Netflix on PS3 review its not pretty
Posted on Nov 17, 2009 by
Paul White
I recently got with netflix after learning about their new service for
the
PS3 that will stream unlimited
movies and shows all for the low
price of $8.99 / month. granted the shows and
movies are limited in selection, but
what really bugs me is the quality. I was hoping for HD quality streams, or maybe just DVD quality streams. But it would appear that netflix is trying to save on bandwidth, and disk storage. Not sure what the exact specs of the encoding are, but I feel like I am watching something on youtube which is also known for over compressing their video.
However if you are used to watching bootleg videos that you downloaded off the P2P networks, this will be slightly higher quality than those. Even if Netflix could provide on demand content that was HD quality, they would run up against the bandwidth cap that many ISP put on residential customers ( 250 GB / month for
comcast ). That and anyone on a slower DSL connections would be stuck in a buffering loop. Still if Netflix wants to maintain is control over the market, I suggest it move to HD ASAP. Its only a matter of time before
comcast starts their own unlimited on demand service, and yes
comcast does provide content in HD.
Aside from the video quality the GUI is rather slow. Especially when loading up the thumbnails of the video covers. Also it would be nice if they provided some teaser trailers before a person decides to watch the movie.
Things like netflix are taking a toll on the local economy. The Hollywood video here in Pearland TX, had a sign on its door ( posted by the landlord ) about not paying the rent, and the door was locked. My wife soon after had to call Hollywood video corporate to cancel her monthly membership, which we were going to do anyway. Even though Netflix could have done a little better, it is still good enough to hurt Blockbuster video and Hollywood video.
UPDATE: 11/24/2009Not sure if netflix has upped the quality of some of the online video options, but for some shows is seems they are broadcasting in DVD quality. Granted its still not HD, but its better than that low quality standard stuff they used to be streaming. I even got an email from NetFlix asking me my opinion of the quality of a certain show I watched. Even though it was better and acceptable, I of course clicked the "Needs Improvement button", hoping they make the switch to HD.
At this point $8.99 / month, for netflix is a huge value. My wife has already gotten more than her use out of the service.
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