You can find more information about vmcNetFlix, it's features, and also download the beta version at the following project page:

http://myweb.cableone.net/eluttmann04/projects/vmcNetFlix/default.htm

Feel free to use this forum to provide comments & feedback.

Major Features Currently Included

• Stream WatchNow movies directly to the Media Center player.
• Download WatchNow movies to a "Watch Later" gallery.
• Support for Vista Extenders on both x86 and x64 platforms.
• Support for NetFilx Instant Queue.
• Support for Episode listings.
• Search for movies by keyword.
• Browse DVD and WatchNow movies by genres.
• Sort Gallery by Title, Year, or Star Rating.
• View your queue, history, and recommendations.
• Add, remove, move movies in your queue.
• Supports DVD/Movie Partental Controls. 
• Dynamically switch between small, medium and large gallery listings using FastForward and Rewind buttons on your remote.
• Switch to full screen anytime video is playing by simply pressing the Play button on your remote.
• Prevents standby/sleep while downloads are still in the queue - requires Vista Media Center PC to be configured in "Away Mode". 

 List of known issues:

• When watching a streaming WatchNow movie on the Extender, it seems that fast forward, rewind, & skip is causing the extender to hang if pressed right after starting the movie.  Once the streaming buffer gets larger, it starts working okay.  Note: I've read reports online that other folks are having the same or similar issues with other videos as well.
• When initializing the movie player for the extender, it currently is not uncommon for it to fail.  See "Troubleshooting the extender setup" below.

Installation:

See http://myweb.cableone.net/eluttmann04/projects/vmcNetFlix/default.htm

Steps to setup extender:

 See http://myweb.cableone.net/eluttmann04/projects/vmcNetFlix/default.htm

Troubleshooting the extender setup:

See http://myweb.cableone.net/eluttmann04/projects/vmcNetFlix/default.htm

 

Version History

Release Notes Beta 1.1.1 (7/16/2008):

• Fixed bug in which only the first 24 titles were being displayed

Release Notes Beta 1.1.0 (7/15/2008):

• Several changes to address performance and cache problems.
• Added "Watch New" and "Browse New" category items.
• "Browse DVD" category now lists all the movies, not just the Top 25.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.28R1 (7/3/2008):

• Bug fix to support movies from different server hubs (by coderanon)
• Small changes to avoid hanging when invoking movie (by coderanon)

Release Notes Beta 1.0.28 (7/3/2008):

• Modifications to support lastest Netflix website changes.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.27R3 (6/9/2008):

• Fixed issue with vmcExtenderSetup.exe crashing.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.27R2 (6/1/2008):

• Fixed another issue that might have been causing the plugin to fail.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.27 (6/1/2008):

• Now prompting for Pin if when going into settings if Parental Control is enabled.
• Addressed some issues that might have been causing the plugin to fail.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.26 (5/29/2008):

• Added star rating to the displayed movie metadata and sort functionality.
• Added setting to disable thumbnails in gallery page.
• Fixed issue in which small thumbnails could override large thumbnails in cache (or visa-versa).
• More updates to Gallery UI.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.25 (5/26/2008):

• Added support for Parental Controls.  It uses the 'DVD/Movie Ratings'.
• Rewrote the logic to get episode listings, hopefully this will address the issue with missing episode listings.
• Most "Settings" are now stored so that both the VMC PC and Extenders use the same settings.  If you make a change on the VMC PC, the extender will now recognize the change (and visa-versa).
• Changes to address issues with special characters in the password/username when attempting to re-init the movie player.
• Modications to gallery UI to address possible overscan issues on extender.
• Other minor UI modifications.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.24 (5/21/2008):

• Added new category configuration - you can now determine which categories you want displayed.  After changing and saving the list of categories to be displayed, the plugin will need to be restarted.
• Added support for triple-tap entry in all edit fields.
• Background is now configurable (spotlight or none). 
• Moved Search/Download/Settings so that they can be selected by mouse.
• Added ability to clear movie cache in the settings.
• Fixed some parsing issues when displaying episode listings.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.22 (5/10/2008):

• Fixed "Instant Queue" listings to support lastest Netflix website changes.
• Removed "Recient Additions" until it can be fixed/replaced,
• Changes to font size to help with 4:3 sized displays.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.21 (5/9/2008):

• Fixed various scrolling issues with the gallery items.
• Moved "Instant Queue" category to WatchNow menu.
• Fixed the issue with Reciently Watched movies showing up in the Instant Queue.
• Fixed the issue with menus getting reset when coming back from the Details page.
• Renamed WatchLater to Downloads.
• Increased spacing on menu items.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.20 (5/7/2008):

• Major change to UI look and feel - combined main menu and gallery pages, cleaned up details and settings page.
• With combined start page, should have slight faster load time.
• Added direct support for WatchNow queue (i.e. Netflix Instant Queue)
• Removed "A", "An" and "The" when sorting.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.10 (4/28/2008):

• Fixed issue with  missing Genre listings due to NetFlix recent change in formatting.
• In the 'Your Queue' gallery, added addition In Queue listing for WatchNow-only movies.
• Fixed Install Upgrade issue in which addin was getting unregistered (hopefully this is the last one).
• Misc UI bug fixes (spelling errors and length of buttons).

Release Notes Beta 1.0.9 (4/26/2008):

• Added support for sorting gallery items by Title or Year, select your sorting preference in Settings->Gallery Options
• Centered the summary text.
• Fixed some issues with the installer, which should now upgrade and repair.  Also, moving from a 4 field version to a 3 field version - which solved some of the install problems.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.8.1 (4/25/2008):

• Fixed a bug that was preventing the application to run if it was a first time install.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.8.0 (4/24/2008):

• Added new configuration settings (under Settings) for Netflix Connection (user/password), Gallery Options(default thumbnail size), Bitrate Configuration (default stream/download bitrates), and Movie Player (setup/initialization).
• Now displays movie summaries in the Gallery when Large thumbnails are selected.
• Now displays a different error if the connection is bad versus invalid email/password.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.7.8 (4/19/2008):

• Removed automatic initialization of the movie player during typical startups, this now only happens during startup when you are going through the extender setup.
• If a movie fails to play, it will now ask if you want to re-initialize the movie player and try playing the movie again.
• Added a new button in the Settings page which performs initialization of the movie player, this allows you to manually force the initialization to happen without rebooting.
• Fixed an issue in which ffdshow which was causing the application to fault.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.7.7 (4/17/2008):

• Modifications to simplify the Extender setup.  At startup, it now takes 30-50 seconds longer to load, but everything is now done in the background and overall setup should be more reliable.  This greatly enhances the experience for those wanting to Clone the license from the VMC PC.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.7.5 (4/15/2008):

• Fixed issues with downloading of some Episodes.
• Added some fault handings around some registry accesses.
• Extender setup now provides two options for extender licensing, cloning the license from the VMC PC or obtaining a new license from NetFlix. 

Release Notes Beta 1.0.7.3 (4/13/2008):

• Fixed UAC issue with x64 platforms when sharing common files w/ extenders
• Removed registration of 'Services\Movies' category, due to VMC Start Menu limitiations, this was overwritting other Add-In's in the start menu.  Will leave it in 'More Programs' for now.
• Removed creation of desktop short-cut during install.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.7.2:

• Fixed the detection of an Extender vs. a Remote Desktop Session.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.7.1:

• Added support for Vista Extenders.  Also sets up the Extender's user session to share the main VMC NetFlix PC license, typically each new Vista user will use up an extra license - of which NetFlix only allows 4 total (which resets each year in January).
• At this point, Extender support has only been tested on a XBOX 360 and 32-bit Vista OS.
• Moved the storage location of favorites and cached files to a common area so extenders have access.
  
• Modifications to ease the transition when playing videos.
• Addressed more issues with UI behavior.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.6.0:

• Added caching of movie covers and implemented a major change in the way gallery items were processing in order to enhanced the load/response time.
• Removed video background, this was causing occassional vmcNetFlix crashes when starting live video (like switching to live tv) while vmcNetFlix was running.  I'll look at adding it back in at a later time.
• Modified to install vmcNetFlix Add-In under the 'Services\Movies' category - this places it in the TV+Movies section.  Will look into making an option to install into diffent locations at a later time.
• Changed Browse DVD, it now shows New Release, Top 100, and Top 25 by Genre - the search function still searches the entire database.
• Addressed more issues with UI behavior.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.5.5:

• Fixed issue playing downloaded files - if UAC is 'on', the files could not be played because of security access placed on the files.  Modified security access of the downloaded files so that "everyone" has full access to the files after download.
• Added "play" key handler - now while in vmcNetFlix app, if video is playing in the background and the 'play' key is pressed you will be switched to "full screen".
• Added Small, Medium and Large thumbnail support in the galleries.  By pressing the 'FastForward' or 'Reverse' keys, you can switch between Small, Medium and Large thumbnails.  The default is Medium.
• Started working on a Settings page, basic page now allows modification of username and password.
• Fixed some issues with UI behavior. 

Release Notes Beta 1.0.5.0:

• Fixed some issues with UI behavior.
• Added a new "Favorites" sub-category in "Your Queue".  Any movie can now be added to the "Favorites" sub-category.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.4.5:

• Fixed issue with "play download" not working.
• Fixed some spelling errors.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.4.3:

• Added support for episode listings.
• Some cosmetic changes (changed the wording and locations of some text).
• Now supports x64 w/o UAC modifications

Release Notes Beta 1.0.3.1:

• Fixed application crash if "Your Recommendations" reports no movies.
• Fixed an issue in which gallery item tags where sometimes not getting displayed correctly.
• Moved more gallery item processing to the background, should improve response time a little.
• Non-WideScreen issues should be resolved.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.2.0:

• Modified detail text, should be easier to read now.
• Fixed random gallery items showing up in the Delayed Viewing gallery.
• Added "Go To FullScreen" button which will be displayed when there is media playing in the background. This provides a way to get back to the movie from the vmcNetFlix application.
• Added numbering in each of the gallery selections.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.1.1R2:

• Updated registion file in the installer to match 1.0.1.1 release files.

Release Notes Beta 1.0.1.1:

• Fixed "null" string exception using on-screen keyboard, a condition that would happen after logging out.
• Reduced number of gallery pictures on main page if non-widescreen resolution.

Looks very good:-)

Will try when I get home.

Thanks!

P.S. One thing I've been wondering is, that it would be great to have a setting where we see only Watch Now, rather than a plethora of menu items.

At least in my case, 99.9% of the time in VMC, all care is Watch Now.

If I am actually browsing for movies to add to my que, I normally use a browser - it's simply easier and more intuitive.

There are 4 "gallerys" - One to Browse DVDs (ones you get in the mail), one to only Browse Instant (Watch Now movies), one to view your queued items (at home, reciently returned, recommended), and one to view delayed viewing items (ones that have been already downloaded and ready for viewing).

The default when entering main menu is to select the Browse Instant - I too typically only care about the Watch Now. 

 

It sounds just like what I am looking for, I'll definitely will try this tonight.

I just installed and it looks great. It installed quickly and ran with no problems at all. The WatchNow streamed very well. I like it.

Does this work on an extender?

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My Media Center Adventure

good looking so far.  2 questions

1. For tv serieses, are you going to add the episode listings?
2. I cant get by the license acquisition page??

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WHS Quad Core, 3GB RAM, 2 HD PVRs, 3.5TB Storage and growing. 42 inch LCD and 92" Projector.

> Does this work on an extender?
I don't know if it works with an extender, I don't have one to test with.

Armaheadon:

I just installed and it looks great. It installed quickly and ran with no problems at all. The WatchNow streamed very well. I like it.

did it ask for license aquisition?  i cant get by this page

---

WHS Quad Core, 3GB RAM, 2 HD PVRs, 3.5TB Storage and growing. 42 inch LCD and 92" Projector.

The stream does not work on the extender.  Testing out a download now.

---

My Media Center Adventure

> 1. For tv serieses, are you going to add the episode listings?

This is something I can add to the ToDo list.

> 2. I cant get by the license acquisition page??

Hmmm, is it that the license acquisition failed or you just can select a button to get past it?

I think I got that page once when I didn't have the "Download usage rights automatically when I play or sync a file" option selected in Windows Media player application.  I found that option in Windows MediaPlayer->Tools->Options->Privacy Tab.  After selecting that, the page never came up again.

the continue button for the license is grayed out.  I checked that checkbox, it was already checked :(

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WHS Quad Core, 3GB RAM, 2 HD PVRs, 3.5TB Storage and growing. 42 inch LCD and 92" Projector.

> killervette wrote the following post at 03-21-2008 8:10 PM:

got it working.  another question,  how is the quality determined for the download currently?

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WHS Quad Core, 3GB RAM, 2 HD PVRs, 3.5TB Storage and growing. 42 inch LCD and 92" Projector.

It's done quite simple right now ... In the registry, I default the max stream to 1500Kbps and 5000Kbps for downloads (that should be the max, because when downloading the speed is not as critical as when streaming). 

The thought was I could add some config/settings option to override this later.  Right now, you could do this manually as well.  The registry values are located at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\vmcNetFlix.

 

- EricL