Has anyone else noticed this new feature on Netflix that lets you watch movies directly via your computer? It arrived without much fanfare for something that could revolutionize home entertainment.

A friend had forwarded me an article a few months back about how Netflix was planning this feature, and how you could opt into the beta release, but I was busy at the time and didn’t follow up. Then I came across an ad that you could get 2 movies a month via mail and 3 via your computer for $5. I was curious, so I logged in to Netflix and discovered that there’s a new button in the upper menu that adds to my existing plan. Maybe it’s not available for everyone yet. I would have expected an announcement e-mail, at least. All I know is it works for me now.

From what I can see, they’re delivering on what so many have promised for so long. You watch the movie inside your browser (sadly, only IE seems to be supported,) but a full-screen mode makes it like watching TV. The first time you use it you have to let the browser install a little bit of software. After that, it works each time with a few clicks to agree that you want the digital rights to watch a movie.

The image quality is not quite as good as a DVD, but it’s close. From a few feet away I don’t notice a difference. I was able to watch a movie with subtitles and didn’t have any problems with the lettering. I’m guessing that users with stronger internet connections than mine would get an even sharper image. I have a large monitor, set to 1600 x 1200 resolution, and my system can play movies pretty much live. The player automatically evaluates your connection speed and plays movies at appropriate resolution. I have also experienced a message telling me if my connection speed slows down, which causes the player to reset itself for playback at a different rate.

So far the selection is less than phenomenal, but it’s nothing to shake a stick at, either. They say it’s 3,000+ titles.  You won’t have a problem finding a movie you’re interested in, and the “Watch Now” page will show you available movies that you’ve already placed in your queue, anyway.

The system works by allowing you to watch a number of hours of movies each month equal to the number of dollars you spend on your subscription plan.

If you have the standard 3-at-a-time plan, costing $17 and change, they round you up to 18 hours of movie watching. The best part is that it because it tracks how much actual time you spend watching, as opposed to how many movies you watch, you can feel a 100% lack of commitment to a title you’ve selected. Don’t like it? Turn it off. I already find Netflix a huge improvement over the video store in terms of affording comfort with experimenting. It’s not the same as the commitment at Blockbuster of dropping $5 on a title and that being your evening, like the movie or no. You can always drop a dud into the red envelope and open up your next one. But this online feature takes it up a notch. Don’t like it? Click on something else. Conceivably you could watch the first few minutes of a hundred movies. I’m not positive it works that way, but to test it out I started twenty different movies. I have the 3-move plan, so I should be entitled to 18 hours a month. If it were counting movies, not time, I should have been stopped somewhere after 18 selections, but I still seem to be able to start movies. There’s also a viewing history link that takes you to a page that shows you how many minutes you’ve used, how many you have left, and on what date your minutes will reset.

Netflix was already a company I love, and they’ve taken it up a notch. Anyone who brings movies to my computer without charging me anything extra? OK in my book.

Does everyone else have this feature? Does it look good on your computer?

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