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While perusing the Qualcomm booth at Mobile World Congress a pleasant surprise was had: a working demo of the upcoming Netflix app for Android. Now I assure you when I first approached the app worked just fine and the video quality looked great thanks to special work put in by the Snapdragon team, but, alas, when I went to capture it on film the same luck was not had.
A Qualcomm rep explained that Netflix has been held off of Android for so long due to security worries, but special hardware-level measures being taken by CPU manufacturers have now reached a point at which the movie rental service feels comfortable with Google’s open source system. The downside to this is Netflix won’t be available in the Android Market for any old phone. It will only come pre-installed on devices with hardware that meets security standards.
Along with some mobile video streaming work that Qualcomm has been doing, you will also catch a glimpse of the reference hardware being used for their next-gen multi-core platform. After toying around with it for a bit, this could do for multi-core CPUs what the original Snapdragon did for single core mobile processors. Exciting things coming from the folks over at Qualcomm, for sure, and plenty more to come from MWC.
Ok, I can log into my bank account on my Evo, but its not secure enough for NetFlix!?
lol, now that is a good damn point!
By ‘security concerns’ he means DRM. Of course, Microsoft looooves DRM so they built it into Windows Phone 7’s minimum hardware specs.
XDA… :-)
I’d rather go without Netflix than give up my open source Android operating system and the freedom that it represents. It’s more of a novelty anyway – how often would you watch on the tiny screen?
My question is are the terga 2 CPU “secure” enough to have a netflix app?
What a load of CRAP…I’ve been anxiously waiting for the day I could stream Netflix on my N1 and now they’re saying I can’t?? The fact that Windows 7 phones got this before Android (which has about a .000001% market share) was a massive joke to begin with, and now this is just rubbing salt in the wounds of us Android users. Hopefully the guys over at XDA will be able to do the right thing and get this app available to all of us..
So if the iphone has this app then why can’t we? If I’m not mistaken they have had it since last year. I call horse shit on this one!
Rob, Can you confirm whether or not Netflix will be available on the Thunderbolt?
I know the almost 3 year old iphone 3g (not just 3gs) and I think the 1st gen iphone have used netflix for a while now, and Blackberry and Windows mobile phones have had it for a while also. Apparently DRM and hardware variety could not be foreseen by android? So after 200 dollar android buyers wait for this app, they now find out they can’t ever get it on their phones? Somebody at android dropped the ball here.
Android being (mostly) open source the security has to be on the hardware level. This is what qualcomm has done with the latest versions of their chips.
This is also why it won’t be in the market.
What will be interesting to see is if netflix can be ripped from the stock ROM and added back into custom ROMs.
Also to answer someone above…they said it won’t make it to tegra2 somewhere. True or not…time will tell.
Does anyone know if the Thunderbolt will have Netflix?
I would like to know the same thing as @DC. The Revolution apparently has the same 8655 chip as the Thunderbolt, so I would like to know if it’s going to be on the Thunderbolt as well.
Can somebody please explain to me how Windows 7 Phones which all use last year Snapdragon processors have processors which are secure enough but phones like Acer Liquid, Nexus One, HTC Desire among many others do not? Thanks in advance.
Rdjr, I would $249.99 that this won’t be on Thunderbolt. For one, Thunderbolt is (allegedly) in production and this seems to still be a couple months off. Two, the leaked Thunderbolt roms so far didn’t have it. Three, I doubt this will ever be on an HTC phone, because they don’t try hard to prevent people rooting their devices.
The so called “security” for this app has nothing to do with open source. What they mean by “security” is DRM to make sure you can’t copy and keep the content and play it on other devices. Again open source has nothing to do with this discussion as you can simply handle this in your closed source software. Google if I’m not mistaken had added a framework for plugging in your own DRM system with your app to future Android releases.
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However I think I won’t be continuing on with Netflix after this trial month is up. The combination of not having the movies I want to see on demand, not having Linux support and taking so long to add Android support have driven me away. I may just start using Amazon VOD since at least I can watch from my Linux machines and I’m assuming from Android as well.
I wonder if that chip will compete with Tegra 3, Tegra 3.5 or Tegra 4. Tegra 4 will probably have a quad core Cortex A15 chip. Can’t wait to see Nvidia’s announcement at MWC. Does anyone know when they are announcing it?
What a crock of shit. Can wet onto my bank and tons of other secure sights with my evolution. What assholes the Netflix people are!!!
Netflix customer service and product development is usually top-notch, but their handling of Android has been such a debacle. I mean, look at other apps like Mog. Mog actually lets you download songs to your device in a format that only the Mog app can read. When your subscription expires, you can’t access them anymore. That’s one better than streaming. Are you telling me that model is good enough for the RIAA but not Netflix’s content providers?
It’s a joke. I mean, how easy is it to use screen-capture software to copy a streamed movie on a Windows machine?
@Eileen_Ulik: Blackberry phones can only manage Netflix queues, they do not support Netflix streaming yet…and I’m almost 100% positive that the current style of Blackberry OS never will. The new QNX based Blackberry Tablet OS may support it soon though, and they’ve hinted at that OS moving to phones in the future, so maybe by the time every new android phone is coming with a Netflix app pre-installed, Blackberry phones might start popping up with the new OS and support it as well.
So I will not be able to get Netflix for my Nexus S? Wow, sounds like it’s about time for a good Netflix competitor to fill the void. I agree, Netflix watching on a phone is more of a novelty, but it is the principle of the thing. Google – please buy Netflix so that I can have it on my NS. I think Amazon should start a good streaming service for smartphones.
Why can’t they do something like a Bluetooth key fob for Android devices containing DRM keys? The device would have to be registered with Netflix (etc). Then they could do what ever they wanted to with hardware based security and it would work with any bluetooth phone.
Maybe I’m missing something.
I don’t really think this matters much. I’m always in front of a computer or around my TV. If I want to watch a movie then I can load up netflix on one of those. I don’t see how watching a movie on your phone can really be so nice. If somehow has about 2 hrs to just watch a movie a do nothing else on their phone, then they need to find something better to do with their time. Android offers so much more than the ability to watch a movie on a 4″ screen. For me Netflix doesn’t matter at all.
So basically no Netflix on phones unless it comes preinstalled. Great… sad thing is nobody in their right mind would want to pirate off of a Netflix stream anyway. How lame…
@Ace,
Win 7 phones have the security built in on a software level. The Android OS does not, being open source, so for Android, they are relying on hardware.
No Netflix on my Droid X? What? Why can Blockbuster do it, but not Netflix? Time to check out Blockbuster instead.
First of all verizon is overrated an overpriced… and why is that android is so far behind every other phone. They are always last to get everything
Netflix on a phone is NOT a novelty. If you think so, you are simply wrong, 100%. I suspect you’re stuck thinking inside the box of your existing phone’s limitations.
For the last six months or so, netflix on the iphone has been a beautiful reality, and it works unbelievably well. And once you have it, you want to use it all the time.
On my wife’s iphone4, she routinely watches three full movies over 3g in HD+stereo without recharging the battery. It’s not a clunky experience — it’s not time-consuming to start and stop, and there’s no finding your place. It’s simply great. It’s a joy. It’s a thing of amazing beauty. Especially when you’ve gotten tired of keeping the conversation flowing in a long car trip — you’re on the highway in the middle of nowhere, and in a few seconds you’ve turned on an episode of ‘Lie To Me’ and picked up exactly where you left off.
The only problems are:
* AT&T’s network doesn’t have 3G coverage everywhere.
* You can quickly run over the limit on the data plan if you’re streaming over 3G.
Where my wife works, she can’t use wifi for netflix, so she was streaming over 3g in the background, listening to her favorite shows, and she went over the limit in four days.
Also, it’s not just Netflix. Hulu Plus on iphone is almost as nice as Netflix.
The days of expecting streaming audio on smartphones are nearly done — not because no one wants to stream audio, but because the bar is being raised to streaming, high-quality VIDEO.
@chewtoy
I agree 100%. Some people actually commute to work or have jobs that require alot of highway time and having a movie streaming app would be very nice to help pass the time. One reason that I may end up going with an ipad or ipad2 is for the netflix app(unfortunately no flash support). I’m not much of an apple fan but for a non-essential product like a tab apps make the device and apple has alot of great apps for tablets. just my .02
There’s a few good points here, but let me add my $.02…
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DRM DRM DRM!!! Netflix will submit to the mighty Android OS once they see the $$$’s floating away! Bottom line is they will do what the INDUSTRY and RIAA “WANTS” them to do, which of course is DENY your RIGHT to FAIR USE of the content you pay for. So far, NETFLIX has been able to skirt the lines, keeping all sides happy and in doing so, has enjoyed a successful business model, everyone can expect that to continue.
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They will provide a product to the Android OS and let them, once they do, you can be sure there’ll be a ripped version allowing you to play streaming content to other phones using valid accounts, no worries.
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Microsoft is in DEEP with restrictive RIGHTS management, so expect Windows 7 phones to enjoy some of the non-sense that the idiots of industry (Recording, Movies & Music) continue to embrace but refuse to realize has stifled and constricted expanding horizons for their products for years, ENOUGH already!!! Screw MS!
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Hulu!??? Yeah, ok… Netflix has got it RIGHT! No “AD” driven business models that force you to WATCH bullcrapola for content you pay for! Ridiculous… just like Cable TV anymore, what the hell ever happened to the PAY TV concept? – I PAY = NO COMMERCIALS!!! It’s nuts!
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Anyway… no worries, keep it coming, make the app and the users will decide whether or not it’s viable or not. Soon the “APP” world will be like the internet explosion where so many web pages appear and just as easily – disappear.
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Go ANDROID!
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lol
Can someone explain why I can get Blockbuster on my Evo and not Netflix? I don’t see the difference.
Guess it is safe to cancel the netflix account now. Back to torrents.
Ok two thoughts… first people can rip a movie from a computer much easier than with a phone… second all Android users that have netflix should cancel for a month and all the same month like let’s say March… so netflix will feel a fire lit under their a** to make this app happen… Come on people let’s make it happen… just make sure u give them the reason u are cancelling.. Android users unite!!!!!!!!!
I feel all of you on this. Total crap. My $550 Tmobile G2 with the latest and greatest specs should have netflix. It pisses me off to say the least. Pre-installed on phones, WTF is that shit. Let’s find a movie streaming service to fill this void….or since my PHONE isn’t SECURE enough…maybe ill just torrent movies and format them to my phone…it’s my only option…thanks Netflix
I’m confused about this Netflix on Android issue… Is it not the case that the “Android” based Google-TV systems have Netflix streaming capability? If so, then why the delay for other ‘droid platforms? Just wondering what’s the deal…
all android users with a netflix should suspend their accounts until netflix gives us an app
the best thing about a windows phone is that you can return it
March no more Netfilx till on Android . I’m onbord!!
Load of shite on their part I use my phone for everything from banking to stocks even real military on my old hero now netflix which I’ve waited for so long won’t be available for my Evo shove off
My family has been using Netflix for years, and the time came to change. We were absolutely tired of searching for something to watch. Now that I am a DISH Network subscriber/employee, I can use their Remote Access app to stream live TV, all of my DVR recordings, and on demand content. With this many features, I will never be switching back!
Netflix on my droid would be so nice to just give me something to do because im a private duty nurse that has 2 cases that requires no work, simply observation for 4 hours. People wonder what’s the use of netflix on a phone? This is why….lol. It makes no sense to me that netflix can’t do it. Im truly disappointed in this aspect. I’ve never had any complaints with netflix till now.
Hey netflix! – no more subscription from me.
Get your act together. And SOON.