Those who use their PCs as a home entertainment hub will now have an easier time watching streaming videos through Netflix.
Microsoft announced that Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate users will be able to view Instant Watch Netflix videos through Windows Media Center starting today. Media center integration is designed for people using a remote control to enjoy content from afar.
The Windows Media Center also plays well with tablets and touch screens, so this might be a welcome feature for watching movies at a Wi-Fi hotspot.
Best of all, Netflix is fully functional from the media center. That means you don't have to use Netflix's Web site to add movies to your Instant Watch queue; everything is available up front. Subscribers can even manage their mail-in DVD queue through the Media Center.
It seems that a similar function is coming to the Xbox 360. Brandon LeBlanc, on the Windows Experience Blog, says "this offering will work for [Xbox 360 users] as well (same Instant and DVD queues and all!)," but so far my Netflix program looks exactly the same
LeBlanc isn't saying when this feature will come to Windows 7, or whether it'll ever happen for Windows XP Media Center PCs.
