Academic Theorising Social Convergence and its Relation to the Xbox Experience: Netflix

Netflix

Netflix is the world's largest online movie rental service, with over 10 million subscribers (Netflix, 2009). Netflix is a subscription based service that includes a mail-order DVD service, as well as instant streaming of movies and television episodes to computers and televisions. Netflix is available for streaming on television currently through certain LG Electronics and Samsung Blu-ray disc players, TiVo, the Roku digital video player, and now Xbox 360.

Xbox is currently the only games console that Netflix is available on. The service is limited to Xbox Live gold members who are subscribers to Netflix. Xbox allows you to browse and order your Netflix movie playlists through your television without having to visit the Netflix website for the first time (Microsoft, 2009). Netflix on Xbox also exclusively features a party mode, which allows you to hook up to 8 Xboxes together and watch your movies and television shows together with your friends in real time. Your gamertag avatars will be displayed on the side of the screen and you can have your virtual-selves flirt or throw popcorn at each other (Patel, 2009), as well as talk to each other through Xbox voice. Netflix on Xbox Live also features a ‘friends channel’, which includes information about what you and your friends are watching (Microsoft, 2009).