Netflix Player

By Phil Brown

h downloading movies. Is there a better way to see a flick than finding a low resolution bootleg that is clearly a camcorder in a movie theater? Ok, I guess that isn’t ideal…but did I mention that you can get it for free with internet access? I thought that would make a difference. Downloading movies off of the internet has been a popular past time with the young folks and computer geeks for years now, much to the chagrin of movie studios, who don’t like the idea of audiences seeing their art without paying for the privilege.

It was inevitable that someone would eventually find a way to charge for downloading movies. Apple kicked off the trend when they added movies to Itunes, but the service still left an unfortunate gap between the downloaded film and the downloader’s home entertainment system. Sure, you could always burn the file to a DVD or find a way to hook your laptop up to a television. But anyone computer savvy enough to pursue either of those paths would just download the movies for free instead. Enter Netflix. The company that revolutionized renting DVDs online is bringing movie downloading to the masses.

In partnership with the electronics company Roku, Netflix has created the appropriately titled Netflix Player ($99). It’s a little palm-sized black box that directly connects your television to a broadband connection. For a mere $8.99 a month, you will be able to access Netflix’s extensive library of 10,000 movies and TV Shows and watch them on demand. Now you’ll never have to go through the pain of interacting with other people while renting a movie again. Just press a few buttons and you’ll instantly be watching that Keanu Reeves movie that you heard was mediocre.

Will the Netflix player revolutionize the way we watch movies at home? Probably not. It’s not dramatically different than Pay Per View movies, just a little cheaper. While techno nerds, Netflix-freaks, and the anti-social should enjoy this product, video store owners shouldn’t be worried about becoming obsolete any time soon. Personally, I couldn’t imagine renting a movie without dealing with a snooty video store employee scoffing at me for making such an embarrassing choice. I like Steve Guttenberg movies, alright? He can be funny without ever being offensive or putting any effort into his performances. That’s a talent that only the greats like Guttenberg and Carson Daly share.