My First Impressions of Netflix on the PS3

Today I received the Netflix instant streaming disc for my PS3. I already have my Xbox 360 set up to stream instantly from Netflix. I was curious to see how it worked on the PS3. Since the disc was free, I ordered one. This is a brand new feature for PS3 owners and it looks promising.

How to Set up the PS3 for Netflix Instant Streaming
Set up was very easy. Put the disc into the PS3 and under the "video" menu the Netflix logo shows up. To activate the PS3 for instant streaming, log on your Netflix account and type in the activation code. This code comes up on the PS3. Activation can take up to three minutes. Once that was done, all the movies on my instant queue were displayed on my TV. I picked Batman vs. Dracula to test the picture quality.

Picture Quality of Instant Streaming on the PS3
The loading time was not long at all. My movie of choice quickly started playing. It looked just as good, if not better, then the picture quality of the Xbox 360. I was pleasantly surprised; as I was worried there would be some glitches to the new feature.

Comparing PS3 Instant Streaming to Xbox 360
When I first set up the Xbox 360 for Netflix, I had numerous problems getting it to activate properly. The Xbox kept reporting the device wasn't activated while Netflix told me it was. I had to call Netflix and sort it out. Set up was much easier on the PS3.

The menus on the PS3 Netflix are easier to navigate. On the Xbox 360, there are so many lists and menus you can use to sort your movies. While this might be helpful for some, I find myself getting lost in all the scrolling trying to find my instant queue.

On the Xbox 360, you can watch movies with your online gamer friends. I have not heard if this is available to the PS3.

The Xbox 360 doesn't use a disc for its instant streaming. With the PS3, you need to put the disc in every time you want to use Netflix instant streaming. While I don't mind doing that, I can imagine the frustration of misplacing the disc. The disc will be needed until 2010. I can not find exactly when in 2010.

If you have a Netflix account, PS3 instant streaming is free. With the Xbox 360, you need to pay for a gold membership in order to use instant streaming. The gold membership is about $49.99 for a year.

Now that I have the disc, I will probably use my PS3 for Netflix instead of the Xbox 360. While I never had any major complaints about the sound or picture quality on the Xbox, I just like the way Netflix operates on the PS3. I don't need all the menus and options. I just want to watch a movie instantly on the PS3, until I misplace the disc.

Sources:

Personal Experience

http://www.joystiq.com