Hasta La Gadget!

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings may be stumbling over a publicity misstep or two since launching in Canada just yesterday, but he sure knows the right mea culpa to give. In a blog post entitled “Apologies” — which, amusingly enough, is published just after “We Blew It” — the King of the Red Envelope says, “we are looking at adding a streaming-only option for the USA over the coming months.” No prices are discussed, but our educated guess would place it parallel to Canada’s streaming-only plan, $7.99 monthly. Would we be willing to drop all physical media in exchange for at least one extra dollar per month? Now that’s a good question.

Netlix CEO promises streaming-only option for US ‘over the coming months’ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 22:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oh, Netflix. We can’t stay mad at you. Even though you clearly think we’re all a bunch of idiots.

Netflix just launched Watch Instantly in Canada with a big press event. Unfortunately, apparently they were also (for reasons unknown) simultaneously, at the same location, shooting a corporate video with hired extras who (according to Netflix’s official apology) “were given improper directions” to talk to the press about how much they loved Netflix. (Love that “mistakes were made” agent-less sentence construction.)

Okay — so you duped some Canadians. Simple souls, they may be gullible — but luckily for everyone, the truth was soon found out. We Americans are too worldly to fall for something like that. We’re stupid in entirely different ways, as CEO/co-founder Reed Hastings revealed in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter:

THR: Are you concerned that American Netflix subscribers will look north and ask for the same discount Canadians get at $7.99?

Hastings: How much has it been your experience that Americans follow what happens in the world? It’s something we’ll monitor, but Americans are somewhat self-absorbed.

So we’re self-absorbed, huh? We don’t follow the world; we just spend all of our time watching the same shows over and over again on TV, do we, Netflix? But you’ll still take our money so we can watch movies without leaving the house?

That’s a serious question: You’ll still take our money, right? We’ll pay even more than those cheap-ass Canadians! Blockbuster just filed for bankruptcy! Microsoft and Apple say Blu-ray’s a dead end and streaming is the future! The new Roku player is so cheap!

Don’t make us go back to broadcast or cable! I can’t watch The Godfather trilogy any time I want there! Seriously, I’m watching it on my iPhone right now! Canada will never love you like we love you! What would our lives be like without you?

See Also:

• Netflix Streaming on iPad
• DVD Anywhere: Netflix Arrives on iPhone, and Doesn't Disappoint …
• Fail: Netflix Shutters Its Distribution Division
• Roku Launches $60 HD Streaming Media Player
• Apple Redefines Remote Control — Now, It's Your Cellphone
• It's Another QWERTY Keyboard, Now for TV
• How Google Instant Could Reinvent Channel Flipping

We’ve been wondering what Roku had up its sleeve after the FCC leaked the Roku XD and XDS following Apple’s $99 Apple TV announcement, and it looks like those earlier price cuts were just the beginning: the new Roku lineup starts at just $59 for the basic WiFi HD streamer with HDMI and composite outputs. That’s basically impulse-purchase territory if you’re looking for a quick way to get Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand or one of Roku’s 75 other channels on your TV. The $79 Roku XD adds in 1080p streaming support for channels with 1080p content, and the top-of-the-line $99 XDS adds in a USB port for future local playback support, component video and optical audio out, and dual-band 802.11n WiFi. All three boxes share the same new slimmer case, while the XD and XDS get a new sleeker remote with new instant-replay and info buttons. Definitely an intriguing set of upgrades — we’ve been playing with the XDS for a few days, so go check out our full review!

Continue reading Roku launches revamped HD, XD, and XDS players, starting at $59

Roku launches revamped HD, XD, and XDS players, starting at $59 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Netflix certainly didn’t have much trouble attracting interest in its Canadian launch today — the country’s waited long enough, after all — but it looks like it nonetheless went a bit too far in its efforts to build up buzz at its press event. It turns out that many of the onlookers at the event were actually actors hired by Netflix, at least some of whom went as far as to talk to the press and pass themselves off as regular people — regular people who happen to be really enthusiastic about Netflix, of course. An information sheet handed out to the extras reportedly even told them to “play types” and “behave as members of the public” who just “happen upon a street event for Netflix and stop by to check it out.” After word of the shenanigans got out, Netflix quickly issued an apology, of sorts — the company’s VP of corporate communications, Steve Swasey, said that he was “unaware” that a script was handed out to the extras, and that “some people got carried away and it’s embarrassing to Netflix.”

Netflix busted for using actors in crowd at Canadian launch event originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 19:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Want an early glimpse of ESPN for Xbox Live? How about an upgraded Netflix, Zune music, or some shiny new visuals? Just like last year, Microsoft’s resident Xbox 360 spokesman Major Nelson has made the call for sign-ups in the Update Preview Progam, which as the name suggests will get you on the list for potentially some early playtime with the upcoming Dashboard update. Just follow the instructions to get in the virtual queue, and sorry, this isn’t gonna get you any closer to Kinect. Productivity notwithstanding, what do you have to lose?

Xbox Live Update Preview Program sign-up sheet now accepting gamertags originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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