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Television

Microsoft Adds Kinect Support For Netflix 69

Posted by CmdrTaco from the more-lazy-please dept.
Arneh writes "Microsoft today released an update for the Xbox 360 which brings Kinect support for the popular Netflix application. Users will be prompted to upgrade the next time they start up Netflix." Finally, a remote that my 3-year-old can't hide.
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Microsoft Adds Kinect Support For Netflix More

Microsoft Adds Kinect Support For Netflix

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  • Sort of. . . (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Zenaku ( 821866 ) on Thursday April 14, 2011 @11:44AM (#35819228)

    If the facts stated in this review are accurate, Microsoft should be embarrassed by this level of "support."

    http://kotaku.com/#!5792076/kinect-for-netflix-is-a-catastrophe-microsoft-has-no-idea-what-to-do-with-kinect [kotaku.com]

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Zenaku ( 821866 )

      Fortunately, I think the reviewer may be doing something wrong.

      (sorry for the self reply, I left off the last part of my comment in a link pasting snafu.)

      • I wouldn't be surprised if he weren't doing anything wrong. The ESPN3 app for Kinect doesn't let you go through the On-Demand listings of different sports, only the 8 games they suggest. They really should have added Kinect emulation of a controller to the normal apps, instead of creating new Kinect-only versions.

        I, of course, intend to try this out as soon as I get home from work.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Dahamma ( 304068 )

          On, the other hand, it was written by Joel Johnson, who has proven again and again on Gizmodo, etc that he has probably never figured out how to tie his shoes, let alone use Kinect.

    • Re:Sort of. . . (Score:4, Interesting)

      by HermMunster ( 972336 ) on Thursday April 14, 2011 @12:22PM (#35819662)

      I was going to say that if anyone has experience with the Kinect they'd know that it is a difficult tool to use in order to select things. I can't imagine going back and forth scrolling thumbnail art and making selections. Talk about super slow and unresponsive. Work needs to be done on the Kinect before it really can be considered a good input tool.

      As far as games go, it seems OK. It is responsive enough while in the game, but when outside choosing items on the screen, well, it lacks, a lot.

      • They should definitely allow you to browse your instant queue, though, at a minimum. They could lay it out the same way as the Kinect Hub, which has reasonable navigation and selection ability.

    • So wait, Kotaku, a site with the worst UI design I've ever seen is criticizing MS's kinect interface? Le irony, it is too much!

  • Why? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Lunaritian ( 2018246 ) on Thursday April 14, 2011 @11:48AM (#35819300)
    Sure, it may be cooler to watch videos by waving your arms, but still... buttons are more accurate and faster to use. What's wrong with using the controller for controls?

    • Re:Why? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by swanzilla ( 1458281 ) on Thursday April 14, 2011 @11:58AM (#35819430) Homepage

      Sure, it may be cooler to watch videos by waving your arms, but still... buttons are more accurate and faster to use. What's wrong with using the controller for controls?

      Nothing. Sort of like eating sushi with a fork...may be more practical, but you will not rack up any style points in doing so.

      • Sort of like eating sushi with a fork...may be more practical, but you will not rack up any style points in doing so.

        Nor by waving your arms around vice pushing a few buttons, I'd say. In fact, if the situation were reversed where Kinect style controls were the norm, people would probably regard remotes like the second coming. "FINALLY, I don't have to wave my fucking arms around just to change the channel!"

      • Sure, it may be cooler to watch videos by waving your arms, but still... buttons are more accurate and faster to use. What's wrong with using the controller for controls?

        Nothing. Sort of like eating sushi with a fork...may be more practical, but you will not rack up any style points in doing so.

        Huh? Obviously you don't know how to use chopsticks... just as easy as using a fork.

        This is more like using a trained chimpanzee to eat your sushi. Pointless, slow, unreliable, and the only possible reason anyone would ever do it is to show off to their buddies. Once.

        • Personally, I feel like the Kinect on the whole is pretty gimmicky. Not to say that its a bad piece of hardware as there are some truly incredible Kinect hacks out there. But it just doesn't make sense as a controller, for games or otherwise. Gaming and computing in general require a fairly high degree of accuracy with your controllers. On the PC, FPS players will pay quite a bit of money to get a more accurate mouse, and MMO players are always looking for easier access to as many buttons as possible. Kinec

        • Huh? Obviously you don't know how to use chopsticks... just as easy as using a fork.

          But not as easy as using a knife and fork, which is how everyone I know eats.

        • But if even if you practice and get good at using chopsticks as well as a fork.... why bother at all? Assuming you grew up in the west, you grew up using a fork. If you NOW live full-time in Asia and have to use chopsticks because they're what's available, that's a valid reason. But westerners who live in the west and use chopsticks (only for Asian food, of course) are simply going out of their way to acquire a smug and annoying affectation.

      • Sure, it may be cooler to watch videos by waving your arms, but still... buttons are more accurate and faster to use. What's wrong with using the controller for controls?

        Nothing. Sort of like eating sushi with a fork...may be more practical, but you will not rack up any style points in doing so.

        I've tried eating sushi with a fork once in a while, usually when I take some home and eat it later. It always fall apart for me. I think the chopsticks are more practical.

    • The damn summary comment gave one scenario. I'm sure if you try you can come up with others.

    • It could be sorta handy to have it automatically pause if someone gets up to grab a beer / go to the bathroom / whatever, and then resume when said person returns.

      Hardly something I've waited my whole life for, but still. I say, props to M$ for actually attempting to innovate. And I say this typing on a Microsoft keyboard with a Microsoft mouse...through Chrome under Debian...whoops.

      • And I say this typing on a Microsoft keyboard with a Microsoft mouse...through Chrome under Debian...whoops.

        I actually enjoy using computer peripherals made by Microsoft. 2 years a go I replaced my wireless logitech mouse with a Ms Wireless Mobile 4000 with bluetrack for my Lucid box. Their bluetrack mouses are cheaper than logitech's darkfield conterpart, use only 1 AA battery instead of 2, and work just as good. ..and not to mention that the XBOX360 controller is far more superior than logitech gamepad.

    • These aren't the videos you seek...

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dlsmith ( 993896 )

      +1.

      I'm sure I'm just ignorant, but it sure sounds to me like somebody in Microsoft management didn't get the joke when they saw Gmail Motion [google.com].

    • This gives a whole new dimension to the old "give me the remote". Just imagine this with two kids in the house (and they need not be Dash and Violet).

  • The interface is for Netflix is now Charades (Score:3, Funny)

    by MosnarSgnik ( 2041258 ) on Thursday April 14, 2011 @11:48AM (#35819304)
    You want to see: A movie. One word. The first word is one syllable. You're moving up and down. Move your left arm to see "Jump", shake your left leg for "Hop".

  • Forget Netflix, when are they going to add Kinect support for hotmail? And what will be the gesture for spam? I have a few suggestions if they haven't settled on one already.

    • Google already patented that for GMail with Google Motion [gmail.com]. ;)

    • And what will be the gesture for spam? I have a few suggestions if they haven't settled on one already.

      It'll be simple. To report spam, move near screen and raise a middle finger pointing upward in front of message. To send spam (once composed with keyboard or finger-tracing of characters and Viagra pills), move near screen, turn a half-circle (to face other people sitting on the sofa, chairs, etc.) and raise both middle fingers as above.

  • Sure, your 3 year old can't hid the kinect, but it is also harder to "accidentally hide" the kinect if they want to watch a movie on NetFlix, like you can with a normal remote.

    Darned kids.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Locke2005 ( 849178 )
      So, you find lying to your children easier than just telling them, "No"?

  • One down, one to go (Score:5, Interesting)

    by BitZtream ( 692029 ) on Thursday April 14, 2011 @11:54AM (#35819390)

    When I got my Kinect and played with it for navigation of the dashboard for a while I immediately realized I wanted 2 things.

    Kinect control of Windows Media Center, which powers all the TVs in my home via XBox 360 extenders

    Kinect control of Netflix.

    One down, hopefully it doesn't suck, but unless they've changed something major the biggest problem I can see is that the Kinect stops sensing me the instant I sit on the couch or the recliner in my living room. Seems to be ubiquitous and happens in Dance Central, Kinect Adventures, Your Shape Fitness and the dashboard, so while I haven't been home yet to actually test it out, I'm guessing this isn't really going to let me stop hunting for the WMC remote since I'll probably have to get out of my seat to get the kinect to listen to me.

    Voice activation works, so if it allows good voice navigation than it'll probably be Ok.

    I really hope they update the media center extender software for xbox with voice commands or make the gesture recognition work when seated. Its a little obnoxious at first but once you get used to it as a control interface its not entirely horrible for short periods of time. I certainly wouldn't want to do something like compose an email or text that way however.

    haven't been home to test it out yet so I'm just guessing that is

    • During the E3 demo, didn't they use kinect to put Justin Bieber on? I thought the Windows media support was ready out of the box, wonder what happened to it.

  • Direct URLS - skip the blog slashvertisements (Score:4, Informative)

    by BitZtream ( 692029 ) on Thursday April 14, 2011 @11:57AM (#35819420)

    The blog linked in the summary actually points to:

    http://majornelson.com/2011/04/14/kinect-support-for-netflix/ [majornelson.com]

    As its information source, if you'd like to skip all the blog slashvertisements and go to the source, the actual source info is at:

    http://www.xbox.com/en-US/Live/Netflix/Home [xbox.com]

  • Can't wait to see what movements... (Score:4, Funny)

    by s0litaire ( 1205168 ) on Thursday April 14, 2011 @12:03PM (#35819484)

    ... netflix will use for users to unlock/order the adult content...

  • Personally, I find mouse gestures obnoxious. I suppose it was inevitable that the gestures would become literal gestures.

  • Kinect is worse than a remote with small children. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by BagOBones ( 574735 ) on Thursday April 14, 2011 @12:20PM (#35819640)

    My three year old loves to yell out "XBOX" and "Cancel" every time I try and use it, and some times randomly when on the XBOX, this causes all sorts of random navigation fun.

    For all those complaining about waving, it is voice activated as well.

  • ... as soon as they add support for streaming, interactive porn.

  • Article is right, this is a joke. The ONLY truly useful features are the voice pause/play/stop etc. WHY cant they make a better interface to search/instant que etc? All this vast UI knowledge and a HUGE advantage over Sony and they squander it on this neutered piece of crap. I honestly feel like they pushed this out the door as fast as possible and put very little thought on how to make it a transformative UI experience. By now i should be able to control the entirety of the Xbox menu system with the Kinect
    • They've already sold 15 million units? Mission accomplished! Why should they improve it now, you've already payed money for it!

  • Let's hope it works better than this [youtube.com] one...

  • Early in 2011, right? Am I gonna have to buy a Roku to do what my 360 can not?

  • Netflix is more suited to the controller or my HD-DVD remote. Now LastFM on the other hand I love the Kinect integration and use it all the time.
  • So, next time the Kinect sees you masturbating, Clippy will pop up on the screen and say, "It looks like you're fapping... can I help you find some porn?"

  • Finally, a remote that my 3 year old can't hide

    No, but they still can put peanut butter in it.

  • ...a remote you can't hide (or take away) from your three-year-old...

  • What annoys me is the fact that remote buttons (or their functionality) aren't replicated on the endpoint device. I realize electronics manufacturers want to keep their devices 'clean' but dagnabit you should still be able to access all the functionality on your device without needing to use the remote - On my devices you can't turn the subtitles on and off or access the test tone or perform a myriad of other actions without having the remote in your hand - A remote that your toddler may have conveniently

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