Netflix Exec Provides TMO With Clarifications on Mac Support
Netflix Exec Provides TMO With Clarifications on Mac Support
by , 2:35 PM EST, January 17th, 2007
The Netflix Director of Corporate Communications, Mr. Steve Swasey, spoke with TMO on Wednesday about the details of their new "Watch Now" Service. This was in response to a TMO story on Tuesday and further inquiries about support for Macintosh users.
Mr. Swasey pointed out that the initial rollout of the service is indeed PC only and that Netflix is investing US$40M in the service. The system utilizes Microsoft's DRM 10.0 via a Browser plug-in, and in the short to medium future, there are no plans to formally support Mac users. However, Mr. Swasey also pointed out that their long term intention is to expand the service to all possible customers, including Mac users.
When asked if Flip4Mac would work, Mr. Swaysey said: "If our Macintosh customers can configure their Browser to view WMV files, that's fine." However, Flip4Mac doesn't support DRM'd streams.
TMO also asked if Netflix viewed Apple as a direct competitor, and the answer was: "No. There are three models for video delivery. The first is 'download to own.' That's Apple's model. The second is advertiser supported like Yahoo and Google. The third is the Netflix streaming model in which you pay to view once. So, we see Apple as a complementary service, just as we do Amazon and Wal*Mart which sell the physical DVD."
One of the limitations, according to Mr. Swasey in the initial offerings of 1,000 titles is the licensing agreements the studios have with distribution partners. The Hollywood studios still want the vast majority of their movies to be distributed in a controlled fashion. As a result, only a small subset of Netflix's 80,000 movies, about 1,000, have been licensed for download. He compared this to Apple's several hundred. In the long run, this constraint is expected to be greatly relaxed over time.
Observer Comments
I am tired of paying the same as Windows users for cripple-ware, or for something Windows users get for the same price. TiVo was cancelled last moth when they announced TiVo2go functionality on PC's and not Macs. There's too many options for companies that actually want my business as a Mac user.
Wed Jan 17, 2007 5:17 pm Subject:
yer an idiot. It's not about the money, or because I feel like whining, or because I'm lazy. It's the principal. They are charging the same money for a lesser product. Plain and simple.
QuoteBiff wrote:
Yeah but why find a solution when you can just whine instead?? I don't want to have to do anything myself! Thinking is hard!
I don't see why they HAVE to bend over backwards to support Macs. It would definitely be nice, but it's not a requirement. When you buy a Mac, you have to face the fact that it's not always going to be supported. It's not like they're raising the prices for something you can't use.
If you have an intel Mac and you really want it that bad, download Boot Camp. If not, it'll just be the same as always.
You're absolutely right, it is a choice. And I choose not to support companies that do not have at least an equal product for both platforms. I'm not pissed off, I am just making a choice, that's all....
QuoteGuest wrote:
I don't see why they HAVE to bend over backwards to support Macs. It would definitely be nice, but it's not a requirement. When you buy a Mac, you have to face the fact that it's not always going to be supported. It's not like they're raising the prices for something you can't use.
If you have an intel Mac and you really want it that bad, download Boot Camp. If not, it'll just be the same as always.
QuoteGuest wrote:
Yeah, it's $80 as opposed to $20 for the TiVo2Go. No thanks, I'll stick with my comments.
Want some cheese with that whine?
They showed you a way that is FREE, not $80. If you want to convert the decrypted .tivo files to something else, use Visual Hub, which is $23.32.
Whiners.
Netflix was great, but Apple is about to sink their ship on January 15. Get ready for 720p to your TV via a rental service. Hey Netflix, if Apple has 8% of the total PC market and about 0.1% of the corporate PC market, how do think that translates into CONSUMER PC market share? Think about it for a minute, please.
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