Netflix HD codec details

New streaming HD codec details emerge from the Netflix blog.

For Xbox 360 and Silverlight platforms, Netflix will be streaming HD content using a 720p resolution with the VC-1 Advanced Profile codec at 24 FPS for movies and 30 FPS for video. The two bit rates are 2600 kbps and 3800 kbps so a fast broadband connection will be required. Audio will be limited to stereo only until they figure out how to package a multichannel AC3 audio stream in WMDRM10 (Windows Media Digital Rights Management).

Roku is saying that their Netflix HD streaming should be ready by the end of the year and will be available by an automatic firmware update. Roku claims that their "implementation of Netflix's HD content will take significantly less bandwidth that what is currently required on the Xbox" then they contradict themselves and say that "Roku Players will be using the 2.6 and 3.8 streams, which are the HD streams." So at this point it appears that the Roku box will be using the same VC-1 AP codec that the Xbox 360 and Silverlight platforms use.