The addition of Netflix to Xbox Live was probably one of the most intelligent "add-ons" ever conceived for any system to date. This might be slight bias on my part because I am quite the movie-goer and just enjoy watching TV shows and movies of any genre, but I think anyone who owns a 360 and subscribes to Netflix would tell you the same thing. The addition of the instant queue directly on the Xbox 360 eliminates to the need to hook up your computer to a larger screen for really enjoying movies. Additionally, the 360's "version" of the instant queue handles streaming much better than a desktop or laptop in my experience. Often, even on my new computer which is supposedly state of the art, I get a little lag or some choppy bits, but with the 360 on the same network, the picture is beautiful almost all the time.
Now, I know I am supposed to be talking about the interface, so let me discuss that. Originally, Netflix on the 360 did have its flaws. When it was first released, you could only few your instant queue and choose movies to watch directly from it. The lack of any additional features may have been because reception of the feature was unknown and, had it been a flop, then little extra time would have been wasted on it. Either way, the only way to add movies was to log on to your computer, go to Netflix's website, log in and add movies or TV shows from there. This meant, while the single queue interface on the Xbox was simple, and pretty, it lacked almost any useful features and therefore was not much in the way of a true user interface.
However, with the most recent update, users can now browse different genres of movies that are available for instant queue as well as suggestions and movies that are supposedly like those you've watched recently. Users can scroll through these choices instead of going to their computer to add things. This not only makes the interface more substantial and useful, but it also makes the service as a whole better. Scrolling, in general, both before and after the update, was simple and enough information was displayed off the bat to make things easy to recognize and choose. All and all, in its current state, the Netflix interface is both well designed and has great functionality. I think I'll go watch another episode of The Office now. In HD too.
