Download Watch Instantly Movies to Your Hard Drive, But..

A Firefox Greasemonkey script to automate the process of downloading Netflix's Watch Instantly movies to your hard drive is getting some press, but you should be aware of two things:

1. You might have your account put on hold or terminated if you download movies to your hard drive. From the Netflix Terms of Use:

Netflix reserves the right to terminate your membership hereunder if Netflix, in its sole and absolute discretion, believes that you are in violation of this paragraph, such violations including the copying of DVDs rented to you by us, the unauthorized use of our instant watching movie feature, the Netflix Movie Viewer Software or the copying or other unauthorized use of our proprietary content. Netflix does not promote, foster or condone the copying of DVDs or any other infringing activity. The use of DVDs rented to you by us is solely for your personal and non-commercial use.

2. You would be breaking federal law by violating the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (it's illegal to reverse-engineer the encryption).

I do not personally condone the ripping of DVDs or saving movies to your hard drive, but I do oppose the DMCA that removes our right to make archival backups of our personal DVDs.

Comments

[Mara Alexander]

Netflix already downloads a copy of the movie to your hard drive.

It's in .wmv format. Look for pbuffer.wav in /Temp/AXPlayer. You need to move and rename that file to save it.

Problem is, it won't play in a stand-alone player, and if your computer is online when you play it in WMP, it calls home and it gets added to your Netflix account as another viewing.

Which probably doesn't matter any more with the unlimited viewing, but still, if you have to watch it on the computer, might as well watch it the first time it plays.

[smgpugfaw]

Was going to say what Mara said. Anything you see on your computer is technically put on the hard drive somewhere.

I found the location of the Watch Now movies by accident when trying to defragment my hard drive one day.

[Donuts]

I would use it to start downloading the movie in the highest quality format before I go to work, and then watch it in the evening. I don't need a copy of a movie, that's why I have a Netflix subscription!

[usdr]

precisely what donuts said. this allows me to download at work so my wife can watch at home where we have a much slower connection.

[Dennis]

I just installed an update to MediaPlayer or IE or something (running parallels on mac) and cannot find the temp file that is left (or not) after watch instantly. I am visiting a house that has satellite connect and there is considerable lag/choppy vid. I don't give a rat about 'ripping' it to dvd or playing it on anything but this computer; I just want to let it dl and watch it in IE later. Possible? This component update is 4/24/08.
So: as of 4/24/08 does anyone know if the watchInstantly file is kept after viewing? And, WHERE/WHAT is it called?
Gracias,
Simpleton