Netflix on Xbox 360 is an important component of the new Xbox experience, a new generation of games and entertainment experiences that will be available on Xbox 360 consoles this fall. The new Xbox experience, also announced today at the E3 Media and Business Summit, represents the first time in history that a mass-market consumer electronics device has been re-invented through free software, giving people more fun and intuitive ways to interact, play and enjoy entertainment content.
From the Netflix Web site, members simply add movies and TV episodes to their individual instant Queues. Those choices will be automatically displayed on the TV screen via Xbox 360 and available to watch instantly. Once selected, movies will begin playing in as little as 30 seconds. In addition to instantly streaming movies to the TV, Xbox LIVE Gold members can fast-forward, pause and rewind, all using either their Xbox 360 Controller or Media Remote. In all, the user interface creates a highly personalized experience that puts viewers in control.
The library of movies and TV episodes that will be available for instant streaming from Netflix via Xbox 360 includes scores of Academy Award winners and nominees, episodes from a number of popular, currently running and classic TV shows, and 24 of the movies rated by the American Film Institute as the greatest ever.
Today, Xbox LIVE members can also download movies and purchase TV shows from the industry-leading Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store, currently packed with content from more than 45 networks and studios. The Xbox LIVE Marketplace Video Store offers more than twice the high-definition content than the nearest cable provider and more than 6,000 hours of TV shows and movies.
Xbox 360 is a superior video game and entertainment system delivering the best games, unique entertainment features and a unified online gaming network that revolve around gamers. Xbox 360 has a portfolio of nearly 400 games in 37 countries. More information can be found online at
Xbox LIVE is the first and most comprehensive unified online entertainment network seamlessly integrated throughout the entire console experience, making it easy for people to find the friends, games and entertainment they want from the moment they power on their Xbox 360 system. Xbox LIVE connects more than 12 million members across 26 countries to enjoy hundreds of multiplayer games, downloadable games via Xbox LIVE Arcade, free and premium playable game demos, music videos, TV shows, and movies in the United States as well as new game levels, characters and vehicles for all their favorite retail games. More information can be found online at -us/live.
So, last night, I opened up Netflix, saw that my subscription renews on February 9, and hit cancel. Why? Well, I kept seeing how I was using every app but Netflix. And I already know I'm about to use Disney Plus more in the coming weeks. Not just because I want to watch Black Panther: Wakanda Forever on Disney Plus (which you can, as of today, February 1), but because I'm going to be rewatching some of Mandalorian season 2 and The Book of Boba Fett to get ready for Mandalorian season 3.
I often write a big, sweeping preview of what's coming on all the streaming services to help people figure out what services they don't need. This month, I found myself in the canceler's seat, as I was disappointed by Netflix's February 2023 lineup. And in the interest of fairness, I thought I'd break down all the offerings on Netflix, so you can see if you want to stay. Personally, I feel like if Netflix has at least something I'll need ASAP, I'll stay. Hopefully, though, there would be a couple of interesting and promising titles. Oh, and to cover the last big title added in January, Netflix's Pamela Anderson documentary is 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. I might watch that in my last remaining days on Netflix.
That same day, you get season 6 of The Great British Baking Show: The Professionals and a documentary about a dog with a trust fund called Gunther's Millions. Again, I'm just shrugging. Your mileage, as I often say, will vary.
Through the first week of February, there's not much that sparks interest, though I could see some wanting to watch the YA adventure movie True Spirit (Feb. 3) one of the biggest new streaming movies of the week, which co-stars Anna Paquin as the mother of Jessica Watson, the first 16-year-old to travel around the world on their own, unassisted. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (Feb. 4) arrives on Saturday.
Next week's Netflix highlights include documentary Bill Russel: Legend (Feb. 8), which features an interview with the NBA legend recorded prior to his passing. The biggest release of Netflix's February 2022, You Season 4 Part 1 (Feb. 9) drops that next day, and finds Joe in London falling back into bad old habits as he tries to start anew.
That same day, Netflix drops the intergalactic animated series My Dad the Bounty Hunter (Feb. 9), starring the voices of Priah Ferguson, Laz Alonso, Yvette Nicole Brown, Kari Wahlgren and Jim Rash. For a slightly older crowd, Netflix Original Film Dear David (Feb. 9) from Indonesia film is all about a straight-A student whose erotic diary entry about her crush gets leaked to the whole school.
Then, high-voltage star power hits the Netflix Original Movie scene with Your Place or Mine (Feb. 10), a rom com where old friends Debbie (Reese Witherspoon) and Peter (Ashton Kutcher) share a romantic spark that they may finally pursue.
Kids and kidults alike may love Pokmon Ultimate Journeys: The Series: Part 2 (Feb. 24), but we can't tell if this is the part of the story where Ask Ketchum finally becomes the world's top Pokmon trainer, as has been reported. Either way, I'm not interested.
Fans of supernatural family films may love We Have a Ghost (Feb. 24), which stars David Harbour. And while I liked Stranger Things and other Harbour projects, I don't feel like I need to see that ASAP.
Then, we have to talk about Peacock ($5 per month). Yes, for the first time in a while, Peacock has become the talk of the town, thanks to Poker Face. This new modern noir mystery-of-the-week series is from two of Netflix's favorites, Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll is one of the best Netflix shows) and Rian Johnson (Glass Onion is one of the best Netflix movies). . The series draws inspiration from Columbo as it follows casino worker Charlie Cale (Lyonne), who can tell when someone's lying.
I don't know if Peacock is a service you'd stay subscribed to all year, unless you're a WWE watcher like I am, but it's definitely earned time from me lately. That includes the bonkers reality/drama series Paul T. Goldman.
Thirdly, we need to talk about Apple TV Plus' Shrinking. This new series starring Jason Segel (Freaks and Geeks, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and executive produced by Segel along with Ted Lasso's Bill Lawrence and Brett Goldstein, surprised me by how much I liked its first two episodes.
In it, Segel plays Jimmy, a therapist who is grieving the loss of his wife, something that has hurt his abilities as a father and friend. And, then, well, he has enough of it. And by "it," I mean playing nice and by the rules. He starts giving his patients advice that's practically against the rules, and it makes for compelling TV. Oh, and his boss is played by Harrison Ford.
I left off one show in Netflix's February 2023 lineup for a reason. Racing docuseries Formula 1: Drive to Survive season 5 (Feb. 24) could be fantastic. The season's over-arching story of Max Verstappen's unstoppability could be great, with other stars venting about the domination.
The big questions surrounding DTS season 5 regard Verstappen's drama within his Red Bull team. At the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix this past November, Max refused to let his teammate Sergio Perez pass, which would have been best for the team with regard to points.
Max's on-mic remarks, though, showed a selfishness and hinted at a grudge that's let fans draw conspiracy theories of their own. But since DTS has a weird history of not exactly giving fans everything they ask for, I'm ready to wait and see. Best case scenario, I'll learn I can wait until March 9 or later (so I'll have waited a month since my renewal would have happened).
I might not wind up saving money, only delaying the inevitable. I'm willing to find out once I hear people talk about DTS' latest season. Because, for now, HBO Max, Peacock and Apple TV Plus have my streaming time already allotted and secured. Why would I pay for Netflix with all these other shows that are filling up my time?
This is where the streaming revolution comes in. Smart TVs and streaming devices give access to apps such as Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus and more, meaning people can watch millions of hours of movies and TV shows, in up to 4K, for set monthly fees, which ends up being significantly cheaper, and tidier, than buying hundreds of Blu-rays.
So it begs the question: why would people bother with physical media such as 4K Blu-ray anymore? As someone with experience in AV retail and now a tester of TVs, I knew there was a quality difference so I decided to check it out for myself and the results were surprising.
For these tests, I used the Panasonic UB154, a budget 4K Blu-ray player and the Panasonic DP-UB820, a mid-range 4K Blu-ray player connected to the Panasonic MZ1500, a mid-range OLED TV, which was set to Filmmaker or Cinema picture mode, and watched the same movies on both Blu-ray and streaming.
Beginning with John Wick 4, I immediately ran into some trouble. Advertised as 4K on Prime Video, I could not get it to stream anything higher than HD (after some research I discovered I was not alone) so I opted for HD quality vs standard Blu-ray.
Moving on to Godzilla vs Kong, again in 1080p HD on Netflix vs standard Blu-ray, and it was the same story. The Netflix version looked better than I expected, carrying a lot of the vivid, colorful punch on the neon signs in Tokyo that was on the Blu-ray version but again the Blu-ray version showed deeper black levels and more refined details and textures. I was still, however, impressed with how good the streaming version looked.
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