HD streaming added to Netflix-compatible Samsung Blu-ray decks
(Credit:
CBS Interactive)
As expected, Samsung has added support for HD streaming of Netflix video to its BD-P2500 and BD-P2550 players. The upgrade is available as a free firmware update (players should automatically prompt users to install the software update, or DIYers can download it from Samsung's support site and burn it to disc). Still no word on the promised DTS-HD Master Audio support for these players, but that will likely come in a subsequent firmware update soon.
The Netflix HD catalog is currently just a fraction of Netflix's streaming selection (300 titles out of around 12,000), but it will undoubtedly expand over time. HD compatibility was available first on the Xbox 360 last month, but--as we reported in October--all Netflix-compatible devices should be getting the HD upgrade soon. Indeed, there are signs that the high-def Netflix streaming will be hitting the remaining Netflix-compatible devices--TiVo DVRs, the LG BD300, and the Roku Netflix Player--in the near future, all via free firmware updates.
John P. Falcone covers home theater and network entertainment products. He's been writing for CNET since 2002. 
High Definition Encodes
Today we have rights to deliver about 400 streams in HD (720p). More titles will be added over time. We experimented with first-generation WMV3 encodes at 4000kbps and 5500kbps, but settled on second-generation HD encodes with VC1AP at 2600kbps and 3800kbps, which extends their accessibility down to lower home broadband connections. As with SD, encodes of film material are at 24fps, and encodes of shot-to-video material are at 30fps (or 25fps for PAL), rather than the 60fps that would come from a Blu-ray disc - we judged the 60fps content as too expensive of bandwidth for now. In general, these encodes are definitively better than SD, but won't challenge well-executed Blu-ray encodes - that would require a bitrate out of reach for most domestic broadband today. We believe Moore's law will drive home broadband higher and higher enabling full 1080p60 encodes in a few years.