Skip The Wait For Netflix Movie Streaming
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It was announced in January that Netflix would be slowly enabling all their subscribers to have streaming access to select movies in the “Q”. The problem is the rollout will take until JUNE.
Here’s how you skip waiting in line:
The manual method:
- Log into Netflix.
- Click on “Your Account”
- Look for a small graphic on the right column that says “How can I watch movies on my PC?”
- Click the “Start Now” link, and voila, you have a new tab next to Queue.
or you can just click this link to bypass the “roll-out” completely.
cool thanks
Well shucks, no big surprise that it’s Windows XP only. I even tried to set my user agent in Safari to MSIE 6.0 and still no dice. Sigh. Wonder if that will ever be addressed or only Windows users will ever have access.
Gotta get a new Intel Mac and install Parallels I guess . . .
Thanks for the tip anyway!
This is an excellent find
Gotta be on xp :(
I’m on Vista and OS X
This is easily the best tip of the month from anywhere!
Thanks alot, great link. Even if i cant use it on 10.4 and XP. :)
i mean im on Vista, oh well, maybe boot up an xp on the 24″ iMac
This is really cool. It could convince me to get a PC for the living room if the quality were a little higher. That may come as broadband speeds continue to increase. I could see Netflix or someone like them becoming primarily a streaming movie service.
In addition to XP, you also have to use IE. Maybe Firefox compatibility wlll eventually happen
Care to share on other sites?
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1419/ IE Tab for Firefox, if you dislike IE
David, no way for streaming only for me. I use netflix 3 at a time unlimted strictly for BD and HD DVD with the occasional DVD . Streaming HD to my 1080p set would be a hassle, and PC only is just not an option, EVER.
This is Netflix’s way of combating Blockbusters online movie rental service that allows you to return movies rented online to the local store in exchange for a new movie free of charge and the 2-3 business day wait. This gave blockbuster the upper hand for sure.
But with Netflix movie streaming this might balance out the playing field a little more.
The Blockbuster “return to store” is just a ploy to get people to the store. If you do that, you wind up being a subscription customer without the benefit of NOT having to go to the store. That was the WHOLE POINT of Netflix from the start. If you fall for this ploy you are 1) costing YOURSELF more money in time and gas, and 2) saving Blockbuster the postage cost of the return DVD, or both if you continue to go to the store.
Furthermore, Blockbuster’s labeling Netflix as slow because of the through-the-mail turnaround time is without merit. I get around 8-10 movies a month from Netflix, and I always have movies around to watch. I don’t ever feel like Netflix is slow.
Cool. Worked for me.
Too bad most of the movies are C-grade crap. Obviously there’s some sort of licensing issue with the major studios, because most of these movies weren’t made in them.
Most impressive. Hopefully the selection will continue to grow. Thanks for the tip!
Tom, yep you’re right. But if you KNOW all of this beforehand then it’s a strength for blockbuster, not a weakness. You can continue to put your DVDs in the mail with blockbuster just like netflix. But if you are disciplined you can go to the next level of instant-dvd selection when you are done with your DVD at no additional cost. It’s just like putting it in the mail, but even faster- blockbuster releases the next dvd’s in your queue right as they scan them in the store!
The trick is to be hardcore and not return anything late. And late these days for most stores is 5-7 days past the official due date or else you have to pay a $1.50 restocking fee and 30 days later you’ll have to pay the difference between the “used resell” price of the dvd and the full price.
As complex as it sounds you don’t need a manual to be able to pull off the latter part– it says right on the receipt when the very last day is that you have to return the DVDs to avoid any fees at all, so there you have it.
The real extra $$$ (and real profit/reason for total access for blockbuster) comes from the impulse buy/movie watching items buys you make being in-store at blockbuster. I’d love to hear how stores did after total access began in this regard.
OTOH Netflix’s download to watch feature is definitely killer though, but blockbuster can and will likely follow. Then what for netflix? Buy hollywood video (or other large blockbuster style chain) to compete with blockbuster’s total access program?
I dunno, looks like they closed this loophole. It keeps telling me I have to wait until June.
It looks like they closed the window. Will have to wait until June.
Yup, they must have closed it. The frustrating thing is, I got to watch a snippet of a movie through this a few weeks ago, after someone broke the news.
Yup all gone.. too bad.
Any other window open??????
netflix has made it so easy to watch movies now.
its better than tat stupid blockbuster’s total access plan where to get another dvd u have u go to the store waste ur gas just to go there,wat use of all tat hassle
with netflix u just can watch it online rite in ur home.no need to go out.
Just got access on my Netflix account. I think they are turning it on early. Try searching “movie downloads ” on Netflix. I didnt have the service before with the early load but somtime recently its now gone active. my first movie was pretty slick but it was a lower grade video feed. not sure yet if it was the movie or the feed.