Regular readers of this blog have likely gotten sick of hearing me praise the Roku box, which started out life playing Netflix streaming content, and has since expanded its repertoire to other video sources... so, for a change of pace, let me introduce a new alternative.
In this generation's seemingly endless struggle of competing video game consoles, I've stuck with Wii, for it's unique user interface, and PS3, for its power and adaptability, while steering clear of the XBox360 for a variety of reasons... but one item the 360 faithful always tout is its ability to stream Netflix video (so long as you pony up for Microsoft's annual network service fee). Roku has me covered there for now... but Netflix just made available a way for PS3 owners to use their service, using a disc you can request from them, at no additional cost, so I decided to give it a go.
Setup is at least as easy as on the Roku... insert the disc, which gives you a code to enter at the Netflix website, and up comes the interface. At first glance, the interface is a dead ringer for the interface on Roku's box (and why not, since it's Netflix on the other end in both cases), with your streaming queue laid out pictorially, where opening up any item gives you controls to start a movie or episode, select an alternate episode, rate the item, or remove it from your queue. However, that is where the similarities end... going "up" from the queue display on the Roku takes you to a screen where you can choose other channels to view, but, on the PS3, you get additional options, including a couple of "what's new" sections, category breakouts, and "recently viewed" sections, which you can use to browse items not already in your queue and view them immediately or add them to your queue, a feature that the Roku box currently lacks.
As far as viewing goes, I didn't notice any great difference between Roku's regular output and the PS3 when I watched an episode of South Park (apart from the lack of "quality dots" when the stream was getting set up), but, admittedly, that's not the most complex video to display... but I would still say the PS3 does the job as advertised. All in all, if you already have (or are in the market for) a PS3, this looks to be a fine way to get your Netflix stream to your TV. Myself, I will still be sticking with the Roku box for my regular viewing... it's quieter (no moving parts), and plays more than just Netflix (and adds more to view all the time). The categorized view of items on the PS3 is a nice touch, but I already have well over 100 items in my queue... and, if I was wanting something specific, the lack of an actual search feature means I would be getting on the Netflix website to find it anyways.
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