Netflix subscribers, if you've
got an Xbox 360 and a Windows Vista PC, you don't have to shell
out $99 for Roku's Netflix Player box to get your Watch Instantly
library on your TV screen - you already have everything you need.
Using the free Windows Media Center plug-in, vmcNetflix, you can
turn your Xbox 360 into a Netflix Watch Instantly box.
With vmcNetflix, you can watch,
browse, and queue movies to your Netflix Watch Instantly queue all
from your Xbox 360 or Vista Media Center. A highlight of the list
of growing features listed on the vmcNetflix site include:
* Stream WatchNow movies directly
to the Media Center player.
* Download WatchNow movies to a
"Watch Later" gallery.
* Support for Vista Extenders on
both x86 and x64 platforms.
* Support for Netflix Instant
Queue.
* Support for Episode listings.
* Search for movies by keyword.
* Browse DVD and WatchNow movies
by genres.
* Sort Gallery by Title, Year, or
Star Rating.
* View your queue, history, and
recommendations.
* Add, remove, move movies in
your queue.
* Supports DVD/Movie Parental
Controls
What You'll Need
Now that you've got an idea of
the end product, let's take a look at the short list of things
you'll need to turn your Xbox 360 into a Netflix player.
1. An Xbox 360
2. Windows Vista with Vista Media
Center (it's included by default in Vista Home Premium and
Ultimate)
3. A Netflix subscription
4. The freeware vmcNetflix
plug-in
Step 1: Set Up Your Xbox as a
Media Center Extender
If you've already set up your
Xbox 360 as a Media Center extender, you can skip this step.
Unless you're already using your Windows PC as a Media Center
powerhouse and have a tuner card installed on your Windows
machine, chances are you haven't had much reason to set up your
Xbox as an extender. With vmcNetflix, you've got a great reason.
Microsoft already provides
detailed instructions for setting up your 360 as a Media Center
extender, so here's the nutshell version. Start up your Xbox 360,
head to the Media blade, and select Media Center. Since you
haven't already set up an extender, your Xbox will walk you
through the setup process between your Xbox and your PC. The Xbox
will generate an eight-digit code to authenticate the connection
between the two. Then you need to fire up Media Center on your PC,
go to Tasks -> Add Extender, and fill in the blanks in the
setup wizard with your eight-digit code when prompted.
Step 2: Install the vmcNetflix
Plug-in
Now that your Xbox is set up as a
bona fide Vista Media Center extender, you're ready to download
and install the vmcNetflix plug-in. There's nothing to it, so just
download the latest plug-in from the link and go through the
installer.
Step 3: Set Up Watch Instantly on
Your PC
Before you can stream Watch
Instantly videos to your 360 extender, you need to make sure your
PC is Watch Instantly-ready first. If you've already watched
videos on this computer using Netflix's Watch Instantly feature,
you can skip this step. If not, forge ahead.
Your PC needs to install a
plug-in or two from Netflix to help deal with the DRM and such
used to stream videos. Installing them is as simple as logging
into your Netflix account using Internet Explorer, clicking the
Watch Instantly tab, and then playing anything. You don't have to
finish it, so just click Play on the first video you stumble
across.
Netflix will prompt you to
install their plug-in before the video starts, so just accept
their prompts and install. When you're finished with the simple
installation, you should be watching the video you just chose.
Once you're there, you can stop the playback. Soon you'll be
watching that through your Xbox, on your TV, from the comfort of
your living room.
Step 4: Set Up vmcNetflix on Your
Xbox 360
Now you need to run your Xbox 360
in Media Center extender mode. To do so, turn it on, head to your
Xbox dashboard, and fire up Media Center from the list where you
set it up originally. Your Xbox will find your computer and start
up in Media Center mode.
Once there, scroll down to the
Online Media section and then move left to select the program
library. You should see an entry for vmcNetflix. Fire it up.
Since this is the first time
you've run vmcNetflix on your extender, you'll need to set it up
with your Netflix account. Doing so is as simple as providing the
plug-in with your Netflix username and password. Do that, and
you're ready to start watching movies.
Step 5: Enjoy!
That's all there is to it. You
can now stream any Netflix Watch Instantly video directly to the
TV in your living room using the Xbox 360 that's already there. No
$99 out of your pocket, no extra piece of equipment to add to your
entertainment center. vmcNetflix handles everything nearly
perfectly, from separate episode listings for television shows to
managing and accessing your Netflix Watch Instantly queue.
The vmcNetflix plug-in has been
in steady development for a few months now, but as the video above
points out, the vmcNetflix plug-in can be a little slow and
sometimes buggy. I hardly notice the sluggishness, though thinking
about it, it does feel a little slower than normal Media Center
extender operation. If you run into bugs, the vmcNetflix homepage
offers tips for troubleshooting. I've found that restarting my 360
and or Media Center PC remedies any problems. Be sure to check
back in with the vmcNetflix homepage from time to time and keep an
eye on updates, since the developer is fixing problems and adding
features at an impressive pace.
Also Netflix can download Watch
Instantly videos and save them on your computer. This comes in
very handy because saving videos means you don't have to worry
about downloads buffering, and video playback, fast-forwarding,
and rewinding all work better. The downside is that saving videos
is not part of the Watch Instantly terms of service.