Gamers will never need to leave their dens to go to the mailbox again now that Netflix and PlayStation 3 have partnered to allow Netflix to be streamed to TVs through the gaming system.
As long as they are Netflix members, all owners of PlayStation 3 gaming systems will be able to instantly stream movies and TV episodes to their TVs and computers through their PS3s starting in November.
Seth Paskert, freshman in computer and electrical engineering, and Trent Carroll, sophomore in aerospace engineering, said they both have friends who have used the new streaming capabilities of the PS3 systems.
"(My friend) said it worked well," Paskert said. "There is a monthly fee you pay, and then you can stream as many movies as you want."
Netflix movies were initially streamed through the Xbox 360, which requires the user to pay $49.99 a year for a gold account with Microsoft, in addition to the Netflix fee of $8.99 per month.
The PS3 option requires no additional charges for Netflix members in the U.S. and is available to all PS3 owners.
Netflix membership includes unlimited access to movies and TV episodes streamed to the members' TVs or computers through Netflix-compatible devices, such as the PS3, as well as unlimited DVDs delivered promptly to the customers' homes via the mail.
Steve Swasey, vice president of corporate communications for Netflix, said a Blu-ray disc is needed to watch movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix through PS3s, and the disk will be available for free to all Netflix members on the Web site this month.
"The free instant streaming disc leverages Blu-ray's BD-Live technology to access the Internet and activate the Netflix user interface on the PS3 system, which must be online via Wi-Fi or Ethernet," said a PlayStation Consumer Services representative in an e-mail.
Members can organize their movies and TV episodes by categories such as personal preferences, popular genres, new arrivals and individual instant queues.
They can also view or add movies and shows to their queues by using the Netflix Web site or operating directly from their PS3 systems with the help of the wireless controller.
Paskert said although the companies' collaboration probably would not convince people to buy a PS3 just for Netflix, more people might sign up for Netflix.
"We are confident we will generate more subscribers," Swasey said. "Netflix continues to be the best way to rent movies because of the convenience, selection and value, all in equal measure. There is no better way to rent movies."
Swasey said streaming movies through the PS3 will be similar to the process already in use with Microsoft's gaming platform, Xbox 360.
"Our goal is to go through subscribers," Swasey said. "We just want to be on all the devices that consumers are watching movies on."
Carroll said he thinks the new system will be beneficial to members, but he is not planning to buy a PS3 because he already owns a PlayStation 2.
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