So what if MS has an agreement with Netflix which forbids them to create or support a streaming player on any other gaming console for a limited time; that's not what they've done. They've created a Netflix streaming player which loads from a Blu-ray disc as a BD-Java app, like one of the fancy menus on a Blu-ray movie disc. It's not a violation of a console exclusivity agreement because it wasn't made to run on a gaming console, but to run on a network-connected BD Live 2.0 Blu-ray player--the PS3 just happens to be one of a number of network-connectable BD Live 2.0 capable Blu-ray players on the market 8^). It's not embedded or installed and contains no native PS3 code (though it may leave parts of itself around in an HDD cache). Clever.

Netflix has talked about a Wii version of their streaming player, but I'm betting that it will have to wait for MS' console exclusivity agreement to expire (presumably "late next year", when Netflix claims that the PS3 embedded player will appear). There's no facility similar to BD-J with which they can do this on a DVD.

I too am of the opinion that this BD-J implementation can probably be run on any BD Live 2.0 player and thus avoids violating any console exclusivity agreement Netflix has with MS, inasmuch as it's not embedded and console-specific; the PS3 just happens to be one of a number of BD Live 2.0-compliant Blu-ray players 8^). Clever.

Netflix has talked about a Wii version of their streaming player, but I'm betting that it will have to wait for MS' console exclusivity agreement to expire (presumably "late next year", when Netflix claims that the PS3 embedded player will appear). There's no facility with which they can do this on a DVD.

To get HD, you have to play a stream with an available HD encode. Netflix says that they're licensed for HD on about 400 streams and that they have over 300 up now. To get a (apparently partial) list of HD streams, see http://www.netflix.com/WiHD?ftr=false . I say "apparently partial" because, at this writing, this list is only 167 titles (if you count all episodes of televisions series, it's over 500).

The list of channels cited as being new are actually all channels that we have now. Except for NBA HD, they're all part of the extra-cost "HD VIP Pak". Those 5 channels are the only HD channels among the list that they provided with that notice of channels which are going to become switched broadcast video on July 28th.

They didn't announce any specific new HD channels, stating merely that SDV was "a particularly exciting bandwidth breakthrough that makes it possible for [them] to offer many additional services, including new HD channels and HD versions of existing channels".

A bit less convenient to toss on the floor behind the HT equipment cabinet than Moto's MTR700, but not utterly unreasonable.

Ben, couuld you tell us the approximate the dimensions of that box?

Ben, have you seen the Cisco STA-1520 Tuning Adapter at the show? They said in an article at LightReading (http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=152093) that they expected to have it there.