Xbox 360 owners with Kinect can now use voice commands and gestures to browse movies on Netflix. The Netflix interface for 360 also includes several other improvements such as adaptive streaming (which optimizes the video resolution according to bandwidth), support for 720p HD and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. (See full list of features below.) You’ll need the latest Dashboard update from Microsoft (released Dec. 6) which includes enhanced Kinect functionality. If you don’t already have the Netflix app you’ll need to install from the Xbox Marketplace.
Neil Hunt, chief product officer at Netflix says, “For the first time, the Netflix interface on Xbox has been created entirely by Netflix, offering a unique member experience.”
The new Netflix experience on Xbox 360 offers:
- Up to three times as many titles available on a single screen
- Display of three related titles at the end of a movie
- An easy way to play the next episode following a TV show
- Rich interaction during play, including display of related titles, rating capability, control of subtitles and audio settings, all simply by engaging the bottom of the screen
- Control of the Netflix browsing and play experience with voice and gestures through Kinect for Xbox 360
- Adaptive streaming that automatically optimizes the picture quality based on the available bandwidth
- Support for 720p high definition (HD) streaming and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound
