our members can create even more personalized websites that make it faster and easier to explore the more than 100,000 titles available on DVD and Blu-ray disc and the more than 12,000 streaming titles at Netflix.

Enjoy the movies!

Clarification on New Content

2009-04-06T12:14:00.000-07:00

Hi, Catherine Fisher again from Corporate Communications. We have received some questions about my last post, specifically whether or not “South Park” is a Nickelodeon show. Our agreement is with MTV Networks, which includes Comedy Central’s “South Park” and shows from Nickelodeon such as “Dora the Explorer” and “True Jackson, VP.”

I appreciate your comments.

Instantly Watch "South Park" and other shows from Nickelodeon on Netflix

2009-04-06T07:21:00.000-07:00

Hi, Catherine Fisher here from Corporate Communications. I wanted to make sure everyone is aware that you can now instantly watch the first nine seasons of Comedy Central’s “South Park”. In case you missed it, South Park recently made fun of Netflix in “The Ring” http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/221274/?searchterm=The+Ring But please be advised that the content is for mature adults!

And in the event you don’t want to listen to four foul-mouthed young boys, you can entertain your children with content from Nickelodeon including episodes of “Blues Clues,” “Dora the Explorer,” “iCarly,” “True Jackson, VP,” and “SpongeBob SquarePants”.

We hope you enjoy the new content.

Netflix ships 2 billionth movie

2009-04-01T21:23:00.000-07:00

Hello, Steve Swasey, Netflix VP of corporate communications, here to let you know that a Netflix member has received the two billionth shipment since Netflix launched the subscription service in September 1999.

On April 1 Clay Shannon of Birmingham, Ala. received the two billionth movie, a Blu-ray version of the romantic comedy "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," and with it, a complimentary lifetime subscription to Netflix.

I called and emailed Clay to tell him the good news and for the longest time he thought it was an April Fool's prank. Finally convinced, he was elated.

We shipped the movie from our Atlanta distribution center on Tuesday and Clay received it on Wednesday, right on time he says, like always.

Netflix shipped its one billionth DVD (a copy of "Babel") to a member in Helotes, Tex. in February 2007. It took eight years for Netflix to reach one billion shipments -- less time than it took McDonald's to sell one billion hamburgers -- and just over two years to ship the second billion.

Congratulations to Clay and thank you to all Netflix members for enabling us to reach this milestone.

Enjoy the movies!