Netflix Q4 earnings show 2 million new customers streaming in the US, 6 million total internationally

In 2012 Netflix expanded streaming to a few new countries and attempted to undo the damage incurred by its failed Qwikster spinoff in 2011, and now it’s final results for the year are in. Its streaming subscriber count is now 27 million in the US alone, with 6 million outside the country for a global count topping 33 million. Most notably, despite the expansion it still managed a profit of $8 million on $945 million in revenue. There’s also a slew of original content on the way headed by Arrested Development and House of Cards , and its OpenConnect ISP program has now gotten a boost from high bitrate 1080p video and even 3D. Now that the Video Protection Privacy Act has been amended , Netflix also mentioned Facebook integration will be enabled in the coming months for US customers. If you’re worried about it spamming your feed you may be able to relax however, since by default it will not auto post viewing activity, instead opting to let members “post specific titles they’re passionate about.” So what about the competition from Amazon, Redbox Instant and Hulu? According to Netflix’s stats based on its 200 most popular movies and TV shows, none of the other streaming services offer more than 73 of them (check out a graphic after the break.) Regarding that original content, Netflix is already referring to the February 1st worldwide, full-season debut of Cards as a “defining moment in the development of internet TV.” We’ll keep digging through the numbers and tune into the investor call at 6PM for more information, until then hit the source link to check out the data for yourself. Filed under: Home Entertainment , HD Comments Source: Netflix (PDF)

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Netflix Q4 earnings show 2 million new customers streaming in the US, 6 million total internationally

Netflix 1080p streams no longer called X-High, company credits improved encodes

While Netflix Watch Instantly movie streams are mostly useful for casual viewing, if you’re interested in the actual quality of the video provided you may have noticed a few changes recently. Chronicled in a thread on AVS Forum and reported to us by several tipsters, more than a few users have noticed their streams on 1080p-capable hardware ( PlayStation 3 , WDTV Live) no longer rock the “X-High” notification (on PS3, hit select to view more information bout your streaming details) that had previously let them know they were getting the highest quality possible. We checked with Netflix, and according to the company, it’s rolling out better encoding that improves picture quality despite using a lower bitrate. That means 1080p works even for people with slower connections, and increases detail on “textures, shadows, skies, and particularly faces.” As a result, what was previously called “X-High HD” is now being labeled a tier lower. While it wasn’t mentioned specifically, some are theorizing the move is tied into Netflix’s use of eyeIO’s video encoding tech , which it announced earlier this year, to shrink the size of streams. eyeIO claims it can chop bandwidth by more than half for a 720p stream, something we’re sure a company that’s pushing as much data as Netflix would appreciate. Still, some viewers in the thread are claiming a noticeably softer picture as a result. Check after the break for the statement from Netflix, then take some time for “research” and let us know if you’re noticing any changes in picture quality lately. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Continue reading Netflix 1080p streams no longer called X-High, company credits improved encodes Filed under: Home Entertainment , HD Comments Source: AVS Forum , Tech of the Hub

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Netflix 1080p streams no longer called X-High, company credits improved encodes