Filed under: iPhone, iPod touch
Netflix expected to release a Watch Instantly video streaming app
A new player is about to enter the arena: Netflix itself, who intends to bring "Watch Instantly" video streaming to the iPhone/iPod touch and the Nintendo Wii. At present Netflix streams over 12,000 movies and TV shows over a large variety of devices including Intel-based Macs.
Todd Spangler of Mutichannel.com speculates, and I agree with him totally, that when released, streaming will be limited to Wi-Fi only. This is not because there's any technical reason not to stream over the AT&T 3G network, but like the SlingPlayer Mobile app, streaming will probably be hobbled to prevent massive data overloading of the AT&T network. This being the case, I wonder why Apple/AT&T allowed streaming of full baseball games using the MLB.com At Bat 2009 app over 3G as well as Wi-Fi?
It also brings up the question of why AT&T has been concerned about the issue of video streaming while Verizon, Sprint, Nextel and T-Mobile don't seem to have any problem with it. Perhaps AT&T is having seller remorse over their $30 all-you-can-eat data plan for the iPhone.
Putting corporate technological politics aside, I really look forward to the Netflix app. Even if limited to Wi-Fi streaming it will be a welcome addition to the stable of useful iPhone/iPod touch applications.
Note: Netflix only does business in the United States, so whether you are looking for a red envelope or streaming media, if you don't have a US zip code...never mind.
[via Ars Technica]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Greenie said 11:59PM on 8-04-2009
They said that SlingPlayer was that way because it redirected a home signal.
They can't use that excuse in thus case as it clearly aligns more with the MLB app where it's a streaming service from a corporation.
Should be interesting.
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Greenie said 12:01AM on 8-05-2009
Thus/this = iPhone keyboard mistake. Not trying to sound over proper and gramatically incorrect.
reallycrazyguy said 12:37AM on 8-05-2009
Thinking about it, who could stand to watch a complete MLB game for the 3.5-5 hours on a 3 inch screen? Particularly a location where wifi isn't available. Certainly nobody would do it on a daily basis.
Now with a TV show, I could see people actually doing it every day, say during their commute between home and work, or on their breaks.
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Odineye said 7:49PM on 8-05-2009
I know I couldn't stand it. But then, I couldn't stand to watch that much baseball on a screen of any size, so perhaps I'm not the best judge...
pito189 said 12:48AM on 8-05-2009
"Perhaps AT&T is having seller remorse over their $30 all-you-can-eat data plan for the iPhone."
I've been feeling like this has been happening the past week or so in Nashville, certain times of the day the network just goes to hell.
They are getting plenty of my and other people's money I wish they would expand their coverage or towers or whatever they have to do.
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boyla001 said 11:07AM on 8-05-2009
So I'm not the only one who this has been happening to! At first I though it was just my 3GS.
Erick said 12:50AM on 8-05-2009
I saw the video from the MLB app over 3g. Crap. Wifi, it looks friggin brilliant and my Sling over 3g (using voipOver3g) looks like crappola too. The wifi is really kind of crappy but makes sense when the video looks like that over 3g.
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mcdermd said 1:12AM on 8-05-2009
Now if they would only allow Netflix on AppleTV. Or if Apple offered subscription rentals...
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Ian said 1:39PM on 8-05-2009
It's that exact reason why I don't think this app will be a reality in the near future. I think Netflix is promoting their upcoming app to get people excited and then it will make Apple look even worse when they reject the app because it conflicts with Apple's internal plans to buy/rent and stream movies to the iPhone (and maybe this rumored tablet) in the future.
This is going to get ugly.
punkassjim said 3:07PM on 8-05-2009
Ian: " I think Netflix is promoting their upcoming app to get people excited and then it will make Apple look even worse when they reject the app…"
So, Ian, can you actually point me to ANYwhere that NetFlix has promoted or even announced an upcoming iPhone app?
@David Winograd — I understand this is an enthusiast site, and that rumors are fun. "Todd Spangler of Mutichannel.com speculates, and I agree with him totally, that when released, streaming will be limited to Wi-Fi only." But that's not what Todd was speculating on. He was speculating about the existence of an official Netflix iPhone app…anything beyond that is speculation that's based on speculation, which usually leads your readership to assume that the core idea is true. But as far as you know, it isn't.
There's nothing wrong with sitting around and talking about this stuff with friends, daydreaming out loud. It's great. But when you present it on a leading blog like this, you're pretty much just spreading unreliable information.
David Winograd said 5:49PM on 8-05-2009
@punkassjim.
Here's the exact quotation from Spangler:
"However, Netflix’s streaming-video feature would probably be restricted to access over local Wi-Fi connections only — not over AT&T’s 3G data network — in the same the way other bandwidth-heavy video apps for the iPhone are limited."
So what did I get wrong?
Doctor said 1:13AM on 8-05-2009
I look forward to Netflix on iPhone/iPod Touch and Wii. Love the idea. Still doesn't help while traveling (airplanes, cars) if only wi-fi (maybe it would be okay with airlines offering wi-fi), but it would give me lots of options locally...at home and at many of the businesses starting to offer wi-fi as a courtesy, like my son's Karate school. There are many times that my MacBook and my wife's MacBook are being used and my 9 year old son wants to watch Spongebob, iCarly, Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, or the Suite Life on Netflix (because of this, we canceled all cable other than local channels--saving $45 a month. He has a Touch, so he could watch away. Very good for us. And we've procrastinated buying a Roku player...so if Wii gets Netflix...we'll have yet another option in our house...for watching movies, too.
Now we need Flash for iPhones. The nine-year-old loves Club Penguin, which won't work on a Touch. Let's go here, Apple & Adobe. Time to help those kids out!
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Phil J Leitch said 1:14AM on 8-05-2009
I love Netflix Watch Instantly and if this is really coming to the iPhone (and Wii!!!) I'll be a happy watcher. Particularly during the hour I donate plasma, won't have to worry about making sure I've synced something to watch, I can just stream it.
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alansky said 1:18AM on 8-05-2009
Verizon, Sprint, Nextel and T-Mobile don't have the iPhone. iPhone owners seem to actually use the internet far more than owners of other internet-capable cell phones. "It's the software, stupid!"
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John said 1:32AM on 8-05-2009
Might not be much fun on a 3-inch screen, but wouldn't this tie in neatly with a certain rumored tablet-like device?
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Alan said 1:54AM on 8-05-2009
The MLB.com AtBat app has decent 3G video, just good enough to catch a couple minutes of the game on the way home. But Netflix would be a whole movie or TV show. I assume, also, the MLB app was chosen to showcase the HTTP streaming stuff new in 3.0.
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Jacques Lema said 2:24AM on 8-05-2009
What's the deal with all those companies refusing to sell content outside of the U.S. I guess the original rights holders are the cause but they are just losing money. Hell if we can't buy anything nor or iTunes or Netflix where do you think we're going to go?
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Ryan Morano said 3:54AM on 8-05-2009
First the Xbox update...now this! God I'm glad I'm getting my $10 worth with this Netflix
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Cheesegod said 8:14AM on 8-05-2009
I love Netflix instant queue on the xbox, so this would be awesome!!!
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Jason said 8:40AM on 8-05-2009
I'm a big baseball fan, but it would have to be an awfully important game to sit and watch it for 3+ hours over 3G on the iPhone. The video quality is crap on 3G when you compare it to WiFi, your battery would probably be dead before the game was over, and to watch more than the 1-2 games of the day, you have to subscribe to the expensive MLB.TV package. So I don't think they have to worry too much about MLB At Bat users burning up a ton of bandwidth.
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