This week's installment of How Would You Change over on Engadget Classic involves the first dedicated set-top-box to enable Netflix streaming right to your TV. Did you pony up $99 for one of these things? If so, head on over and let the world know if that was a good move.

Hope you're not too sleepy, you hacker you, 'cause we've got a juicy one coming your way. No sooner did we find that the Netflix Player would be streaming content from other players in the industry later this year than Roku opens up the source code vault. You heard right -- the GPL code has now been posted for the world to see, meaning that there's just one link standing between you and umpteen delicious tarballs. Mmm, tarballs.

[Via Hack-A-Day]

Roku's Netflix Player got off to a hot start after launching just over a month ago, and apparently its creator has big plans for the plainly designed $99 box. According to a recent report over on Forbes, Tim Twerdahl, Roku's vice president of consumer products, has affirmed that a routine software update would be hitting later this year to enable content to be fetched and streamed from other "big name" providers. Regrettably, the conversation ended there, so there's absolutely no telling which "providers" he's referring to. Still, we're certainly intrigued by the idea of this thing becoming more versatile in the coming months, but wouldn't the name have to be tweaked at the very least?

[Via Silicon Alley Insider]

Disney already made crystal clear that it was planning on dishing out a few films of its own via the internet this summer, but a recently inked pact between it and ReelTime will give Disney fans one more outlet for viewing content. In the agreement, it's noted that ReelTime Rentals will "provide popular video on demand rentals as they become available from The Walt Disney Studios, including new and classic titles from Walt Disney Pictures, Disney-Pixar, Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures and Miramax Films." And judging by that screen capture above, we'd say ReelTime isn't wasting any time putting its newfound partnership to good use.

C'mon, everyone that actually pays attention has Netflix figured out by now. During the trial period (or shall we say, honeymoon phase), Netflix is eager and willing to rush you any new releases you have on your list, while being even more ready to "receive" your disc back just as soon as it hits the firm's local distribution hub. After you've shelled out for a few months, you'll notice that those discs are magically taking a day or two longer to be received by the company, and those new releases you're craving are suddenly taking days (or weeks) to arrive. So, is throttling a reality? The folks at Sound & Vision Mag delved deep to find out, and while the company claims that "96%" of customers receive their movies next-day, there is an algorithm that works against you if you're a notorious new release grabber. Additionally, it was affirmed that "the more you work your membership, the less likely you are to get the new stuff." As everyone with Blockbuster can attest, the story isn't really any different over there -- we 'spose that's just how life goes when you're the 4%.

DVD rental kiosks have been lighting up pharmacies and supermarkets across the US, but it seems that UKers and Irish lads / dames will soon have the great, great privilege of interfacing with Movie Booths in the near future. This particular unit doesn't seem all too different from other variations we've seen, boasting a simple touchscreen display and a built-in android tasked with fetching your selected title and spitting it out for a nominal (read: undisclosed) fee. Apparently, trials have been deemed a success in outlets like Tesco, Centra and Applegreen, thus paving the way to see these pop up everywhere by the year's end. Any chance we'll see a Blu-ray Disc or two popped in there?

[Via Pocket-lint]

Many of you Netflix users may have never heard of Profiles. For those that have, you'll probably be quite disappointed to hear that it'll soon be vanishing. Put simply, Profiles enables users to "set up separate DVD Queues under one account," and for any couples in the house, they can attest to the usefulness of said feature. Netflix is planning to eliminate Profiles on September 1, 2008, and its only explanation is that "the change will help it to continue to improve the Netflix website for all customers." Anyone perturbed about the change? Does it not bother you at all?

[Thanks, Kris]

Given Netflix's blatant plunge into the world of online content delivery, it shouldn't come as a surprise that the outfit's execs understand that physical media is at risk. Sure, DVD rentals far outnumber online rentals today, but Netflix is assuming that its DVD business could peak in around five to ten years. In a brief interview this week, CEO Reed Hastings told investors that "everybody peaks sometime," but he did note that Blu-ray was apt to make the "DVD ecosystem stronger." Even though the company is definitively moving at least some of its attention to online streaming, it's still quite aways from delivering a "standalone streaming service." On a slightly different note, we also learned that Intel-based Macs would be able to tap into the firm's "Watch Now" service "later this year," but unfortunately, it didn't get any more specific than that.

[Image courtesy of ANPark]

Talk about timely, yeah? Just hours after our latest Ask Engadget HD question pondered which of the three big hitters in the movie set-top-box arena was superior, along comes a comparison of the trio from PopSci. Of course, this being Engadget HD, we've all ideas many of you won't agree with the verdict put out (hint: Roku's box is deemed the winner), but some decent points are made nonetheless. For starters, the Netflix library is far more expansive than those offered up by Apple and VUDU; for folks looking for the widest range of titles (and cheapest method of renting), it's hard to overlook the Netflix Player. For junkies that just have to have HD, your choices are clearly defined, and between the Apple TV and VUDU, critics noted that the former's ability to dabble in YouTube was a perk that may sway certain buyers. Regardless of your feelings on the matter, be sure and hit up the read link if for nothing more than the pros / cons -- the decision's still yours, you know.

One thing's for certain: VUDU doesn't let a firmware update get stale. Just two months after v1.3 hit the scenes, v1.5 has already been detailed / spotted. The big hitter in this update is the Discounted Extended Rentals, which enables users to extend the viewing window of a 24 / 48-hour rental within seven days after the conclusion of the original rental. Once extended, you get the same "privileges" as before -- you can store it for up to 30 days with 24 / 48-hours to watch it once you've started it. The rub is the pricing: you only get $2 off when extending $5.99 HD rentals, $1 off most everything else and $0.50 off of $0.99 rentals. Oh, and you can only extend once. Other changes include full-screen trailers, parental controls for browsing and revised sort functionality. Check the read link for the full changelog, and feel free to twiddle your thumbs waiting for the update to be passed on to your STB.

[Via Yahoo]

Well, would you look at that? After a mildly uncomfortable wait, the very first Netflix set-top-box has landed (the Xbox 360 with plug-ins notwithstanding). Thanks to Roku, users can finally tap into (a portion of) the Netflix library without having to wait for physical discs to arrive -- and for just $99.99, no less (though unlimited access to online films still requires an $8.95 or higher monthly fee for the traditional service). Better still, the HDD-less Netflix Player can even utilize a wireless signal to pull in streams, though your miles may vary on actual performance. As for ports, you'll find HDMI, component, composite, Ethernet, S-Video and a Toslink optical audio jack. Initial reports are looking pretty positive from here (save for the glaring lack of HD support), but feel free to dig into the reviews below to get a better feel of what this box really has to offer.

Read - Roku Netflix Player officially introduced
Read - PCMag review (4 out of 5)
Read - CNET review (7.7 out of 10)
Read - Wired review ("...just shy of totally amazing.")

Buy a new HDTV / projector for the big game(s)? Pssh. Why do that when you can just rent your way to impressing those fair-weather friends of yours? Hot on the heels of Selection Sunday comes fresh PR from Projector123, which is hopping on the rental bandwagon in hopes that jazzed up fans will want something more than they've got right now in order to enjoy the upcoming March Madness. Best of all, the bulk of these games will be broadcast in HD over the air, so picking up an HDTV with a built-in tuner or a projector with a standalone tuner would enable you to catch most of the action without forking out for HD service (or going into debt for a swank new display). 'Course, we'd suggest putting the cash you'd spend on a rental into an entirely new set -- after all, how will you honestly ever look at that 19-inch CRT after watching the Final Four on an 82-inch projection screen?

In what can only be classified as yet another crushing blow to the embattled HD DVD camp, rent-by-mail giant Netflix has just announced its intention to only stock Blu-ray titles in the future. Netflix justified its decision by pointing out the fact that most Hollywood studios seem to be converging solely around the Sony-backed format -- a fact that's all too familiar to Toshiba and friends. With both Blockbuster and now the 'Flix having eschewed HD DVD for BD, it's gonna get harder and harder to even find a place to rent those former discs in the first place, let alone one that has a decent selection.

Update: It looks like all hope is not lost for HD DVD renters. Not only does Blockbuster Online still carry titles in the endangered format, but Netflix should continue offering a limited selection of discs until current stock is phased out around the end of the year.

Recent announcements on iTunes rentals certainly caused a stir amongst the neglected Mac-masses, but it looks like the online rental game is about to get a little more cutthroat for fanboys and fangirls everywhere. According to a new report (and backed up by an earlier blog post), streaming content for Netflix subscribers is headed to Mac screens in 2008 -- if everyone has their way. During the company's Q4 earnings call this week, the snail-mail service hinted that this would be the year that streaming rentals would come to Mac users due to the advent of DRM options that play nice with Apple's gear (namely, Microsoft's Silverlight technology). Combine this with news that the company plans to offer all-you-can-eat online rentals for $8.99 a month, its intentions to bring a STB to market with LG, and a possible game console partnership -- well, it all adds up to stiff competition for Apple and other challengers, despite what they say.

[Via Mac Rumors]

Read - Netflix: Mac Streaming Coming This Year
Read - Instant watching on Mac, Firefox, and more

It wasn't exactly crystal clear during Steve's keynote today, but apparently, there's a fair bit of red tape attached to these movie rentals. First off, since the Apple TV hardware is remaining the same, users can still only expect 1,280 by 720 resolution on the high-end, and although 100 HD movies are reportedly ready to be viewed, not a single TV show can say the same. Furthermore, a note at the bottom of the Apple TV's revised tech specs points out that "Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound is not available with all HD rentals," so there's that. We've also learned that HD movie rentals will be available exclusively through the Apple TV, and considering that only rentals made from iTunes can be moved to other devices, any downloads originating from the Apple TV (including everything in high-definition) won't be making their way onto your iPod, iTunes library, etc. Depressing, we know.