Review: Netflix Watch Now Service

Well, I’ve finally given the Watch Now service a test drive. Overall, the service has been implemented very nicely (assuming you don’t mind sitting in front of your computer to watch movies) and is not reminiscent of the hi-cc-up-ing streaming videos nor did I have to wait 1+ hour for the movie to download before playing. While the functional implementation was executed very well the delivery is very poor – I can only watch movies at my computer and the video quality was below average.

Now, onto the review:

Hardware:

• Pentium 4, 3.0Ghz processor
• 1GB RAM
• Windows Vista Ultimate
• Internet Explorer 7
• RCN cable modem service (10mbs down/800k up)

Installation:

• In order to watch the ‘instant shows,’ you have to install Netflix’s video player (which is embedded in your browser). I was able to install the video player without any issues. Installation took about 2-3 minutes.
• After the player installed, I got a prompt telling me that I had to update Windows Media Player. The update went smoothly and took an additional 10-20 seconds.
• I was ready to watch my first ‘instant show’ within 5 minutes.
• Rating: A

Video Playback:

Filed under: Digital Movies, IPTV, Movies, Netflix, Reviews

Tired of Google? Try Ms. Dewey Search

Looking for an interactive search engine? Try MsDewey.com – it’s a Windows Live Search engine that has a Flash front-end (yup, it was created by good ‘ol Microsoft). Trust me, go to this search engine and do a search – you’ll enjoy it.

Want to know more? Ms. Dewey is a female actress (Janina Gavankar) who responds to your searches via pre-recorded video segments. She has a couple of different responses for a particular search term – some of which are pretty funny. Here’s a few from the Channel 9 forum that I recommend trying:

• video (this is the funniest – if you don’t find it funny, do the search a second time)
• xbox 360
• colt 45
• microsoft

Is this the future of search? Nah, just a way to market Windows Live Search.

Give it a try and let me know if you find a good search term!

Btw, pictures of Ms. Dewey’s various responses can be found here.

Filed under: Microsoft, MsDewey, Search, Search Engine