Stream Netflix to Your Wii This Spring

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Netflix and Nintendo have come up with a solution that will allow you to stream Netflix movies and shows to the Wii game console this spring. The initial solution works much like PS3 streaming, requiring you obtain a disk from Netflix (you have to be a Netflix member to do this). Many already have Netflix streaming capabilities on other devices like the PS3, Xbox 360, or one of the multitudes of Blu-ray streaming devices. But there are a ton of folks out there with nothing more than a Wii machine connected to their TV. So this ultimately expands Netflix’s reach to more households, albeit via standard definition content only, and gives Nintendo a competitive feature to add to their sales pitch.

Check out more of Brent’s reflections on tech, gadgets, software and media at Brent Evans Geek Tonic.

7 thoughts on “Stream Netflix to Your Wii This Spring”

  1. Finally! A reason to use the Wii. Oh wait, I have a 360 that does that, so guess I don’t need it. (yes I realize that Wii-only users will find this handy)

  2. everyone is complaining about it only being SD, and that annoys me. just be thankful we all get another device to stream to, for free, while Netflix streaming reaches more people.

  4. jon, I agree with your points, but it is worth noting. Brent’s original post didn’t mention SD-only. So don’t hold him accountable for that, it’s my doing. ;)

    itay, doubt it.

  5. I think 480p (DVD quality, BTW) will be okay. If your TV or A/V receiver does a decent job upscaling, I think it’ll be a worthwhile addition considering the price (free!).

    I wrote more about being family-friendly over at Brent’s place…

  6. Since the 480p — with optional component cables that almost no one ever buys — is the best a Wii can output, I don’t think the SD limit is much of an issue for the Wii. The Wii cannot show any HD content (720p and above) anyway.

    I would be interested in whether the component cables would improve the PQ of netflix streaming by much. While not HD, 480p ain’t bad when coming from a DVD source — witness all of the people who were using so called “ED” (Enhanced Definition) sets for years before HD flat displays became affordable to watch their widescreen DVDs— they weren’t suffering! Typically I had to explain to people that those ED sets at Costco weren’t HD at all, and they just didn’t get it, because they were so markedly better than plain old 480i.

  7. >>with optional component cables that almost no one ever buys

    good point–they’re usually a proprietary cable (although I’ve seens a dock that offers standard component jacks) that most retailers sell at rediculous markups. I knew about needing a special cable and ordered mine online for a decent price. (less than $4.00 @ monoprice; works great – http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10830&cs_id=1083007&p_id=5689&seq=1&format=2)

    Netflix might consider a cable upgrade offer in conjunction with their Wii roll out.

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