I’ve heard such good things about Netflix, so I signed up 3 days ago for their trial. I chose the “3 at a time” plan. I put 22 HD DVDs in my queue. 20 of those were available “now” and 2 were “short wait.” I waited. 2 days later they mailed only ONE movie that was number 9 in my queue. Please tell me why the 8 movies above it that are available “now” could not be shipped???

It gets worse. Today (3 days after I signed up) they put the other 2 movies (which were also low on my queue list) into the shipping area, but I received messages that they couldn’t be shipped from the closest distribution center. So, they’re coming from Texas and Colorado. (I’m in Utah). It’ll take at least 2 days for those to reach me first class – which means I won’t get my first round of three movies until 5 days after I signed up.

I’m really confused. I guess when it says “available now” it means that the movies are available from SOMEWHERE IN THE U.S., not necessarily your closest distribution center. In other words . . . it’s rather meaningless. Maybe you live in California and the “available now” is from a distribution center in New York. ???

I’m surprised that with 20 movies I put in my queue that were listed as “available now”, only one actually was. The other 18 apparently are not and the best they could do was to send me 2 other movies low on the queue list that are coming from alternate distribution areas. And since these are my first 3 movies, I’m certainly not being “throttled” at this point.

What a poor first impression! As soon as my trial is up, I’m canceling and trying Blockbuster. I can’t imagine anything worse than Netflix at this point. What is baffling to me is that others that signed up claimed Netflix shipped movies within “hours” after signing up and received them within a day. Huh? At least 5 days for me which is WAY too long.

I haven't tried either in awhile, but i'm sure blockbuster will be worse.

blockbuster is great. Never had problems getting new releases, i always return them in the store for SD dvds.

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s77/vsmextasy/bb.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s77/vsmextasy/que.jpg

I've had great success with Netflix. Having just added HD DVD, I don't have a long history with that format but I've received the first HD DVD's I selected in very short order.

I don't know why you are having so many problems with Netflix. I get all my HD-DVD's if they are available. After 4 months with Blockbuster, I cancelled because they rarely had the new releases at the time of release. Granted I live close to Netflix, but even the movies that aren't in the area just take an extra day to get.

I've had The Matrix in my queue before it was release and I'm still waiting, the status is very long wait. Blu-Ray isn't much better, I've got 300, Black Snake Moan, Blood Diamond, Letters from Iwo Jima and Apocalypto also in my queue since before they were release and they also are in Very Long Wait.

Maybe its my location in the burbs just outside of detroit, But I get my HD DVDs pretty fast. I have the three out plan, Sent the matrix 1 & 2 plus the eagles tour back tuesday and my next three movies, Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the dead and born on the 4th of july showed up thrusday. Its like that for me all the time too, I never have to wait.

I just signed up with Netflix again they throttled me about 2 years back so I dropped them. I now have a new address and listed another name on my new account that I signed up for on Wednesday afternoon and it list all of my first three choices as delivering today . So we will see. If they are actually at my home today I will be impressed! I will then just have to wait and see how long it takes them to throttle me again!

Ricwhite, It must be your area, because I haven't had any issues getting HD-DVDs. Also, I might be mistaken, but I believe that Blockbuster has stopped carrying HD-DVD and is only carrying Bluray, so you may be out of luck as far as switching. I'd hang in there with Netflix. They are still growing and maybe your local distribution center is new.

Ricwhite, It must be your area, because I haven't had any issues getting HD-DVDs. Also, I might be mistaken, but I believe that Blockbuster has stopped carrying HD-DVD and is only carrying Bluray, so you may be out of luck as far as switching. I'd hang in there with Netflix. They are still growing and maybe your local distribution center is new.

BB has HD dvds online.

Same here. This is like the third thread I've posted in about this. Lots of netflix threads lately.

TMNT: Very long wait
300: Very long wait
Blood Diamond Very long wait
Shooter Long wait

Some of these movies I've been waiting months for.
I emailed them and told them they need to buy more hd-dvd titles and no response. They never read your emails. They simply don't give a crap.

I am going to cancel right now and switch to blockbuster. They can't be any worse. I mean, I'm not getting ANY hd-dvd movies.

Just switched to blockbuster. At least they have a couple of the movies I've been waiting months for.

I moved the first 2 Borne HD-DVDs to the top of my Netflix queue late last week in the hopes of getting them in to watch before this weekend so I could catch the Ultimatum at the cinema. Both showed "avalable now". However, they skipped both and shipped my 3rd and 4th queue titles instead. Needless to say this ruined my plans for this weekend! :mad:

Same issues here. I got Netflix to save money on buying so much stuff, but I pretty much have to buy any HD discs if I want to see them. At least the resale value is much better than standard DVD.

I just looked at my account again noticed that they shipped the other two movies that I ordered three days ago, but the estimated arrival date is four days from now. That's SEVEN days from the time I signed up until I get my first HD DVDs.

One issue that has been mentioned is the "waits" on HD DVDs. But ALL of these that are being shipped were supposedly "available now". It SHOULD NOT take seven days to receive an "available now" HD DVD.

I live in the metro Salt Lake City area. Maybe it's just a BAD location for Netflix service. But I'm sure as hell not going to subscribe to a service that takes 7 days just to RECEIVE the HD DVDs. That's probably an 11 day round trip cycle which means only two cycles per month. Not worth it!

I guess it all depends on what you are lookng to achieve. I just add pretty much every HD DVD that I don't own or already intend to buy into my netflix queue. I typically get a 3 day turn around. One to mail it to them, a day for them to ship, I recieve it the next day. I don't even look at my queue for weeks at a time.I also don't worry about the order they are shipped in.

As long as I get off my behind and get the movies mailed right back I have all the HD DVD movies I have time to watch. As people have mentioned where you are located could certainly impact your service level. There is a distribution center here in Houston.
So if I mail on Wednesday I will have a replacement disc on Friday. I think if you went to the post office directly and dropped it off you might could get some two day tunarounds. My impression is that my local Netflix distrubution center is getting more than one incoming batch of retunred media a day.

It depends. A lot of my movies have been very long waits. I just got notification that they are *finally* sending me Black Snake Moan. It's been at the top of my queue for awhile.

Salt Lake City is a decent sized market. There should be same day turnaround. There certainly is here in Austin.

Hmmmm Black Snake Moan was first on my list and sent out the same day. All of this brings me back to my past experience with Netflix it seems they put all new business at the top just to get them in and then you just start the downward spiral. But really what can you do I had BB before and they were just as bad the in store rental was nice but they never had any selection in store to choose from. I may go back to them if Netflix doesn't work out again and use the in store rental for PS3 games instead of movies.

I've had horrible luck with Blockbuster...so I don't think there is a "sure thing" when it comes to online hd dvd/dvd rentals.

I never get the movies at the top of my queue with Blockbuster. :rolleyes:

However bad you may think Netflix is, Blockbuster is at least five times worse. I still don't honestly understand how they could botch their system so badly considering they had a big, red template sitting right there on the Netflix web site. It does seem like Netflix is getting stretched thin on these newer releases though... I wonder what is up with that.

All of this brings me back to my past experience with Netflix it seems they put all new business at the top just to get them in and then you just start the downward spiral.

That theory doesn't hold true for me. I'm "new" business and it's been rather bad.

blockbuster is great. Never had problems getting new releases, i always return them in the store for SD dvds.


Same here.

I love how lately most of the newer titles are available.

http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/2255/blockbustertt0.jpg

I just signed up with Netflix a few days ago for 1 at a time. I wanted to experiment to see how they stack up against Blockbuster for HD DVD rentals. So far, so good. I got Shooter right away. I have nothing but HD DVD movies in my queue. Look on the bright side though. At least they are sending you the movies from a different distribution center. Blockbuster won't even do that. At least in my experience. I am just kind of iffy about Blockbuster. However, they did send me Disturbia today which I was very shocked to see considering I rarely get HD DVD movies within the first 2-3 weeks from their release date. Note, I am on the 2 at a time plan for Blockbuster. I simply took all standard movies out of my queue on Blockbuster too so maybe that helped. If you plan on switching to Blockbuster, I highly recommend that you do this.

I've also had poor results with Netflix. I have been promised an HD-DVD every day for a week. Several times they sent a standard dvd instead of the HD-DVD. I love their huge selection of standard disks but I'm very frustrated by their HD service.

They still can't get a copy of The Matrix or 300 to me even with only these 2 in my queue and six at a time plan...

I've also had poor results with Netflix. I have been promised an HD-DVD every day for a week. Several times they sent a standard dvd instead of the HD-DVD. I love their huge selection of standard disks but I'm very frustrated by their HD service.

They still can't get a copy of The Matrix or 300 to me even with only these 2 in my queue and six at a time plan...
Never heard of this happening before. Is this common?

blockbuster is great. Never had problems getting new releases, i always return them in the store for SD dvds.

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s77/vsmextasy/bb.jpg

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s77/vsmextasy/que.jpg


I have blockbuster online, Where did you find the HD titles??? Unbelievable I don't see those.

I have blockbuster online, Where did you find the HD titles??? Unbelievable I don't see those.

Yeah, they are frickin hard to find.

Click collections (it's at the top right under your name).
Then near the bottom find the headingbrowse collections by theme or type.
On the right column you see hd-dvd.

Isn't there an easier way? Netflix was like, oh, you have hd-dvd, and whatever I found, if there was an hd version, it would add that unless you manually told it otherwise. Very easy. Of course, I never get ANY of the movies because the wait is really long. Netflix should have some realistic categories like: Forget it, you are no longer a new member, by the time you get this title, it will have been on HBOHD.

you just pick the movie you want, click on it and they have all versions you can choose though.

My only issue with Netflix is that the discs are damaged the majority of the time. The last three HD-DVD movies that I received - Hollywoodland, The Breakfast Club and Syriana - have all been scratched to hell and froze up during the movie. The Breakfast Club did not even work. All of the HD-DVD's that I own work fine because they are in perfect condition. I don't know what to do, I have already reported this to Netflix numerous times. I might have to try Blockbuster.

How much is Blockbuster monthly for one HD-DVD movie at a time?

I never have problems with netflix, they sent me TMNT and Disturbia right on tuesday. Must be where you live or something.

I live outside of KC, and I have no problems getting HD movies. I had to wait about a week to get the Bourne Identity, but that's the only wait I've ever experienced. I got 300 and Hot Fuzz as soon as they came out also. The only reason I can think of for those that are having bad experiences is your location. I live extremely close to a distribution center, maybe that's why mine has been good. Although, sometimes when getting disc from sets in (like planet earth), or less popular disc (NIN-beside you in time), I'll get it from chicago or memphis. But even then it only adds 1 day on shipping. So far, I love my netflix :D

I live in metro Salt Lake City -- which is a Netflix distribution center. However, they are sending the HD DVDs from other alternate centers which indicates to me that the SLC center is very weak. They need to get that straightened out or I'm gone. Sending me discs from Texas when I live in the same city as the Utah distribution center is unacceptable.

I live in metro Salt Lake City... Sending me discs from Texas when I live in the same city as the Utah distribution center is unacceptable.

Ah, so your're the reason I can't get recent HD DVD's/BD's from NetFlix ;)

Several people here with very little patience.

I usually get my Netflix discs from the Chicago center the next day. Sometimes the discs come from other centers, but it often seems that those discs don't ship until the next day.

I have several hundred discs in my queue - mostly DVD plus some HD DVD. With a few exceptions, I'm in no hurry to see the latest HD release. I usually get about 12 movies per month. I consider that my 4 out plan is a wonderful value. I've been with Netflix continuously since 1998 and see no reason to change.

Several people here with very little patience.




I can only be so patient before the cost to benefit ratio is too poor to continue service. If I can only get two "cycles" per month on a 3 out at time plan, that's 6 movies a month for around $18 is $3 per movie which is more than I want to pay for that type of service.

I guess each person has his or her own "idea" about what is acceptable for them. I just think that taking 7 days to ship and receive a movie from Netflix is too long for me. Three days, okay. Seven days, don't think so.

I decided to conduct an experiment. I put "Black Snake Moan" at the top of my queue on Friday, June 22nd. (It was scheduled to be out the following Tuesday, June 26th.

On Tuesday first it said "Short Wait", and later that day it said "Very Long Wait."

Since then I have constantly kept it on top, and they have constantly said either "Very Long Wait" or "Long Wait."

Yesterday, I got tired of waiting and bought it and removed it from my queue!

I agree with others, that it may be where you live. Here in the MidWest, I get my movies two days after I send one back. one day to get there, and they send out the same day to me.

I think we were members 0001 and 0002 at Netflix:D Never, ever have had a single problem.

Now at the same time, I am about to start receiving my first HD DVD's and I hear a lot from people saying that SD DVD's are MUCH more resiliant to imperfections and scratches than HD DVD's are.....

My Netflix is really fast. If I throw the movies in the mail Monday morning, the new ones will be shipped on Tuesday, and arrive on Wednesday. Can't beat that!

My Netflix is really fast. If I throw the movies in the mail Monday morning, the new ones will be shipped on Tuesday, and arrive on Wednesday. Can't beat that!

The same for me, and I never wait more than 2 weeks for new releases... The only issue I have is the quality of HD DVD disc. They are extremely prone to freezes and skips.

it probably has something to do with your local distribution center. netflix works awesome for me here in charlotte, nc. i get movies in two days whenever i mail back a disc and the availability is good.

I am going to cancel right now and switch to blockbuster. They can't be any worse. I mean, I'm not getting ANY hd-dvd movies.



Hehe :)

well, netflix has been pretty good for me for the last month, however, i sent a movie back on wednesday afternoon, today, they received it; 2 days later. seems like they are almost pulling the brakes on getting alot of movies to customers per month.

I’ve heard such good things about Netflix, so I signed up 3 days ago for their trial. I chose the “3 at a time” plan. I put 22 HD DVDs in my queue. 20 of those were available “now” and 2 were “short wait.” I waited. 2 days later they mailed only ONE movie that was number 9 in my queue. Please tell me why the 8 movies above it that are available “now” could not be shipped???



To many movies in your que list.

I only rent hd dvds, and Netflix has been great here in South Orange County.

I doubt that.. I have over 100 in my que and do not have an issue.

I am willing to bet that Trial memberships do not get priority.

I've had NF for three years and I always get my movies in two days. I get the movie, watch it that night then send it back the next day...two days later a new movie shows up. I'm in Atlanta.

I have Blockbuster. I have had great service with SD titles, but since I got my HD DVD player, their availability on HD titles has not been so great. I have gotten 2 titles so far. Of the 5 or so I have in my list, only one is available, and the rest show 2 to 6 week estimates. On a positive note, I got a scratched Ant Bully that would not play the HD side. I sent a report on their website and they sent a good one out in a day or so, which I thought was great service. With all of the new HD players out there, I think they need to increase their stocking levels of HD movies, especially since they ignore us in the stores and do not stock HD DVD's. I still like the convenience of returning the movie to the store and picking up another instantly, so I will stick with Blockbuster for a while longer and hope they get their act together.

Irent HD DVD only and have gotten excellent service. No playback problems on any of the discs I've received.

Being new to HD DVD I have a good sampling of movies in my queue. I'm sure you have to wait a bit for new releases, but that applies to my local rental situations for regular DVD also.

I like getting e-mail confirmation about them receiving disc back and what is on the way.

Altogether, top notch service and quality of discs. When I'm unhappy with a rental it's because the movie sucked.

Netflix has been flawless for me. I absolutely love it.

HD-DVDs and BRs show up in a blink. Even when they say "long wait," I often get them in 2 days. I live in the SF Bay Area.

Netflix is far from IDEAL, but it's a whole lot better than "Lackluster!"

Netflix has been flawless for me. I absolutely love it.

HD-DVDs and BRs show up in a blink. Even when they say "long wait," I often get them in 2 days. I live in the SF Bay Area.

Only been using the a short while now, but they are a quick turn around for me, send back monday, new one here wed or thur. As for the list, no hd-dvd to dvd mistake yet, and only a few have any sort of waiting period of the 40+ in my que.

I've been using Netflix for HD-DVD for about a month now. I've subscribed for standard DVD off and on in the past, and have always been happy with their service... but I've always been pretty close to a distribution center. If I did the 3 at a time deal, I would not be able to watch the movies fast enough. Location, Location, Location...

But I have had some serious problems since I started renting HD-DVDs from them. Who is scratching the hell out of these discs!? I'm shooting about 50% for actually being able to watch the movie without having to skip any chapters, or flip to the standard DVD side. Frustrating. Of course, all the HD-DVDs I've purchased play perfectly, as they are in pristine condition.

I dont have any problems, been a member for about 2 years. Have 200+ in queue, been moving HD stuff to the top and getting it no problem.

I live in Plattsburg, Missouri, which is about 40 miles outside of Kansas City - Netflix, almost always, gets my discs back the day after I mail them and I get my new discs the day after that. I haven't had any real issues with getting HD-DVD titles either - they say 'shipping' and I have them the next day. Since there is a distribution center in downtown KC, it's always really fast. The discs go to a P.O. Box mail drop at a post office and are picked up and taken to the dist center - my partner and I have driven around looking for it, but haven't found it yet.

Ricwhite, It must be your area, because I haven't had any issues getting HD-DVDs.

/agree, I've been pretty happy with Netflix HDDVD so far, been receiving discs from MD or PA.. Helps being between Philly and Baltimore ;)

Takes them 2 days to receive movies that I sent to them from less than 100 miles away yet when they send it to me it takes 1 day. I only have 15 movies in my queue. I'm a victim of throttling.

I only rent hd dvds, and Netflix has been great here in South Orange County.
I agree, they have distribution centers in Santa Ana and Riverside.
I always get new release HD DVDs sent out every Tuesday. They arrive on Wednesday.

Blockbuster was AWFUL for me. The Departed came so molested the HD side stopped working shortly into the movie. I had already seen it in SD so I just sent it back. Children of Men was #1 on my list since April and it finally arrived in late September. Big thumbs DOWN to BB rentals.

My movies take 2 to 3 days each way, but I am nowhere near a facility. I only get 2 movies a month, so no big deal. I only do HD-dvd from netflix all SD is local. New releases are only $2 locally.

There seems to be a mixed review on response times with Netflix HD dvd's depending on your location. :confused:

Any way to find out where the closest distro center is?

Or if anyone subscribes specifically from the NYC metro area, please post your input.

Thanks!

I can only be so patient before the cost to benefit ratio is too poor to continue service. If I can only get two "cycles" per month on a 3 out at time plan, that's 6 movies a month for around $18 is $3 per movie which is more than I want to pay for that type of service.

I guess each person has his or her own "idea" about what is acceptable for them. I just think that taking 7 days to ship and receive a movie from Netflix is too long for me. Three days, okay. Seven days, don't think so.

Which is still cheaper than in-store. Though I do agree, for an online service with no B&M Overhead they should be able to at least get you a 3rd cycle every month.

i've had netflix in two different places, nj and cleveland oh, both very near distribution centers. i've always had two-day turnaround (put in mail monday, get new movie wednesday), and i usually avg 5-6 movies per week with the 3-at-a-time plan, meaning i pay $18 for 20-30 movies. i've also never had a problem getting hd dvds (been getting hd dvds for three months through them, not one problem). i don't get 5-6 HD dvds a week, usually 3 hd dvds and 3 sd dvds (by choice). for six months prior to that, i had BB, and they were terrible. should've cancelled much earlier.

I've had Netflix for about 3 months and also have about a 2-3 day turnaround. I get both HD-DVD and Blu-ray. So far, very satisfied with Netflix.

Just got my first 2 bad discs since about 1 year. Strange I got them 2 days apart and they were both cracked. Evan Almighty was split in half like a bagel. Chuck and Larry had the smallest of cracks on the edge, but I guess it was enough for it not to play at all. I felt bad reporting 2 problems at the same time since I've never had problems before.

Evan Almighty was split in half like a bagel.

Let me correct that for you:

"Evan Almighty was split in half like the Red Sea"

You set yourself up and yet completely missed the punch line. :confused:

I've been using NetFlix for maybe three months now.....this is my third try with them since they opened up shop. I've had quite a few HDDVD's they were so bunged up they would glitch out; some to total freeze up. And as before, I get more "very long wait" and "long wait's" than I care for, both in new titles for HDDVD and DVD.

I have a feeling once I get caught up on the HDDVD backlog, most being titles I really didn't want to pay the big bucks to own, I'll be re-examing my membership with NetFlix.....again.

i've had netflix in two different places, nj and cleveland oh, both very near distribution centers. i've always had two-day turnaround (put in mail monday, get new movie wednesday), and i usually avg 5-6 movies per week with the 3-at-a-time plan, meaning i pay $18 for 20-30 movies. i've also never had a problem getting hd dvds (been getting hd dvds for three months through them, not one problem). i don't get 5-6 HD dvds a week, usually 3 hd dvds and 3 sd dvds (by choice). for six months prior to that, i had BB, and they were terrible. should've cancelled much earlier.

I agree. I live in Brook Park, Ohio outside of Cleveland. Netflix has never been a problem for me and I order some high demand videos. I have ordered both HD DVD and BD discs from them. Some titles may not be in stock at my local distribution center but they simply send them from another center...sometimes from CA. They always inform me if my title is not available from my local center, but I have no complaints with their service.

My only issue with Netflix is that the discs are damaged the majority of the time. The last three HD-DVD movies that I received - Hollywoodland, The Breakfast Club and Syriana - have all been scratched to hell and froze up during the movie. The Breakfast Club did not even work. All of the HD-DVD's that I own work fine because they are in perfect condition. I don't know what to do, I have already reported this to Netflix numerous times. I might have to try Blockbuster.



you got this right...

never had any issues with netflix, bb.com on the other hand took nearly twice as long on the average for total turnaround time with dvd's. not to mention netflix's selection is like 5 times that of bb.

I've been a Netflix member for years, very happy with the service. I've added the HD-DVD option, and so far have only encountered a glitched disc once (Disc 1 of Planet Earth, and it was just one spot that wouldn't play).

I've had plenty of damaged SD DVDs from them over the years as well.

I did have to wait more than a week for the Cream HD-DVD to come from North Carolina.

I'm trying not to change my renting habits too much, however. I rent what I want to see, and if it's available in HD, terrific. On my 42" screen, my HD-A2 upconverts SD well enough that it's completely acceptable. HD, at this point, is a bonus, not a requirement.

Purchasing is a different matter.

wierd. Netflix is actually getting faster to me. I used to get movies in 2 days, not I get them in 1. Never had to wait for an HD disc either. I got Transformer, 300, and Black Snake Moan within 2 days. Not one damaged disc yet either.

I guess I'll just have to hope I don't get throttled.

Other than receiving discs in pretty bad shape from time to time I've been fairly happy with Netflix. Turnaround is reasonable for me and I rarely have to wait for titles. I guess I'm one of the lucky few.

Almost always a 2-day turnaround from Netflix for me, and they almost always follow my queue. I once got a notice that a title wasn't local and would take longer. Discs arrive fine save for a recent broken one which had obviously been abused in the mail. Not perfect, but worth the money. I can't get too upset over the price of a cheap lunch for two.
Had Blockbuster mainly due to in-store exchange but when they tried to charge more for unlimited exchanges I cancelled.

For me it's been kind of odd. I will get hd dvd's in a 1 day turnaround but in the past month I have had 2 sets (2 sd 2 hd) just not show up for over a week.

I reported them missing they sent me replacements which got to me the next day, then out of no where the lost ones would show.

I have also recently been getting more damaged/scratched disc than I every have before.

As was the case the other two times I joined, I got new releases quickly. After a few months that changed and once again new releases are spotty as to getting them when they're first released. In HDDVD, "Transformers" has just now changed from long wait to short wait, "A Mighty Heart" is still long wait, and on DVD "Waitress" and "Pirates-At World's End" have been put on long wait this week.

When something is available, I do get them in a day or two, so I can't complain about that.

No joke I added Transformers on HD from netflix when it was released. They finally mailed it to me December 6th.

The wait was WELL worth it. MY god that movie was stunning in HD.

Overall I'd agree saying Netflix is terrible for HD-DVD.

I dont have any problems, been a member for about 2 years. Have 200+ in queue, been moving HD stuff to the top and getting it no problem.


My experience as well.

Just received King Kong , scratched wont play beginning.

someone here turned me on to a good tip for gettng scratched hd-dvds to play. clean them using eye glass cleaner and eye glass cloth.

so far it's worked on one hd-dvd disc that wouldn't play when i cleaned it with regular soap and water.

Let me correct that for you:
"Evan Almighty was split in half like the Red Sea"
You set yourself up and yet completely missed the punch line. :confused:
Since you are the OP, I've been patiently awaiting a summary of your Netflix experience.

I love Netflix and never have any problems. My queue is not just filled with HD-DVDs though. Most are standard DVD's but the HD-DVDs don't usually take long to become available if they ever are on a short wait.

I have a one day turnaround usually and I live in Northern Maine. But I have trouble getting hd dvds. I have the two out plan and had Bourne ultimatum and Harry potter at the top of my queue and they went from release date Dec 11 to short wait. This happened with the other hd dvds also. Then they usually go to long wait. I end up renting the standard dvd instead of waiting for a month or I buy it. They must have a really short supply in my area of hd dvds.

"Post Office surcharge could slash Netflix profit."

"The Inspector General contends that 70 percent of Netflix's envelopes are handled manually because a "floppy leading edge" on the red mailers tends to jam equipment during automated processing, the report said. The manual processing cost $41.9 million during the past two years and will cost $61.5 million over the next two years."

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2007/12/06/post_office_surcharge_could_slash_netflix_profit/

Definitely must be regional. I'm in the Philly metro area (NJ side) and my HD DVDs come in a very timely manner. So far so good (knock on wood).

We have had Netflix for well over a year now, and I have never had any trouble with it. Of course I have only had the 1 out plan.

For months now I've had a perpetual problem of always having my Netflix HD & BD movies on short, long, or very long wait-list in my queue. As of Friday I had 17 of my 19 movies in queue on a wait list. I finally got fed up & called them, I talked to 3 different CSR's and then finally to a manager who said yes I see you have a serious problem with wait lists, Blood Diamond for example was on wait since May 2007.

He stated he would let management know.. So nothing really happened over the weekend, but when I logged in this morning.. 14 of the 19 are showing "NOW" in my queue..

So they did something.. If you're having the same problem, call and tell em about your queue and how you want it fixed.

We dropped them because just about everything we had in queue, SD or HDDVD were on short or long wait forever. Some folks have better luck than we did. We don't subscribe to any service now. I won't even mention how long it took to get to us once the disks shipped. The really weird thing is, not to far from us in Harper Ferry, a guy had terrific results from Netfilx and I'm certain he was serviced by the same distribution center....who knows....

I can just give you my experience with hd-dvd from Netflix in the Central NJ area. Any new title and or title in demand (ie transformers) takes at least 2 weeks before its shipped. I have 6 titles atm that have been waiting 2+ weeks in the queue and they continue to say long wait. Any other title not in demand takes just 1 postal-day to be received.

They need to increase inventory for new releases at least in their NJ metro area.

I've had Netflix for about three years now, and have had nothing but great service from them. I only recently begin renting both Blu and HD from them, and I only have to wait on the Disney titles.

I'm having a similar problem with Netflix and HD DVD's As a matter of fact, I haven't received one yet, after a month+ (I'm currently waiting for my 9th and 10th discs).

I had a list of 16 movies, 2 DVD's, 9 BD's and 5 HD DVD's in my initial queue. Three of my top 6 spots were HD DVD. My queue currently reads all of my titles as available now, except for Hot Rod, which is listed as long wait.

Currently HD DVD's occupy my 1, 2, and 3 spots (out of six after this last shipment). I had returned two movies on Friday, and got notification of the two shipping out today, which was one BD and one DVD (my #4 and #6 on the list). Each week it is like this. Even though HD DVD has had 2-3 in the top 3 spots, and are listed as available now, they never ship me one. This week was the first time HD DVD had the top 3 spots, so I thought for sure they would ship me at least one since they are available now, but nope, they skip over HD DVD.

It appears to me that since I signed up, Netflix has skipped over my HD DVD choices and send me the first non-HD DVD from my list. Shrek 3 has been on my #1 spot for the past three weeks, and listed as available now on the days new discs were shipped to me (available now since Friday in this last case), but I never get it.

Anyway, I'm not adding anymore titles until they ship me something on HD DVD. I'll just be left with a list of five, all HD DVD (one movie away from being there). If they don't ship me anything then, I will just cancel Netflix and tell them that is the reason why.

....Anyway, I'm not adding anymore titles until they ship me something on HD DVD. I'll just be left with a list of five, all HD DVD (one movie away from being there). If they don't ship me anything then, I will just cancel Netflix and tell them that is the reason why.

Instead of using a cancellation form to inform NetFlix of the problem, why don't you contact them now? You have read many posts here of people without your problem. This yields a guess that your account may have something wrong with it.

For months now I've had a perpetual problem of always having my Netflix HD & BD movies on short, long, or very long wait-list in my queue. As of Friday I had 17 of my 19 movies in queue on a wait list. I finally got fed up & called them, I talked to 3 different CSR's and then finally to a manager who said yes I see you have a serious problem with wait lists, Blood Diamond for example was on wait since May 2007.

He stated he would let management know.. So nothing really happened over the weekend, but when I logged in this morning.. 14 of the 19 are showing "NOW" in my queue..

So they did something.. If you're having the same problem, call and tell em about your queue and how you want it fixed.

I am glad to read your post about this problem, and NetFlix's ability to fix it. I have wondered before if some bug in their software occasionally causes this problem as many users do not have the problem. So if one thinks they have the same issue, trying contacting NetFlix. Luckily for me, I have never had an issue like this.

I've had great success with new releases on HD DVD via Netflix. Maybe it depends on your locality because they probably have multiple warehouses in every state.

I don't understand how you all get HDDVD's from Blockbuster. I cancelled my membership there because all I can see is BR. I haven't started a Netflix account yet, but planned on it 1st of year. (I'm getting my hddvd player for xmas)

I don't understand how you all get HDDVD's from Blockbuster. I cancelled my membership there because all I can see is BR. I haven't started a Netflix account yet, but planned on it 1st of year. (I'm getting my hddvd player for xmas)

have you looked at the stickys at the top of this forum? the one that says blockbuster online direct to que hd dvd links?

Lately it seems all the HD DVD's in my queue are 'long wait'. Perhaps it's all those A2's that were sold over the past few weeks?

I don't mean this to start a flame; but either there are less people on Netflix ordering Blu-rays or Netflix orders A LOT more Blu-rays, because I seem to get the BD's on my queue a lot sooner.

I have been a Netflix customer since they launched - 1998? I just cancelled my membership for two primary reasons

1. I live in New York city, the ship time seems to be good ie not many long waits but i pre-ordered several titles on HD-DVD and was sent an SD dvd instead. The netflix site makes you choose from a list of feedback items none of which is specific to this problem. When i got the Bourne Ultimatum as a regular DVD despite having the HD version as my preference for months i was not too happy.

2. Their website has been down A LOT. When i think of a movie i want to quickly get it in my queue - not have to wait days for a site to come up.

I dont/wont use blockbuster but i will use the XBox marketplace to download 720p rentals and buy what i really need until there is a better answer.

Netflix seems like a good idea that is failing in execution.

I have been a Netflix customer since they launched - 1998? I just cancelled my membership for two primary reasons

1. I live in New York city, the ship time seems to be good ie not many long waits but i pre-ordered several titles on HD-DVD and was sent an SD dvd instead. The netflix site makes you choose from a list of feedback items none of which is specific to this problem.

Using cancellation to report a problem is backwards. Use the problem reporting page on the NetFlix site (or phone them) and then reap the rewards of the problem being solved. NetFlix does not send SD disks when there are too-few HD disks. Your account was broken and needed fixing.


2. Their website has been down A LOT. When i think of a movie i want to quickly get it in my queue - not have to wait days for a site to come up.

I have not noticed this. Every time I hit the site it comes right up. This may be a time-of-day thing, I do not know. I wonder if others are having problems getting to their site as well? Did NetFlix give a response when you reported this problem to them?

I don't understand how you all get HDDVD's from Blockbuster. I cancelled my membership there because all I can see is BR. I haven't started a Netflix account yet, but planned on it 1st of year. (I'm getting my hddvd player for xmas)

Most Blockbuster stores do not have any HDDVDs. This thread is in reference to the Blockbuster Online service, which has many HDDVDs.

I haven't tried either in awhile, but i'm sure blockbuster will be worse.


This statement is based on what?

Lately it seems all the HD DVD's in my queue are 'long wait'. Perhaps it's all those A2's that were sold over the past few weeks?

I don't mean this to start a flame; but either there are less people on Netflix ordering Blu-rays or Netflix orders A LOT more Blu-rays, because I seem to get the BD's on my queue a lot sooner.

I figure it is an effect of the large increase in HDDVD players in the past couple months. Netflix will probably ramp up the volume they order to match. I just hope they do this sooner than later.

This statement is based on what?

You are responding to a 4 month old post. :)

You are responding to a 4 month old post. :)

It was new to me.

How would I know that Blockbuster online has HDDVD if I didn't have this thread, though? They have a full search for BluRay, but nothing for HDDVD. Even if you click on the links at the top of this thread they show the SD versions of the movie if you click on the HD version that it puts in your queue. So if I had never come to look here, how would I have known?

I'm getting throttled on HD DVDs after only a month or so. They shipped me my 8th choice from Iowa two days after they received a return. Two unplayable discs in one month. Not a happy camper.

It has to be a "where you live thing", it can't be any better then what I'm getting. 3 day turnaround, 1 day ship to them, 1 day they rec and send another back out and I recieve it the next day (some may call that a 2-day turnaround). Pretty much all HD DVD's are in stock and not a bad one yet, haven't seen downtime on their site either, and I can only say trust me, I'd hammer them if they deserved it. Sacramento, CA area.

It has to be a "where you live thing", it can't be any better then what I'm getting. 3 day turnaround, 1 day ship to them, 1 day they rec and send another back out and I recieve it the next day (some may call that a 2-day turnaround). Pretty much all HD DVD's are in stock and not a bad one yet, haven't seen downtime on their site either, and I can only say trust me, I'd hammer them if they deserved it. Sacramento, CA area.

Can you look to see if the Simpson movie and Harry Potter/Phoenix are listed for you as available now. Mine show Short Wait and Very Long Wait respectively.

The waits for new HD DVDs and Blu Rays for me have been horrendous for new releases. It is taking them WEEKS to send me some new releases. Very frustrating. This seems to have started just a couple months ago.

Simpsons - Short Wait
H.P. - Very Long Wait

I will update my statements; the movies I have and are wanting are coming in at a very nice clip. That doesn't mean every movies is always readily available and I can understand that. Now if you want to play the new release game there are a couple of ways to do that, here is one method:

1. Have it at the top of your list and even better not have anything else on your list.
2. Make sure the movie you returned was rec'd on Sat. by netflix.
3. On monday they will then pick you almost always to get the first release of said new movie.

Now you can play a little from there... in other words:

If you only want new movies from now on: Lets say you want 3 new release movies per week, put next weeks 3 new hot movies only in your que right now. Make sure you get your current movies back and in their possession by Saturday.

If you have only next weeks new releases in your que and you have a 3 movie plan you should be in pretty slick shape come Monday when the system makes the picks for you. Once you got this down then you can start playing on how to get some catalogs into the mix without messing up your new releases.

And finally if you miss the first release of a hot movie, simply expect a wait, it’s numbers plain and simple. If you have a large que, expect issues getting new movies timely as well. Yep folks there is a game here, but it’s also pretty logical.

I have to say i am surprised by all the Netflix complaints. I have the 5 out at a time plan, rent both BD and HD DVD and have had no issues. I mean sure the odd HD DVD comes damaged, but only 2 which were kids HD DVD's wouldn't be reconized by my A35. Many other rented HD DVDs have issues with playback but that is due to my overly sensitive A35 and the lack of scratch protection on HD DVD not anything i can fault Netflix for. For BD i have never had a playback issue since the ps3 is bulletproof and the scratch resistant coating really helps prevent rental damage. In terms of turnaround, I live in Boston and almost always have 1 day turnaround. Put the discs in the mail monday, it is recieved tues, and i have a new disc wednsday. Also as long as i have returned a disc by saturday, i almost always get whatever new release i have at the top of my queue on tuesday.

I have been a Netflix customer since they launched - 1998? I just cancelled my membership for two primary reasons

1. I live in New York city, the ship time seems to be good ie not many long waits but i pre-ordered several titles on HD-DVD and was sent an SD dvd instead. The netflix site makes you choose from a list of feedback items none of which is specific to this problem. When i got the Bourne Ultimatum as a regular DVD despite having the HD version as my preference for months i was not too happy.

2. Their website has been down A LOT. When i think of a movie i want to quickly get it in my queue - not have to wait days for a site to come up.


im in ny as well but have never had a sd dvd sent to me instead of hd or blu. The website if it is down has never been long for me and its usually at like 2-5 in the morning if it is.


edit

Ive been with netflix I think since 2003 or 2004 and have never had an issue. I always get new releases for the most part. The only time I ever had an issue getting a movie was Bobby and that was this past year. Never any issues with movies other than that. Theyve been great for me

I have to say i am surprised by all the Netflix complaints. I have the 5 out at a time plan, rent both BD and HD DVD and have had no issues. I mean sure the odd HD DVD comes damaged, but only 2 which were kids HD DVD's wouldn't be reconized by my A35. Many other rented HD DVDs have issues with playback but that is due to my overly sensitive A35 and the lack of scratch protection on HD DVD not anything i can fault Netflix for. For BD i have never had a playback issue since the ps3 is bulletproof and the scratch resistant coating really helps prevent rental damage. In terms of turnaround, I live in Boston and almost always have 1 day turnaround. Put the discs in the mail monday, it is recieved tues, and i have a new disc wednsday. Also as long as i have returned a disc by saturday, i almost always get whatever new release i have at the top of my queue on tuesday.

Have you tried getting a popular HD DVD or Blu Ray release a few days after the release? I've had some luck getting such titles on release day if a slot was open. But sometimes a slot is not open, and if you miss that window initially it takes WEEKS to receive most titles IMO.

Even worse, once you miss a title you have to leave an empty spot ALL THE TIME so that when the title finally becomes available they will ship it to you. If you have all slots full then you miss each opportunity and chances of getting it are slim. So for instance I am on a 3 at a time plan but can only have 2 out at a time often to keep a spot open for a new release. Two new releases coming? Then I can only have one out.

Bottom line - Netflix needs to make some serious changes when it comes to stocking popular new releases in HD formats...

I agree....but then that's why I use NetFlix 90% of the time and 10% local stores and blockbuster as I'm in the BRD camp.


Bottom line - Netflix needs to make some serious changes when it comes to stocking popular new releases in HD formats...

Update: I see now the Simpson's movie on Blu Ray has changed from a Short Wait to a Very Long Wait. This is typical of what I've seen with other releases. Basically means it will be at least 2-3 weeks, maybe more, before they ship that movie to me. And on top of it I'd have to keep an empty spot open all that time "just in case" one copy became available during these next few weeks. That's just not right, especially when I am paying for 3 at a time.

I changed to Netflex 2 months ago and have been very displeased with there service always a long wait for new release even when they are SD DVD contacted about the problem but not even a response think this will be my last month with them.Never had a problem with Blockbuster just the price increase

I also signed up with Netflix 2 months ago after getting my A2, strictly for HD-DVD titles. I am very dissapointed at their turnaround time. I live 40 miles from a shipping center. On my trial, everything was superfast. I would send a movie back, and two days later I got the next one. Once the trial was over, delays started happen. Right now turnaround time stand at 7 days. Im going to cancel before my next billing cycle so I can at least use the "Watch Instantly" while Im at my in-laws for the holidays.

I might give blockbuster a try. Does blockbuster also use throttling tactics?

IMO it's all math... I see what the main complaint here is and that is new releases. Obviously they can't buy a copy for each member so everybody gets the new release on the first day. That would me they would get like $1 for the life of that DVD. The goal for any business is to make more then what it cost you. So they need to make $25-$30 on each DVD they buy to turn a profit. So that means 1/20th (guesstimate) of their membership can get the new release on the first day, any thing close to 1:1 means they will go out of business. So then the consumer has a choice, they play the game where they have a great shot of getting new movies, low que going into Monday with only new releases in it or try something else. If you miss out there will be a delay, if you miss out and only keep those new releases in que it could be a while before you get another movie. I never noticed anything like throttling, I notice very logical patterns. Go into Monday with the new releases at the top, once those ship put some catalogs in there for mid-late week. Rinse and Repeat.

Pride and Prejudice: LONG WAIT (HD DVD)
Zeppelin: VERY LONG WAIT (HD DVD)
Live Free Die Hard: VERY LONG WAIT (Blu Ray)
Potter/Phoenix: VERY LONG WAIT (HD DVD)
Simpsons Movie: VERY LONG WAIT (Blu Ray)
Bladerunner Final Cut: VERY LONG WAIT (HD DVD)
Shrek 3: LONG WAIT (HD DVD)

Absolutely absurd. I don't mind the fact that I don't get these on release day, and wouldn't mind if I had to wait a week or so. And in a few cases I've been able to get a new release immediately. However with in-demand new releases such as the above I'm often having to wait WEEKS and keep a slot open to boot that whole time. Totally unacceptable IMO.

Here is my queue:
Balls of fury: Long Wait(HD)
Pirates of the Caribbean:worlds end: Long wait(SD)
Underdog: Long wait(SD)
Harry Potter-Order:Very long wait(HD)
Stardust:Very long wait(HD)

This happens consistently. I have it times so I have two slots open on Monday and sometimes I do get a new release but not often. Then they go from their release date right to short wait then long wait.

Well Blockbuster raising my sub next month by $8 won't help you guys over on Netflix:D

Here is my queue:
Balls of fury: Long Wait(HD)
Pirates of the Caribbean:worlds end: Long wait(SD)
Underdog: Long wait(SD)
Harry Potter-Order:Very long wait(HD)
Stardust:Very long wait(HD)

This happens consistently. I have it times so I have two slots open on Monday and sometimes I do get a new release but not often. Then they go from their release date right to short wait then long wait.

Right, exactly. And the worst part is that they STAY at that status for weeks! As I mentioned before, I wouldn't mind as much if the wait was only about a week or so. But waits can go even longer than 3 weeks!

My guess is that us HD Netflix customers represent a small fraction of their overall subscriber revenue, and yet purchasing the HD discs must be much more expensive then SD. So effectively this means that we are also less profitable revenue compared to non-HD customers. So if these assumptions are right I guess its easy to understand why this problem exists in the first place and why it has not been solved yet.

My absolute guess is that Netflix needs to be purchasing at least TWICE as many HD DVD and Blu Ray discs for these bigger releases as they are now... That should effectively cut the wait in half. Meaning 2 or 3 week waits become 1 - 1.5 week waits which are much more acceptable IMO.

Well Blockbuster raising my sub next month by $8 won't help you guys over on Netflix:D

Does Blockbuster have these long waits for HD DVD and Blu Ray? If not I would would consider using them even if more expensive.

Does Blockbuster have these long waits for HD DVD and Blu Ray? If not I would would consider using them even if more expensive.

I think this depends on your area. I've been lucky, but $33 a mnth is insane.

i just had my first problem with getting an hddvd from netflix. evan almighty wasnt in to good of shape and stalled 8 or 9 times in the last 20 minutes of the movie which forced me to restart each time. got me and my wife so PO'd if that happens again we are canceling

If you don't except how renting movies work, there will not be any online service that will satisfy you. Yes all those movies listed as Long Waits are all new releases. Guess what? Everybody and their brother had them on their list and all copies went out day one. Not everyone got one, everyone cannot get one, if they did again they would never make their money on a movie. They would get aprox. $1-$2 on a movie that costs them probably around $10 to buy(a guess) and that would be it as no one would rent them again after they view it. Is this not understood by many? All we can do is play the system the best we can, no rental company can buy a copy for everyone that wants one. Don't you think a top movie isn't on everyone's list? It is, unless they buy it out-right at a B&M. But I bet we all have basically the same movies at the top of our lists.

As to Spoon's Evan. So you have one problem and your gonna call it quits, that is fine but there is no rental service that can be flawless, even buying a DVD isn't a 100% all the time. But on top of that it could be a defect in the disk from the factory, it could be a compatibility thing. I just find it refreshing the first time it hits you, you are ready to bolt. Hopefully no one was harmed in your anger.

im normaly not to into renting movies anyway as we buy em quite alot
and i think it was a disk problem as it felt almost like the 2 halves of disk had seperated. btw the movie was great and i recomend it to everybody

I've had Netflix a long time, probably right after they started. Its just recently that I cannot seem to get anything without it taking a really long time. I see some here saying they cannot get HD-DVD but that's about all I can get. The blu-ray titles are just sitting there forever. I've even switch the one's that were on both formats to HD because of that.

I know a friend of mine was getting a LOT of blu-ray that had a slight crack on the edge and most times wouldn't play. Now he isn't getting any blu-ray discs either from Netflix.

Its got so slow for either format though, its beginning to be not really worth it. I'm hoping they will increase the amount they are buying as more sign up. But right now, its not doing good at all for me, using 3 out at a time.

I keep logs of all my rentals, being the personality type I am. :) I was interested in seeing how long a popular, long-wait, new movie took for me to get it. Hot Fuzz won with the longest. I had exactly 7 returns before they shipped Hot Fuzz to me while it was listed as long-wait. I added this movie to my queue 8 days after release. So I was absolutely no where near the front of the list. 7 returns to me is not bad at all for random returns to generate a hit for me to get the movie in long-wait state.

BTW, I keep 30-60 movies in my queue including a few SD-DVDs (anime) that are always ready-now. All the others are HD-DVDs. My worst-case was 7 returns to get a long wait movie, Hot Fuzz. I checked on Transformers, only 4 returns to get it. And that was another not-in-my-queue on release day, added 3 days after release. (Whoops on my part, forgot to add it!) Unless people watch exactly what is happening, and report here about it, I have a hard time believing things are as bad as they claim.

Disclaimer: It is certainly possible some of you have a broken account. Call NetFlix and get it resolved!

I have had Santa Clause in my Q since its release thats been what 4 weeks still very long wait and thats for the SD DVD version

Weeks do not matter.
How many disks have you returned since release date?
Has Santa Claus remained at the top of your queue?
Are you throttled right now?
Do you tend to return disks the next day after receiving them?

Special note: You are talking about renting a kid-oriented Christmas movie at Christmas. :)

Weeks do not matter.
How many disks have you returned since release date?
Has Santa Claus remained at the top of your queue?
Are you throttled right now?
Do you tend to return disks the next day after receiving them?

Special note: You are talking about renting a kid-oriented Christmas movie at Christmas. :)

No I started try to rent it 4 weeks before Christmas!
Since I'm getting very few movies I would expect yes they are Throttling me
Yes I'm disabled so I watch a lot of movies and read alot of books I did not ask them to put unlimited in there offers.

Unlimited
Having no restrictions or controls: an unlimited travel ticket.
Having or seeming to have no boundaries; infinite: an unlimited horizon.
Without qualification or exception; absolute: unlimited self-confidence.

I think there is another aspect... installed base of hardware is growing quite rapidly, so unless their demand projections are magical they can't really forecast and stock in a way that won't have some dips in the service level.

As an aside I am about to go back to a one at a time plan from a 3 at a time, as I have bought so many blu and red movies, I am starting to sit on rentals..

Overall for me at least, I give Netflix are very high B grade.

I'm seeing evidence that Netflix is treating ALL HD releases as "new releases". Which means that they are the first to be effected by the throttle, and service will be poor if you only have HD in your queue or at the top of your queue. They will more often be shown as "short wait or long wait" whether they are available or not.

I have many, many HD-DVDs in my queue that are listed as available right this second. I also have received an HD-DVD 2-3 days after mailing one back for the last 18 returns. The 19th return ago took 4 days.

No I started try to rent it 4 weeks before Christmas!
Since I'm getting very few movies I would expect yes they are Throttling me
Yes I'm disabled so I watch a lot of movies and read alot of books I did not ask them to put unlimited in there offers.

Unlimited
Having no restrictions or controls: an unlimited travel ticket.
Having or seeming to have no boundaries; infinite: an unlimited horizon.
Without qualification or exception; absolute: unlimited self-confidence.

You want a service that would be unprofitable. Have you ever noticed that a brand of cereal may have "New!" printed in the corner even a couple years after the formula was changed? Advertising words rarely follow the exact definition from a dictionary. In this instance, unlimited means they have no hard cap on the number of disk you can receive in a month. It does not mean there are no controls in place. In fact, you start by being limited by the speed of the mail service in your area. You are always limited by something on an unlimited service.

If you are throttled from sending back disks as fast as you can, you will rarely receive wait-listed movies. That is simply how the system works. Self-limit yourself, and you will receive movies for $1.50-$2.00 a movie and get anything you want easily and rapidly.

You want a service that would be unprofitable. Have you ever noticed that a brand of cereal may have "New!" printed in the corner even a couple years after the formula was changed? Advertising words rarely follow the exact definition from a dictionary. In this instance, unlimited means they have no hard cap on the number of disk you can receive in a month. It does not mean there are no controls in place. In fact, you start by being limited by the speed of the mail service in your area. You are always limited by something on an unlimited service.

If you are throttled from sending back disks as fast as you can, you will rarely receive wait-listed movies. That is simply how the system works. Self-limit yourself, and you will receive movies for $1.50-$2.00 a movie and get anything you want easily and rapidly.

Just another excuse for Corporate America if its unprofitable stop it.I did not right their policy

You want a service that would be unprofitable. Have you ever noticed that a brand of cereal may have "New!" printed in the corner even a couple years after the formula was changed? Advertising words rarely follow the exact definition from a dictionary. In this instance, unlimited means they have no hard cap on the number of disk you can receive in a month. It does not mean there are no controls in place. In fact, you start by being limited by the speed of the mail service in your area. You are always limited by something on an unlimited service.

If you are throttled from sending back disks as fast as you can, you will rarely receive wait-listed movies. That is simply how the system works. Self-limit yourself, and you will receive movies for $1.50-$2.00 a movie and get anything you want easily and rapidly.


I am still confused as to why it is a "bad thing" to return your movies right away. If they have limited copies of movies, wouldn't it make sense for a quick turn around so that others can have their turn?

I’ve heard such good things about Netflix, so I signed up 3 days ago for their trial. I chose the “3 at a time” plan. I put 22 HD DVDs in my queue. 20 of those were available “now” and 2 were “short wait.” I waited. 2 days later they mailed only ONE movie that was number 9 in my queue. Please tell me why the 8 movies above it that are available “now” could not be shipped???

It gets worse. Today (3 days after I signed up) they put the other 2 movies (which were also low on my queue list) into the shipping area, but I received messages that they couldn’t be shipped from the closest distribution center. So, they’re coming from Texas and Colorado. (I’m in Utah). It’ll take at least 2 days for those to reach me first class – which means I won’t get my first round of three movies until 5 days after I signed up.

I’m really confused. I guess when it says “available now” it means that the movies are available from SOMEWHERE IN THE U.S., not necessarily your closest distribution center. In other words . . . it’s rather meaningless. Maybe you live in California and the “available now” is from a distribution center in New York. ???

I’m surprised that with 20 movies I put in my queue that were listed as “available now”, only one actually was. The other 18 apparently are not and the best they could do was to send me 2 other movies low on the queue list that are coming from alternate distribution areas. And since these are my first 3 movies, I’m certainly not being “throttled” at this point.

What a poor first impression! As soon as my trial is up, I’m canceling and trying Blockbuster. I can’t imagine anything worse than Netflix at this point. What is baffling to me is that others that signed up claimed Netflix shipped movies within “hours” after signing up and received them within a day. Huh? At least 5 days for me which is WAY too long.


Your main problem is the closest distrobution center next to you does not carry big stock of HD or BR based on demand. So they have to come from other distribution centers as you describe, that adds more mail time. Those centers are probably only releasing less popular HD movies to leave their area so again your having to wait.

I have a center next to me in the DFW area and get new HD movies replaced every two days.
Mail out = 1
Mail in = 1

:D

[QUOTE=PoolShark;12557484]Your main problem is the closest distrobution center next to you does not carry big stock of HD or BR based on demand. So they have to come from other distribution centers as you describe, that adds more mail time. Those centers are probably only releasing less popular HD movies to leave their area so again your having to wait.

I have a center next to me in the DFW area and get new HD movies replaced every two days.
Mail out = 1
Mail in = 1

:D[/QUOTE

Yes the same center that mine comes from.

I live in the Austin area and we have a NetFlix center here, at least that's the mailing address they go back to. My queue currently looks like this:

Blade Runner: The Directors Cut Very Long Wait BD
Shrek the Third Long Wait HD
Live Free or Die Hard Very Long Wait BD
Battlestar Galactiaca: Razor Long Wait DVD
The Kingdom Short Wait HD
Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind Short Wait BD
Evan Almighty Long Wait HD
2001: A Space Odyssey Short Wait BD
Failure to Launch Short Wait BD
Hairspray Short Wait BD

From here down there are older DVD titles that are available now.

The majority of these titles were originally in my saved quese and moved to the regular queue once they had a release date coming up in the next few weeks. I used to be on the 2 out at a time plan but moved it back to 1 at a time and sent NetFlix an e-mail saying I was not happy with the wait time on HD and BD movies and that was why.

I'm seeing evidence that Netflix is treating ALL HD releases as "new releases". Which means that they are the first to be effected by the throttle, and service will be poor if you only have HD in your queue or at the top of your queue. They will more often be shown as "short wait or long wait" whether they are available or not.

This is what finally caused me to cancel. Knocked Up HD DVD showed up as Very Long Wait from the day it was released. Two months went by and it still listed as Very Long Wait. I tried holding on to movies instead of sending them back as soon as I watched but that had no effect. Finally, I just removed every movie from my queue except Knocked Up and it shipped the next day. I cancelled the day after.

Had Eastern Promises HD DVD in my queue for about 4 weeks. Two days ago moved it to the top, today long wait. Looks like I'm cancelling next week. It has gotten worse in the last 3 months for me.

What is an easy way to tell if I'm being throttled?

What is an easy way to tell if I'm being throttled?

If your paying for 3 but have 2 at home ,your being throttled.:)

What is an easy way to tell if I'm being throttled?

Cancel your account. Then create a new account with a different mailing address and credit card and email. All of the titles that were showing as "wait" magically turn up as available now.

This is how I get around the throttle. I have 2 accounts, and I run one for a month, then close it and open the other one. It also helps to wait a week between accounts. Takes about 3 weeks of heavy use for the throttle to really kick in. But the throttle is graduated, and you can see it in as little as a week. It depends on how many new releases you have in your queue. Ideally, it would take 3 accounts set up in this way to avoid any throttle at all. It takes 2 months of inactivity to completely re-set the throttle to "0".

I'm starting to notice a problem with wait times in the last week. Nearly all the HD DVD and BD titles in my queue now show short to very long wait. :mad:

What is an easy way to tell if I'm being throttled?

When you send a movie back, NetFlix will list it as received. If you are not throttled, they will ship another movie the same day, or sometimes the next day. If you are throttled, there will be at least one day delay before they ship the movie to you. As some have indicated, there may be multiple levels of throttling, I do not know. The end result, though, is a delay after reception but prior to shipping the next.

Ignore wait lists, unless you must have a certain movie shipped on a certain day for some showing you are planning on a specific date. Otherwise, just keep a list of movies you want to see; I keep 30+ at all times in my queue. As I have stated in other posts, every movie gets there within a few returns.* My worst case in many years of Netflix has been 7 returns.

* Assumes you are not throttled.

For new releases we've started using Redbox at McDonald's - you can 'reserve' any film from Redbox via the net and it will be waiting in the machine for you when you go to pick it up. I'm really liking Redbox for new releases since the website will show you were a movie is in stock for pick up.

For new releases we've started using Redbox at McDonald's - you can 'reserve' any film from Redbox via the net and it will be waiting in the machine for you when you go to pick it up. I'm really liking Redbox for new releases since the website will show you were a movie is in stock for pick up.

I checked out their website, but it looks like they only carry SD-DVDs. Is that the case?

I've had a Netflix since June of 06', just for HDM, and I only rent HDM. A Hollywood Video about 13 miles away and 3 miles from my work started renting HD-DVD and Blu-ray. I get free (sort of with cashback rewards) hollywood video coupons from Discovcard. After going a few weeks with things in my queue as long wait for over two months like "we are Marshel" and "Die Hard 4" and having nothing to watch during the Weekend. I cancelled my membership with NetFlix this Week.
I went into Hollywood video last Thursday and they had everything that was long wait via NetFlix in stock and movies rented on Thursday are not due back until Monday.

Yeah, it's just SD-DVD's at Redbox, which I should have specified - I got an email from them a while back though that stated they would add HD-DVD if there was enough demand for it from consumers... so, start emailing!

Does Blockbuster have these long waits for HD DVD and Blu Ray? If not I would would consider using them even if more expensive.

I've been with Blockbuster for about 2 years and had been fairly happy with their HD DVD service until about 2 months ago. I had 6 HD releases on top of my queue that have not been sent for 2 months. Not all of them were recent releases. I finally got disgusted and decided to cancel the service this week. Then I saw an email saying they're raising rates by $8 per month! Give me a break...I canceled and signed up for Netflix. It might not be any better but it can't be any worse. If it's no better I will cancel.

I'm very happy with the Netflix Hi-def service.

I'm very happy with the Netflix Hi-def service.

Ditto +1

I'm unhappy with Netflix aswell.
Every HD DVD title I have in Queue states the dreaded "Long Wait"!:mad:
They need to carry more of the same titles on HD.

What they only have 2 copies?:p

I'm unhappy with Netflix aswell.
Every HD DVD title I have in Queue states the dreaded "Long Wait" to the even more annoying "Very Long Wait"!:mad:
They need to carry more of the same titles on HD.

What they only have 2 copies?:p

I think a lot has to be location. I'm in MD, and the selection is very good, except for some new releases, which stay on long wait for about a month or two.

I am currently with Blockbuster's 1 month trial, and it sucks compared to Netflix. There are several titles with BBO that are listed as "coming soon" that are actually out, and shipping typically takes 2-3 days. Netflix is always next day shipping. Strange since both come from Gaithersburg, MD.

I think a lot has to be location.....I am about 1 mile from Netflix Corp. HQ and I get the dreaded "Long Wait" and "Very Long Wait" :mad:. When my movies ship, however, I consistently receive them in 1 day :)

Priority.Title.......................Availability........... Format
1.........Eastern Promises......Very Long Wait.....HD DVD
2.........Stardust.................Very Long Wait.....HD DVD
3.........The Kingdom............Very Long Wait.....HD DVD
4..........Blade Runner Final Cut.Very Long Wait..HD DVD

By the time I get a disk, most have scratches. Some are so damaged that they will not play.

Does Blockbuster use the same paper envelope as Netflix or do they use something that provides a little more protection?

Does Blockbuster use the same paper envelope as Netflix or do they use something that provides a little more protection?
Blockbuster's sleeve is a little different but I wouldn't say it offers more protection. In fact I had a lot more problems with cracked sd dvds and hd dvds with Blockbuster.

does anyone know if games n flix is any good?

My distro center is Sacramento and I get mine very quickly. You might try contacting Netflix and see if they have any explanation...

I had an empty slot several days before Pan's Labrynth released. Then it came out and I was passed over. Now in a very long wait. Forced to buy it at $24.95 as a result since otherwise it will take a month or more if its like many others such as Live Free Or Die Hard which is been in Very Long Wait STILL since its release.

I received a Netflix subscription as a gift. My first two disks arrived today (Chicago). I chose HD-DVD versions of Babel and the shooter. Both disks are filthy and scratched. I cleaned the disks of the finger prints and smears. I will see later his evening if they play completely.

Overall, I've had good experiences with Netflix over the past 3 years. Their discs do come a bit scratched at times, but both my SD dvd player and my A3 has been able to play them except yesterday when I received Serenity in HD DVD format. It was pretty banged up and wouldn't play past the Universal screen when the movie itself started up. I had to manually go into the second chapter and rewind back in order to get past it. I received Battlestar Galactica today and there was a long scratch but I was able to watch it without any issues.

It does depend on how close you are to the distribution hubs, mine is only about 20 miles away so I get my discs usually in one day. Brand new selections typically do take a bit longer to recieve if you didn't queue it up before its release date, both in SD and HD formats. However, if you do have it at the top of your list and have a slot open the day before the actual release day, they will send it out so you can potentially recieve it on the day of release. Over 90% of the older movies I select in HD never has a wait period.

Scratches and finger prints... Is that really Netflix or BB's issue? IMO that is the renters and what are we going to try to breakdown what service has more caring renters? lol... Neither is cleaning the disk before it goes back out, so you get the crap other americans do with it, not the rental companies, so talking about things like that imo isn't talking about them rather then your fellow americans. Just remember the math, for every 20 members at best they will have one copy for them, at best, otherwise the business end makes no sense.

Scratches and finger prints... Is that really Netflix or BB's issue? IMO that is the renters and what are we going to try to breakdown what service has more caring renters? lol... Neither is cleaning the disk before it goes back out, so you get the crap other americans do with it, not the rental companies, so talking about things like that imo isn't talking about them rather then your fellow americans. Just remember the math, for every 20 members at best they will have one copy for them, at best, otherwise the business end makes no sense.

I totally agree and think both services will send out less than perfect discs due to renters. Regardless of how bad the discs are, I still handle them with care as if they were my own and wish others had the same courtesy. On another note, from my experience Netflix has always sent out replacement discs if needed on the same day or the next when reported.

Both services may not offer the instant gratification of getting the movie you want when you want, but at $17.95 for 3 at time with my typical monthly usage at about 15-18 rentals/month, it's a deal for me.

I totally agree and think both services will send out less than perfect discs due to renters. Regardless of how bad the discs are, I still handle them with care as if they were my own and wish others had the same courtesy. On another note, from my experience Netflix has always sent out replacement discs if needed on the same day or the next when reported.

Both services may not offer the instant gratification of getting the movie you want when you want, but at $17.95 for 3 at time with my typical monthly usage at about 15-18 rentals/month, it's a deal for me.

ditto. and with netflix, when it says a movie is available, they send it to me. i didn't have the same experience with BBO. they would inexplicably send the second movie, or wait two days AFTER "disc received" to ship the next one. i've been with netflix two separate times for a total of over two years, and that has never happened to me.

never had any problems...been renting for over 1 year (hd-dvd that is)

I hate it when they don't ship my #1 or 2 pick even when it is available. They shipped me my 7th pick, which was BSG Season 1, disc 3.....Why not send me disc 1 first, it was available!!

I totally agree and think both services will send out less than perfect discs due to renters. Regardless of how bad the discs are, I still handle them with care as if they were my own and wish others had the same courtesy. On another note, from my experience Netflix has always sent out replacement discs if needed on the same day or the next when reported.

Both services may not offer the instant gratification of getting the movie you want when you want, but at $17.95 for 3 at time with my typical monthly usage at about 15-18 rentals/month, it's a deal for me.

I do get scratched movies also. I do not believe anyone in this forum purposely scratch up their rented movies. This leads me to suspect packaging and shipping to be the cause for the scratch.

I do get scratched movies also. I do not believe anyone in this forum purposely scratch up their rented movies. This leads me to suspect packaging and shipping to be the cause for the scratch.

That's interesting, I always felt in most cases it was the renter, for example smudges and fnger prints aren't coming from shipping and they both use USPS and imo the packaging is very similar so measuring just that I'd give them a tie. IMO the quality of the disk has very little to do with Netflix or BB. The disks that probably get damaged the most are family's with kids, young adults w/friends or the movie that doesn't get watched right away and hovers around the house for a couple few weeks, stuff happens.

I haven't ever had a problem with netflix. I've been a costumer for a few years now and I've never had a scratched or cracked disc. I've even misplaced a few that never got back to Nextflix and it wasn't a problem.

The HD-DVD's I've have been flawless. I live about 2 hours from a Netflix facility, so it's a day there and a day back.

I would highly recommend Netflix to anyone. My movies have always been in order of my queue.

If you have had a bad experience with Netflix, I would venture to say that it is an unlucky experience, not the norm.

Well previously I reported that they fixed my account, all went well for a week or so once they seemed to unlock my queue and I started to get movies. Well this morning I logged into my queue and bam back to long to very long wait for all 23 movies in my queue for BD & HD.

So I called them again, the CSR (Brenda) stated that all of the studios have set contracts with Netflix to only allow the purchase of 2k copies of any given HD or BD movie because the studio's want new users to purchase movies instead of renting them. She was also detailed enough to state that this contract will be in-force until April 2008 in which the contract will be removed and they will be allowed to purchase additional copies of all of their HD & BD movies. She apologized and told me to start requesting the very long wait in DVD instead.

So once my billing cycle is over I'm canceling, true of not I've had enough..

. . .the CSR (Brenda) stated that all of the studios have set contracts with Netflix to only allow the purchase of 2k copies of any given HD or BD movie because the studio's want new users to purchase movies instead of renting them.

Oh, so the "studios" are throttling Netfix. They don't want consumers to have an option to rent? They want to force them to buy? Hmm. . .

Oh, so the "studios" are throttling Netfix. They don't want consumers to have an option to rent? They want to force them to buy? Hmm. . .

That is exactly what she stated when I talked to her, the studio's are forcing them to have low stock so users purchase content instead of renting.

Well previously I reported that they fixed my account, all went well for a week or so once they seemed to unlock my queue and I started to get movies. Well this morning I logged into my queue and bam back to long to very long wait for all 23 movies in my queue for BD & HD.

So I called them again, the CSR (Brenda) stated that all of the studios have set contracts with Netflix to only allow the purchase of 2k copies of any given HD or BD movie because the studio's want new users to purchase movies instead of renting them. She was also detailed enough to state that this contract will be in-force until April 2008 in which the contract will be removed and they will be allowed to purchase additional copies of all of their HD & BD movies. She apologized and told me to start requesting the very long wait in DVD instead.

So once my billing cycle is over I'm canceling, true of not I've had enough..

Wow... that would explain a lot if true.

I have been a netflix subscriber for the past 5 or 6 years and am getting extremely frustrated by the "very long" wait for just about every HD-DVD and Blu-ray title in my que.

I tried Blockbuster out for a month but found the shipping times about twice as long as for Netflix. It was also hit or miss if I would receive new releases released in a given week, even with empty spaces in my que.

I would encourage everyone to email netflix or call to complain about the lack of both HD-DVD and Blu-rays

I haven't had any troubles at all renting either HD-DVD's or BluRays from Netflix. Perhaps there are different experiences depending on where you are located...

Most new releases for me (in MA) have been "long wait" or "very long wait" out of the gate for up to a month after release. This despite the fact that I had them near the top of my queue for as long as I could.

When the disc IS in stock, however, I usually get it in a day.

That is exactly what she stated when I talked to her, the studio's are forcing them to have low stock so users purchase content instead of renting.

Interesting, though to be honest I've been perfectly happy with a largely-catalog queue so far. I think there's maybe 3 recent HD releases that have bubbled up to the top of mine.

Then again, the studios have been somewhat successful as I have bought recent releases, but I would have bought these particular titles anyway. Methinks I may have to start backfiring...

I received a Netflix subscription as a gift. My first two disks arrived today (Chicago). I chose HD-DVD versions of Babel and the shooter. Both disks are filthy and scratched. I cleaned the disks of the finger prints and smears. I will see later his evening if they play completely.

Of the two disks Shooter played through perfectly on my
A3. Babel was terrible in the first 15 minutes, then cleared up.
I notified Netflix.

[QUOTE=
So I called them again, the CSR (Brenda) stated that all of the studios have set contracts with Netflix to only allow the purchase of 2k copies of any given HD or BD movie because the studio's want new users to purchase movies instead of renting them. She was also detailed enough to state that this contract will be in-force until April 2008 in which the contract will be removed and they will be allowed to purchase additional copies of all of their HD & BD movies. She apologized and told me to start requesting the very long wait in DVD instead.

.[/QUOTE]

My experience with Netflix HD disk rental has been awful too. Some movies I just gave up hope of receiving and switched to SD-DVD copies. Even when I have 4 empty spaces I have never received a copy on the day or day prior to release. I think what the CSR here backs up the response the got when I called to complain. Hopefully in April things will improve because currently the 'service' is non-existent.

2k doesn't sound releastic.

I've been pretty luck so far with Netflix and HD-DVD's. Depends on how popular the disc is I would say. Attached is my queue. No laughing.

There are a few discs on my cue that are on short or long wait.

98071

That is exactly what she stated when I talked to her, the studio's are forcing them to have low stock so users purchase content instead of renting.

What a silly tactic! I bought most of the HD-DVDs I own after renting them through NetFlix. If I hadn't seen them I never would have bought them. After I saw them, I knew I needed to buy them. I'm sure I'm not alone on this.

I haven't had any major problems getting HD-DVDs with NetFlix. Even the "Very Long Wait" titles have shown up in a week since I usually return two or three titles a week. The only crazy one was 40 Year Old Virgin which was shipped to me from Florida which took an extra day.

My Netflix account is currently canceled due to throttling...every HD-DVD I wanted was "Very Long Wait". I find that I have to cancel every so often, wait a couple of months, then resubscribe to reset the throttling. At first I was pissed to have to do this, but I've resigned myself to this fact.

Has there been any talk of Netflix adding a "premium" membership? I think this would be a great idea. I would most definitely pay an extra $5-10 a month to guarantee myself new releases on either DVD or HD-DVD. As it is right now I'm pretty much forced to cancel every few months to get rid of the throttling. Once the throttling kicks in, the service becomes practically unusable.

Would anyone else pay extra to get guaranteed new releases?

I wouldn't. Our account is working fine, we get almost everything immediately and never had any problem with HD-DVDs and only encountered a few unreadable DVDs during the past few years.

The last Blu-Ray disc I got came from the Denver center vs. the local Austin center. Since it went to a remote center that added an extra day right there then it took three business days to get to me. I mailed it back to the Denver address and it made it back in one business day. Today they're shipping a standard DVD to me that was #13 on my queue after all the BD and HD-DVD's that are sitting in either long or very long wait.

After several problematic discs in a row, I have a new resolution regarding any Netflix rental HD-DVD that has a playback problem.

Specifically, I will immediately put the disc back into its SASE and return it to Netflix while simultaneously reporting the problem online and requesting a replacement. I will continue to return / report / replace until I get a trouble-free disc. I don't care if it takes 10 attempts.

I will not clean the disc. I have read the various threads on cleaning methods including Plexus dirt bike polish, soapy water, etc. While I have tried such methods with sporadic success, my reluctance to cleaning is primarily based on principle. I don’t wash a Hertz rental car and I shouldn’t have to wash a rental DVD. If Netflix can’t provide a ready-to-view disc at a mutually-attractive rental rate, they need to fold.

I’m using a Japanese-made HD-A2 purchased for $160 just prior to the $98 chaos. Firmware has been upgraded to 2.5 and then to 2.7. While my tenure with this machine is still brief, I have had no problems playing newly-purchased discs (HD singles, SD singles and HD/SD combos). However, 40% of the Netflix HD-DVD’s have had problems. I believe the Netflix HD-DVD’s have primarily been combos.

Furthermore, I’m using a one-at-a-time rental plan and thus I receive the Netflix discs in the flimsy little envelopes. I don’t know nor care if that packaging increases the risk of damage.

I strongly encourage the rest of you to follow my lead. Netflix offers an immediate replacement disc and we should take advantage of that feature rather than acting as contract employee by buffing their discs! Let’s see how this affects postage and inventory costs.

Of course, the problem may not rest solely with Netflix. We have all rented SD discs for many years and I can’t recall a single problem from a disc rented from the local movie store. Is Toshiba’s player and / or format more susceptible? I don’t know but I’m sure Netflix could put some pressure on Toshiba if its rental costs continue to escalate as a result of overly-sensitive HD-DVD’s.

Let’s stop speculating about the cause of the problem. Report problems immediately to Netflix and request replacement discs until satisfied. Let’s put the ball back in Netflix’ court. They can then investigate and determine if it needs to be passed on to Toshiba.

What a silly tactic! I bought most of the HD-DVDs I own after renting them through NetFlix. If I hadn't seen them I never would have bought them. After I saw them, I knew I needed to buy them. I'm sure I'm not alone on this.


You are not alone.


Rent first. If I like it, I buy it.


I purchased a great deal more since I've started renting.


.

what is your turn around when returning movies when you are not throttled? curious what triggers throttling.

My Netflix account is currently canceled due to throttling...every HD-DVD I wanted was "Very Long Wait". I find that I have to cancel every so often, wait a couple of months, then resubscribe to reset the throttling. At first I was pissed to have to do this, but I've resigned myself to this fact.

Has there been any talk of Netflix adding a "premium" membership? I think this would be a great idea. I would most definitely pay an extra $5-10 a month to guarantee myself new releases on either DVD or HD-DVD. As it is right now I'm pretty much forced to cancel every few months to get rid of the throttling. Once the throttling kicks in, the service becomes practically unusable.

Would anyone else pay extra to get guaranteed new releases?

Out of 20 HD-DVD's rented about 3 of them required some help and one would pretty much not play at alll. Its right in line with my DVD experience( I have actually had to to rip several movies to my computer and burn them off just be able to watch it). The worst was Blood Diamond, between me and a friend we went through 6 DVDs, before he could watch it, whereas a single HD version worked fine for me.

what is your turn around when returning movies when you are not throttled? curious what triggers throttling.

I live in San Jose where there is a distribution center. In fact, Netflix HQ is here as well (Los Gatos to be specific). When I'm not throttled I have a 1-day turnaround time so if I return a disc on Monday I will get my next one on Wednesday.

Whenever I resubscribe I experience great service for a couple of months then things start grinding to a halt, especially when it comes to new releases. On a normal month I will go through 15-18 discs, which I assume is above whatever threshold they set. In the past when I've been throttled, I've tried scaling back my disc frequency but it never seemed to have any effect. I probably didn't try it for long enough...anyway I just find it easier to cancel for awhile and take a break from renting.

i've never had any problems getting my hd movies from netflix. i receive what is next in my queu 2 days after i mail back the movies i've watched. haven't even had a scratched hd disc, but did have one scratched sd disc. i go through about 8-10 movies a month, almost exclusively hd.

i love netflix. haven't had to buy many hd dvds as i'll watch a movie several times until i'm sick of it then send it back.

I've gone up & back between "Schlock"buster & "NoFlix" in trying to get HD DVD rentals here in the Fort Lauderdale, FL area.

Here's a news flash: They BOTH suck!

Yeah, that's right. They BOTH suck in shipping HD DVD Movies.

It's a pretty weak situation down here and quite aggravating. You get all atwitter over your HDDVD capability and you can't get movies to watch on it....ARRRGGGHHHH

If someone starts up a HDDVD/BLURAY only movie rental service with adequate stock, they could do pretty damn good right now!

And don't tell me to BUY movies. As that commercial says "Whatta ya think, I'm made of money?"

Hey NoFlix & Schlockbuster, You both blow!!

How you like me now!

Has there been any talk of Netflix adding a "premium" membership? I think this would be a great idea. I would most definitely pay an extra $5-10 a month to guarantee myself new releases on either DVD or HD-DVD.....Would anyone else pay extra to get guaranteed new releases?

Interesting idea. Pay a premium to avoid being throttled, and add a top-of-the-list priority on disks. Currently, you can pay for a higher X-at-a-time rate that effectively gives you a higher throttle limit. Adding the top-of-the-list priority would be worth a premium above and beyond the quantity increase. Though I think an unfortunate side effect would be that all non-premium users would now feel slighted like second class customers when they do not receive a movie they want. If everyone is equal and you get slighted, you complain about the system. If you are second-class (non-premium) and get slighted, you become angry and may choose to no longer pay for service.

curious what triggers throttling.

I have found through experimentation that 4 * your X-at-a-time rate will not get you throttled. 5 * your X-at-a-time rate will. Somewhere in between is the threshold. So if you are on the 3-at-a-time rate, you should be able to return 12 movies in a 30-day period consistently without throttling. But make sure to avoid any spikes, even with an overall average of 12 per 30 days. It is easy to pull up your return history on the NetFlix website to check.

Watched Live Free last night, good action flick and it looked beautiful. Now that I'm watching more HD, I'm starting to notice the differences between good HD and bad HD.

Okay thanks. This month will get close, but that's only because the kids are out of school. Staring to run out of immediate HD movies that I want to watch.

I have used Netflix for several years....this past year I got a HD-DVD player and started renting HD-DVDs from Netflix. My experience has not been great...in fact I have done some "testing"...comparing my queue and what shows up as Now, Short, etc to friends who also have Netflix and have the same moveis in their queues.

We both added the same HD-DVD title to our queues...me first...I get the "Long Wait"...then a few minutes later he adds the same title and gets.."NOW"...it ships out for him that day. 2 days later it sill shows "Long Wait" for me.

I have had the same 20 or so movies in my queue for 1+ months.

FYI I have/had the 2 "movies out" plan.

Not too mention the 75% of the titles I have receives have been in piss poor condition...scratched, dried pizza,jelly etc and would not play.

They are deceptive and are doing some sorta of prioritizing/throttling of titles...what is says for availability is not accurate.

I have since canceled Netflix.

I have found through experimentation that 4 * your X-at-a-time rate will not get you throttled. 5 * your X-at-a-time rate will. Somewhere in between is the threshold. So if you are on the 3-at-a-time rate, you should be able to return 12 movies in a 30-day period consistently without throttling. But make sure to avoid any spikes, even with an overall average of 12 per 30 days. It is easy to pull up your return history on the NetFlix website to check.

You may be on to something here. I joined Netflix at the end of September 2007. I have the 3 out at a time plan and just reviewed my return history. In October I rented 12 movies (no problems with waiting for new releases). In November I rented 14 movies (no problems with waiting for new releases). In December I was only able to rent 7 movies, and for the last three weeks have had problems getting new releases on HD DVD and Blu Ray. I'll have to see if the throttling stops sometime soon.

I have used Netflix for several years....this past year I got a HD-DVD player and started renting HD-DVDs from Netflix. My experience has not been great...in fact I have done some "testing"...comparing my queue and what shows up as Now, Short, etc to friends who also have Netflix and have the same moveis in their queues.

We both added the same HD-DVD title to our queues...me first...I get the "Long Wait"...then a few minutes later he adds the same title and gets.."NOW"...it ships out for him that day. 2 days later it sill shows "Long Wait" for me.

I have had the same 20 or so movies in my queue for 1+ months.

FYI I have/had the 2 "movies out" plan.

Not too mention the 75% of the titles I have receives have been in piss poor condition...scratched, dried pizza,jelly etc and would not play.



Great post! I have had the SAME EXACT RESULTS in comparing a Very Long Wait movie in my queue to a friend's queue that shows Now.


They are deceptive and are doing some sorta of prioritizing/throttling of titles...what is says for availability is not accurate.


I completely agree. Does anyone have some insight as to what may be going on?

I must just live in the hotbed of HD DVD country(Columbus, OH!!)

my Netflix distribution center is down the road in Dayton, OH. I have been renting HD DVD's for about 2 months. probably viewed at least 20.

I rarely, if ever, have encountered even a "short wait" for a title, and anything that's in my queue arrives in the order it is supposed to.

Great, now that I have let the cat out of the bag, all of you folks with problems are going to write Netflix and tell them to move HD DVD stock out of Dayton, where people apparently don't have HD players, and move the stock to parts of the country where people need them:D

I am new to NetFlix due to a gift subscription ths X-mas. Unfortunately the quality is really sad from the Chicago distribution center. Of four disks three are dirty and scratched. Two were not playable due to surface damage. One each Sd and HD-DVD disk were trash. A one out of four record leaves me doubtiong I will renew at the end of my 3 month gift subscription.

This has been reported to NetFlix.

That is exactly what she stated when I talked to her, the studio's are forcing them to have low stock so users purchase content instead of renting.

I called them yesterday for the first time ever, and I've had Netflix almost since the time they started. Basically I could not get them to send me a blu-ray disc, they just sat there. I believe I got one in the last month. I am talking pretty much about new titles but a couple weren't. But the HD-dvd version for some reason, I've been able to get much faster. But they were really slow on those also.

So, whoever I talked too told me the same thing, about the limit on buying discs, along with a increased demand for blu-ray. I guess I believe that, but I have to wonder if that is really the entire story. It started with me about 2 months ago. I finally just opened up a BB online account and slowly I got blu-ray from them.

Netflix agreed with me and said they knew HD discs were going out slowly with long waits, and was working on trying to improve it. I also noticed they don't even offer Shoot 'em up and Rush hour 3 in HD, which don't exactly thrill me.

She did tell me people should call in and tell them about it, which helps them know if lots of people are unhappy about something. A friend of mine has got a lot of damaged blu-ray discs from Netflix, I'm sure that don't help any.

Still, for now it appears getting anything new in HD from Netflix or BB is a hit and miss thing, mostly a miss. I was told I wasn't being throttled and I didn't think I should have been. For now though it they don't improve not sure I'd have much use for the service. They did give me a discount for a few months since I'd been with them so long, and had to get titles from BB.

I hope they improve because right now its not really working, and people should call and fuss about it. Plus if they start not even having new titles when they come out, then its even worse. But for right now Netflix just wants everyone to get the regular dvd.

My HD-DVD rental experience with them is very good so far.

I started a free trial on Thursday, the discs were shipped out on Friday, and I got them today. I am in Tampa and they have a dist center in Lakeland. About 75% of the things I put in my queue are available now. The first 3 movies I got were pretty recent releases - Timecop, Black Snake Moan and Shooter. Happy so far.

i think netflix gives high priority to those that sign up new. after all, who would want to stay with the service if the first dvds they put in their queue take a long time to get there. i'll wager the bulk of the hd discs are going first to people that are new.

I have 32 movies in my Q and all are short to very longe wait. Some are sd dvd. Its getting kind of crazy. When I talked to CS the lady told me that the studios do not release as many HD and or BR movies to netflix.

I’ve heard such good things about Netflix, so I signed up 3 days ago for their trial. I chose the “3 at a time” plan. I put 22 HD DVDs in my queue. 20 of those were available “now” and 2 were “short wait.” I waited. 2 days later they mailed only ONE movie that was number 9 in my queue. Please tell me why the 8 movies above it that are available “now” could not be shipped???

It gets worse. Today (3 days after I signed up) they put the other 2 movies (which were also low on my queue list) into the shipping area, but I received messages that they couldn’t be shipped from the closest distribution center. So, they’re coming from Texas and Colorado. (I’m in Utah). It’ll take at least 2 days for those to reach me first class – which means I won’t get my first round of three movies until 5 days after I signed up.

I’m really confused. I guess when it says “available now” it means that the movies are available from SOMEWHERE IN THE U.S., not necessarily your closest distribution center. In other words . . . it’s rather meaningless. Maybe you live in California and the “available now” is from a distribution center in New York. ???

I’m surprised that with 20 movies I put in my queue that were listed as “available now”, only one actually was. The other 18 apparently are not and the best they could do was to send me 2 other movies low on the queue list that are coming from alternate distribution areas. And since these are my first 3 movies, I’m certainly not being “throttled” at this point.

What a poor first impression! As soon as my trial is up, I’m canceling and trying Blockbuster. I can’t imagine anything worse than Netflix at this point. What is baffling to me is that others that signed up claimed Netflix shipped movies within “hours” after signing up and received them within a day. Huh? At least 5 days for me which is WAY too long.

i think the key here is that you live in Utah

i'm in the NY metro area and netflix couldn't be better

they receive my returns over-night and ship the next dvd out the same day which gets to me over-night also

they have never skipped down in my queue

I know theres a bunch of netflix threads, but this one is a little off topic of the others.

Is anyone noticing that since warners decision, what they send out seems even more spontaneous than usual? Things I move to the top of my queue for shipment the next day that were "available now" are marked long wait the very next day (old releases).

On the other hand, in the last 2 weeks I've gotten two movies that were marked as Long wait that I didn't expect to ever get... I'm wondering if this has to do with people changing their buying patterns (i.e. shifting to renting) due to the recent annoucements or what.

I know theres a bunch of netflix threads, but this one is a little off topic of the others.

Is anyone noticing that since warners decision, what they send out seems even more spontaneous than usual? Things I move to the top of my queue for shipment the next day that were "available now" are marked long wait the very next day (old releases).

On the other hand, in the last 2 weeks I've gotten two movies that were marked as Long wait that I didn't expect to ever get... I'm wondering if this has to do with people changing their buying patterns (i.e. shifting to renting) due to the recent annoucements or what.

I don't see how one has to do with the other. Especially after only a week.

I think a bunch of folks adopted to the format either themselves or via a present rec'd for the holidays and are trying this resource for movie rentals. Yes, I've noticed. I get three at a time and all my films were returned and rec'd by Monday. I did not get my first one till yesterday and the other two are supposed to be delivered today! Ouch!

I've been very happy with my Netflix subscription. My plan is the "Unlimited / 1 at a time" plan. I've only had two movies take more than a day to ship to me. One movie was scratched up enough that it was unplayable, but Netflix had a replacement to me the next day.

Overall, for $9, I've been able to watch a lot more HD-DVD than I would've otherwise! While I own around 15 discs, I stopped buying last summer. It didn't seem to make sense with the high prices for HD media.

I've had NEtflix since September I believe.

Since I get the one out plan ($9) and I get about 4 - 6 HDDVD movies per month.

I have a one day wait...I send it today they get it tomorrow and I receive my next movie the following day.

Never had a wait or a bad disc and I have been catching up on all the HDDVD I would not have bought.

I have my first wait on a qued up title, Bourne Ultimatum but it is 22 on my list so by the time I get there it should be good to go.

The one problem I always find with netflix and blockbuster for any SD-DVD or HD-DVD is about 20% of the time the disc is scrached so badly, it won't play.

However, I have yet to find that problem with Blu-Ray discs, maybe because of the extra hard coating Blu-Rays all have. dunno, but its anoying to get the disc then find it won't play or freezes part way in.

Well the last two disks have been much better than the previous four. Both played perfectly. Watched Breach last night and it was as smooth and error free in HD-DVD as an SD disk on my old Sony DVD progressive player.

The customer service rep indicates that it is unlikely that I will get any of the new HD DVD releases anytime soon. She said they are not going to stock many Blu-Ray or HD DVD titles until the war is over. She said if I want to see any of the new releases anytime soon, switch my preferences back to SD DVD. Not exactly what I wanted to hear. Blockbuster has no Hi def content listed on line for their online service.

I guess that explains why I still have not received Shrek 3.

Blockbuster has their HD movies under the "Collections" tab under the Browse Movies selection

If this is true, I'll have to cancel my Netflix subscription after I catch up on their in-stock HD-DVDs.

I've been having issues with them too. Almost every single HD-DVD or Blu Ray title is listed at Long Wait or Very Long Wait. Even older titles. It's annoying to not be getting a service I'm paying for.

I'm just about through my available HD disks as well. Most of what is available in my queue is just stuff in HD that I'm mildly interested in. The other disks have been in wait status forever. This past week I had three movies arrive on Tuesday in hopes of getting 3:10 to Yuma on release day. That must have thrown a wrench into the system because I had one movie ship from my local in Atlanta, one from Denver and one from Texas. The wait for Yuma on Tuesday was Short, but now it is Very Long Wait which means forever.

I'm still waiting for Knocked Up...

Well if that's the case I'm canceling mine!

stuff in HD that I'm mildly interested in. The other disks have been in wait status forever.

I have the '1-at-a-time-unlimited' option. I found that if I put a DVD in the mail Sat. to return to Netflix, it will show up on my account early Mon. morning. If I have a new release for Tues. at the top of my queue it has shipped out to me on a Monday more than once. Just saw '3:10 to Yuma' and enjoyed it.

If you don't get a new release on day 1, it takes forever to get one.

My experience was fine in the beginning, but now, every HD DVD or Blu-ray title is listed as "long wait"/ "very long wait".

Want to see an older HD title? No problem. Waiting for Stardust or Eastern Promises? forget it.

I have had Balls of Fury and Mr Beans Holiday at the top of my queue since they were available its becoming a joke and I am really curious to see how long its going to take before I get them.

I have been a member for a couple of months and subscribe to the two at a time plan.

If I return on a Monday, I have a new HD-DVD on Wednesday. I am about 40 miles from their nearest service center (Salem, OR).

My queue is 20 deep, all HD-DVD's. One entry is very long wait (Blade Runner Final Cut). Two are a long wait and one is a short wait. I put the entries with waits at the top of my queue.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which was either long wait or very long wait, shipped today.

Some of the disks arrive pretty messed up. I purchased a $15 motorized DVD cleaner and have not had a problem since.

If you focus is on new releases, I can see how your experience may be different. I try to mix it up and have not had problems.

I can also see how the problems might get worse before they get better, that is if they do. With the Warner announcement, I'll bet that quite a few HD-DVD player owners are holding off on purchasing new disks and renting till the dust settles (particularly those who have recently purchased their players). I am (received ten free and purchased five).

If they are really restricted on the quantity of new release DVD's they can buy, it might not get any better and continue to get worse. I don't think that the forces still backing HD-DVD want to see folk pick up dirt cheap players and then only rent disks.

Maybe, I should pick up that Sony BDP-S300 w/5 free that I saw on closeout at my local Fred Meyers yesterday for $300? I am avoiding going there to avoid the temptation. :D

It would be interesting to see if those who rent BR are having the same issues. I figure that I will be renting about eight to ten disks a months through Netflix. For $1.50 to $1.75 a pop, I am not complaining. If there is a better and less expensive alternative, I am all ears.

P.S. I have seen several threads on several boards indicating that if you are a high volume renter (more than four or five a month per DVD in your plan), then you get throttled. I wonder how many of those having problems are high volume renters? Postage is their greatest expense.

We're relatively in the same area jstein and my wait time is pretty much the same as yours. I have noticed though that lately all my BD & HD DVD titles have long to very long waits on them. I currently am on the 3 at a time plan and most of the titles that end up shipping to me are as far down as 8 or 9 on my queue. Certain titles have been sitting atop my queue for over a month now and have not changed from very long wait. :(

Nexus,

How do you order both BD and HD DVD titles through Netflix?

I had my format preference set up for HD and tried an experiment to see what would happen if I also had a BD player. I tried adding a BD title and it showed up as an SD DVD in my queue. I tried to remove the HD format preference hoping that it would allow me to order either format. I immediately got back a screen informing me that a couple of titles not available in SD would be removed from my queue. My assumption is that the remainder would be converted from HD to SD.

Nexus,

How do you order both BD and HD DVD titles through Netflix?

I had my format preference set up for HD and tried an experiment to see what would happen if I also had a BD player. I tried adding a BD title and it showed up as an SD DVD in my queue. I tried to remove the HD format preference hoping that it would allow me to order either format. I immediately got back a screen informing me that a couple of titles not available in SD would be removed from my queue. My assumption is that the remainder would be converted from HD to SD.

I just set up my preferences for both BD and HD DVD and then put them in order of importance. I don't think you can add a BD title to your queue if you haven't entered BD into your account preferences though so thats probably why it defaulted back to HD DVD in your situation.

Got it. Thanks.

Now if there were only a way to say that I will take either BD or HD. I guess I could switch between the two to see if one has a shorter wait period than the other.

Now if there were only a way to say that I will take either BD or HD. I guess I could switch between the two to see if one has a shorter wait period than the other.

Thats what I usually do if I'm looking to shorten the wait on a title thats available on both formats. Based on my experience though the waits are usually the same.

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/5308/unacceptableho7.jpg

Sigh...

(Cleveland, OH area)

Well, I called and complained a few days ago. Low and behold I got sent out Shoot Em Up and Sunshine today. Coincidence? Not HD-DVDs, but I have a queue full of those too listed as Long Wait or Very Long Wait.

Good pic, Tonik. I do want to note, though, that the wait times listed are the overall average wait based on how many movies are available for the title at the distribution center you get your movies from, combined with how many users of that distribution center have the movie in their queue (probably adjusted by how close to the #1 position they have it). I quite often receive movies listed as long wait even though I did not wait very long at all (a week or two). The wait times really do not correspond very well to how long one must wait, just that there is a short queue, or a long queue.

I have a queue similar to Tonik's. I put a movie in the mail yesterday and it arrived today. During that time I deleted all my available Now movies (about 5 of them), which I'm not really interested in watching compared to the other titles. Now my queue is around 16 movies with Short to Very Long Wait times.

My return has arrived and I'm curious to see what happens. I would rather wait an extra day or two to get a short wait title if that is all it takes for me to get my place in line.

UPDATE: I just looked at my queue and Hot Rod is shipping today. It had a wait time a few minutes ago.

I have a queue similar to Tonik's. I put a movie in the mail yesterday and it arrived today. During that time I deleted all my available Now movies (about 5 of them), which I'm not really interested in watching compared to the other titles. Now my queue is around 16 movies with Short to Very Long Wait times.

My return has arrived and I'm curious to see what happens. I would rather wait an extra day or two to get a short wait title if that is all it takes for me to get my place in line.

UPDATE: I just looked at my queue and Hot Rod is shipping today. It had a wait time a few minutes ago.


Cool. I looked this morning and Netflix is shipping me my number 6 movie, Shrek The Third. Wasn't expecting to get that one any time soon, so that was a pleasant surprise.

I singed up a few months ago, immediately after getting my HD-DVD player, and have only rented HD-DVDs. Of my first 3 discs, 2 got partway thru the movie then were unplayable. I called Netflix and they upgraded my plan to one extra movie for one month for free as an apology. Since then, every movie I've received has played. Turnaround time is fast. As to availability, I guess I've been lucky, I only have one movie in my queue that's not available, The Matrix, which has been sittin at the top a couple weeks with 'very long wait'. That didn't bug me too much tho cuz I figured it's extremely popular for the same reason I want to rent it - it's probably really good in HD, and you can't buy it alone. I looked thru Tonik's queue, and I haven't tried any of those other movies tho.

One thing I don't like about using HD-DVD with netflix is there doesn't seem to be a way to browse ONLY movies available on HD-DVD using genre... I wish there was a way to "hide" all SD DVDs.

One thing I don't like about using HD-DVD with netflix is there doesn't seem to be a way to browse ONLY movies available on HD-DVD using genre... I wish there was a way to "hide" all SD DVDs.

On the right side of the home page click HD DVD under Genre. Then click More HD DVD> at the bottom of the page and then Next, Next, Next....

I finally got an HD-DVD title in my queue that doesn't look like it's arriving any time soon. The Kingdom has been at the top for over two weeks now and is still Very Long Wait.

This is the first one that I've had any problems with. Fortunately I'm not dying to see it.

I have said good things about Netflix initially (back in early dec).

But I am fed up with this. I can hardly get any HDDVDs from them.
Nearly everything is listed as long or very long wait.

I finally got A Mighty Heart after 2 months of waiting.

I am going to try blockbuster online to see if they are as crappy...

I had Music and Lyrics on HD DVD at the top of my Blockbuster queue since it came out and we just received it last week. Talk about a joke, so Netflix, Blockbuster they are both the same.

It really doesn't worry me so much that Netflix never ships me HD DVDs. Over 80% of the time the unreliable HD DVD format with its extreme susceptability to scratched discs results in significant playback problems with netflix's always scratched disks. So far I have yet to get a scratched Blu-Ray disc or to have playback problems.

Here is what I am working with. 142 HD DVD's in my Queue, which means I have 123 available now. I just ended my 2 week free membership.

http://i7.tinypic.com/6xso090.jpg

Here's my rental history:

http://i7.tinypic.com/8601h8k.jpg

welp, I think its safe to assume I've been de-prioritized. My last three movies shipped from Maryland, Ohio and Texas... Yeah... I'm in New York and the closest sorting facility is 5 minutes away...

Now I understand the combo disc format: You play the HD-DVD until the breakups turn into freeze ups, you lose the sound etc, then you flip it over and finish watching the movie in standard DVD format At least that's what I've had to do with about four out six of my last HD-DVD rentals. Bourne Ultimatum, Evan Almighty, Knocked UP, 300 etc. I have a fully updated A3 that works fine on new discs, BTW.

I just signed up with Netflix a few days ago (I was a BBV online member, but $34.99 for 3 at a time was disgusting!), I received 2 (out of 3) discs in the mail today... The Kingdom on HD-DVD and Rescue Dawn on Blu-ray, and Carlito's Way on HD-DVD coming tom. So far, I am happy with Netflix's HDM services.

Where's Blade Runner HD DVD on Netflix? I had both the Final and Director's Cut in my queue. The only HDM version available is the Final Cut on Blu-ray.

Where's Blade Runner HD DVD on Netflix? I had both the Final and Director's Cut in my queue. The only HDM version available is the Final Cut on Blu-ray.

They couldn't get "enough copies to fill customer demand" so they just stopped carrying it... :rolleyes:

Its no longer available on Blu-Ray or HD-DVD.

I sure hope this doesn't become a trend...

Blade Runner: The Director's Cut has been removed from your Queue. We no longer have enough copies of the DVD to satisfy customer demand. Unfortunately, we are unable to purchase more of this movie and will no longer offer it for rental.

We realize this is disappointing and want to reassure you that we remove movies from our web site only in unusual circumstances.

We apologize for the inconvenience and hope you find many other movies to enjoy at Netflix.

I hope this is not the beginning of the end.:(

Rendition... Releases on DVD Feb 19, 2008 Was in my Que.
Now also became unavailable