DailyTech - Sony PlayStation 3 is Netflix's Most Popular Streaming Device

Submit News

Gadgets Sony PlayStation 3 is Netflix's Most Popular Streaming Device
Shane McGlaun (Blog) - December 5, 2012 8:06 AM

12 comment(s) - last by rdhood.. on Dec 6 at 3:05 PM

Netflix says users stream over 1 billion hours of content each month

Netflix has over the years rolled out apps to allow streaming of its content for just about every device out there. You can get Netflix apps for Android and iOS smartphones, tablets, computers, and all three major gaming consoles. If the device is internet connected, odds are that Netflix “has an app for that”.

Netflix has announced this week that the Sony PlayStation 3 is the top device for streaming its content. The PS3 proved so popular for streaming content this year that Netflix says it even passed the PC in hours of Netflix viewing at certain times.

The PS3 is particularly noteworthy because any owner can sign up for the free PlayStation Network and then register for Netflix directly on the game console. You don't even need a computer to sign up for Netflix; you only need the PS3 game system and an internet connection. Netflix also reminds us that the PS3 was the first entertainment system to offer Netflix in full 1080p resolution with 5.1 channel Dolby Digital Plus sound.

Netflix says that it currently has over 30 million subscribers around the world. Those 30 million users have streamed more than 1 billion hours of content each month making Netflix the world's leading internet subscription service for TV shows and movies.

Source: Netflix

Comments

Threshold

Username
Password
remember me

This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled

Proof that free > *

By SilentSin on 12/5/2012 9:53:01 AM , Rating: 3

If the X360 didn't double charge you for nearly all of its interesting features this might have swung a different way. Why should we need to pay for some monthly gold membership just to enable content that we already pay for ?

RE: Proof that free > *

By corduroygt on 12/5/2012 10:01:25 AM , Rating: 3

You don't have to buy an Xbox 360 or pay for Live...
Live is the only reason why I never bought an Xbox. I used to play a lot of PS3, but recent PC prices made me move to PC, as I recognize it's the best gaming platform for those who are willing to put a bit of work into setting it up.

Parent

RE: Proof that free > *

By Twistedbro5 on 12/5/2012 11:06:39 AM , Rating: 2

Same, as i used to p lay XBox mostly, i haven't touvhed it in years. PC, is the way to go. More control, more options, more everything. Plus it my little command center :). As you can upgrade it, unlike consols

Parent

RE: Proof that free > *

By nafhan on 12/5/2012 2:02:28 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
Why should we need to pay for some monthly gold membership just to enable content that we already pay for?

Because enough other people are willing to do it. That's it.

Anyway, I end up paying about $3* a month for Live + $8 for Netflix. I'm willing to pay twice because the price is extremely low. If it was more expensive, I'd probably just pick up a Roku.

Finally, MS has done very well with Xbox Live, and the 360 in general. I don't think your argument holds water when you look beyond Netflix usage.

*I paid $35 for my most recent renewal.

Parent

Interesting

By inperfectdarkness on 12/6/2012 3:21:33 AM , Rating: 3

What I find interesting about this is that even though the Wii has a wider userbase, the PS3 is the most heavily used for Netflix. I understand why the 360 isn't up there, but the Wii not being on top (for consoles) surprises me.

p.s.

1080p support is hilarious. Netflix's 1080p content is so limited that it might as well not even exist.

p.p.s.

Hey Netflix! Can we please stop with the region-lockout BS? It's a pain in the a** having to use 2 routers just so I can connect to netflix on my Wii (or any console, for that matter). I'm a US citizen with a US bank account. Why isn't that good enough?

RE: Interesting

By rdhood on 12/6/2012 3:05:13 PM , Rating: 2

For 50% of us, ALL streaming content is a joke. I'm lucky if I can get a low bitrate, VHS-like stream that lasts for more than 5 minutes. Thats how bad my Windstream DSL is... and they are my only choice.

Parent

would be interesting

By kattanna on 12/5/2012 9:53:14 AM , Rating: 2

it would be interesting to see a breakdown of devices. We have used the roku, xbox360, and now a blue ray player to stream netflix.

RE: would be interesting

By Ammohunt on 12/5/2012 2:34:11 PM , Rating: 2

I bought a roku to specifically stream huluplus because at the time appletv didn't support it. Since then i have abandoned huluplus because their content is total crap or available elsewhere so i returned the roku. AppleTV is my single device soultion currently i would sooner buy a android based mini-pc like an mk802 II that plugs directly into the TV over a roku at this point.

Parent

Not surprising...

By Roffles on 12/5/2012 2:46:57 PM , Rating: 2

I have Netflix on my PS3, 360, BoxeeBox and Samsung GS3. I would agree that the PS3 does it best. The main reason for me is that the content buffers very fast and the UI is smooth and easy to navigate. For media purposes, the Xbox dashboard is a hot mess and I don't like the carousel selection style on Netflix. I've yet to configure smartglass on my GS3 and when I do I may switch over. But the 360 still does Netflix really well regardless. I'll occasionally stream Netflix on my BoxeeBox if I'm too lazy to power up my PS3. I was streaming Netflix on the Roku at my brother's house and it worked pretty good.

At any rate, it's not surprising the PS3 is the king of Netflix streaming -- I mean, it's really not all that good for anything else :-D

PS3

By Argon18 on 12/5/2012 12:53:33 PM , Rating: 1

PS3 is indeed the best Netflix streaming device out there. I know, I've tried them all.

At the bottom end, you have the TV sets with the in-built Netflix app, but they don't have the CPU power for smooth 1080p, so it looks like crap. Various other devices fill the mid range, and then PS3 is at the top - by far the best picture and sound quality of any Netflix streaming device I've used.

The Netflix software is quite clever, and tailors the picture quality and sound quality to the device's abilities, and also takes your internet bandwidth into account. It does all this on the fly, which gives a very smooth video that doesn't stutter or chop. Give it some real horsepower, like the PS3 hardware, and the results are spectacular - it's like watching BluRay.