Andre Yoskowitz
25 May 2010 13:59
Microsoft and Netflix have announced today that the video rental service has chosen PlayReady as its DRM of choice for upcoming Netflix-ready streaming devices and apps.
The decision, says Netflix, will allow for subscribers to watch the over 12,000 movies and TV episodes available via "Watch Instantly," the company's popular streaming catalog, on Blu-ray players, Internet-enabled TVs and other devices.
PlayReady is already used for instant streaming on the PC and Macs, and the companies say the first PlayReady devices should hit shelves "as early as this summer."
Says Bill Holmes, vice president of business development at Netflix: "Netflix ready devices are a popular way for our members to instantly watch the huge library of TV episodes and movies available from Netflix that can be watched instantly on their TVs. Netflix is expanding our investment in PlayReady and making PlayReady our primary DRM technology because it best meets the requirements of our content suppliers and device partners while allowing us to benefit from efficiencies in our content delivery infrastructure."
Adds Andreas Mueller-Schubert, general manager of the Media Platforms Business at Microsoft: "Microsoft and Netflix have worked closely on the technologies enabling Netflix members to instantly watch movies — including PlayReady and Silverlight — since the initial planning of instant streaming from Netflix. By working with Netflix on this broader support for Microsoft PlayReady and PIFF, more people — using more devices — will enjoy the immediacy and choice that the pioneering service of Netflix delivers."
PlayReady supports a plethora of formats, adds Microsoft, including AAC, AAC+, Enhanced AAC+, H.264, Windows Media Audio (WMA) and Windows Media Video (WMV).