Review: Netflix for Windows Media Center

We just got back from a little Memorial Day vacation and we had a little more time to play with the Netflix application for Windows Media Center. The Netflix application was very easy to install. The application, along with Microsoft Silverlight, has to be installed in a separate browser because the app can not be installed within the Windows Media Center environment. Once the app is installed, and Windows Media Center is restarted, you are ready to go. Upon he first execution of the program, you will be asked to enter your account username and password, and finally the the app opens into a screen with the Netflix colors and a search menu. Here, users can decide whether to navigate your instant queue or your DVD queue. Users are also able to search Netflix’s entire catalog and either order instant movies or order the DVD right from the interface. The media stream did really well within Windows Media Center. We tested a few movies and a few TV series. Heroes is a series that is presented in HD if the user has enough bandwidth. We found that the stream would have to stop and buffer at times when using the regular web app and the Xbox 360 app, but we were able to get through and entire show without any problem. The show seemed to be present in HD, but the app does not inform the user when an HD format is being used. It would be nice to know that Microsoft and Netflix. All-in-all, the Netflix app for Windows Media Center is nothing that we would complain about. It is practical and not too hard to use. The only negative that we can give this app is that it is not available for those of you who are still using Windows XP.