Netflix announced today that they will offer movies for viewing over the Internet. Movielink already offers this service through a download-and-presumably-self-destruct-after-30-days system. Google Video seems well placed to add this fee-for-viewing option to their "Buy High Quality" button.

But Netflix is doing it differently. Their press release explains that their service is superior because the viewer may instantly see the movie and does not have to wait for the entire movie to download. hmm - sounds like Youtube... All you need is a PC (not a mac) and a high speed Internet connection to begin viewing. And all this at no additional cost.

That's right, read their lips...

The new feature will be included in subscribers' monthly membership plans at no additional cost, and the company said its phased roll-out is meant to ensure that subscribers have a great initial experience with the feature.

Hmmm, that means I may not be on the list to try this out right away. I sent them a desperate email requesting to be in early group, but have not yet heard back. They merely informed me that they might get back to me if I am lucky enough to be one of the millions of emails that deserves a response.

But, this has caused me, and likely countless others to reactivate our on-hold accounts. Nothing was more frustrating than waiting up to 5 days for my DVD to arrive in the mail.

Want to see a demo?
Hacking Netflix was kind enough to set one up for those of us who are not yet lucky enough to have this activated on our accounts.