Netflix Offers a $99, No-Frills Movie Player

As I watched the first few minutes of a TV program on the new $99 Netflix Player, I grew worried that the DVD rental service had gotten something horribly wrong with this foray into Internet video downloads.

The player, Netflix's first stab at consumer hardware, was designed in partnership with set-top box maker Roku. I had fired up the first episode of Sleeper Cell, a cable series about terrorists plotting on American soil, and watched the first minute in dismay. The picture was so grainy it made me wonder how both companies could be confidently predicting they would compete with the likes of Apple, TiVo, and Vudu, whose elegant video-streaming boxes have been on the market for some time.

After that first minute, though, I became a believer. The box stopped the stream for about a minute as it optimized the picture based on my Internet connection and setup, then came back with a picture so crisp and clear that I practically cheered. The video looks to be about DVD-quality, though it may have been helped somewhat by a new Samsung high-definition television that does a decent job of up-converting images to the set's native 1080p resolution.

Setup Is Quick and Simple

After about a week with the Netflix Player, I came away convinced that despite certain flaws, this device is the first to deliver a truly enjoyable digital download experience with none of the preconditions and expense that have discouraged consumers from embracing these products.

Upon taking the remarkably compact device out of its box, setup was quick and simple. With your purchase, you get a component cable with red, white, and yellow connectors that works well with older analog televisions. I used a spare HD multimedia, or HDMI, cable to connect the box to the HDTV.

To use the service, you need a relatively...