Netflix Set-Top Box Released

Today Netflix introduced its Roku set-top box that allows subscribers with high speed internet to stream movies right to their TVs. The small box, the size of five CD cases stacked together, comes with a remote control, costs $99, and there is no additional cost for watching movies on it for any user on a $9 plan or more.
Before you go out into the streets proclaiming the end of rental stores or the DVD itself, let me mention the drawbacks. Although there are component and HDMI connections on the device, it is not HD. It streams video at 480p, roughly DVD quality. You evidently cannot browse and select movies directly from the device. You already have to have added the movie to your queue in order to watch it over the Roku box. It also can only stream movies that have the 'instant watch' option indicated.
This is the biggest drawback to the device, because although Netflix boasts some 60,000 titles, only about 10,000 have the instant watch option. This is due to the fact that, unlike DVD, Netflix must negotiate rights with each movie studio to stream their content over the service. If you look at the titles available for instant watch, there are notable omissions. Popular recent releases like National Treasure 2, Untraceable, I Am Legend, The Golden Compass and others are not found.
This is reportedly the first of several planned set-top devices Netflix plans to produce.

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