Netflix for PS3 updated (and yes, you've seen this UI before)

Netflix has released an update for its PlayStation 3 app that brings a few minor features, yet they could prove incredibly useful for some users. First off, the UI received a makeover, although it simply looks like the web and mobile versions of Netflix in order to make the PS3 app more uniform with the rest of the app lineup. Also, the update comes with easier access to audio and subtitle settings, as well as increased performance.

The audio and subtitle options can now be accessed from within the video player, meaning that you don't have to return to the main menu in order to adjust these settings. Plus, accessing these options from within the video player while watching a show will bring up catered settings for that particular show, including available languages and surround sound options.

The video player has also been updated to look more like the web and mobile versions, although it keeps some of the same PS3 aesthetic. The video player will now be much more reminiscent of other platforms with Netflix, and PlayStation 3 users should be able to pick up another device without a huge learning curve getting in the way.

Today's PS3 update also includes improvements for "trickplay" mode, which is that fancy series of screenshots you get when you want to skip ahead or backward in a show. This time around, the screenshots appear much quicker on the screen, allowing users to fast-forward or rewind a show at a much quicker pace than before, although we would still love the option to automatically skip opening credits for a TV show that happens after the cold open, but it seems we'll still be dreaming about that.

Netflix streaming first hit the PlayStation 3 back in November 2009, and it recently became the number one streaming device for Netflix, where Sony's gaming console had more Netflix users than any other platform that Netflix in on, including the Xbox 360, so it's really no surprise that the streaming company is giving extra attention to the PS3.

SOURCE: Netflix Blog