Microsoft Brings Netflix to Windows Media Center

In a major content deal, more than 12,000 movies and television episodes from Netflix are available for instant viewing in Windows Media Center.

It’s official: Microsoft and Netflix have taken the next step in their partnership, making more than 12,000 movies and television shows from Netflix available for instant viewing in Windows Media Center on PCs running Windows Vista Ultimate and Windows Vista Home Premium. To access the new service, users just need to click the new Netflix tile under “TV + Movies;” of course, users still need a Netflix subscription to log into the Netflix service and access their account.

“We’re continuing to work with the top content providers today to make watching TV on the PC a mainstream experience for the future,” said Microsoft corporate VP for entertainment client software Craig Eisler, in a statement. “Consumers understand that content is the driving force when it comes to experiences, and with Netflix, we’re underscoring our broader commitment to deliver a rich experience with Windows Media Center.”

The move comes after years of unofficial support from third-party programmers who have enabled Media Center users to tap into Netflix content—tools like vmcNetFlix and MyNetflix have been very popular with the Windows Media Center crowd. However, the unofficial workarounds have proven comparatively brittle and difficult to install and set up.

Microsoft’s new Netflix streaming solution for Windows Media Center relies on Microsoft’s Silverlight technology, which the software will download and install if a system doesn’t have it already. Netflix users can manage their queues, search for videos, and select Netflix content for streaming. The application does not currently support Windows Media Extenders or pre-release versions of Windows 7.

Adding Netflix to Windows Media Center follows the companies’ successful partnership to bring on-demand video content to consumer through Xbox Live.