Netflix: More than 1 Mln Xbox Users

By Geoff Duncan Published February 5, 2009

Netflix: More than 1 Mln Xbox Users

Video rental darling Netflix has announced that more than 1 million Xbox 360 console owners have activated Netflix streaming video service since the company partnered with Microsoft and rolled out Netflix video streaming on Xbox Live in conjunction with the New Xbox Experience. According to the company, Xbox Live users have streamed more than 1.5 billion minutes of movies and television programming through the Watch Instantly feature. The feature is available to Xbox Live Gold members, who pay Microsoft $50 a year for access to enhanced online and gaming services; the users must also be Netflix subscribers to stream Netflix video.

Netflix’s partnership with Microsoft for video streaming is only one of the company’s major forays into Internet video delivery. Although it’s video streaming service has been available for personal computers for about two years, the company has recently aligned with the likes of LG, Roku, and TiVo to offer titles to subscribers immediately over the Internet. Netflix currently offers about 12,000 selections to users of its streaming service, with a growing percentage of the content available in high definition. Unlike a la carte offerings from Blockbuster and Amazon, Netflix’s service is subscription based.

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Netflix did not indicate how many new subscribers it has gained as a result of its streaming video partnership, but the company recently posted better-than-expected quarterly financials as other major media companies have been facing declining revenues from lower DVD sales.

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Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Entertainment

The Netflix Cup combines F1 and the PGA Tour in Las Vegas

Part of a promo image for The Netflix Cup.

As if this November in Las Vegas couldn't get any more incredible. With the inaugural Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix set for November 19 under the bright lights of the Sin City strip, the pomp and circumstance of an F1 race are now being joined by The Netflix Cup.

Four pairs — comprising an F1 driver teamed up with a PGA Tour pro — will play an eight-hole match, with the top two teams advancing on to the final hole at the Wynn Golf Club, just a stone's throw (or a pitching wedge, really) from the race course itself.

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1More gets into the open-ear earbuds race with the Fit S50 and S30

1More Fit with wirelessly-charging case.

Open-ear earbuds are becoming increasingly popular due to their main benefit: They let you hear the world around you and your music at the same time. And 1More is the latest company to announce a set of open-ear wireless earbuds, but unlike its competitors, 1More isn't being shy -- instead of testing the waters with one model, the company has released two. The 1More Fit S50 are its flagship model at $150, while the more affordable Fit SE S30 cost just $70. Both models are available starting September 7 on 1more.com and Amazon.
1More Fit S50
1More Fit S50 1More

Most open-ear earbuds rely on their shape to position their speakers correctly so that you get the best possible sound. But since all ears are a little different, and most open-ear earbuds are one-size-fits-all, that alignment doesn't always work out. This is why the 1More Fit S50 cleverly include a set of soft silicone guides (or "directional sound loops" as 1More likes to call them). They look like little donuts, and when you stick them just inside your ear's concha, they're designed to keep everything in the right place. Three sizes of guides are included.

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1More’s new wired earbuds pack five drivers and planar tech for $170

1More Penta Driver P50 wired in-ear earbuds.

The new wired earbuds from 1More appear to be a technical tour de force. The Penta Driver P50 use five drivers per earbud and feature detachable MMCX connections. That's what you might expect to find in a set of high-end in-ear monitors (IEMs), not a set of $170 wired earbuds, and yet that's what the Penta Driver will cost when they go on sale in mid-September.

Multi-driver wired earbuds (and increasingly wireless earbuds) aren't that unusual. The existing Triple Driver and Quad Driver earbuds from 1More are a testament to that. However, inside the Penta Driver is multi-driver combination I don't think we've ever seen before: a diamond-like carbon (DLC) dynamic driver has been layered with four "planar diaphragm" drivers.