A source at Netflix confirmed that you can turn on the "Watch Now" tab by going through the steps below. They are only releasing a limited number of seats each day, and the dates and times are random (it's like a lottery). I was told that it was already closed today, but you should keep trying at different times if you want early access.
To try to turn on Instant Watching:
1. Click on the Help link in the upper right hand corner of the Netflix site.
2. Search for Watch Now.
3. You'll see the first result includes a link for "instant watching." Click on this link.
4. Look to see if you have the Watch Now tab. If not, try again later.
Update: Ben got the following e-mail from Netflix customer support that gives an alternate way to see if it is available:
Dear Ben,
Thanks for your message. We appreciate your interest in our new instant viewing feature. At this time, we are enabling members to the program in stages. This is to ensure the best possible experience for all participants. We currently plan on making instant viewing available to all Netflix subscribers by June of 2007. You may determine whether you are currently able to participate in the instant viewing program by clicking the following link: http://www.netflix.com/YourAccount/ On the right hand side of the Your Account page, you will see a link labeled "How can I watch movies on my PC?" If you are currently able to participate, clicking this link will explain the feature in greater detail, and offer you a button labeled "Start Now." Clicking "Start Now" will allow you to begin accessing instant viewing content. If you do not have a "Start Now" button, you are not currently able to access instant viewing content. Please check back frequently, however, as we are constantly adding more subscribers to the program. Again, we thank you for your interest in instant viewing, and very much appreciate your patience. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.
Thanks, ******
Netflix Customer Service
Didnt work for me...grrr...
Posted by: keith | January 20, 2007 at 06:42 PM
do you know if you have to be using an internet explorer browser to see if your "Watch Now" tab appears? I understand that you can only use the feature with IE, but should I be only checking with IE, or would I see the tab on a Firefox browser?
Posted by: stardiver | January 20, 2007 at 07:26 PM
Score !! Worked like a charm.
Unfortunately I don't accept DRM licenses out of principle (I forgot they would require them), so I won't be able to use it until there is a workaround.
Oh well. Thanks for the instructions.
Posted by: Rusty Ramrod | January 20, 2007 at 08:25 PM
Blu-ray cracked:
http://news.zdnet.co.uk/security/0,1000000189,39285289,00.htm
Posted by: Edward R Murrow | January 20, 2007 at 09:48 PM
Microsoft speaks about DRM:
http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/archive/2007/01/20/windows-vista-content-protection-twenty-questions-and-answers.aspx
"We have analyzed your defensive capabilities as being unable to withstand us. If you defend yourselves, you will be punished."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borg_(Star_Trek)
Posted by: Edward R Murrow | January 20, 2007 at 10:12 PM
Stardriver has a good question - do you have to have access the site using IE browser to activate using this "back door" method? It is easy for NF to know what browser you are using to view their site at any time.
I use Firefox for web surfing, however, there are still a few sites that I have to use IE to view correctly. Wonder if I should just shift over to IE for all NF interfacing? Seems like NF wants you to use IE, I assume for DRM, rather than Firefox.
Posted by: CJ | January 20, 2007 at 11:05 PM
Hey CJ. I would think so. I have IE Tab for Firefox so I just enabled IE for the Netflix site for now. I hope it works; I'll keep refreshing from time to time.
Posted by: Lamarr Wilson | January 20, 2007 at 11:23 PM
"Blu-ray cracked:"
It was only a matter of time. The studios do all they can to stop fair use/time shifting. They only raise awareness of work-arounds. I use AnyDVD and DVD Decrypter for most of the time. Followed by ImgBurn. Some DVDs require additional processing with FixVTS. For added flexibility: DVD Shrink, PGC Edit, RipIt4Me, VobBlanker, DVDFab Decrypter. There'll never be an uncrackable format, unless WE want it.
Posted by: type-cast | January 21, 2007 at 01:05 AM
First off what does DRM Cracked have to do with WATCH NOW?!%@!^#!$&
Second off, no one has successfully cracked a Blueray disc using this guys source.
::SLAMS HEAD INTO KEYBOARD::
And Mr. Rusty Ramrod, by having Netflix are you not supporting DRM by watching movies with CSS encryption which was part of the beginning stage of DRM?
Posted by: f0am | January 21, 2007 at 05:58 AM
Well I think this might be a Myth, and the truth apparently was brought on by post happy subscribers.
I waited until 5:30 am central time, 3:30 Pacific for the site to come back up. The second it loaded I jumped on tried both methods of getting Watch Now to work. Both times I was thanks for my interest and informed I will be able to use Watch Now by June 2007.
Posted by: f0am | January 21, 2007 at 06:39 AM
foam - "They are only releasing a limited number of seats each day, and THE DATES AND TIMES ARE RANDOM (it's like a lottery)."
Posted by: HypoPig | January 21, 2007 at 11:06 PM
The updated "Your Account" method did work for me within the first few minutes of trying it late Monday night (Jan 22). I was using Firefox at the time, so don't worry about having to suffer with IE until you're actually activated.
The experience started very poorly. I installed the ActiveX player without issue, but when I tried to actually play a movie I got a license error. The Netflix troubleshooting page offered the suggestion of going to the Microsoft site to update my DRM components, which I did, but it had no effect. I also rebooted as suggested and still had no luck. Finally I relented and upgraded to Windows Media Player 11 (I had been running version 9, which Netflix says will work with Watch Now) and the movie player finally worked.
On my 3mb DSL line the initial buffer time was a little over 10 seconds and video quality in full screen mode was very impressive. It appears to be at least DVD quality, with absolutly no visible compression artifacts. Streaming was flawless throughout my 10 minute test.
So after an initial bumpy ride -- and the bitter taste of letting bloated WMP 11 get its hooks into Windows XP -- I must say I'm impressed overall.
Joel Risberg
Posted by: Joel Risberg | January 23, 2007 at 01:49 AM
I finally got it to work; I'm going to test it out later today. Thanks Mike!
Posted by: Lamarr Wilson | January 23, 2007 at 02:25 AM
This tip works. Thanks for the info.
Posted by: Aron | January 23, 2007 at 06:16 AM
I got it. I just clicked the link. I feel like maybe I should have worked harder to get it. Its not that great. The only good movie they had was Jackass. And every time I clicked the little bars to see if they could retest my connection I got a different quality (first basic, then good, then the best one, then back to basic) I have cable (internet connection), and I know its really fast, but I don't know the exact rate. I do know it takes like 15 seconds to download a song off itunes.
Posted by: McDahling | January 23, 2007 at 07:37 AM
A song in 15 seconds - you've probably got 3 mbps, maybe 5 (depends on how big the song was).
It also sounds like your speed varies a lot. Maybe you've got a 5 mbps connections but with a lot of other people on the same cable, so your speed sometimes drops down to about 1 mpbs. That would explain the varying results from the Watch Now tests.
Posted by: gir | January 23, 2007 at 07:56 AM
Yep, worked for me too.
Posted by: Matt | January 23, 2007 at 08:05 AM
It worked for me today! Unfortunately, I was able to find the answer to a question I and a few other here had:
Q: Can a Profile watch movies instantly on their PC?
A: No, the instant watching feature is only available to account owners.
Posted by: archieleach | January 23, 2007 at 08:24 AM
Bingo! Maybe they figure anyone who tries that link more than a certain number of times is really interested and therefore SHOULD have access.
Of the 60-odd movies in my queue, though, only one was available through WatchNow.
Posted by: Hunter McDaniel | January 23, 2007 at 08:34 AM
Like Hunter said, maybe they were actually paying attention to our "expressed interest" rather than just "thanking" us for it.
Has it worked today for anyone else who has tried it multiple times in the past week?
Posted by: archieleach | January 23, 2007 at 08:56 AM
Yes, I clicked that link obsessively all weekend and it finally worked for me this morning! Of course, now I have to go to class and don't have time to really play with it, but still, an exciting start to the morning...
Posted by: bronte311 | January 23, 2007 at 09:13 AM
worked for me. Not alot of good movies to watch though.
Posted by: jawzforlife | January 23, 2007 at 09:20 AM
Just did it and it worked for me! Wahoo!
Posted by: cmmsml | January 23, 2007 at 10:14 AM
Thanks for the tip! I just checked this morning, and it worked perfectly.
Posted by: Giri Cherukuri | January 23, 2007 at 10:36 AM
Hmmm... not a whole lot worthing watching yet, but its a start.
Posted by: cmmsml | January 23, 2007 at 10:48 AM