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Today Netflix announced a new feature that will allow subscribers the option of instantly watching movies on their PC’s. Yes I say PC because a Windows OS and High-Speed connection will be required.

What a great new feature though by one of my favorite sites online! I’ve been a Netflix subscriber now for well over a year and can’t imagine moving over to Blockbuster or anywhere else. Another great thing that goes along with this feature will be the ability to watch moves and television series. Netflix says they will be phasing the feature in over the next six months so I’m not sure when I’ll have access to it.

The new immediate viewing feature differs from current services in that it does not require the often lengthy downloading of a large video file. The Netflix feature uses real-time playback technology that allows video to be viewed at virtually the same time it is being delivered to a user’s computer. Following a one-time, under-60-second installation of a simple browser applet, most subscribers’ movie selections will begin playing in their Web browser in as little as 10 to 15 seconds. Movies can be paused and a position bar gives viewers the ability to immediately jump to any point in the movie. In all, the instant watching feature requires only Internet connectivity with a minimum of one megabit per second of bandwidth. The more bandwidth a consumer has, the higher quality the video displayed, ranging from the quality of current Netflix previews to DVD quality with a three-megabit-per-second connection.

The amount of online viewing time that you get is based on your subscription level. For the most popular plan (3 DVD’s out at a time - $17.99/month) will have 18 hours of online movie watching per month.

Can’t wait to try this out!