[ridemaster]

to the OP, the playbook wants to be sold from your clutches, it doesnt like you. it wants a better owner.

if PB is getting so old what do you call the ipad mini? with inferior software to the present PB

[LoganSix]

It's perfect for a 20 minute show before bed. I've got lots of shows on my PlayBook. It's also great for flights.

But, unless the airplane has in-flight wifi, you can't watch Netflix in flight. And then you are paying about $12 for the wifi per flight. So, it would be just cheaper to download the movie before the flight and then watch it on the flight.

[notfanboy]

But, unless the airplane has in-flight wifi, you can't watch Netflix in flight. And then you are paying about $12 for the wifi per flight. So, it would be just cheaper to download the movie before the flight and then watch it on the flight.

That poster you were responding to was not talking about watching Netflix on the plane.

[RubberChicken76]

Anyway. Netflix sucks hard. Nothing worth watching. only old series and B movies...and not the best.

Well, you think there's nothing worth watching. What makes you right and someone who likes Netflix wrong?

[tarektoverso]

I have never said that you were wrong to like netfix. I just said that it sucks. For me of course. ^^

[friendly1013]

There is, I watch it all the time. and no, it's not splashtop (which has issues connecting outside of your wi-fi network, and plays video choppy). It's a media streaming service known as playon. You need to pay a small fee (20 bucks a year, 50 for lifetime service with a free roku box). You need to have a PC connected to a wi-fi network which works as the media server. It then streams a multitude of media (in additon to netflix, hbo-go and many major networks, and local media files as well) to your playbook. It works beautifully, with smooth playback even away from home. It is a workaround to be sure, but works great, and effectively solves the lack of netflix. There is one issue right now, which is that it does not route audio through hdmi.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9930 using Tapatalk

[Tylenol]

I've been thinking, the only thing stopping the us from watching netflix on the pb is this flash player, right?
doesn't you tube use flash as well? I ask because if there is a You Tube app, then theoretically someone who has programing skills might be able to find away to re-direct the you tube app to neflix then repack it for side loading, maybe?
I am not going to pretend that I have any knowledge in this stuff, but I thought I would throw that out there and maybe it would be one of those things that instigates an eurika moment.

[Tha.Housewife]

netflix has a block on playbooks, as does syfy.com. its sucks. but I have confidence that the feature will be available in future upgrades.

[FF22]

I believe from discussions, netflix uses Silverlight which is NOT available for the pb. But there might be other issues/limitations, too.

[cjcampbell]

There are other streaming sites out there. May not be in HD or surround sound but far better selections. However, if you want to watch Netflix on you PB, just use a Remote Desktop app. For those who are not from Canada, your selection may be better on Netflix than here due to licensing, so that may explain many stating that the selection sucks or the service isn't worth it.

[sid_kid]

EXACTLY. He didn't need it until his friends pointed out that he didn't have it. Now the tablet is completely useless?

...

Another free movie site that works great on the PB is popcornflix.com

and for these two things that are suddenly needed and not found you could list ten things that aren't found on any other tablet...

i prefer crackle.com...not a huge selection of titles but they do have some good ones and they change it up monthly...plus it's free...may not be the best for a serious movie watcher but still a decent time waster...

[Tha.Housewife]

I believe from discussions, netflix uses Silverlight which is NOT available for the pb. But there might be other issues/limitations, too.

is silverlight kinda like flash but designd for pc?

[Tha.Housewife]

There are other streaming sites out there. May not be in HD or surround sound but far better selections. However, if you want to watch Netflix on you PB, just use a Remote Desktop app. For those who are not from Canada, your selection may be better on Netflix than here due to licensing, so that may explain many stating that the selection sucks or the service isn't worth it.

whatever app u use, its gotta beported through the pc... I use splashtop .

[bdegrande]

I use Splashtop, which also has the advantage of working on Mac as well as Windows.

Netflix is great, and I don't see what purpose pretending that it is crap because they haven't released a PlayBook app accomplishes. RIM should be doing what Microsoft does and make deals with Netflix/Skype/whatever to bring key apps to the PlayBook.

[zorecati]

I'm really not understanding the watching netflix on splashtop. The quality isn't great and that seems like an awful lot of compromising just to say you are watching crapflix on your playbook.

On another note, I actually went and got an android tablet because i wanted netflix and skype. Guess what I really don't use anymore.... netflix and skype. FML.

[xSt0rmTroop3Rx]

I downloaded tablet tv on to my pb and I like that well enough. plus I heard from a little bird that netflix recently dropped like 1/4 of their contracts and as a result, lost a bunch of their decent titles...incidently all the ones I watch. so since I got my playbook, I've been taking the "your account is about to be terminated," emails from netflix with a grain of salt.

[axllebeer]

Use Amazon Prime video streaming through the PlayBook browser. Works great and you get shipping discounts as well.

[Xader]

is silverlight kinda like flash but designd for pc?

It's basically Microsoft's alternative to Flash. Never really took off. Netflix is its biggest user.

[312Lorden]

Why is Netflix considered to be the holy grail of video watching on portable devices? Quite frankly I had the service last year on my laptop and thought it sucked, the movie selection may be plentiful but it really wasn't anything better than second rate in the title selections. Also the file sizes are abysmal for large screen viewing, with heavy pixelation even on my 32" secondary set. There are plenty of choices out there that provide better physical quality and fresher title choices. In my opinion Netflix is a complete waste of time and your friend's laughter should be directed at it rather than at the PlayBook for not having it.

_________

Yeah, just rent a video and play it on your home TV screen in the comfort of your home.

[datchyck]

Are can download netflix for your play book
the app is called flix and you have to pay 3.99 for it
and after you download that you have to download the movie seclector (thats the flix app that is free)
after you get flix you have to download the flix app on your computer before you can use it on your tablet
and you have to be login on your pc or it wont work on your tablet
the sound from your pc is connected to your tablet i cant separate it
tired of reading?
Over all netflix on your playbook is a total waster period i regret buying

[TheScionicMan]

_________

Yeah, just rent a video and play it on your home TV screen in the comfort of your home.

Translation: I f I don't want it, there's no reason you might...

Such a tired argument.

[Khouri86]

They are both supported by the hardware.
Have you contacted Netflix and Skype to inquire why they don't support the Playbook?
Nah, didn't think so.

I have. Netflix stated that RIM was preventing them from developing it. I found that answer kind of odd because even I can get access to developer tools. I contacted RIM support and they laughed and linked me to Netflixs twitter post stating the would not develop for playbook, and then provided a link to playbook developer tools. Damn Netflix, *cough* http://www.change.org/petitions/netf...berry-devices# *cough*

[D.Vader]

The Playbook is a sound tablet, that being said there are issues with Applications, this isn't a mark against the tablets capabilities. Skype was a forgone conclusion for BB PB until MS bought out Skype. The App was in the works and even brandished on early PlayBook marketing. MS bought them out and since then there has been no updates on the status. IMHO the real selling point for Skype was at one time it was available on pretty much any platform. Now that MS has bought them out, it appears they are using them to leverage the MS brand. So I would say it's only a matter of time for another video solution to come along one that is device agnostic.

Not sure why Netflix hasn't bothered to convert their apps yet. Seems like a no brainer to get Netflix on as many screens as possible. Perhaps Google, Apple or MS have a stake in Netflix?

[SifJar]

The Playbook is a sound tablet, that being said there are issues with Applications, this isn't a mark against the tablets capabilities. Skype was a forgone conclusion for BB PB until MS bought out Skype. The App was in the works and even brandished on early PlayBook marketing. MS bought them out and since then there has been no updates on the status. IMHO the real selling point for Skype was at one time it was available on pretty much any platform. Now that MS has bought them out, it appears they are using them to leverage the MS brand. So I would say it's only a matter of time for another video solution to come along one that is device agnostic.

Not sure why Netflix hasn't bothered to convert their apps yet. Seems like a no brainer to get Netflix on as many screens as possible. Perhaps Google, Apple or MS have a stake in Netflix?

Skype is still on every other platform and won't be leaving any time soon. I know it appeared in some RIM-produced marketing material, but I don't really think it was ever in the works, and Microsoft taking over has nothing to do with that; they want it to succeed as much as possible, they're not generally ones to go in for platform exclusivity - for example, MS Office has had Mac versions for years. They've never done anything to stop stuff like BootCamp allowing Windows to run on Macs. (Just a couple of examples). Microsoft are a software company, and their main aim is to make as much money as possible from their software; that means appealing to as big a market as possible; that means cross platform. [ Apple are the ones who restrict their software, but that is irrelevant to this discussion.]

The reason Skype never came to the PB (which coincidently is the same reason Netflix hasn't either, but more on that specifically in a moment) is that the PB represents a very small minority in the tablet market. iPad is obviously the most popular and well known tablet by far. Behind that is probably stuff like the Kindle Fire and the Nexus tablets. Maybe Samsung Galaxy Tabs. Even the HP TouchPad is probably still better known than the PB due to the fire sale. Long story short, there aren't very many PB users, when you compare to e.g. iPad or Android tablets. By releasing an app on iPad and Android, you reach probably >95% of tablet users. According to this site: Tablet market share 2012: Android nipping at the heels of Apple�s iPad | BGR the PB (which is classed under "other" along with any other tablet OS that isn't Android, iOS or Windows) accounts for some portion of 0.6% of all tablet users. Even if the PB was the whole 0.6%, that's still a small enough portion of tablet users to render it irrelevant to app makers.

Why would they waste time and effort (and money, which is what it all really comes down to) on trying to reach a minute minority which will result in very little revenue, when instead they can be investing that time and effort (and therefore money) in improving the app experience for customers who will actually make it worth their while? If you make a good enough Android or iOS app, you could attract thousands of new customers to your service, or entice existing customers to spend more money. Plus there are numerous bugs to fix and issues to deal with etc. So it's not simply a case of port, release, abandon; they need lasting support, which is wasted on a device when there aren't enough users to generate the revenue required to turn a profit.

Like I already said, the reason Netflix hasn't come is the same; there simply aren't enough potential customers. Their iOS and Android apps can entice new customers to join; people get a tablet, want some movies and TV on it, so they grab a copy of the Netflix app and sign up. On PB, they'd get very few new customers I think (compared to other devices), so it's not worth their investment, paying developers to port and support the app. It's not a trivial process to port an app between two platforms (although RIM do try to make it easier I believe).

It's got nothing to do with any company having a stake in Netflix, and as far as I know, none of them do anyway.

And of course, the lack of customers can be (to a degree) accredited to a lack of big name apps. It's an aggressive circle.

EDIT: Oops, long post. Got into a bit of a rant there, didn't I?

tl;dr - apps not coming to PB isn't because of some company bias or whatever, it's because there aren't enough customers. <0.6% of tablet users isn't a big enough customer base.

[BSFA2008]

Yes...I read about Flix and Playon...I specifically asked if there was any other way to watch Netflix directly on the device.

Considering all the bugs with O/S 2.1 and the lack of decent apps for its devices...RIM and it's products are really going the way of the dinosaur...how much better can BB10 be than what Apple and Android already offer?

Oh well...too late to return the tablet to Walmart...better sell on Kijiji while it still has some value...





Posted from My Mobile App

Hey there Mr. 14 posts! Hur der "lack of decent apps" ... "all the bugs with O/S 2.1" ... "going the way of the dinosaur" hurrr durr. This is the second time my troll alarm has gone off in less than a week. Keep hatin'

And yeah, Netflix doesn't work. I knew that before I bought my first playbook (although I was hoping it would be coming soon). I knew that when I bought my second playbook. And I knew that when I bought my third playbook. Didn't you know that before you bought yours?

Instead of selling your PB "while it still has some value" why don't you hold on to it and see what comes with the BB10 update? Netflix on BB is inevitable.