Netflix Rolls Out Silverlight Movie Player

By Geoff Duncan Updated October 27, 2008

Video rental firm Netflix has introduced the second generation of its instant-streaming media player, based in Microsoft’s Silverlight technology. The new player offers both fast-forward and rewind through streaming video offerings, and—for the first time—is available on Macintosh computers…at least, Macs with an Intel processor. Selections are protected from copying and piracy using Silverlight’s PlayReady DRM technology.

“Silverlight with PlayReady offers a powerful and secure toolkit for delivery of dynamic streaming, which offers faster start-up, and higher quality video, adapted in real time to users’ connection speeds,” said Netflix Chief Product Officer Neil Hunt, in a release.

At first, the new player will be available to only a small portion of Netflix subscribers, but the company plans to roll out the new streaming platform to all subscribers by the end of 2008. Netflix says Intel-based Macs account for about three-quarters of its Macintosh subscriber base. Of course, the Silverlight player also operates under Windows XP and Vista.

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TCL rolls out 4K HDR Android TV models starting at $200

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The 4-Series
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.

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It is also creating new, original, and exclusive content with celebrities and artists such as DJ Khaled, Becky G, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Will Smith.

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You can now watch a few Netflix original shows and movies without a subscription

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The new offer is accessible through a dedicated section on Netflix’s website and you can play any of the free content on your mobile or computer’s browser. Unfortunately, according to this official help page, Netflix has not made it available for iOS devices. You don’t have to sign up for an account and the show or the movie begins playing as soon as you press the Watch Now button.