my blockbuster doesnt have any blu-ray movie. and hell know am i paying $25 for a blu-ray movie. so im gonna rent it. i heard of netflix. any one know any1 else? what are the pros and cons for all of them? thx in advance.

I prefer Blockbuster over Netflix for online rentals for obvious reasons. Blockbuster has a more complete selection and gives you a bonus coupon for local rentals. The biggest advantage with Blockbuster is that you can return your online movies to your local Blockbuster to be scanned in immediately which instantly shaves off a few days (or more) on shipping returns. I live about 700 ft from the nearest Blockbuster so it was a no brainer for me.

I have used Netflix since they went into business. I have been able to get all the latest realises as they came out. I live 12 miles from Blockbuster, so it is much easier for me to walk to the mailbox to return movies. But I can see where Blockbuster may have an advantage if you can return movies there to shorten the turn around time. If I mail a movie back to Netflix on Saturday, they receive it Monday and ship the next one so I have it Tuesday.

What is the cost bt. Netflix and blockbuster? How much and how many u can rent at the same time?

They have different rates depending how many you want to keep at once. Check their links and you will find their rate plans.

http://www.netflix.com

http://www.blockbuster.com/online

Thx I found the rate for netflix but not blockbuster from the links. I like the $11/month from netflix with 1 tape at a time for unlimited. Does blockbuster have that rate or cheaper. If not I go with netflix.

Change your subscription now
Price: $9.991 at a time for $9.99

you will receive up to 1 DVDs at one time, plus one E-coupon per month for a free in-store movie rental.*
Price: $17.99 3 at a time for $17.99 a month

you will receive up to 3 DVDs at one time, plus one E-coupon per month for a free in-store movie rental.*
Price: $5.99 1 at a time limited, $5.99

you will receive 1 movie at a time, limit of 2 per month, plus one E-coupon per month for a free in-store movie rental.*
Price: $7.99 1 at a time limited, $7.99

you will receive 1 movie at a time, limit of 3 per month, plus one E-coupon per month for a free in-store movie rental.*
Price: $9.99 1 at a time for $9.99

you will receive up to 1 DVD at one time plus one ecoupon each month for a free in-store movie rental.
Price: $14.99 2 at a time for $14.99 a month

you will receive up to 2 DVDs at one time plus one E-coupon each month for a free in-store movie rental.*
Price: $23.99 4 at a time for $23.99 a month

you will receive up to 4 DVDs at one time plus one in-store coupon each month for a free in-store movie rental.*

There are several existing threads comparing the two sites. I would suggest a search and read up on those threads.

Change your subscription now
Price: $9.991 at a time for $9.99

you will receive up to 1 DVDs at one time, plus one E-coupon per month for a free in-store movie rental.*
Price: $17.99 3 at a time for $17.99 a month

you will receive up to 3 DVDs at one time, plus one E-coupon per month for a free in-store movie rental.*
Price: $5.99 1 at a time limited, $5.99

.....


i assume the prices u just give me is blockbuster, correct?

With netflix once you set it up that you have blu-ray they ship you movies in blu-ray and not dvd. With blockbuster from what i can see, you can choose blu-ray or the dvd version. I don't know if this matters, but for some who might be renting a movie that someone else in the house is going to only watch on a regular dvd player it might.

I prefer Blockbuster over Netflix for online rentals for obvious reasons. Blockbuster has a more complete selection and gives you a bonus coupon for local rentals. The biggest advantage with Blockbuster is that you can return your online movies to your local Blockbuster to be scanned in immediately which instantly shaves off a few days (or more) on shipping returns. I live about 700 ft from the nearest Blockbuster so it was a no brainer for me.

blockbuster has a more complete selection ? HUH ? not true :)

The local rental thing is a bonus .. if you want to drive and rent a movie which most of us using an online service dont .. but it is a bonus.

As far as shipping time .. again .. you obviously haven't used netflix .. its 1 day turnarounds. If i select movies today, I have them the next day (excluding sunday), i watch it put it in the mail and netflix has it back credited my account and shipped out the next movie the very next day.

i think the netflix is cheaper for me than blockbuster...i want the netflix $11/month, 1 dvd at a time for unlimited. i dont think blockbuster can't match them.

Netflix has a much larger selection than Blockbuster (at least for SD DVDs).

I have been with Netflix for 3 years. It used to be that if I sent some back on Fri. or Sat., I would receive my replacements on Tuesday.

Now, they have started to send them to me not from the local center but from all over the country. I live in the Chicago, Illinois area and they are sending disks from Wisconsin, Missouri, Texas, and California. It now takes 4 or 5 days to get a disk and 4 or 5 to return them. I think this is UNACCEPTABLE!!

I am now trying BlockBuster and they seem to be doing much better than Netflix. I will probably cancel my Netflix account.

ok i check blockbuster website again and it has the cheapest plan...$9.99/month, 1 dvd at a time for unlimited rentals. since i live in nyc, blockbuster is every, so i can quickly return it and rent more.

but one problem, i can't find any blu-ray movies in blockbuster website. can any1 give me the specific link for their blu-ray movies selection? thx in advance.

ok i check blockbuster website again and it has the cheapest plan...$9.99/month, 1 dvd at a time for unlimited rentals. since i live in nyc, blockbuster is every, so i can quickly return it and rent more.

but one problem, i can't find any blu-ray movies in blockbuster website. can any1 give me the specific link for their blu-ray movies selection? thx in advance.
Up top click on collections and you will see Blu-Ray DVD.

Those of you have rented Blu-Ray from Netflix, what shape are the discs in when they arrive. Are they scratched to hell like most of their SD DVDs?

Those of you have rented Blu-Ray from Netflix, what shape are the discs in when they arrive. Are they scratched to hell like most of their SD DVDs?


Mostly, I get them as they are released, so the only thing I have to do is get the paper dust off :D

For the ones that are not new, they have been in good shape. I do clean those to get fingerprints or whatever off before placing in my player.

I have been with Netflix for 3 years. It used to be that if I sent some back on Fri. or Sat., I would receive my replacements on Tuesday.

Now, they have started to send them to me not from the local center but from all over the country. I live in the Chicago, Illinois area and they are sending disks from Wisconsin, Missouri, Texas, and California. It now takes 4 or 5 days to get a disk and 4 or 5 to return them. I think this is UNACCEPTABLE!!


In the last 5 weeks (since I got my Panny), I have had that happen once. I rent an average of 3 BD's a week. I think with all the Blu-ray players coming out, they are having to guess on how many to stock for rental. I actually think they are doing very good :)

I'm on a heavy rental program (8 discs at a time) and I've received one disc that had an issue (ironically, a non-BRD movie).

I've tried Blockbuster but frankly did not find their site as easy to use. Your mileage may vary.

I've tried Blockbuster but frankly did not find their site as easy to use. Your mileage may vary.As a current Blockbuster online subscriber, I must admit that their website is quite poorly designed. Their sort functions are extremely limited, so limited in fact that they have absolutely no functionality or purpose. You cannot arrange the titles by release date or title name and are instead limited to their jumbled free for all arrangement.

The Blockbuster website was not always so dysfunctional. They recently upgraded their website to this "new and improved" format, which is where all the confusion began.

For now, the best way to find your movie is to browse the AVS HD DVD & Blu-Ray coming soon page and then manually type the title of the movie in the search field of the Blockbuster website.

so if u are able to navigate the website...blockbuster should be a better deal for me huh?

blockbuster should be a better deal for me huh?

you've got the prices etc and no one knows you better than you...maybe I don't understand the question

True. Blockbuster it is.

http://www.blockbuster.com/bluray click link on that page to see titles.

I like Blockbuster. The coupons won my business (every once in a while I like to browse or get the a movie on day of release).

The return to store that triggers immediate shipment and another in store movie is icing on the cake. A lot of icing. I can't watch them fast enough and I only have 1 DVD plan.

mswlogo: how many coupons do they offer a month?

and when u return a movie to a store, it will trigger another shipment PLUS another store movie (since store go no blu-ray, then u have to borrow a dvd then)? so that mean u can rent a blu-ray from online and a dvd from a store at t the same time for the price of 1 dvd plan? correct?

if so, i will jump with blockbuster now!!! btw when is the store rental due?

My brother likes Blockbuster due to the in store coupons and I think he has some sort of plan where he can rent games too but I live 30 mins from the nearest blockbuster so I go with netflix....if you take the local store advantage that blockbuster has then netflix wins....if you have a local store close then blockbuster wins.

Might depend on where you live and where the shipping wharehouses are as well.

Ok I just signed up blockbuster online yesterday basically for blu-ray movie. I added about 27 movies in the queue. My first choice was ice age the meltown, then another 2nd movie, and another 3rd movie, and finally my 4th movie was MI:3.

Now blockbuster said in order to ship any movie I choose, it said it has to be "available." Other movies that was way down on my queue either said "short wait" , "long wait", and "very long wait". But the top 4 movies that I saw it was available yesterday and today. Well when I checked the status this afternoon to see what movie they ship me. They shipped me MI:3 (my 4th choice)! I said wtf. I wanted to call their online services but couldn't find a 800 # for their online service. Maybe they don't have one cuz of complains like mine.

If blockbuster keep up service like this. I think I may switch my online blu-ray rental with netflix instead!

If blockbuster keep up service like this. I think I may switch my online blu-ray rental with netflix instead!

In the last week, Netflix has gotten just as bad. And their CS just sends form letters when I ask why. Netflix was just as bad with regular DVD's years ago, until they started getting their new release inventories up. Maybe all the rental companies will will get better with Blu-ray as they realise a lot of players are being sold.

In the last week, Netflix has gotten just as bad. And their CS just sends form letters when I ask why. Netflix was just as bad with regular DVD's years ago, until they started getting their new release inventories up. Maybe all the rental companies will will get better with Blu-ray as they realise a lot of players are being sold.


they said my mi:3 should arrive on 12/2 sat. let see how good they keep their promise.

divedue: u said netflix just gotten just as bad. bad like how?

I used to have Netflix and I also used to have Blockbuster. Netflix was much slower at the time than Blockbuster was when I got them, but I think Netflix was only shipping from California at the time. I don't know if Netflix has improved, but I would guess they have. I just signed up for a free trial and I did it through Blockbuster, but they're new site sucks. I like the way they used to do it better. Either one is great and both have a lot of movies. If you have a blockbuster close to you then I'd go with blockbuster. Otherwise, navigate the sites and see which one seems better to you. It's all personal choice.

The best thing Blockbuster can do is get BD movies into their retail locations. They are doing this now in a few select stores. I believe within 6 mos. they will be available in all stores.

Another vote for Blockbuster. Stop lying and look up the Blu-Ray and HDDVD collections on BB and Netflix and you will see that Netflix cant hold a candle to BB. Also NF downthrottles your mailouts.

Former Netflix user too.

The only advantage of Netflix is in SDDVD. Also i absolutely agree that their critiques and commentaries are much better written, at a professional level.

NF downthrottles your mailouts.

I am a former SD-DVD Netflix customer and they started this cr@p about downthrottling. So, I quite their service.

I plan to sign up for BB online for BDs when I get my PS3.

I do Netflix 3 at a time for like $19 per month. HD-DVD only. But I can rent DVD or Blue also. There is no restriction on format. Just can't afford Blue and don't like most of the flix.

I just counted about 146 HD-DVD movies on Netflix. A few of those aren't out yet. Amazon shows 121 HD-DVD movies available today, 154 including pre-sales. So it looks like Netflix about has 'em all.

They usually ship from a nearby location. From time to time I will get one from the West coast, usually with an apology. They do their best to use a location near the customer.
In just about every case, when I send a disc back it arrives the next day. Frankly I don't know how they do it so fast.

I have kept a movie for as long as three weeks and never had a complaint from them. I know that sounds absurd but I'm almost too busy to watch TV.

Remember, this is a developing technology for the rental folks as well as the rest of us.
Their performance with Blue Ray product may be different.

-Byrd

blockbuster doesn't have any restriction either and no due date. plus a free movie everytime u return one to the store...so basically the price of one for two.

so what's ur point here?

they said my mi:3 should arrive on 12/2 sat. let see how good they keep their promise.

divedue: u said netflix just gotten just as bad. bad like how?

When they show movies are available and the next day show them as being a short wait. And then that short wait gets even longer when they don't have them at the local distribution center and send them from the other end of the country. I am sure the problem is the increased demand for Blu-ray movies. But when I have movies in queue for several weeks and they don't have enough copies on release date, they are not keeping up with demand. I have been with Netflix since they started and am disappointed. :(

I just got MI:3 today fri...they said it would arrive tomorrow. But I got it today. So I guess blockbuster is fast.

Well, I signed up for BB Online and I printed out my free e-coupon so I can go to a local Blockbuster to rent a Blu-Ray disc. Turns out, NONE of my local blockbusters carry Blu-Ray. One of the stores said they had some titles for about a week, but then the corporate office asked them to box them up and send them back in. That's crappy!

Now I have to wait for some to arrive in the mail. I still plan to return my Blu-Ray discs to these local stores, but it looks like I won't be taking advantage of using the envelope to rent more movies at the B&M stores. :(

So what just rent a DVD movie that isn't available on blu-ray.

Can u use the coupons to rent ps3 games in the store. And why are u using the coupon? i though when u return the blu-ray mail in to the store, it acts as a coupon?

So what just rent a DVD movie that isn't available on blu-ray.
Eh. I've got better things to do than watch SD-DVDs. :p

Can u use the coupons to rent ps3 games in the store.
No. I wish.

And why are u using the coupon? i though when u return the blu-ray mail in to the store, it acts as a coupon?
I just signed up last night. So, my Blu-Ray discs won't get mailed out until Mon. i wouldn't receive them until Tues. I don't have any to return to the store. Even still, you can print out 1 additional coupon a month ON TOP of the movies you get for returning a disc to the store. So, there are three ways to rent movies for the single subscription price:
The tradition list online that gets snail mailed to you.
Return an online rental to the store and you get to pick from the stores library. This method also triggers a new mailout from the online store.
One print-out coupon per month.

If you are still hard up for a movie, something is wrong. ;)

BB online makes it a total chore to find their pricing. The only thing I've been able to find is $17.99 for 3 out at a time, is that the only plan they have available?

Eh. I've got better things to do than watch SD-DVDs. :p


No. I wish.


I just signed up last night. So, my Blu-Ray discs won't get mailed out until Mon. i wouldn't receive them until Tues. I don't have any to return to the store. Even still, you can print out 1 additional coupon a month ON TOP of the movies you get for returning a disc to the store. So, there are three ways to rent movies for the single subscription price:
The tradition list online that gets snail mailed to you.
Return an online rental to the store and you get to pick from the stores library. This method also triggers a new mailout from the online store.
One print-out coupon per month.

If you are still hard up for a movie, something is wrong. ;)

cool...i wonder if i can try to negotiate with them like saving a one monthly coupon plus the blu-ray movie coupon and ask them if i can rent a ps3 game instead of 2 movies?

BB online makes it a total chore to find their pricing. The only thing I've been able to find is $17.99 for 3 out at a time, is that the only plan they have available?

it is on their front home page...click on try the bb online 2 weeks free trial link...then it will bring u to a page with their pricing.

Also, do a google search for BlockBuster Online Coupon Code. You will get coupons for a full month trial instead of two weeks. :)

cool...i wonder if i can try to negotiate with them like saving a one monthly coupon plus the blu-ray movie coupon and ask them if i can rent a ps3 game instead of 2 movies?

Good luck with that. I don't think it will work as PS3 games are not on the plan, but if it does, let me know.

vincentnyc make your own decision, sign up with both services and pick which one floats your boat...it was a no brainer for me...BLOCKBUSTER was better and now even more better with their new policy. ;)

The local rental thing is a bonus .. if you want to drive and rent a movie which most of us using an online service dont .. but it is a bonus.

As far as shipping time .. again .. you obviously haven't used netflix .. its 1 day turnarounds. If i select movies today, I have them the next day (excluding sunday), i watch it put it in the mail and netflix has it back credited my account and shipped out the next movie the very next day.

I was a Netflix customer from their opening until I quit in 2003. At the time, they were starting to display the behavior that eventually got them sued: delaying shipments.

Example: I'd get 3 discs on Friday, watch them, and then put them back in the mail on Monday. On Tuesday I'd get a notice that they got one DVD back. On Tuesday I'd get a notice that they received one of the other DVD's back, and on Wednesday I'd receive a note saying that they got the third DVD back, even though the were put in the same mailbox and were all going to the same destination, and when I started renting they would all show as being received on the same day. Did I mention that I lived less than 5 miles from the Netflix distribution center for my city and was served out of the same Post Office?

Anyway, I signed up again now that I'm an HD junkie, and I started having problems right after the trial period was up. Similar to the scenario above, I returned two movies on Monday, and I received an e-mail at 8:30 AM the next day saying they were received. I checked the queue on my Netflix account, and it showed that my next two movies (one BD and one SD DVD) were both available and would ship that day (Tuesday). Two days later I got a notice that they would be shipping from other distribution points and that they would be here on Saturday. I understand that sometimes discs aren't available from certain distribution centers, but to have it say that they were available and then not have them shipped until 48 hours later was agitating.

Unfortunately, my local Blockbusters don't have BD or HD DVD movies, even though we're in the middle of a bunch of affluent neighborhoods with lots of disposable incomes and most new homes come standard with dedicated theater space. If they had BD or HD DVD titles at Blockbuster, I'd be all over that like a duck on a junebug, because the ability to check in my movies and rent from the store for no additional fees is very, very convenient.

vincentnyc make your own decision, sign up with both services and pick which one floats your boat...it was a no brainer for me...BLOCKBUSTER was better and now even more better with their new policy. ;)

i already sign up with blockbuster cuz i can return my movie to store and they will mark it and ship the next one instead of me mailing in my movie and wait. plus 1 free rental everytime u return a movie. it was a no brainer.

The problem is that the free movies from the store are SD. We'll see how long it takes to get Blu-Ray into the B&M stores.

ok just return my blu-ray movie to a blockbuster store. i proceed to rent 2 free movies from the mail-in and montly coupons.

at the checkout...i asked the clerk when will my next movie arrive from my queue? she said maybe next day...she said she have to shipped them back first. i was like wtf...i though she would enter into the computer system saying i return the movie and the next movie was ready to shipped out. but now...she said she have to shipped it back to them first and then my next movie would arrive. i logged into blockbuster online and i dont see a status saying my movie was return? if this is the case...i may as well forget about the free in-stores rental and ship the movie back myself!!!

ok just return my blu-ray movie to a blockbuster store. i proceed to rent 2 free movies from the mail-in and montly coupons.

at the checkout...i asked the clerk when will my next movie arrive from my queue? she said maybe next day...she said she have to shipped them back first. i was like wtf...i though she would enter into the computer system saying i return the movie and the next movie was ready to shipped out. but now...she said she have to shipped it back to them first and then my next movie would arrive. i logged into blockbuster online and i dont see a status saying my movie was return? if this is the case...i may as well forget about the free in-stores rental and ship the movie back myself!!!

It depends what time it is. It will be shipped out from the online store immediately before the old one is shipped back. So even if they don't have blu-ray in the store you turn around movies quicker. There is no dependency on the ship back time when you return to the store.

It depends what time it is. It will be shipped out from the online store immediately before the old one is shipped back. So even if they don't have blu-ray in the store you turn around movies quicker. There is no dependency on the ship back time when you return to the store.

then why did she said she have to mail my movie back first? and why is my online status didn't say my movie has return to the store?

and why is there like only about 95 different movie for blu-ray for blockbuster? does netflix have more than that? i think superman and blackhawk is out already for blu-ray and i dont see it for blockbuster selections. dont tell me netflix have them...if they do...i think i will switch to netflix.

Those of you have rented Blu-Ray from Netflix, what shape are the discs in when they arrive. Are they scratched to hell like most of their SD DVDs?
Blu-rays don't scratch. Every disc I've received has been pristine.

Perhaps the Holiday Shipping demands (Christmas cards, anyone?) in addition to the release of ps3/hd add-on have contributed to Netflix delays in recent weeks.

Even if they anticipated a greater demand for titles, the postal system is running a lot more envelopes these days.

Send your Netflix complaints to this guy, that's what I did last week:

Reed Hastings
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Netflix
100 Winchester Circle
Los Gatos, CA 95032

Netflix has done it again, they put The Flight of the Phoenix in wait state. They are just too cheap to order enough copies for initial release. :mad:

Well, I just found out today that the monthly free in-store coupon for Blockbuster Online can be used to rent GAMES!!! I'm off to rent a PS3 game for FREE! Beat that Netflix!

what??????????????????? u serious..that the monthly in-store coupon..u can use it to free blockbuster games?

they told me u need a game pass 2 weeks ago when i ask about using the return blu-ray movie and the monthly in-store rental.

oh snap..i just log into my blockbuster account online and it does said the monthly coupon now said "Movie or Game Rental E-Coupon"

but can u also use the return blu-ray movie for free game rental also?

Actually, no. It's the monthly coupon only.

when did they started for the monthly coupon? cuz i tried to use the monthly coupon to rent game 2 weeks ago..they said no..that i need a game pass.

when did they started for the monthly coupon? cuz i tried to use the monthly coupon to rent game 2 weeks ago..they said no..that i need a game pass.

A few days ago.

I like to keep up to date on HD DVD and BD (even though I only own the HD-A1 right now) and saw this. I want to be able to help out anyone if I can from making the same mistake I did with Netflix.

Their turnaround time is unbelieveable during your free trial memebership. Once you begin paying, if you want new releases, forget about it. It could take them weeks just to send the movie to you even if it's the only one in your queue. It's called throttling when they intentionally don't ship you the movies when they have them in stock. It's called fraud and deceptive trade practices when they lure you into a contract without mentioning that they don't have enough copies of the discs to meet the demand for their customers. It's also called stupidity when you don't have the discs to meet demands, yet you've obviously spent millions making commercials for broadcast television. Finally, it's called incompetence when you you send out a disc to a customer that looks like it's been worked over with 80 grit sandpaper and blame it on the U.S. Post Office (yeah, they probably removed the disc, rubbed it on some asphalt and then magically got it back into the packaging without me being able to tell). I think it's much more likely that they frequently turn discs around with little to no inspection of the condition.

If possible, find a brick and mortar location to buy/rent and save yourself a bunch of trouble. Then pray (like me) that soon all movies are readily available for affordable, HD internet download.

I know that I've had really good luck with not having scratches on Blu-ray discs I've rented. It seems to me this hard coating is working like a charm.

They usually ship from a nearby location. From time to time I will get one from the West coast, usually with an apology. They do their best to use a location near the customer.


Sorry, this isn't specifically a Blu-ray comment, but it seemed relevant.

I use Blockbuster because of the 2 coupons/month for in-store rental of movies or games and have been satisfied for the most part with their service and selection (SD-DVD only so-far).

But it seems that Blockbuster will NOT ship a movie that is in short supply if it is not available at your nearby locations (unlike debyrd's report for Netflix). I have had one particular movie listed #1 on my list for over a year, it is usually listed as "available" in my queue, and I have yet to see it arrive. I even tried removing all other films from my queue for a couple of weeks to try to force shipment, and they still didn't mail it despite it being listed as "available". I have contacted Blockbuster customer service several times over the last year about this, and their response has basically been "Tough luck". Netflix would seem to have the advantage here.

quick questions...when u return a blockbuster online movie rental to a bb store...and they scan the return the movie...shouldn't that trigger an automatic on bb system to send me my next movie in my queue? well that's what the bb dude told me.

anyway, i return a movie on sunday afternoon. didnt get an email on monday around 8 pm saying it won't get my movie until this thurs..but i think it will get it today based on my past experience from the 2 week free trial (my 2 week trial just ended last week...so maybe it has something to do with this).

my question is....is the bb store computer system really link to the online bb system? cuz when i return movie to different store...they always ask for my current credit card #. i told them i already get the most recent one to a store...but they said...all the bb store computer data aren't being shared? if that is the cased...htf..is the store bb computer link to the online bb system..maybe when they scan it...they know to ship my next movie right away? i'm thinking they are lying to me...and just wait till the movie is shipped back..then once they recieved it..they send me next one?

and i dont remember it takes this long for me to recieve my next movie...i think mabye since my free trial is over (since they want u as a customer, they tried to serve u first compare to the paying customer). what do u guys think of my conspiracy theory?

..maybe when they scan it...they know to ship my next movie right away? i'm thinking they are lying to me...and just wait till the movie is shipped back..then once they recieved it..they send me next one?


When they scan it it triggers the next movie to process. The email you got on Monday was from the movie being scanned on Sunday (they don't process on weekends). You will get another email when the disk actually gets back to the DC (which usually takes a couple of days). So it is speeding up the shipping of your next movie.

well...all the blu-ray movie i recieved so far is from flushing, queens (for all non-nyc, that is another borough). y did it tell me i should expect my movie on thurs? does it take 3 days to reach me from nyc to nyc? i would have expect the movie yesterday...but not on thurs.

well...all the blu-ray movie i recieved so far is from flushing, queens (for all non-nyc, that is another borough). y did it tell me i should expect my movie on thurs? does it take 3 days to reach me from nyc to nyc? i would have expect the movie yesterday...but not on thurs.

It may be coming from a different DC? All movies from my local DC (Chicago) show 2 day shipping time (although they sometimes show up in 1). If I get one from a different DC (which is happening a lot lately), it shows 3 days (and once 4 day - from California). I also got one from New York last week. The shipping from distant DCs seems to be happening more with the new releases.

I like to keep up to date on HD DVD and BD (even though I only own the HD-A1 right now) and saw this. I want to be able to help out anyone if I can from making the same mistake I did with Netflix.

Their turnaround time is unbelieveable during your free trial memebership. Once you begin paying, if you want new releases, forget about it. It could take them weeks just to send the movie to you even if it's the only one in your queue. It's called throttling when they intentionally don't ship you the movies when they have them in stock. It's called fraud and deceptive trade practices when they lure you into a contract without mentioning that they don't have enough copies of the discs to meet the demand for their customers. It's also called stupidity when you don't have the discs to meet demands, yet you've obviously spent millions making commercials for broadcast television. Finally, it's called incompetence when you you send out a disc to a customer that looks like it's been worked over with 80 grit sandpaper and blame it on the U.S. Post Office (yeah, they probably removed the disc, rubbed it on some asphalt and then magically got it back into the packaging without me being able to tell). I think it's much more likely that they frequently turn discs around with little to no inspection of the condition.

If possible, find a brick and mortar location to buy/rent and save yourself a bunch of trouble. Then pray (like me) that soon all movies are readily available for affordable, HD internet download.


I AGREE WITH YOU COMPLETELY ! ! !

Ok. So far I didn't get any movie today. It did say on the email that I was supposed to receive a movie tomorrow thurs. But during my 2 free week trial with blockbuster. It seems all the movie came a day faster.

I'm gonna see if I get my movie tomorrow. If not, I may have to consider cancelling my subscription with bb and go with netflix.

I dropped off my first movie at the store Wednesday and the BB employee said it would be flagged as returned as soon as he scanned it.

I didn't get the email showing it was returned until late Saturday (and my online account didn't show it as returned until then either). It's now the next Thursday and none of the 5 movies in my queue have been sent out yet.

It's too bad, they shipped MI:3 HD (which is a bit hard to find currently) on the first day of my trial.

yeah...mi:3 was number 4 in my queue and they send that movie as my first movie.

i think they want to get u hook the first 2 weeks.

Too bad you guys didn't use the one month free trial code.

I hate Blockbuster, I'm thinkin of cancelling it. Lady in the water and Devil Wears Prada are still listed as "Coming Soon" in my queue. This seems to be more common latley with the half the titles listed as "Coming Soon".

I think blockbuster is very much aware of what they are doing...I'm only with them because I can rent 6 movies per week for $18 but i'm rethinking the benefits. I might be forced to switch back to netfilix soon.

I switched from netflix a couple of weeks ago and everything seemed fine with my 2 week trial, the 3rd week I added about 80 movies to my queue and arranged them in the order that i wanted to watch them (2 blu-ray movies and 1 regular dvd). Now, I was very much aware that there would be times that movies will not be in stock and the queue might change but I wasn't aware that movies that show as available will be skipped over and over again.

Starting 3 weeks ago, they skipped my first 3 movies and shipped me the 7, 8, and 9th on the list. However, 1-6 were still showing availability so I emailed them and was given a canned email, I replied back and said i didn't want a canned email, I wanted someone to answer my questions...they answered the question by rewording the canned email. Last week, 2, 4, 6 shipped and I decided to just forget about contacting them all together and stop spending so much time on shuffling the queue. This week, 2 movies shipped instead of the 3 i'm paying for...I got furious and email them again. I let them know ahead of time not to copy and paste answers from the FAQ's, I needed an answer...I had over 70 movies in my queue so unless 68 of them are out of stock, then blockbuster is ripping me off (mind you my previous 3 rentals have been returned and credited on my queue).

They offered me another coupon for my trouble and forwarded my email to another department for further investigation. If this happens again next week, then forget about the free in-store rentals, I'll go back to netflix.

Of course my 3rd movie shipped today but guess what? Not in order, I have 3 other movies (1-3) on the queue that could have shipped but they somehow decided to ship movie number 4 whiles 1-3 are still showing available. I think their system is flawed...they might

I think that the BR/HDDVD portion of both sites will become more robust as as HD demand dictates. Obviously, it's all about the dollars. I also believe that Blockbuster will try to kick the poop out of Netflix, as Netflix will out of Blockbuster. Ultimately, it is that "smack-down" that will reward me with better stuff and may even entice me to change services. But for now, I am really happy with Netflix.

I have been using Netflix since November of 1999. I find the most attractive things about Netflix are the depth of titles, the ability to rank taste on a pretty realistic scale, relatively accurate predictive suggestions (i have rated about 2500 titles to date, which seem to render the Netflix predictions highly accurate) and fast delivery times.

In terms of negative experience over the past 72+ months, three discs were lost, two arrived broken and about 20 or so wouldn't play. Of that 20, only four refused to play after they were washed, which is much better luck than i have at local rental outlets. Few discs have taken longer than a day to reach me (since Netflix opened a distribution facility about 40 miles away), and only about six or eight of those were over three days.

I have purchased the 4 disc package monthly for the last six years and go through about 4-8 discs per week. While I have yet to test it, I suspect that the limit with my subscription and my proximity to a distribution hub is around 30-35 per month, if I work my schedule, que and the mail properly.

One thing I can attest to with absolute certainty is that unless I am proactive about managing the discs I want to see, I never get the titles I want when I want them. I suspect the same is true for Blockbuster Online. When I started with Netflix, my que was kept at 50 titles and I never got a new release. So I tried looking at pre-release data, loading my "Saved" portion of the que with desired titles as soon as they either hit the theater or were available on the Netflix site to select. That activity gave me a long wait time prior to the release date and kept me from forgetting when they would be available. Currently, I keep zero titles qued that are not listed as available "Now." Most of the time, I simply add titles, as I want them with respect to their availability. If they aren't immediately available, I delete them from the list and go on to another choice. Kind of like walking the isles at Blockbuster, only in my jammies. With rare exception, as long as my que isn't clogged with other, easier to ship titles, I get what I want, when I want it.

Blockbuster expanding their service to include on-site drop off was and effort to differentiate their offering from Netflix, and from a customer service point of view, is a great benefit. Not too long ago, Blockbuster made over half of its revenues on late fees and seemed perfectly happy with that as an ongoing business model. From what I remember, Netflix was started in response to just that process and offered "Unlimited Rentals with No Late Fees" which had a clearly understandable benefit.

Obviously, only in a theoretical sense is the service unlimited and without late fees. By positioning late fees as a punitive activity, while having the promise of an unlimited number of movies for a low cost and the convenience of a PC and a mailbox, their offer attracted an audience. Automobile dealers do sort of the same thing by promising to sell "below actual invoice," which is true as far as the generally understood definition of an invoice is concerned- taking the risk that none of their customers get too miffed when they connect the dots and mentally reconcile that running huge facilities and lots of inventory is not possible by losing money in volume. Or the big home improvement centers who advertise double the difference if you can find a lower price on a recognizable, widely available product, manufactured with a part number unique to that chain. Many businesses today operate with an "angle" driven strategy, giving some sort of unheard of value proposition. But when looked at for what they are, rarely is a free lunch included.

The metrics used to be, get in the car drive to the theater watch a movie. Then they changed to get in car, drive to a store, rent a movie, watch a movie-get back in the car drive back to the store and return the movie. Now, it's sit on your butt, click a box, walk to mailbox, watch movie, walk back to mailbox. Soon it will be click, then watch a movie. Then, I guess something like "I bid 20 quatloos ..." I couldn't be happier.

To comment on the blockbuster on-site free rentals, I was thinking about why and how they could give out a free movie every time you returned an online movie rental to the store, comes down to this.

1. The post office is notorious for breaking and losing these dvd
2. A lot of renters never return the movies and claim they did

So blockbuster encouraging people to return the movies to the store reduce their lost which makes a lot of sense.

I should also mention that, I returned one of the in-store rentals a day late and I was told it was late so they charged me $3.25. So, I say to the cashier: "didn't blockbuster get rid of late fees?" She say's : it was re-introduced. Never heard of it being re-introduced so I paid the late fee and left. A day later, I was reading the back of the receipt and it states that there is no additional charge if a rental is 7 days late after the pre-paid due date so I called them back and the manager tells me he's never heard of that, there's no such thing as a grace period so I asked him to get a receipt and read the back to me...he did and tried to tell me the english was wrong...I told him that's their fault, I didn't write it. He tried to argue for about five minutes and gave up...last thing he said was "I can't fight this, the receipt clearly gives a 7 day grace period". So i'm getting a refund the next time i visit the store.

In case this happens to someone, you know what to do.

The reenactment of late fees is too bad, but not surprising to me. I suppose it would be difficult to look at your bottom line, after the late fee line item has been so prominent for so long and not see it there. Online currently is not what Blockbuster is strong at. They are a very successful B&M business and understand that really well. Witness the small number of independents left after the Blockbuster juggernaut of the last decade or two.

My opinion is Blockbusters genius was realizing that if they gave an extra couple of rental days to the consumer, that "benefit" would result in additional rental revenues in the form of late fees, because the renter may forget when it was actually due.

When videos were first available to rent, they were due back the next day. Pretty easy to remember that. Blockbuster took it up a couple of notches though, with their five day rentals that aren't due back until noon on the seventh day, unless the sixth day falls on the vernal equinox. I suspect that by careful analysis, they determined that a discs rental frequency was less profitable than if it was kept and returned late with the associated fees. And what better way to encourage people forget than by letting a low priority item fade from memory over time. Add to that the complexity of the return language, and viola, 50% late fees. Now add the variable of having a separate set of rules for the discs rented online and walked in. Masterful.

The last time I rented from Hastings while visiting in Montana, they had a return structure similar to Blockbuster, but gave you a credit back if the disc was returned the next day. While they are not exactly the same type of store, they were jammed when I was there, Blockbuster was empty.

There is no "reenactment" of late fees. The story, if true, only tells us about an ignorant Blockbuster employee at that particular location. Do not extrapolate one incident to a new policy. I am guilty of sometimes intentionally keeping the movies and especially games past so called due dates. And not once was I charged anything extra.
If I had doubts before choosing between Blockbuster and NetFlix, now I am absolutely certain that there is hardly any competing rental plan that can beat my Blockbuster plan: about $18 per month for 3 movie at a time, two in-store coupons for movies and games (and yes, they already carry Wii and PS3 games), plus this newly introduced Total Access. Nothing beats it.

Just got my movie today. So I guess they kept their words. But I'm still unhappy that I got the movie today instead of wed. Which mean I can only rent 1 movie one week since I'm gonna return it tomorrow and I won't be receiving my next queue until either next Monday or tues.

I remember renting 2 movies from the queue each week from my 2 free week trial. If they keeping this up. I will have to go to netflix.

I disagree with all the negative experiences stated above with Netflix. I have been using Netflix for at least 2 years and have had very, very few delays in getting movies through the mail. Typically, I can mail back a movie on Monday, it's received by Netflix on Tuesday, and I receive a new movie on Wednesday (maybe 10-20% of the time it takes an extra day, i.e. 3 days instead of 2 days for total turn-around time). In addition, I usually get brand new releases mailed to me on MOnday or Tuesday of the release week (no delay there either). Maybe it depends on where you live and how far you are from one of their warehouses.

I didn't read the entire thread so some of this may not be new.

My Experience:

I've had the $18, 3-at-a-time plan from both Blockbuster and Netflix for over a year.

Netflix
1. Better selection
2. Faster shipping
3. Cleaner DVDs
4. Better service

Blockbuster
1. 2-extra movie OR game, in-store rentals/month
2. Local store is less than a mile
3. DVDs in generally poorer condition, more unplayables than Netflix, though still not many
4. Service was terrible, but has gotten much better. Last situation (happened, somewhat understandably just when they began their new program) was handled very well.

I had come to a decision to drop Blockbuster a few months back. I told the clerk at my local store this and he said to wait a day, they are sweetening the deal. Sure enough the following day, I received an email that they had come out with their new program that slaughters Netflix in sheer value, if you happen to live fairly close to a store.

When I'm done with an online rental, I take it back to the store and they ship the next round immediately, rather than waiting for them to return to the online hub via the mail. And as a bonus, they give me one free in-store rental for each one I bring in! This effectively more than doubles the amount of movies for the same dollar.

On top of all of this, because I signed up so long a go, I get to keep the 2-bonus in-store DVD rental OR GAME rental coupons/month. The game coupon deal has not been offered to new members for quite some time.

And don't forget the "No more late fees" policy at Blockbuster. Out of a sense of responsibility I rarely abuse it, but I have used it and it's great!

It seems clear that Blockbuster is on a mission to bury their competition which is unfortunate, but that's business.

Given these facts there was only one conclusion. I begrudgingly sacrificed the better quality of Netflix, for the Corporate Monster that is Blockbuster.

For anyone interested in online rental, the discussion posted at this address is quite interesting, especially with regard to one online rental giant's view of BR & HDDVD. Even more interesting is the projected time frame for HD rental parity with DVD:

http://internet.seekingalpha.com/article/19046

I've been on BlockBuster for a year and they are pretty good.

My biggest complaint is finding what is the popular recent releases.

They just have one list that is huge (still has Crash at the top).

They should have a way of filtering out movies you've seen and rated low.

With the new return to store program it's a really good deal. I only have the 9.99 plan yet I have 3 mobies in my hand. 1 Coupon, 1 Return for Movie and 1 Sent. I can't want them fast enough.

I've had 3-4 BD movies on the top of my list (not recent releases either) for a couple weeks, nothing has shown up yet.

The DVD's do take a beating from the thin sleeves shipped in postal mail (I'm sure Netflix is the same). They are MUCH more scracthed up than in store rentals. I hope BD/HD-DVD can handle the scratches or it could kill HD/BD or NetFlix/BlockBuster or both.

The DVD's do take a beating from the thin sleeves shipped in postal mail (I'm sure Netflix is the same). They are MUCH more scracthed up than in store rentals. I hope BD/HD-DVD can handle the scratches or it could kill HD/BD or NetFlix/BlockBuster or both.

I haven't had any scratches that messed with the movie on BD via Blockbuster Online yet.

To comment on the blockbuster on-site free rentals, I was thinking about why and how they could give out a free movie every time you returned an online movie rental to the store, comes down to this.

1. The post office is notorious for breaking and losing these dvd
2. A lot of renters never return the movies and claim they did

So blockbuster encouraging people to return the movies to the store reduce their lost which makes a lot of sense.



Do you know what Netflix' single largest uncontrollable cost is? Shipping. This is why Blockbuster wants you to return the movies to their stores and not via the mail.

I've had 3-4 BD movies on the top of my list (not recent releases either) for a couple weeks, nothing has shown up yet.

So far, I've had no problems with my new Netflix account. All I'm renting now is BD and HD-DVD titles except for movies that don't appear on anything but DVD. I usually get them shipped the next day, and all the estimations for movies shipped from non-local DCs have been longer than the actual shipping time, which has made me a happy camper. I put two movies in the mailbox at the local post office on Wednesday and got new movies today.

The DVD's do take a beating from the thin sleeves shipped in postal mail (I'm sure Netflix is the same). They are MUCH more scracthed up than in store rentals. I hope BD/HD-DVD can handle the scratches or it could kill HD/BD or NetFlix/BlockBuster or both.

Every BD I've received from Netflix has been flawless. No scratches at all, even on some that have beat up/worn sleeves. The protective coating is really working quite well. You can clean a BD discs with a soft cloth and not leave any of the faint scratches that are always left behind on CDs and DVDs. My HD DVD choices have been in decent shape, but appear to have more wear on them.

Do you know what Netflix' single largest uncontrollable cost is? Shipping. This is why Blockbuster wants you to return the movies to their stores and not via the mail.

I was wondering about that. I figured they were just trying to entice you into the store so you would rent more than you might otherwise want, but, at the same time, I wouldn't think many people would if they can already get 3 for just bringin in their 3 mailers. Blockbuster must box up the daily catch and send 'em back to the neerest hub, eh? I'll have to ask them next time I'm in.

I can only think of one DVD out of hundreds that were damaged during shipping.

The Blu-ray discs I have received from Netflix have been flawless as well and must be due to the protective coating.

Until Blockbuster starts stocking Blu-ray titles in my local store, I will have to deal with Netflix's infamous down-throttling. I am getting Ant Bully from Phoenix because I returned Stargate the day after I received it.

In typical Netflix fashion, it is always a west coast facility from which the movie is shipped such as Tacoma, San Jose and now Phoenix. I can't wait for Blockbuster to stock this format in my local store.

I went to my local Hollywood Video and they had a small section of High Def dvds...Mostly all blue-ray with just a couple of HD DVDs,but 95% was all Blu-Ray...gee I wonder if PS3 has anything to do with it. heheh

I went to my local Hollywood Video and they had a small section of High Def dvds...Mostly all blue-ray with just a couple of HD DVDs,but 95% was all Blu-Ray...gee I wonder if PS3 has anything to do with it. heheh

Never fear. There should be a troll over here any minute now to explain why the PS3 is insignificant and has nothing to do with this. :D

Do you know what Netflix' single largest uncontrollable cost is? Shipping. This is why Blockbuster wants you to return the movies to their stores and not via the mail.

I asked the girl at the Blockbuster counter about the shipping sitch the other night. She said they just throw 'em in the mailbox.

For those of you who use Blockbuster, how long does it normally take for the movie you return to the store to clear your online queue?

Well I just joined BB Online and first movie sent was Little Man on Blu-Ray. I stuck it in my ps3 and it just wouldn't read. I look at the bottom, and the disc was cracked! They are sending a replacement disc soon. I'll just head to the BB store to get a movie in store with the coupon.

I'm getting pretty fed up with BB Online now. Take a look at my queue. They aren't sending me anything because nothing is "available".

http://www.smokinlights.net/images/Forum_Sigs/bb_online.jpg

yup ckenisell, im having the same problem too...most of my blu-ray movies selections are NOT "available."

if i were bb...i better start ordering more blu-ray copies...otherwise..i will have to cancel my subscription.

You guys gotta remember that the hidef movies are a big non-factor to BB and Netflix. If nobody rented the ones they bought, they wouldn't notice (bottom-line-wise). I'm just glad all the titles are available to rent, even with a wait. They buy quantity based on demand.

larry

I have been very fortunate with Netflix in that, with one exception, all of my Blu-ray selections have been in stock and shipped at once.

Yeah. I think I'm switching to Netflix even though I told myself I wouldn't and I won't be getting the in-store swap or once-a-month-game.

You guys gotta remember that the hidef movies are a big non-factor to BB and Netflix. If nobody rented the ones they bought, they wouldn't notice (bottom-line-wise). I'm just glad all the titles are available to rent, even with a wait. They buy quantity based on demand.

larry

I disagree. A buck's a buck to a corporation where every penny looks good to the shareholders. They're battling Netflix pretty hard these days and I bet you'll see a change before too long. This is about getting customers in on the ground floor of new technology. If they don't start satisfying the HD/BD folks, they're going to jump ship and tell 2 friends. Then they'll tell 2 friends. And so on, and so on.

Remember, every HD/BD disc they ship is one less DVD they had to stock to keep the old timers happy and I'm guessing their costs are pretty close. At the very least they should have new release inventory.

Bottom line? They'd better clean up their act.

I am a member of Blockbuster, and they have been screwing me lateley. I have a PS3, and only want Bluray movies. Well, those of you who are BB online members may realize how difficult it is to find/order Bluray movies. The link is hidden deep on their website (the only way I can easily find it is to google Blockbuster + Bluray...annoying). So I add 12 movies from the Bluray section. So far, 3 out of the 5 movies I received were NOT Bluray versions. Very annoying (it clearly says Bluray on my Que). I don't know what's going on at BB.

So I signed up with netflix as well. I like how they have dedicated Bluray and HD-DVD sections on the right side of their page. So far, every movie I've orderd from netflix has been the correct Bluray version. It's been a pleasantly flawless experience.

Until BB realizes their Bluray/HD-DVD/standard DVD selection/shipping configuration is broke, it's netflix for me.

Anyone else have this problem with BB? I don't like the bait and switch they are pulling.

For those of you who use Blockbuster, how long does it normally take for the movie you return to the store to clear your online queue?

It's funny. They ship the next movie/s within a day, but it can take longer to clear the queue. They mentioned that it would be that way when they started the new program so I wasn't surprised. So to answer your question, it can take a couple of days to clear, so you'll often find more movies in the sent column than you're supposed to be allowed. I'm guessing they clear the queue when the actually receive the disc in their warehouse.

I'm getting pretty fed up with BB Online now. Take a look at my queue. They aren't sending me anything because nothing is "available".

http://www.smokinlights.net/images/Forum_Sigs/bb_online.jpg

How did you find the new releases on blu-ray? I can't find gridiron gang or RE:Apoc in blu-ray anywhere!

My first month of BB has been horrible to say the least. Movies are not available for rent or they have a long wait. Its took 3 weeks to get Underworld Evolution and so far the only other new release I've been able to get is WTC.

How did you find the new releases on blu-ray? I can't find gridiron gang or RE:Apoc in blu-ray anywhere!


^^^^ i would like to know this too.

Up until very recently I was very happy with the BB Online service. Most of the movies used to be available and shipped fast. However like most of you I am seeing these last couple of weeks that most movies not only Blu-Ray are in Short or Long Wait. My guess is it is due to a dramatic hike in membership due to recent new services like Movie or Game in Store coupons, In-Store Swap, etc. I also hope that BB will react quickly and adjust the stock of movies otherwise most of us will start considering alternatives.

I'm getting pretty fed up with BB Online now. Take a look at my queue. They aren't sending me anything because nothing is "available".

http://www.smokinlights.net/images/Forum_Sigs/bb_online.jpg


Wow!
I feel your pain, I have about 80 movies on my list but 85% of the movies are not available...I'm thinking about going back to netflix. The coupons blockbuster gives are not worth it and come to find out my local blockbuster is a franchise and charges late fee 2hrs after you pass the return time. Since my first shipment from blockbuster, I haven't received anything I wanted to watch when I wanted to watch it. They are sending movies out of order from my queue and i'm told there's not much they can do about it. What a waste.

Out of 40 movies in my BB que, only 3 are available. :(

Out of 40 movies in my BB que, only 3 are available. :(

Which titles? In my queue, I only see Basic Instinct 2 and Dark Water in stock, the rest (about a dozen) not in stock.

You guys using BlockBuster, please stay there. I don't need anymore competition in getting Blu-ray or HD DVD's from Netflix ;)

Did anyone stop to think that this might be due to the sales of the PS3?

I mean the BD camp, myself included, have been talking about it's potential effects. Did we forget our own rhetoric? I read about the poll saying 75% of buyers will use it for movies. Then about the unavailability of the remotes. I'm thinking that a lot of people would rent before they bought software just to see what it's all about before they jump in with both feet so the rental market may be getting the 1st wave of it.

Can anyone compare HD DVD availability at BB?

I agree with TauRus that BB's new program could have something to do with it, but I haven't felt a single whisker of difference in my DVD queue. I even had a new release, a few weeks back sent a day before it was suppose to release.

Did anyone stop to think that this might be due to the sales of the PS3?


I agre. It seems the demand for BluRay movies has way outpaced the online rental supply. I am pissed that BB is sending me non-BluRay movies when I clearly requested the BluRay version. It's like they are figuring they will just send the regular DVD version and I'll be ok with it.

Netflix does seem to have their act together moreso than BB. I think the overall uptake of HD format DVD's is higher than manufacturers thought it would be. The PS3 and HDDVD addon have fueled this.

Which titles? In my queue, I only see Basic Instinct 2 and Dark Water in stock, the rest (about a dozen) not in stock.

MI I, MI II, and The Fugitive are available. The other 45 are available soon, short wait, long wait or coming soon. Available soon is also in the minority.

Most of the ones on my Netflix que are available, and those that aren't are available soon.

You guys need to contact Customer Care here and complain that Blu-Ray movies aren't available for rent at blockbuster.

Here's the Link!

http://www.blockbuster.com/help/contactUs


Report all the movies that are "coming soon" state that you will switch to Netflix if they do not get them soon.

thx i already submit an complaint. i threaten them i will cancel my subscription and go with netflix if they dont do anything soon about the online shortage of blu-ray rental.

i think the netflix is cheaper for me than blockbuster...i want the netflix $11/month, 1 dvd at a time for unlimited. i dont think blockbuster can't match them.

I don't find it to be worthwhile to only rent 1 at a time. Then you're left with anywhere from 2-4 days with NO movie rentals ready to watch everytime you send one back.

Unless you really don't watch movies very much at all. I think the 3 at a time is the best "bang for the buck" (since you'll have other movies to watch while the others are in shipping), and as long as you watch more than 4 movies a month total, you'll be beating the local rental store prices.

I just started BB online 1 week ago. I loaded a bunch of Blu-ray into my Queue, and even though they listed as not availible or a short wait, the next day, "All the Kings Men" and "Monster House" were shipped. But, I am also having these issues and am getting frustrated.

There are 2 things that are working against BB. 1) increase in Blu-ray demand as more and more people are getting into the game, and this causes an unpredictable demand and short supply problem 2)Total Access popularity- BB is getting a huge spike in membership with their aggressive promotions. When you combine both of those, it creates the situation we're in right now. This is not acceptable and I have let BB know by contacting support.

However, my local store will be adding Blu-ray in the future. I don't know when, but they are going to. This will help out because I can just load unpopular DVD's into my Queue, and take the disc to the store for my in-store rental. I'm loving the in store rental thing anyways. That, ultimately, will give BB the edge over Netflix, so I can only hope that the current mess that BB is in with online Blu-ray rentals is only temporary. I will give BB another couple months to straighten it out.

However, my local store will be adding Blu-ray in the future. I don't know when, but they are going to. This will help out because I can just load unpopular DVD's into my Queue, and take the disc to the store for my in-store rental. I'm loving the in store rental thing anyways. That, ultimately, will give BB the edge over Netflix, so I can only hope that the current mess that BB is in with online Blu-ray rentals is only temporary. I will give BB another couple months to straighten it out.

I agree.

I sometimes try to get there by lunch on Tue when the new releases come out. There are usually quite a few on the shelf still, but by the end of the day they get scarce.

I agree.

I sometimes try to get there by lunch on Tue when the new releases come out. There are usually quite a few on the shelf still, but by the end of the day they get scarce.
When you say "quite a few on the shelf" are you referring to Blu-Ray or regular SD-DVDs?

When you say "quite a few on the shelf" are you referring to Blu-Ray or regular SD-DVDs?

SD. My store doesn't stock either hidef format as of yet.

I filled out a complaint online, hopefully it will help the bluray inventory problems.

A local Blockbuster is renting Bluray and HD-DVDs, but looking over the titles they have, I'm not sure they have anything that was released in the past month or so, so I'm not confident that they'll be stocking any upcoming movies either. It'll probably take me a month or two to watch everything they have in-store, and unless they expand their stock, I'll be back to renting SD-DVDs with the instore trade-ins.

I just started BB online 1 week ago. I loaded a bunch of Blu-ray into my Queue, and even though they listed as not availible or a short wait, the next day, "All the Kings Men" and "Monster House" were shipped. But, I am also having these issues and am getting frustrated.

There are 2 things that are working against BB. 1) increase in Blu-ray demand as more and more people are getting into the game, and this causes an unpredictable demand and short supply problem 2)Total Access popularity- BB is getting a huge spike in membership with their aggressive promotions. When you combine both of those, it creates the situation we're in right now. This is not acceptable and I have let BB know by contacting support.

However, my local store will be adding Blu-ray in the future. I don't know when, but they are going to. This will help out because I can just load unpopular DVD's into my Queue, and take the disc to the store for my in-store rental. I'm loving the in store rental thing anyways. That, ultimately, will give BB the edge over Netflix, so I can only hope that the current mess that BB is in with online Blu-ray rentals is only temporary. I will give BB another couple months to straighten it out.


Blockbuster clearly gives greater priority to their new customer (2 week trial members). After my two weeks, nothing shipped in order, nothing I wanted to watch got to me on time, 85% of my queue was constantly not available. I email them and complained...they gave me a extra coupon for the month. I told them I would switch back to netflix if nothing changed...well, nothing have changed in the last 3 weeks so i've switched back to netflix.

To make things even worst, apparently my local blockbuster is a franchise so they make up their own rules...huh? I have was once charged late fee for returning an in-store rentals 4 hrs late....back of receipt said i had an additional 7 days after my rental date before any late fees are added to my account so I was able to get my money back on my next visit...However, the text on the back of the receipt have changed...it doesn't mention anything about the 7 day extra time. So basically, the whole online rental and in-store exchange doesn't work for me. I'm not interested in paying late fees.

So far, 98% of the blu-ray movies on my netflix.com queue are available...great news.

my bro got a ps3 last nite and i told him to go with netflix instead of bb.

he told me netflix only has 14 different blu-ray movies? true or false?

False.

Going to netflix right now and currently I have 35 Blu-ray discs in que, with 2 already in hand.

Browsing their list of BD titles, it looks like they have around 160 listed.

my bro got a ps3 last nite and i told him to go with netflix instead of bb.

he told me netflix only has 14 different blu-ray movies? true or false?


Say what? 14?

More like 150...If he doesn't want the headache, i'll suggest he goes with netflix but then again he might be more interested in the exchange program blockbuster offers.

I have over 800 DVDs and virtually never rent until now. I signed up with NetFlix and have enjoyed great service so far. They have virtually every BD title available.

When the BD prices come down to $15 -20 I'll start buying again.

Well I just joined BB Online and first movie sent was Little Man on Blu-Ray. I stuck it in my ps3 and it just wouldn't read. I look at the bottom, and the disc was cracked! They are sending a replacement disc soon. I'll just head to the BB store to get a movie in store with the coupon.

That's interesting, I just sent back Little Man BR to BB because it had a small crack on the outer edge. :confused: :(

You guys need to contact Customer Care here and complain that Blu-Ray movies aren't available for rent at blockbuster.

Here's the Link!

http://www.blockbuster.com/help/contactUs


Report all the movies that are "coming soon" state that you will switch to Netflix if they do not get them soon.

Why bother, just go cancel your membership and wait 'til they fix things up. That'll wake them up quicker than threatening to cancel.

Why bother, just go cancel your membership and wait 'til they fix things up. That'll wake them up quicker than threatening to cancel.

...and free up the stock for suckers like me who stick with them.

I prefer Netflix by a fair margin, but the new BB perks were just too hard to resist.

That's interesting, I just sent back Little Man BR to BB because it had a small crack on the outer edge. :confused: :(

Wouldn't it be something if they sent the same disc back to you? I sent it back to BB so I could rent in store, but that would be pretty sad if they did that.

Very interesting thread. I've been with Netflix for a year now zero problems in getting SD DVDs. Now since Dec with the ps3 on deck I opted for BR. I got them for the first two weeks with no problems. Now BR movies are "long wait" to "very long wait". I want to change to BB but seems like they are having this problem also. In conclusion to this. BR is a new technology just like when DVDs first came out..give it time and hopefully soon BR and HD DVD will pick up.

Shouldn't this thread be under "software"???... :rolleyes:

It should..I actually found this link under software...please move this thread to software.

Very interesting thread. I've been with Netflix for a year now zero problems in getting SD DVDs. Now since Dec with the ps3 on deck I opted for BR. I got them for the first two weeks with no problems. Now BR movies are "long wait" to "very long wait". I want to change to BB but seems like they are having this problem also. In conclusion to this. BR is a new technology just like when DVDs first came out..give it time and hopefully soon BR and HD DVD will pick up.


so netflix is having the same problem? but everyone here who are with netflix said they have no problem with their br rental? can u send me a screenshot of all the br queues in ur list that are "long wait" or "very long wait" ?

I don't think that BB Online is going to get any better any time soon. Many of the NEW RELEASE Blu-Ray's aren't even available to add to the queue. Employee of the Month is not available on Blu-Ray. Sopranos is not there (that's been out for how long now?). Gridiron Gang and Resident Evil still show up as "coming soon".

This is getting pretty lame pretty fast.

so netflix is having the same problem? but everyone here who are with netflix said they have no problem with their br rental? can u send me a screenshot of all the br queues in ur list that are "long wait" or "very long wait" ?

It's not too bad for me:

http://www.damontech.net/netflixbr.gif

It's not too bad for me:

http://www.damontech.net/netflixbr.gif


cant see it...ur screenshot is too small. plus nowhere does it said ur dvd is a blu-ray version.

cant see it...ur screenshot is too small. plus nowhere does it said ur dvd is a blu-ray version.

It says it under the Format column.

cant see it...ur screenshot is too small.

I'll resize the screen capture. Sorry.

I'll resize the screen capture. Sorry.


not bad for netflix...i see like 6 available out of 8. at lease it is better than bb which i have like 2-3 available out of like 16-19 on queues.

HAHA...consider yourself lucky, I wish my list was like that when I was with blockbuster. I had about 80% to 90% of my queue showing short wait or long wait or very long wait when I was with blockbuster. Netflix have some movies on short or long waits but not as bad as blockbuster and they change to available within hours or a day.

More good news for netflix. How about free movie and tv downloads?

Read this (http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/01/16/instant.netflix.ap/index.html)

i dont know about streaming movies...speed may slow to a crawl if alot of users are accessing it plus quality won't be that great over the web...especially for blu-ray movie. i doubt they can even do blu-ray movies for streaming.

HAHA...consider yourself lucky, I wish my list was like that when I was with blockbuster. I had about 80% to 90% of my queue showing short wait or long wait or very long wait when I was with blockbuster. Netflix have some movies on short or long waits but not as bad as blockbuster and they change to available within hours or a day.

More good news for netflix. How about free movie and tv downloads?

Read this (http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/internet/01/16/instant.netflix.ap/index.html)

But PS3 has nothing to do with this!

:rolleyes: ;)

But PS3 has nothing to do with this!

:rolleyes: ;)

Who said anything about ps3?

i dont know about streaming movies...speed may slow to a crawl if alot of users are accessing it plus quality won't be that great over the web...especially for blu-ray movie. i doubt they can even do blu-ray movies for streaming.



From reading that article on cnn.com, it sounds like they will have different phases and this will only be available to broadband customers. Also, note that only 1000 movies/tv will initially be available for download/streaming. I'm not sure if that will include any blu-ray titles.



"Netflix expects to introduce the instant viewing system to about 250,000 more subscribers each week through June to ensure its computers can cope with the increased demand.

The company has budgeted about $40 million this year to expand its data centers and cover the licensing fees for the roughly 1,000 movies and TV shows that will be initially available for online delivery.

Netflix's DVD library, by comparison, spans more than 70,000 titles, one of the main reasons why the mail is expected to remain the preferred delivery option for most subscribers.

Another major drawback: the instant viewing system only works on personal computers and laptops equipped with a high-speed Internet connection and Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system. That means the movies cannot be watched on cell phones, TVs or video iPods, let alone computers that run on Apple Inc.'s operating system."

I didnt' want to start a new thread so I'll try in here first.

For netflix, I went to choose the movie The Mist. Netflix has it as DVD and blu-ray. It's obviosuly not out on blu-ray yet, but available for DVD. When I add this to my queue, it goes under the "Saved" section underneath the actual queue since there is no known Queue date. The problem is that I can't choose the DVD. Typically on the right hand side, there is a drop-down that will allow you to select blu-ray or DVD, but since the DVD is avaialbe but blu-ray isnt, there is no drop down, so I can't change it. I'm guessing this is a bug in the system. Anyone have a similar experience? Anyone know how to fix?

You will probably need to call them to have this taken care of by a customer svc rep. I don't specifically know how you can fix it on your end.