Netflix Officially released to Windows Media Center

Windows Media Center will be a richer hub for media now, with Netfix finally included. Netfix had been unofficially running on Windows Media  Center for years. One of the largest DVD distributors, Netfix was added to the WMC when it had announced streaming of videos. Programmers created add-ins that enabled the users of Media Center to view the content on their system with apps like  MyNetflix and vmcNetFlix. The apps were wacky and broke whenever Netfix tweaked its interface.  The official release of the Netfix, comes with a seamless interface that is expected to increase the ease of use and consistency.

The latest app would be using the Silverlight technology for streaming video technology. It would show up in the menus of all the consumers with Windows Media Center on their PCs. For the systems that lack Silverlight , the app will automatically guide the user with the process of installing Silverlight before taking to the log in screen. The app allows the users to manage your DVD queue, search for videos, and select videos to stream on demand. Things might not be comfortable for the Media Center Extender users and those with pre-release version of Windows 7. However, it can be anticipated that Microsoft will port the app into Windows 7 for its own advantage.

Netfix would be the latest in the line of content deals for Microsoft’s Windows Media Center team. Further, this would be preceded by the launch of a Sports Channel with content from CBS, Fox, and MSNBC in March. There might also be a launch of news application with clips from MSNBC. Microsoft continues to span in top content providers today to make watching TV on the PC a lively experience for the future.