Why can't Netflix just use Flash Player for Watch Instantly like Hulu?

Flash player gives me better picture quality, and less network lag. And the best part? It work on Windows, and Mac OS, and Linux. Everyone wins. Why won't Netflix ditch the proprietary "Silverlight" plugin that barely works, and just use Flash? Everyone has Flash! Flash works out of the box on most PCs. Flash works on Macs! Flash works on Linux!

Hulu.com seems to be doing a bang-up job providing me with higher quality content for free using less bandwidth to my linux box than Netflix (a service I pay for) does streaming to my less-desirable Windows XP machine.

Netflix, you should really switch to Flash!!!

Tags: adobe, flash, linux, macos, silverlight

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ebon Lupus on April 6, 2009 at 1:04pm: Actually I feel I paid for the streaming service because I'm rarely in the mood to watch whatever video arrives in the mail. Sometimes I like a documentary, other times a popular film, and other times an independent... and then there's drama, horror, thrillers... it's hard to tell what mood I'll be in when the mail gets here. I left Vongo a couple years ago because they pulled the same Microsoft proprietary software crap and it didn't work right. Netflix worked fine until I was forced into this new Silverblight thing... now it's unwatchable.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Pihk on April 6, 2009 at 1:54pm: Actually I feel I paid for the streaming service because I'm rarely in the mood to watch whatever video arrives in the mail.

ummmm....yeah.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by R. Kirby Whyte on April 13, 2009 at 12:14pm: It's not free I pay ever month for the privledge. If it were free I wouldn't need a Netflix account now would I or put another way just don't pay the bill and see if you still have access. As for the silverllight debacle it may be the straw that broke the camels back. For me it is just the worst MS is just an OS that I use because I must. The streaming worked so much better prior to this silverlight push. I pay $ and should be able to use what I want to view the movies.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Spindaddydad on April 6, 2009 at 1:20pm: Agreed. If you pay for a streaming service, it should be as good as if not better than ones that are free.

How much are you paying above the DVD-by-mail price to receive streaming?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Ebon Lupus on April 6, 2009 at 1:57pm: I wouldn't be paying anything without streaming... in fact, I'm not. I closed my account when they messed up my ability to stream.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by perspectoff on April 11, 2009 at 11:19am: Flash is far superior technology to Silverlight. (That's why Major League Baseball droppede Silverlight and went to Flash).

No, I don't likle the fact that every web site uses Flash to push ads, either, but that's why I use Firefox with NoScript, that allows me to pick and choose the sites (and even individual frames) to allow and disallow Flash.

If users use Firefox with NoScript, they can allow Netflix and disallow all the other annoying garbage on the 'net. That's just smart (and safe) surfing anyway.

Once you figure that out, you would love having Netflix in Flash..; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by R. Kirby Whyte on April 13, 2009 at 12:16pm: Thanks for saying this it is so true.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Pihk on November 5, 2009 at 4:33am: Flash is far superior technology to Silverlight. (That's why Major League Baseball droppede Silverlight and went to Flash).

I was unaware that the MLB was now the final authority on the quality of graphics programs. Has anyone informed the NFL about this?

Me? If I were going to choose a sports organization, I'd go with FIFA, but that would just make your statement only a little less idiotic.

But why sports? one could just as easily say:

Silverlight is superior to Flash (That's why Netflix uses Silverlight); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by jacob borer on November 18, 2009 at 4:00pm: I believe MLB was/is the largest live streaming provider in the US.

"Silverlight is superior to Flash (That's why Netflix uses Silverlight)"

I think it is more accurate to say that Netflix is behind the curve in dropping Silverlight. MLB and NBC were huge early adopters of Silverlight and they have since dropped it.

Flash is available on more platforms and browsers than Silverlight. The quality of the Hulu flash player is just better than the netflix one. (Netflix - why don't you hide the cursor in OS X after a few seconds in Full screen. Why is it so grainy?)

Then again maybe it isn't Silverlights fault. Maybe it is netflix's implementation that is not great.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Sock Puppet on November 18, 2009 at 9:04pm: The quality of the Hulu flash player is just better than the netflix one.

Well see if this were true, and that is what Netflix did in fact implement (flash over silverlight) then I would be in your place bitching about how terrible flash is... (because it really is)...

So no matter what decision Netflix makes, it will not make everyone happy. The most intelligent business decision will adopt the idea which supports the most users, and while you may be able to point me to a few forums with flash vs. silverlight supporters, I can point you to just as many users who have "not" complained, who in fact have satisfactory if not superior experiences with silverlight.

So maybe its neither flash nor silverlight nor even netflix fault.

But simply the 21st century version of which is better... PC-Mac or Windows-Linux?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Donnie Knight on September 26, 2009 at 10:56pm: Silverlight does things flash does not. Adobe's products are becoming bloated and awful. One day HTML5 will replace both, but until then we're stuck with these two awful mediums. Silverlight's feature set is currently better.; ▶ Reply to This