netflix

So my wife and I just discovered what all the "Downton Abbey" fuss is about. We've been zipping through the first season on Netflix every night for the past week. I must admit, I don't like it -- I love it. (Yes, I realize I may have to turn in my Man Card.)

Alas, Season 2 isn't available for streaming on Netflix -- not yet, anyway. But you know what does have it? Hulu Plus.

Typically you can get a one-week Hulu Plus trial free of charge. Occasionally you see a special for two weeks. … Read more

Netflix can now count 1 million subscribers in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Membership ranks hit that number just seven months after the video service debuted in the two countries. Combined, that earned them a record for the fastest growth among all regions worldwide, according to Netflix.

Users are spending more time catching TV shows and movies online, says a YouGov survey commissioned by Netflix. A full 10 percent of people in the U.K. spend at least two hours each day watching their favorite shows via the Internet.

Comedy and drama are the top hits among Netflix members in … Read more

Netflix is off to pastures new, planning to launch in Scandinavia before the year is out.

The popular movie and TV steaming service will be launching in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland in late 2012, the company announced today.

According to Netflix, viewers in the region will be able to access the standard service to get access to a "wide array of Hollywood, local and global TV shows and movies."

Further details about the service, including the official launch date, pricing, content and which devices will be supported have not been announced.

Customers from the four countries will … Read more

Looking for your favorite movie or TV show online but not sure where to find it? Verizon's Viewdini can pull that rabbit out of the hat.

Previously available as a mobile app for Android only, Viewdini recently made its debut on Apple's iOS platform. Through the free app, you can search for any movie or TV show. In return, Viewdini points you to Web sites where you can watch, rent, or buy it.

Viewdini covers the usual suspects such as Netflix, iTunes, and Hulu Plus. But it also searches ABC, Crackle, Funny or Die, Vimeo, and Verizon's … Read more

Parents and children can now more easily find kid-friendly Netflix content on the Xbox 360.

Available starting today, Netflix's "Just for Kids" section now appears as a special page accessible through the gaming console's Netflix app.

Geared for children 12 and under, the section offers rows of TV shows and movies organized by genre, such as comedies and animated films. The section also displays characters meant for kids, including Barney, Miley Cyrus, Power Rangers, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Dora the Explorer.

The movies and shows displayed through Just for Kids are all available for streaming. So kids … Read more

Streaming video may be cost-effective and convenient, but consumers are still renting more movies via the mail and physical retailers.

People renting DVDs and Blu-ray discs through retail stores, kiosks, and Netflix's mail service totaled more than 62 percent of all movie rentals in the first half of the year, according to NPD Group. In contrast, those renting digital movies via subscription streaming, pay TV video on demand, and Internet VOD added up to only 38 percent.

Though physical discs still lead the rental landscape, their popularity has been waning. Rentals of DVDs and Blu-ray discs dropped by 17 … Read more

Correction, August 3 at 2:18 p.m. PT: This story was corrected and updated throughout after CNET learned that the study it was based on from Procera was not an accurate reflection of all Netflix traffic.

The streaming of the Olympic Games may be popular among viewers, but it doesn't appear to be hurting Netflix traffic.

It turns out that an earlier report from Procera that said Netflix streaming dropped 25 percent in the U.S. on Sunday did not reflect all traffic to the Netflix site.

Procera explained its data in this statement:

Amazon is serving Netflix some mobile competition with its new Instant Video iPad app.

Free for iPad users, the Amazon Instant Video app offers both Amazon Prime and non-Prime users the ability to purchase or rent any of the more than 120,000 videos available in the retailer's online video store.

Users can then stream the content to view it online or download it to catch it offline. Amazon Prime subscribers ($79 a year) get the better end of the deal. Prime members can stream thousands of movies and TV shows at no extra cost. Non-members must pay the … Read more

Back at the January Consumer Electronics Show, Roku showed off a prototype of its Streaming Stick -- a version of its streaming box miniaturized to the size of a USB drive, and designed to work with any TV equipped with an MHL (Mobile High-Definition Link) port. We thought it was cool enough to bestow it with a nomination as one of the best home theater products of the show.

The good news is that the Streaming Stick is on track for its promised 2012 release. Roku today affirmed that the product will be released "in the coming weeks." … Read more