With the idea of Hulu coming to the iPhone still a distant pipe dream, other services on the device seem to be closer to reality than we thought. Netflix, which is slowly but surely becoming the leading company in online movie and DVD rentals, has put out some feelers on their site to see if fans would be interested in a streaming service for the iPhone. From a survey on Netflix.com:
“Imagine that Netflix offers its subscribers the ability to instantly watch movies & TV episodes on their iPhone. The selection availability to instantly watch includes some new releases, lots of classics and TV episodes. There are no advertisements or trailers, and movies start in as little as 30 seconds. You can fast-forward, rewind, and pause or watch again. The movies & TV episodes you instantly watch are included in your Netflix membership for no additional fee.
Whenever you want to instantly watch content on your iPhone, your iPhone must be connected to a Wi-Fi network (such as one you might have at home or at work, or in public places like coffee shops, book stores, hotels, airports, etc.)
If this functionality were available, how likely would you or someone in your household be to instantly watch movies & TV episodes on your iPhone via a Wi-Fi network?”
So what could this mean? Is it just a ruse? With Netflix allegedly having an exclusive streaming deal with Xbox Live, this could mean that we won’t see anything on the iPhone for another year, but with the Apple iPad hitting stores in the coming months, that may be just enough time for us to be ready.
What are your thoughts on Netflix streaming on the iPhone or iPad? Would you use it? Comment below and let us know!
windmilljouster
March 13, 2010 at 8:53 amGreat idea, but cost will be a major factor in subscription decisions.
Robert Terrell
March 3, 2010 at 10:19 amI am a Netflix user for many years. I think I might be interested in this. I’m not sure about wifi though. I already have enough trouble keeping my battery charged. This would be a big drain, wouldn’t it?
Matt Raub
March 3, 2010 at 10:22 amI agree, Robert. The wifi does tend to drain the iPhone battery quite a lot, but only when it’s downloading data. The beauty of Netflix’s streaming service is that it isn’t a constant stream. The video is loaded and saved in kind of a “queue” while you’re watching it. This avoids any problems you would have with other streaming such as lag or interrupted service.
That said, it should prove to drain less battery. Hopefully.