Netflix films will download to Xbox 360 videogame consoles
LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Microsoft has announced an alliance with Netflix in which the popular US online video rental service's members will be able to download films for viewing using Xbox 360 videogame consoles.
The exclusive partnership comes as Microsoft strives to expand its popular Xbox Live online system which lets console owners play videogames with friends and download films, television shows and music via the Internet.
Netflix lets members download films for viewing on computers and maintain online queues of DVDs that are mailed to homes.
Xbox Live service users will be able to route Netflix film downloads to Xbox 360 consoles to watch on televisions
People with Xbox Live and Netflix accounts will also be able to share downloaded videos via the Internet to "watch them together despite sitting on different couches," said Xbox Live vice president John Schappert.
"You can now share Netflix movies with a Live Party at no extra cost," Schappert said while making the announcement in Los Angeles on the eve of an Electronic Entertainment Expo videogame industry gathering.
A day earlier, Microsoft announced it is cutting 50 dollars from the price of 20-gigabyte Xbox 360 models in the United States and Canada to clear the way for a version of the console with 60 gigabytes of hard drive memory.
