Netflix

[M Knight]

Anyone subscribe to Netflix?  The entire X-Files series is available via streaming video.  I was a bit skeptical of what Netflix might offer on-line, but I have been pleasantly surprised.  Star Trek ... Voyager... a huge array of movies and TV episodes.

[Camper]

I really enjoy netflix. No commercials and some shows are in HD. It's well worth the $7.99 I pay per month for streaming only.

[MV/Liberace!]

Yup. Right after Hal posted the X-Files episodes, I found them on there.

The streaming service is a great value. It's the only thing I watch. I don't even have cable TV service. However, it sucks they've separated the disc and streaming plans. Nearly doubled the price. I'm going to drop the disc plan when the switch occurs at the end if this month. I expect it's really a move toward eventually eliminating the disc service altogether. The USPS must really fear THAT day. I'll bet Netflix has become a big part of the Postal Service's reason for existing.

Anyway, as disc subscribers drop due to the price hike, perhaps it will pressure both Netflix and content owners to make a wider array of content available for streaming.

Sent from my Droid X.

[onan]

I had netflix for about 3 months. I then received the notice of plans to change the service. Although not a big cost either way one chooses I just didn't see the benefit in keeping it. I was always dismayed at how poor the new selections were.

I find HULU to be a better product. Each to their own I guess. HULU offering innovative shows like  "The Confession", "The Booth at the End", and one of my favorite finds BBC's 4oD channel's "The Misfits" has made me a very loyal customer.

And I know I have suggested this film before, Ink, I first saw it on HULU. If you haven't seen it; give it a try. 

[TaoOfLuxLisbon]

I have a 3 a month plan, which means I won't be affected by the change. I prefer DVDs because I take them to work and watch them on my mini player. I don't have WiFi where I work so streaming doesn't work for me.

[Avi]

I have a 3 a month plan, which means I won't be affected by the change. I prefer DVDs because I take them to work and watch them on my mini player. I don't have WiFi where I work so streaming doesn't work for me.

Wait a minute. You watch DVDs at work? What sort of work do you do?

[TaoOfLuxLisbon]

Wait a minute. You watch DVDs at work? What sort of work do you do?

Third shift security. It's my part-time secondary job and boring, which explains why I actually listen to Noory occasionally.

[Morgus]

I put my netflix account on suspension for the past couple years and have been using Blockbuster's by mail program instead.
Blockbuster is like netflix was 2+years ago before they raised prices for extras like blu-ray discs.
Still $8.96/month for everything. I'll stick with that until they go under probably.

[Flaxen Hegemony]

I had netflix for about 3 months. I then received the notice of plans to change the service. Although not a big cost either way one chooses I just didn't see the benefit in keeping it. I was always dismayed at how poor the new selections were.

I find HULU to be a better product. Each to their own I guess. HULU offering innovative shows like  "The Confession", "The Booth at the End", and one of my favorite finds BBC's 4oD channel's "The Misfits" has made me a very loyal customer.

And I know I have suggested this film before, Ink, I first saw it on HULU. If you haven't seen it; give it a try.

Ditto on the recommendation of "Ink".  Surprisingly clever, and not at all what I expected it to be.

Netflix has been a good source for British mysteries and detective dramas, but the real jackpot for me has been foreign films from torrent sites.  In particular, Russian, South Korean, and French cinema are putting out some amazing stuff.  It actually puts one in mind of Hollywood's better films in the 50's - 70's.  Sure, the whole torrent thing is a legal grey area, but otherwise, a lot of these movies would languish in limited release in their home countries.

 

[Silent]

I recently cancelled the streaming portion of Netflix sine they are raising their rates.  I found the video quality of it totally inadequate.  I was able to deal with it on some TV shows and documentaries but movies were just unwatchable with all the pixelation and horizontal tearing.

[fysisist]

I recently cancelled the streaming portion of Netflix sine they are raising their rates.  I found the video quality of it totally inadequate.  I was able to deal with it on some TV shows and documentaries but movies were just unwatchable with all the pixelation and horizontal tearing.

Wow, I'm surprised.  Are you watching on your computer or on your TV with a separate device (Roku, etc)?  I haven't had any problems.  I've been watching via WiFi to a Roku player for about a year now.  Mostly Netflix, but also Amazon Instant Video, and occasionally a couple of the other free channels.  Cable broadband with Comcast. 

[Morgus]

The streaming quality can vary a lot depending on your internet connection, it wants a high bandwidth like from the better cable internet providers. Slower DSL can cause issues.

[Silent]

Wow, I'm surprised.  Are you watching on your computer or on your TV with a separate device (Roku, etc)?  I haven't had any problems.  I've been watching via WiFi to a Roku player for about a year now.  Mostly Netflix, but also Amazon Instant Video, and occasionally a couple of the other free channels.  Cable broadband with Comcast.

Yeah, I'm not sure what the problem is.  From everything i've read it should be better but it's not.  I run it through a PC to my TV.  I've tried it on several different PCs and seen no difference.  There was something I read a while back that said Netflix doesn't stream in HD to PCs, only to the stand alone boxes like Roku, Blu-Ray players and things like that.  I did try it on a Wii for a while and saw no difference though.  It's a mystery.

That's all I can figure.  It certainly isn't due to slow internet connection and I doubt my expectations on video quality are much different than an average user.  I've also used it on several different IPs over the years so I doubt it's a throttling by them.

As a side note I've been watching the US Open all day and I love their streaming setup.  Check it out at http://www.usopen.org/en_US/index.html.  I wish more sports would take note of this.  They don't even run commercials once the stream gets going.

[Avi]

In spite of the price hike, I have both streaming and DVD service. Netflix has, from what I can tell, the biggest library of film titles. We don't have a television, so we stream through the computer. The only difficulties we've had with streaming are temperature related. Let's see, it was 111 yesterday and 109 today. We're renovating the house and have no AC, so we have to place cool packs under the laptop. Before we did this, the stream was really crappy, now it's great.

[Silent]

lol maybe I should try some ice packs then.

[MV/Liberace!]

Yeah, I'm not sure what the problem is.  From everything i've read it should be better but it's not.  I run it through a PC to my TV.  I've tried it on several different PCs and seen no difference.  There was something I read a while back that said Netflix doesn't stream in HD to PCs, only to the stand alone boxes like Roku, Blu-Ray players and things like that.  I did try it on a Wii for a while and saw no difference though.  It's a mystery.

That's all I can figure.  It certainly isn't due to slow internet connection and I doubt my expectations on video quality are much different than an average user.  I've also used it on several different IPs over the years so I doubt it's a throttling by them.

As a side note I've been watching the US Open all day and I love their streaming setup.  Check it out at http://www.usopen.org/en_US/index.html.  I wish more sports would take note of this.  They don't even run commercials once the stream gets going.

i would definitely recommend against running netflix from a PC to a TV.  in addition to the maintenance required by a PC, you won't get the same video quality.  get a roku box here.  it's simple, inexpensive, and capable of far more than just streaming netflix.


the wii, from what i understand, does not have any form of HD output.  it only has the three composite cables for audio/l audio/r and video.  someone correct me on this if i'm wrong because i don't own a wii.


and you're likely correct about your internet connection being fine.  netflix doesn't require much bandwidth to stream video.  when my primary internet connection has been down in the past, i've tethered my droid x to my roku box and streamed netflix that way, using my phone's internet connection.  as you can imagine, the phone doesn't provide a lot of bandwidth for streaming video over a 3g connection... but i found the picture quality to be surprisingly nice, even when stretched across a 46" screen.  soo, netflix doesn't require much bandwidth to provide an acceptable experience.

[fysisist]

I can also vouch for the Roku.  It's relatively cheap, haven't had any real problems with it for the year or so that I've had it, and they are adding more content, much of it free, all the time.  The only problem I have had is occasionally having to "re-boot" it to get it to log back on to my WiFi network.  Typically this might happen if I haven't used it for a couple weeks.  There is no on/off switch so this takes physically unplugging the device and then plugging it back in.  But hey, for $90 bucks I'm not complaining.  The picture quality has been very good for all content I have streamed (Netflix, Amazon, a few others).  However, I can't play any games on it.

[Morgus]

The WDTV Live (Plus) media player models also support Netflix and some other streaming sites with recent firmware updates.
They are getting discounted heavily lately too.
I got a WDTV Live Plus model awhile back, works well with USB storage devices as well (flash drives, etc) for playing all sorts of downloaded video and audio formats, even ripped DVDs and Bluray movies.

[Morgus]

Netflix still has a $2/month extra surcharge to access Blu-Ray titles.
Blockbuster online doesn't have that extra surcharge for Blu-Rays for comparison.

[MV/Liberace!]

The WDTV Live (Plus) media player models also support Netflix and some other streaming sites with recent firmware updates.
They are getting discounted heavily lately too.
I got a WDTV Live Plus model awhile back, works well with USB storage devices as well (flash drives, etc) for playing all sorts of downloaded video and audio formats, even ripped DVDs and Bluray movies.

I have the wdtv live, but not the plus version. It's been great. It opens up soooo many possibilities in terms of home entertainment and how it's stored and consumed. It plays nearly any video format. I would pick the wdtv live plus over a roku these days because you get the netflix streaming experience along with a level of home network integration that doesn't exist on a roku.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

[Silent]

Netflix still has a $2/month extra surcharge to access Blu-Ray titles.
Blockbuster online doesn't have that extra surcharge for Blu-Rays for comparison.

I checked into what Blockbuster offers after reading this.  While true there's no extra charge for Blu-Ray, it still costs $3 more per month than I'm currently paying for an equivalent plan.  I see a few perks they offer like games and in store trades but it's nothing I'm interested in.  Plus I still hold a grudge against them from years ago when they'd charge almost $5 to rent new releases.  Although the intentional crippling of PC streaming is disappointing, overall I'm happy with Netfix's service and plans.

[coaster]

I had both the dvd and streaming plan, and switched to only streaming  after the price change. I personally don't think their selection is very good. I am a fan of older westerns however and they seem to have an abundance of those on streaming. When it comes to new releases, you are better off trying to watch it somewhere else imo.

[Silent]

They have a nice selection of documentaries and new ones I saw added often.  I didn't watch new releases of movies often but from what I saw I agree with you.  There wasn't much for Hollywood new releases.

[coaster]

I've spent countless hours watching documentaries on Netflix.  Their selection is top notch. And most are streaming too which is nice. 

[M Knight]

This is kinda strange.  The structural repositioning seems out of step with what they currently offer in their streaming service (which is minimal compared to DVD offerings). 

Qwikster is the type of name that will fade away rapidly.  The company is stepping on the brakes and the accelerator at the same time while steering toward a cliff.  Sure sign they do not know what they are doing.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44576196/ns/business-us_business/

[Silent]

I got this email from them today.

Dear .......,

I messed up.  I owe you an explanation.

It is clear from the feedback over the past two months that many members felt we lacked respect and humility in the way we announced the separation of DVD and streaming and the price changes.  That was certainly not our intent, and I offer my sincere apology.   Let me explain what we are doing.

For the past five years, my greatest fear at Netflix has been that we wouldn't make the leap from success in DVDs to success in streaming.   Most companies that are great at something â€" like AOL dialup or Borders bookstores â€" do not become great at new things people want (streaming for us).  So we moved quickly into streaming, but I should have personally given you a full explanation of why we are splitting the services and thereby increasing prices.  It wouldn’t have changed the price increase, but it would have been the right thing to do.

So here is what we are doing and why.

Many members love our DVD service, as I do, because nearly every movie ever made is published on DVD.  DVD is a great option for those who want the huge and comprehensive selection of movies.

I also love our streaming service because it is integrated into my TV, and I can watch anytime I want.  The benefits of our streaming service are really quite different from the benefits of DVD by mail.  We need to focus on rapid improvement as streaming technology and the market evolves, without maintaining compatibility with our DVD by mail service.

So we realized that streaming and DVD by mail are really becoming two different businesses, with very different cost structures, that need to be marketed differently, and we need to let each grow and operate independently.

It’s hard to write this after over 10 years of mailing DVDs with pride, but we think it is necessary:  In a few weeks, we will rename our DVD by mail service to “Qwikster”.  We chose the name Qwikster because it refers to quick delivery.  We will keep the name “Netflix” for streaming.

Qwikster will be the same website and DVD service that everyone is used to.  It is just a new name, and DVD members will go to qwikster.com to access their DVD queues and choose movies.  One improvement we will make at launch is to add a video games upgrade option, similar to our upgrade option for Blu-ray, for those who want to rent Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 games.    Members have been asking for video games for many years, but now that DVD by mail has its own team, we are finally getting it done.  Other improvements will follow.  A negative of the renaming and separation is that the Qwikster.com and Netflix.com websites will not be integrated.

There are no pricing changes (we’re done with that!).  If you subscribe to both services you will have two entries on your credit card statement, one for Qwikster and one for Netflix.  The total will be the same as your current charges.  We will let you know in a few weeks when the Qwikster.com website is up and ready.

For me the Netflix red envelope has always been a source of joy. The new envelope is still that lovely red, but now it will have a Qwikster logo.   I know that logo will grow on me over time, but still, it is hard.  I imagine it will be similar for many of you.

I want to acknowledge and thank you for sticking with us, and to apologize again to those members, both current and former, who felt we treated them thoughtlessly.

Both the Qwikster and Netflix teams will work hard to regain your trust.  We know it will not be overnight.  Actions speak louder than words.  But words help people to understand actions.

Respectfully yours,

-Reed Hastings, Co-Founder and CEO, Netflix

p.s. I have a slightly longer explanation along with a video posted on our blog, where you can also post comments.

[MV/Liberace!]

I had both the dvd and streaming plan, and switched to only streaming  after the price change. I personally don't think their selection is very good. I am a fan of older westerns however and they seem to have an abundance of those on streaming. When it comes to new releases, you are better off trying to watch it somewhere else imo.

did you ever see lonesome dove with robert duvall and tommy lee jones?  it's available streaming on netflix.  if you haven't seen it, i HIGHLY recommend it.

[b_dubb]

i used to think netflix was run by pretty smart people.  if you've been paying attention lately ... that just isn't the case.  i predict netflix will implode in a year, get gobbled up by a competitor and cease to be.  quikster too

[MV/Liberace!]

i used to think netflix was run by pretty smart people.  if you've been paying attention lately ... that just isn't the case.  i predict netflix will implode in a year, get gobbled up by a competitor and cease to be.  quikster too

Maybe Google will buy them.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

[M Knight]

Any Freshman business student could have figured this out before they stumbled into this public relations mess.

Netflix drops Qwikster plan, says it moved 'too fast'

http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/10/8250670-netflix-drops-qwikster-plan-says-it-moved-too-fast