[laffmakr]

Well, we can all find out for ourselves, the Mac beta is in operation as of this morning, or maybe this weekend.

I signed up for it and downloaded Silverlight and it seems to work pretty well. Quality is about VCR standard, but what the heck, it's free. Most tiltles have started within 10-15 seconds on my 10mbs cable modem.

I kinda like it.

[whitedog]

laffmakr said:

Well, we can all find out for ourselves, the Mac beta is in operation as of this morning, or maybe this weekend.


I signed up for it and downloaded Silverlight and it seems to work pretty well. Quality is about VCR standard, but what the heck, it's free. Most tiltles have started within 10-15 seconds on my 10mbs cable modem.

How did you sign up for it? I can find no way to do so on the Netflix web site.

[whitedog]

Impatient for an answer, I found out on my own how to get Instant Watching now on my Mac. For anyone else who is interested, go to the Netflix Help Center after logging into your Netflix account; under Contact Customer Service select the Watching Movies Instantly on Your PC link; click Watching on Mac and Firefox and call the phone number listed, taking note of the customer identification number below the phone number. The automated answering service will ask for that number. The customer service person who answers will ask you a few questions and then give you a URL to use to opt in to their beta testing program.

By the way, once you've downloaded and installed Silverlight 2 and opted into the beta program, Instant Watching will work in Safari as well as Firefox. Also, once you opt in, you will need to use Silverlight in Windows rather than the Windows Media Player if you want to continue Instant Watching in Windows. This is a significant change, in my opinion, that has as yet gone unremarked. Netflix is moving their Instant Watching from Windows Media to Silverlight which, unlike WMP, is compatible with other platforms including, presumably, Linux.

I was told that all of the available Instant Watching videos should be compatible with Silverlight within a week or two.

Once you have Silverlight 2 installed, no additional software is needed to use Instant Watching on your Mac. Just click the Watch button for a video of your choice and it starts buffering immediately in your web browser. I tested it briefly in Safari and it works just fine, even in full screen mode.

While there are Mac fans who dislike Microsoft intensely and will refuse to use Silverlight under any circumstances, for the rest of us it represents a significant move by MS to support open standards, at least in this instance. Though Silverlight is a Microsoft product, it is no more constrained than Flash, Acrobat or QuickTime, all of which work on multiple platforms and thus can be said to be platform independent. While this move doesn't make up for previous anti-competitive behavior by Microsoft, it does show they are beginning to adapt to the multi-platform world we all live in. I think it's safe to say that competition, at least as much as regulation and legal sanctions, is responsible for this change in strategy. In any case, whatever the cause, the change is welcome.

[cannibalpeas]

By the way, why is everyone so opposed to switching to Silverlight because it's a MS product, but comfortable using WMP? I mean, it sounds like everyone who is decrying MS's involvement is already using instant watch, which means . . . um Windows. Is it just that they don't want an MS component on your Mac partition? Am I missing something?

[XMattingly]

whitedog said:

While there are Mac fans who dislike Microsoft intensely and will refuse to use Silverlight under any circumstances, for the rest of us it represents a significant move by MS to support open standards, at least in this instance.

Assuming someone is a Mac fanatic, just for refusing to use one Microsoft product is such a hackneyed thing to say. The rest of us gave up on that train of thought a decade ago, and in spite of my consistent response to the contrary you're going to continue to take a dig... however thinly veiled. Obviously your pettiness knows no bounds. Grow up.

Quote

Though Silverlight is a Microsoft product, it is no more constrained than Flash, Acrobat or QuickTime, all of which work on multiple platforms and thus can be said to be platform independent.

Au contraire. Silverlight is constrained by adoption. Platform independent?? A software developer has to write a different version for every browser they support, on every platform they support. Quicktime on Windows is not the same thing as Quicktime on a Mac... neither is Flash, and certainly not Silverlight.

Quote

While this move doesn't make up for previous anti-competitive behavior by Microsoft, it does show they are beginning to adapt to the multi-platform world we all live in.

Microsoft's competitive/anti-competitive practices are the same as they've been for years. The difference now is that they're trying to push their way into an established niche that is dominated by another player, and have to dance to a different tune. It's not about working in harmony with the rest of the computing world: it's about getting their software presence in the market, by any means necessary, then leveraging it to their advantage. I'd recommend you do a little research before you throw around buzz words like "open standards". You may believe M$ is acting in good faith, and that's fine - but don't expect anyone else to be oblivious to their business practices: especially considering there are plenty of law makers across the country who feel otherwise.

[derekc]

cannibalpeas sez: "why is everyone so opposed to switching to Silverlight because it's a MS product, but comfortable using WMP?"

For me, it is the usual Microsoft attitude of throwing BETA quality software out into the world and seeing if it sticks. Version 2 of Silverlight is still somewhat unreliable on the Mac. I also resent anything that is infected with DRM. I'm so tired of the manipulation of we, the customer, by companies that think we're all evil and out to destroy them. Instead of the attitude of 'The Customer Is King' the attitude is 'The Customer Is a Pirate, so screw them.' If that's how I'm going to be treated, then see you out on the torrent streams, jerks.

Microsoft took many years and iterations of horrifyingly bad media players until they hit 'version 9' of Windows Media Player. And of course they had to be arrogant enough to call it 'Windows' versus 'Microsoft' Media Player. Their attitude is much like described above where clearly the point is the manipulate the customer. As per usual, most of the web sites decided to forgo offering Quicktime streaming, for no good reason whatsoever that I am aware of. Instead they stick you with WMP or Real. But surprise! WMP finally grew up and works great, especially compared to the now antiquated crummy quality of Real. I'd go with Quicktime any time. But being stuck with WMP has turned out to be no curse at all. Well, except for the fact that Microsoft AGAIN stuck it to the Mac community and refused to provide any access to their DRM infected versions of WMP media. AFAIAC that's their stupid mistake. It only solidifies my use of Quicktime and iTunes DRM infected media (laughing up my sleeve).

I have no doubt that Silverlight will be perfected for Mac. It has its flaky moments on Windows XP, but is generally very good. It's just that the BETA period isn't over yet for Mac. So have fun dealing with the bugs kids.

Do I despise Microsoft? Why wouldn't any sane and anti-sadomasochism human being despise Microsoft? They've single handedly kept us stuck in a dark age of computing when IMHO we should be way ahead of where we are now. I always tell people "Gawd help us if Apple ruled the computer community!" What is required is real competition as well as collaboration within the community to generate innovation and progress. Microsoft hate both and have done their best to destroy them through their actions for over two decades now. Their rigging the market to force purchases of Windows with every PC, their rigging of Enterprise software and engulf and destroy attitude toward software competitors has been incredibly detrimental. Argue all you like about knee-jerk attitudes toward Microsoft. In my case me despising them is founded in fact and history. The world would be far better off without them and good riddance. You don't have to be some pea brain or some Mac fanboi cool-aid drinking hippy fascist commie pinko moron to figure out that Microsoft is not good for you.

You have my kind permission to flame me back. But I guarantee I've heard all the boring excuses for Microsoft's bad behavior many times before. Wait... let me fluff up my pillow in preparation for the sleep induction to follow.... There. Flame away.

[derekc]

cannibalpeas sez: "I have Virtualbox (FREE!) running on my 2.0 ghz 20" iMac with no issues whatsoever!"

This is a GREAT TIP! How I have never heard of Virtualbox is beyond me. I just checked it out. It's offered by SUN! (Sorry to see them losing money lately. Not good). I can always use an alternative to the 10+ GB disk image I have of Windows XP used with Parallels. What a space hog windows has become.

Recently I grabbed the free CodeWeavers offer for CrossOver and am going to try it for running NetFlix through IE. I think that may well be my solution as I never have had any trouble finding all the software I want for Mac.

SUN has done so much good in the computer community. You have to hand it to them. Certainly Java was over-hyped and really should have gone Open Source, but even so it has been a very useful free technology. So has Star Office, which they DID make Open Source and became Open Office. Out of Open Office came the OpenDocument ISO standard.

Uh oh. Another reason to hate Microsoft has come to mind. Like that's hard to find. Watching Microsoft BULLY the ISO committee members into accepting their idiotic Office Open XML mess as an alternative standard made me ill:

:-Q

If anyone is familiar with the catastrophic, labyrinthine Office Open XML standard, they'll know exactly what I mean. What a horror. Approval of this disaster had to be the lowest point in ISO's otherwise ethical history. All you have to do is download the OpenXMLConverter application and install it to get an idea of just how fat, bloated and complicated this so-called standard really is. Disgusting. Bow down and kiss the feet of Microsoft Office. I don't think so.

[XMattingly]

Quote

I also resent anything that is infected with DRM. I'm so tired of the manipulation of we, the customer, by companies that think we're all evil and out to destroy them. Instead of the attitude of 'The Customer Is King' the attitude is 'The Customer Is a Pirate, so screw them.'

Yeah, there is that as well. Microsoft is really selling out their customers to get in bed with the Hollywood bosses.

Quote

I always tell people "Gawd help us if Apple ruled the computer community!"

My theory is that everyone's stuff would work the way we expect it to, and we (the customers) would not be treated like criminals. We might pay more for it, but overall it would be a more satisfying consumer experience.

Apple may not rule the computer community, but you have to give credit for the incredible amount of influence our platform has had over the years, in spite of such a small market share.

Quote

What is required is real competition as well as collaboration within the community to generate innovation and progress. Microsoft hate both and have done their best to destroy them through their actions for over two decades now. Their rigging the market to force purchases of Windows with every PC, their rigging of Enterprise software and engulf and destroy attitude toward software competitors has been incredibly detrimental.

On the contrary, I think M$ loves innovation. New ideas have been a staple of their "embrace, extend & extinguish" M.O. for years. Why should they be a leader in innovation when you can throw your weight around with sheer market domination? Then competitor's ideas are ripe for the reverse engineering.

[Dicka]

For months I have been watching Netflix on my 24 "iMac using Parallels and XP. This worked fine on a 2500/418 DSL connection and 3 GB of memory.

However, I learned yesterday that I could now use Safari and Firefox if I ("opted-in) and so I downloaded Silverlight 2.0.

It is my first impression, having watched one movie on Safari and one on Firefox, that the picture quality is better than when running XP in a VM.

No jerking on fast pans or zooms. Both browsers seemed to work equally well.

Data is retrieved differently with Silverlight, or perhaps it is the browser, I really don't know. XP would continue to retrieve data until a buffer was full then stop for a few seconds. Silverlight/Safari/Firefox grab data for a second and stop for a second...just an observation.

In any event, I am quite pleased with instant watching on the Mac.

[jimsmm]

How'd you do that? I just tried watching a movie but was only able to watch the preview. After that NetFlix tells me that it doesn't recognize Mac.

I have silverlight installed on a MacBook Pro 2.16 core duo using 10.5.5 and Safari. I'd like to learn how you got NetFlix to run. THanks

[whitedog]

jimsmm said:

How'd you do that? I just tried watching a movie but was only able to watch the preview. After that NetFlix tells me that it doesn't recognize Mac.

I have silverlight installed on a MacBook Pro 2.16 core duo using 10.5.5 and Safari. I'd like to learn how you got NetFlix to run. THanks

You have to call Netflix or otherwise op-in to their beta program in order to get your Netflix account enabled for Silverlight (it will then no longer work with Windows Media Player in Windows - you'll need Silverlight there, too). And you have to have the latest version of Silverlight installed. See my previous post for detailed instructions.

[Dicka]

Jim,

After downloading Silverlight 2.0, which you have apparentlly done, open browser and type netflix.com/sliverlightoptin or

/optinsilverlight, I forget which. You will then be good to go. Watched 2 movies last night...working fine on iMac runing 10.5.5.



Dick