Netflix Updates Xbox App with Skip Function, Screen Zoom & Better Contrast

Chris Jaffe, Director of Product Innovation at Netflix, announced on the Netflix blog that the Xbox 360 Netflix app has ben updated. Here's the list of new features:

• Skip Forward/Skip Back functions during play allow you to move through movies quickly and move between TV episodes easily 
• Zoom function during play lets you enlarge letterboxed video content to full screen
• Better color contrast, making colors more vivid and black more pure.
• If you’re a member in Canada, Latin America, the UK or Ireland, we have also created more opportunities to share TV shows and movies in the connected world and for you to discover more great stuff to watch through your friends. Members that have connected with their Facebook friends on Netflix can now see what their friends have watched and rated on Netflix.

If you try to run the Netflix app you'll be offered the opportunity to update.

In related news, HBO Go is now available on the Xbox for Comcast customers. How about the Roku, Comcast?

via Engadget.

Comments

[Mobile Phone Application Development]

ALL WE WANT IS NETFLIX PARTIES... only reason I even got netflix.

[Jason D.]

All I want is better control over the viewing and rating, the way the app used to be. They really borked things up with this new interface.

[WakkaWakka]

Good luck on the Netflix Parties. I read an article (I think it was on this site), that basically said, Microsoft had them remove that feature.

[That guy]

Make a Party in Xbox...both find the same movie that you want to view on Netflix and start it up at the same time..BAAM....now you have a Netflix Party !!

[Crow550]

I'm sure the Netflix Xbox party thing brought up some kind of fuzzy legal issues.

Stupid but most likely the case....

[Doug Nelson]

Too dark now. And you still can't view an episode list without playing an episode first.

[Ryan]

All I want is for it to go to the season/episode list before automatically playing the episode. The way it used to be. That really should not be that hard to change. Having to start watching an episode before being able to choose the episode makes no sense to me. I understand current shows that you are staying up to date on but if you want to go back and watch a certain episode of a show then you have to start one up and then go to browse...

[Jasmin]

Yeah, Microsoft removed the 'Party' feature from the Dahsboard. I don't know why people can't comprehend that the 'Party' feature was Xbox's & Netflix had no control over it.

[Truck]

So, basically they re-added the features they took away 6 months ago? Are we supposed to be celebrating that? I wonder how many people like myself canceled Instant recently because all the interfaces have turned to shit?

[Joe]

Yawn. Wake me up when we finally have 1080p. It's 2012 people!

[fohf]

When will they update it so it doesn't suck? Still waiting for the ability to RESTART a movie without manually rewinding it like a VHS tape.

[WakkaWakka]

"Yawn. Wake me up when we finally have 1080p."

Get an apple TV.

[That One Guy]

or ps3

[Nils]

I have an Apple TV and an XBOX. I think the Netflix Xbox App is fantastic...so much better than my Apple TV. The quality is better and the UI is very neat!

[ixoxeles]

@WakkaWakka: MS didn't force Netflix to remove the Party feature, they chose to remove it themselves because only a small percentage of customers were using it.

[DJP519]

Can we PLEASE disable the autoplay of a tv episode once I select the show? This was a very unwelcome "feature" they added with the redesign a few months ago. For classic shows, I like to browse, and pick and choose, not just have the "next" episode play automatically.

[Matt]

I have read all your comments and I couldn't agree more with all your posts.

Ryan: "All I want is for it to go to the season/episode list before automatically playing the episode. The way it used to be. That really should not be that hard to change. Having to start watching an episode before being able to choose the episode makes no sense to me. I understand current shows that you are staying up to date on but if you want to go back and watch a certain episode of a show then you have to start one up and then go to browse..."

DJP519: "Can we PLEASE disable the autoplay of a tv episode once I select the show? This was a very unwelcome "feature" they added with the redesign a few months ago. For classic shows, I like to browse, and pick and choose, not just have the "next" episode play automatically."

@Ryan,@DJP519: I feel you on this, it should be added. Can't tell you how many times I cross this.

Here are my thoughts on the whole party issues.

ixoxeles: "@WakkaWakka: MS didn't force Netflix to remove the Party feature, they chose to remove it themselves because only a small percentage of customers were using it."

@ixoxeles,@WakkaWakka I could agree with this but at the same time my one question is how many people knew that they had that ability at the time on the Xbox 360? I know I did and enjoyed it and it should be brought back. I mean its not like Netfilx doesn't have the code archived somewhere that they can redesign/reissue it.

Crow550: "I'm sure the Netflix Xbox party thing brought up some kind of fuzzy legal issues.Stupid but most likely the case...."

@Crow550 Why? you cant stream Netflix unless you have a gold account and when you were able to view with parties all the people in that party had to be a Netfix member.

Thought I would like to add my 2 cents, hopes it gets read and added back into/updated in the next update ... Maybe?