It appears that one million Xbox Live Gold members have downloaded the Netflix application since its November launch, Microsoft announced Thursday. Netflix was one of the biggest additions to the Xbox 360 via the Fall update; 360 owners are now able to stream movies via their system if they have a Gold Live account as well as a Netflix account.
 

"Netflix continues to provide its 9.4 million subscribers unprecedented convenience, selection, and value. With more than 100,000 titles on DVD and 12,000 movies and TV episodes available to watch instantly, there's no better way to enjoy movies than Netflix. As these strong results on Xbox demonstrate, Xbox LIVE is a terrific way for Netflix members to enjoy watching movies instantly on their TVs," said Netflix Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Kilgore said in a statement.
 

In other words, the Netflix application allows Xbox Live Gold members with Netflix accounts stream movies and TV shows from a library of 12,000 available titles directly to their TVs via the Xbox console. So far, Microsoft reports that 1.5 billion minutes of streaming video has been watched on the Xbox 360 from Netflix. Right now Netflix says that a growing proportion of those programs are in HD resolution.
 

Moreover, Netflix offers newer titles on DVD or high-definition Blu-ray Disc through its mail-order service, through a library of more than 100,000 titles. The successful partnership illustrates what today's consoles have become. Microsoft and Sony are offering versatile home-entertainment solutions that are capable of so much more than just playing games.
 

Netflix, best known for renting DVDs by mail, is the only company offering a subscription-based streaming video service as other rivals like Amazon.com, Apple, and Blockbuster compete with a la carte, pay-per-view rentals.