By Michael Muchmore Very few things with a screen of any size are without a way to play Netflix movies and TV shows, and the company is pretty consistent about its presentation in all the various player scenarios. Whether you're watching on a large screen TV using a Roku box, an iPad, or a mobile phone, you'll see that familiar bright red screen and logo, and a clear way to navigate around your account and start watching a video stream. The Netflix app for Windows 8 is no exception: You get access to your instant queue, top picks, and can start watching almost as soon as you install it.
Get Started with Netflix on Your Windows Phone
Of course, you'll have to have a Netflix account for this app to be of any use, but anyone with a smartphone these days is likely to already be a member of the leading streaming video entertainment service. For just $7.99 a month, you get a massive library of movies and TV shows, including exclusives like the wildly funny new episodes of Arrested Development. If you don't already have an account, a link takes you to the Web signup page.
Once you've signed in with your account, you'll see a Metro-style version of your Netflix account. The startup view shows Recently Watched, along with a button to continue watching a show you started and didn't finish. Swipe down to see the Top Ten recommendations for you, Popular on Netflix, Popular on Facebook, New Releases, and more shows in genres you've frequented.
Swiping right to left reveals a text selection of Genres, a Search box, and your Instant Queue. Tapping any show's "box" image launches playing of the show immediately. I'd prefer options to read its description and credits, perhaps watch a trailer, and to add to my queue. As it turns out, if you tap on the title text (which also shows the user star rating) instead of the thumbnail image, you'll get just those options.
So as you can see, there are plenty of ways to find tons of shows to watch. Though Netflix doesn't publicize the actual number of programs available, the company states that it's constantly looking for new deals with content producers and studios. Sometimes a current hit TV show will be available on Hulu but not Netflix, so you may want that app, as well. If the app's tools aren't floating your boat, there are a couple of excellent sites dedicated to nothing but finding good shows on Netflix by scanning new releases and ratings, including instantwatcher.com, A Better Queue, and the visually interesting Pivot View.
Watching Movies and TV
Unsurprisingly for a service that produces a pleasing HD picture on large-screen TVs, the picture quality on my Nokia Lumia 928's sharp AMOLED 1280x768 TrueColor screen was crystal clear. While playing a movie or TV show, the on-screen controls are at a minimum. Tapping on the screen reveals the title of the production at the top, and at the bottom there's a pause button and a scrubber, which let you slide forward and backward through the show. You also get a Subtitles icon in the shape of a text bubble.
And that's it. I do wish I could just tap to full-screen the view and remove the controls immediately: instead you have to wait for them to fade out after a few seconds. As with any streaming service, playback is dependent on connection speed and Neflix use volume, but during my testing I didn't encounter a single playback hiccup.
One main drawback of Netflix for Windows Phone is that there's no off-line viewing feature. It is, after all, a streaming service, and this limitation is shared with any other media playing app that streams. To get movies onto the phone for offline viewing, you have to transfer them from your PC using the Windows Phone app for desktop after downloading them from Xbox Video or another source of DRM-free video.
The Best Flicks for Your Windows Phone?
Netflix is a must for movie and TV buffs, and movies and TV shows look great in the Netflix app for Windows Phone. The app is a snap to navigate, and you can add any content from Netflix's huge library via browsing, searching, and seeing what the service proposes based on your viewing history. The ability to continue watching a show you started on another screen is a big plus. Don't expect offline viewing, but that's a limitation no matter what device you use to watch Netflix. All told, Netflix for Windows Phone is a big win for mobile couch potatoes.
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