Netflix

So I got the "An Explanation and Some Reflections‏" email from Reed Hastings telling me he's sorry for messing up Netflix, and then going on to say that we aren't really going to fix what we broke but instead will be riding this horse off the cliff.

I know most of you are geeks too but as far as I am concerned the instant anyone ponies up the same service for slightly cheaper I will be an ex-Netflix subscriber. I've already been looking at some automated media center torrenting options anyway.

Supposedly Blockbuster will be unveiling their streaming service on Friday and I will be watching that for sure. If they want to clobber Netflix out the gate all they need to do is copy the exact pricing/offerings that Netflix had a year ago.

What say ye fellow geeks?

I'm waiting to see what they do with the streaming offering. I kept it instead of the DVDs- I have three kids 6 and under, and the cornucopia of lame-o cartoons are like gold to them.

The Starz deal dying sucks and all, but I am thinking that there's more deals like that on the way. If it gets too stupid, I'll kill my membership and try again when/if they get it right.

Do you really just use it for streaming? Just asking, because i don't stream, but i'm already with Blockbuster because they're cheaper and have a better selection of hard copies of stuff, to my experience.

When they jacked the price up I switched to streaming only. It has been great.

Unless somebody provides more choices I see no reason to leave Netflix.

Netflix with streaming an disc is still much cheaper than cable, so we are sticking with it.

If anyone undercuts Netflix with artificially low prices, the same thing will happen to them in a few years once they get popular and studios want a better cut, etc etc etc.

We watched all of "Breaking Bad" Season 1 yesterday. That by itself is the worth $18/month or whatever we pay. And we've gotten to watch a ton of other TV shows/movies and stuff.

last week we killed cable... took blockbusters free month trial, dropped netflix to streaming only and figured i'd try out the free week of hulu...

unless something big changes I can't see getting rid of netflix streaming...

we've got a blockbuster right down the road so I can exchange DVD's so I think we'll prob stay that route (although the DVD shipping with blockbuster seems to be a little slower)... and the fact that I can rent games with them is just gravy.

biggest thing is right now i'm using a Wii (kids TV) and XBOX360 (livingroom) to stream... haven't committed to a HTPC yet...

i'll stick with netflix until something better comes along...

Dumped netflix a looong time ago, before the price hike. Have seen no need to go back.

Have it, was completely happy with dropping DVDs and going streaming-only as that's pretty much how we used it anyway; for us it wasn't a price hike at all but a discount.

It's sometime frustrating to not have all the content in streaming, but there's honestly enough that I find interesting in their current selection that with the little free time I have I can't burn through my queue as it is.

I find it concerning that they're half way off the cliff at this point, but we do still use the streaming package a lot. Netflix is the only TV my brother and brother in law have in their rooms. They stream it over their Xboxes and watch hours of content a night.

Now, what I'd like to see is a streaming option that has everything, including the obscure stuff that Netflix has with their DVD selection. If someone could do that, even at a considerably higher price, I'd jump over there and cut cable off completely.

ReverendDexter wrote: It's sometime frustrating to not have all the content in streaming, but there's honestly enough that I find interesting in their current selection that with the little free time I have I can't burn through my queue as it is.

agree... every time I log in with my computer I find more things I want and click to add to the queue... plenty of options....

ReverendDexter wrote: It's sometime frustrating to not have all the content in streaming, but there's honestly enough that I find interesting in their current selection that with the little free time I have I can't burn through my queue as it is.

agree... every time I log in with my computer I find more things I want and click to add to the queue... plenty of options....

We have Netflix and we're on the cusp of ditching the DVD service. Honestly I don't think the higher price is that bad and I think people are complaining for the sake of having something to complain about.

We like the streaming but sometimes it's really frustrating what they don't offer. It's not bad, it's just we've gotten a little spoiled by all that Netflix offers via DVD.

I'm happy with our service and I don't see us getting rid of it any time soon.

Has anyone else noticed the decrease in quality of streaming lately? I hook my laptop up to the TV, and for the last month or two it's been much more glitchy (weird screen freezes, etc.) and over all choppier. None of my equipment has changed, nor has my internet connection. If I could find a site that would suggest stuff for me based on my likes, I'd just download everything.

The movie studios are doing their damnedest to kill netflix. I won't be surprised if they either kill it, or force it to increase its fees until its at least as expensive as cable. When that happens I may need to hoist the jolly roger.

Capt Slow wrote: The movie studios are doing their damnedest to kill netflix. I won't be surprised if they either kill it, or force it to increase its fees until its at least as expensive as cable. When that happens I may need to hoist the jolly roger.

Yeah, yet another thing I love about "The Guild" besides Felicia Day being a hottie - no studio in the way of it's awesomeness.

I'm hoping this becomes a trend, and we see more medium+ budget direct-to-internet shows.

Got the same email, I'll give him an A+ for ballsy marketing.

we've had Netflix Streaming for about 3 months since dropping cable, and never had the DVD service. For the price of a fast food lunch every month, it will have to get really bad for me to drop it. REALLY bad.

OTOH, I keep considering going for the DVD option, but it seems like a hassle to wait on DVDs when I have streaming, even though there are several things I've looked for lately that are DVD only.

I will be checking in to the Blockbuster option, though. If it's cheaper and I can get what I want, there's still a bricks location I drive by otw to work.

if only I could stream the NFL...

Any good options for that?

nocones wrote: if only I could stream the NFL... Any good options for that?

waste your time out in the garage?... can get drunk and act like an idiot just as well out in the garage as you can watching grown men play a game...

z31maniac wrote: Netflix with streaming an disc is still much cheaper than cable, so we are sticking with it.

Same here. $16/month is way cheaper than the $110/month for the 1000s of low-def channels I never watch, and the six that I do. Oh, and commercials every 8 minutes, don't forget that.

I can watch any episode of Star Trek The Next Generation when I want to, period. That alone is worth the $16

Oh, and nocones, I built this $10 antenna so Mrs. Twin_Cam can watch the (useless) morning local news and we can watch football, all for free, and in hi-def: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWQhlmJTMzw

I'm thinking about keeping Netflix for streaming and adding BB for discs (on trial right now). BB has Blue Ray AND Wii for NO EXTRA CHARGE. My buddy Reed Hastings tells me they'll be adding vid games as an EXTRA down the road? Screw you Reed. I can stream NF and have 1 BB disc at a time for the same price. With BB, I can return a movie to teh store and have another one right now. That is quicker than waiting for the disc to come in the mail. The only hitch to that is, if you get a game from teh store, it's a 5-day rental, for $1 a day. So, to get a game would still be by mail.
Part of me wants to drop NF just to send a message. It's not the price hike, it's the percentage AND the way they just rammed it up there. Last time I felt like that it was at 3 am, in the dark and I discovered the hard way that my wife left the plunger in the toilet.

But, the BB website sucks.

DrBoost wrote: But, the BB website sucks.

yes... yes it does.

The price didn't go up in Canada, but I still think it's a good deal for what you're paying.

I still like Netflix. I watched Weird Science last night.

oh also on a plus side to netflix... with so many ISP's implementing bandwidth limits they've added a bit (thats been in canada for a LONG time) to manage your vid quality so you can drop it from HD to save bandwidth.... no point in HD for me on an SD tv lol

I've noticed no new problems with it.

In fact, in the 1.5 years we've been using the streaming service A LOT, we've only had 1 instance where we had to call and have them fix something.

Then again we are on a 25mb down connection, so nothing really gives us any problems.