In recent days, rumors have been percolating about the PlayStation 3 getting Netflix streaming video support. Most of the rumors revolve around a survey that Netflix has out gauging user interest in adding its service to Sony's game console for a fee. No one seems to know whether Netflix or Sony commissioned the survey, but either way, it's certainly raised hopes with PS3 owners that they would get something that Xbox 360 owners have had for a while. (For what it's worth, nearly identical rumors of Netflix on the Wii have also been making the rounds.)
Interestingly, as the rumors make their way around the blogosphere, Sony's been trying to promote how robust its Playstation Network Service (PSN) is and how great a media extender the PS3 is. A few weeks ago, a few of us from CNET spent some time visiting with Sony PR and marketing reps in a hotel suite going over what PSN had to offer, including Home, Sony's online virtual community that's hit 5 million registered users. And just yesterday, I got a voice mail from a PR rep encouraging me to do a story on what a great media extender the PS3 is.
I said I'd do a story--but only in context of the Netflix rumors.
"Why doesn't Sony just add Netflix?" I asked.
Of course, I knew it wasn't as simple as that. Sony's been diligently building out its own video service on PSN--and doing a pretty good job of it. As the PR rep pointed out, you can now download 1,500 movies and 5,200 TV episodes from all the major studios. The only problem is that if you're a Netflix subscriber, there's little incentive to use it. (On the PS3, you can buy or rent movies and shows, with prices ranging from $1.99 to $5.99 for rentals, depending on release date or whether you're downloading standard-definition or HD versions).
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Netflix is perfect for streaming online movies. But is it really necessary on PS3?
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