[mythtv-users] Netflix under MythTV - Working

[Rob Comstock]

Allen Edwards wrote:
>
>
> On Tue, Apr 13, 2010 at 5:33 PM, Allen Edwards 
> <allen.p.edwards at gmail.com <mailto:allen.p.edwards at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>     Thanks to input from this group, I now have Netflix Streaming Video
>     working under MythTV.
>
>     It is running under VMware-Player (free) running WindowsXP (not free).
>
>     First, I have a copy of mainmenu.xml in my .mythtv folder under my
>     home directory (dad).  In that I added this button
>
>      <button>
>         <type>VIDEO</type>
>         <text>Netflix Streaming VM</text>
>         <action>EXEC DISPLAY=":0.1"  /usr/bin/vmplayer
>     /home/dad/vmware/WindowsXP/WindowsXP.vmx</action>
>       </button>
>
>     I installed vmplayer from the website and followed the simple
>     directions.  The install was extremely easy.  The only change I made
>     from stock was to set ALSA Audio as the audio player.  I installed
>     WindowsXP, the service packs, the extensions (which automatically
>     downloaded and installed), and silverlight (from netflix web site).  I
>     set the browser up to go to netflix.com <http://netflix.com> as
>     the home page and put the
>     browser in the startup menu in WindowsXP.  I used VMware-Player
>     program defaults of 512M memory and 40G HD max.  I didn't change
>     anything except the audio option.
>
>     When I click on the MythTv button for Netflix, it automatically goes
>     to the netflix web site where I can pick my movie.
>
>     My system is n AMD 5400+ with 2GB of RAM and a 6200 video card.  Audio
>     out is spdif.  Netflix runs 85 to 90% CPU when run in Chrome. It is
>     within 5% in IE one way or the other, not sure yet.  The screen is a
>     46 inch Sony LCD at 720x1280.
>
>     VirtualBox doesn't work.  There is some interrupt timing bug or
>     something. Nobody has Netflix running under VirtualBox with anything
>     short of a computer that doubles as a space heater.  The most
>     interesting post in the VirtualBox forum is the question: does anyone
>     have this working with Netflix? No replies.
>
>     Again, thanks to everyone who replied and especially Andrew Cover for
>     the key tip to use vmplayer instead of VirtualBox.
>
>     Allen
>
>  
> Just a quick update, Netflix works better in IE than in either Firefox 
> or Chrome.  I assume this is because Silverlight was written 
> specifically for IE.
>
> Also, if you close the virtual window using the "X" in the top VMware 
> control bar, the session will continue when you open the window again 
> so even if you are in the middle of a movie, it will resume when you 
> click on the button in Myth next time. 
>
> Allen
>
for vmware player, I have noticed that a linux VM consumes 80% (or at 
least a significant amount) of CPU unless I add a grub boot line option 
"divider=10". Anyone know if there is a similar setting for windows 
running in that VM? Without netflix running do you still have CPU usage 
that high?


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