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Post subject: First Netflix streaming app  Posted: 21 Aug 2023, 02:11 |
Young Padawan |
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Joined: 16 May 2009, 18:05 Posts: 3519 Location: California, USA Has thanked: 23 times Been thanked: 298 times
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I came across this disc while going through my storage this weekend. Some of you will remember this disc. Those who have no clue, here is a little story about it. Attachment:
IMG_3569.jpeg [ 109.44 KiB | Viewed 830 times ]
In late 2006, Sony rushed the Blu-ray disc format incomplete to the market to compete with Toshiba’s HD-DVD format which launched a couple of months earlier. There were major revisions to the format in the next 2 years. One of these revisions was BD-Live which brought online interactive features to the format. When a BD-Live embedded Blu-ray disc title played on a BD-Live capable Blu-ray player, it could access additional online content and extras which aren’t present on the disc. All Blu-ray disc player sold up to this point became obsolete because they lacked the software and hardware needed for BD-Live with one exception. Within a year after its release Playstation 3 (PS3) was already the best selling Blu-ray player. It already had online interactive functions for gaming and its operating system (OS) could be updated. Sony released a major operating system update which made PS3 the first BD-Live capable Blu-ray disc player. Netflix first started as a DVD by mail service, later offered streaming movies on a web browser on computers. They had no competitors but streaming on a computer limited their reach. There were no Apple or Android TVs yet. They saw BD-Live as an opportunity which enabled a very clever work around to have their online streaming catalog available to PS3 owners without any revisions needed to the PS3 OS. They started mailing this disc free of charge to their subscribers who owned a PS3. You would put this disc in your PS3 to launch it like an ordinary Blu-ray disc, utilizing the disc’s BD-Live functions, you would then access all of Netflix‘s streaming content. PS3 had very powerful hardware for its time. This Netflix disc on PS3 worked superbly until they released the first native app integrated into the PS3 OS shortly after. If my memory serves me well, Samsung BD-2550 was the first Blu-ray disc player with built in native Netflix streaming app. It was released shortly after this Netflix disc along side with the BD-2500. They were identical except the BD-2550 was a Best Buy exclusive and had the Netflix app built in. I was working for Best Buy at the time as a Home Theater consultant/designer. I remember the sales weren’t great. Best Buy gave up on its interest in Netflix and launched VUDU on a dedicated hardware shortly after. The initial VUDU box was similar in how it worked to Kaleidescape Strato with built in storage. Maybe I will write about the initial VUDU box on a different thread later.
_________________ Wanted HD-VMD Discs Hi-Vision/Muse Discs Only complete/mint!
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admin
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Post subject: Re: First Netflix streaming app  Posted: 21 Aug 2023, 03:18 |
Site Admin |
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Joined: 07 Aug 2002, 23:37 Posts: 4344 Location: Tokyo Has thanked: 272 times Been thanked: 1044 times
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And good timing to bring back old stories! => Netflix's 25-year-old delivery service for DVDs (in red envelopes) will go dark on September 29th. Julien
_________________ HARDWARE DATABASE HLD-X0/9 LD-S9 OPPO 105/205 SL-1200G LDD-1 MSC-4000 R2144 PONTUS II C45 MC257
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substance
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Post subject: Re: First Netflix streaming app  Posted: 21 Aug 2023, 03:21 |
Young Padawan |
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Joined: 16 May 2009, 18:05 Posts: 3519 Location: California, USA Has thanked: 23 times Been thanked: 298 times
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signofzeta wrote: I think you’re reading way too much into the importance of BD Live…way too much. Saying a Blu-ray player without BD Live is obsolete is like saying an LD player without LD+G was obsolete.
This same disc exists for Wii. It’s just a way of getting an app on the machine. You can say that today. If you were following the market at the time, Sony advertised BD Live as a really big deal. Not many people owned HDTVs, they knew the improved clarity wasn't enough to convince people to upgrade from the already established DVD (and VHS). HD-DVD had 'Advance Content' as their BD Live equivalent from day one. We were supposed to get new interactive content made available to use via BD Live or Advance Content even many years after the purchase of the discs. In a way the barebones initial disc releases turn into a special editions without double dipping on other purchases. What failed both BD Live and Advance Content was the lack of studio support. But hey, if you wanted Netflix on your TV without hooking up your computer, you needed a Profile 2.0 (BD Live) Blu-ray disc player.
_________________ Wanted HD-VMD Discs Hi-Vision/Muse Discs Only complete/mint!
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substance
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Post subject: Re: First Netflix streaming app  Posted: 21 Aug 2023, 03:26 |
Young Padawan |
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Joined: 16 May 2009, 18:05 Posts: 3519 Location: California, USA Has thanked: 23 times Been thanked: 298 times
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admin wrote: And good timing to bring back old stories! => Netflix's 25-year-old delivery service for DVDs (in red envelopes) will go dark on September 29th. Julien I was still using Netflix's DVD by mail up until a year ago. It took longer and longer to receive discs in mail although I am only 15 miles from one of their processing facilities. More than half my queue had titles with "very long wait", some I waited months. I figured they stopped stocking discs and getting ready to drop the service. They made the end of service announcement a few months after I canceled my subscription. Now I am very close to canceling their streaming subscription. I don't care for it but my parents love it. I have had their 5 users plan for a long time. There were a few decent Netflix exclusives that I watched but mainly my family uses the account. They made a recent policy change which allows users only within the same household. Well, I don't live with my parents. When I first signed up, Netflix encouraged sharing the account with family and friends to justify higher tier subscriptions. Not only they increased the pricing significantly, now they say each person should get a dedicated subscription.
_________________ Wanted HD-VMD Discs Hi-Vision/Muse Discs Only complete/mint!
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rcarlson
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Post subject: Re: First Netflix streaming app  Posted: 21 Aug 2023, 05:59 |
Serious fan |
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Joined: 02 Jan 2021, 00:35 Posts: 231 Location: Northern Virginia Has thanked: 153 times Been thanked: 135 times
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substance wrote: signofzeta wrote: I think you’re reading way too much into the importance of BD Live…way too much. Saying a Blu-ray player without BD Live is obsolete is like saying an LD player without LD+G was obsolete.
This same disc exists for Wii. It’s just a way of getting an app on the machine. You can say that today. If you were following the market at the time, Sony advertised BD Live as a really big deal. Not many people owned HDTVs, they knew the improved clarity wasn't enough to convince people to upgrade from the already established DVD (and VHS). HD-DVD had 'Advance Content' as their BD Live equivalent from day one. We were supposed to get new interactive content made available to use via BD Live or Advance Content even many years after the purchase of the discs. In a way the barebones initial disc releases turn into a special editions without double dipping on other purchases. What failed both BD Live and Advance Content was the lack of studio support. But hey, if you wanted Netflix on your TV without hooking up your computer, you needed a Profile 2.0 (BD Live) Blu-ray disc player. Just because a company tried to make it a big deal doesn't mean it was a big deal. I've never met a single person in real life who gave a second thought to BD Live, and you're the first person I've encountered online who has. Suffice to say, I think it's a stretch to call old players "obsolete" on account of optional online features. They still played the discs.
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