Netflix, Blockbuster (and others) Online/Kiosk Discussion Thread - Page 93

Exactly what has that got to do with what NF pays for content .. ?? And trust me, at 65, I know how insurance works .. I used to sell it ..

only difference is, Netflix doesn't deny you movies fully if you rent more than normal

This...

We wouldn't have charged this when the streaming catalog was still lean, Swasey said. The streaming catalog is robust to the point where a lot of people won't want DVDs anymore.

Then this...

Given the long life we think DVDs by mail will have, treating DVDs as a $2 add-on to our unlimited streaming plan neither makes great financial sense nor satisfies people who just want DVDs, Netflix said in the posting.

Seems contradictory to me.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-0...ns-by-60-.html

agreed. it's all doublespeak.

Eurasia has ALWAYS been at war with Eastasia

I don't mind the additional money if that means a great increase in streaming content. If not, then I will eventually drop the streaming service.

Sorry, it was PCMag.com, and the section below is what I was referring to, underlining by me.

Yeah, that doesn't say anything like the "increase is to cover the cost of retaining the streaming content they already have"

It just says they are going to have to continue paying for the content they have (unless for some reason you think the license renewals are going to be free). Regardless of if the price even stays the same when the renewal comes up, they're going to have to pay for it. That's just common sense.

In fact, that whole first sentence is hilarious. Wow, he revealed they're going to have to shell out money for licensing???? That's the shocker of the century! Oh wait, not it's not.

And of course it's going to "cost money to deliver" it. Duh.

Now, I don't disagree that the cost increase is to cover costs associated with licensing (everyone expects the licensing costs to go up, as well as they want to license more content). I have no problem with the increased cost, personally (I'll be paying $4 more for my 3 disc+streaming plan). It's still the best deal around, and in the grand scheme of my monthly bills, another $4 isn't going to kill me.

Right, I've corrected my post, but it doesn't take any deep thinking to figure out that today's increase will go a long ways to retaining their current content given that what they have now looks like it's going to cost Netflix close to 10 times what it did originally when those contracts come up for renewal, if they're even renewed.

I posted this elsewhere, but the 10x thing that's being thrown around has to be FUD. The studios (while stupid) aren't stupid enough to leave hundreds of millions on the table by pricing the content out of Netflix's reach (seriously, the numbers being thrown around are so unrealistic to be implausible)

Netflix and the studios will wheel and deal and reach a number that Netflix is willing to pay and the studios are willing to accept (that is how business deals work, after all). And that number is not going to be billions an billions of dollars like the doomsayers are throwing around.

Sure some studio like WB may come in with some astronomical figure or something, but Netflix can certainly tell them to shove it and take their big bag o' money to another studio to acquire more affordable content from them instead. It's not like Netflix doesn't have bargaining power as well.

But there is also the exclusive deal that could happen....like Amazon comes in and is willing to pay for exclusive rights to content. But of course, there has to be enough money there or enough other incentives for the studio to sign that rather than to license it to both Amazon and Netflix. Regardless, it'll be interesting to see how things shake out.

been really happy with BB lately - I don't know if something changed, but my queue is really clearing out lately. After two months of only renting 3-4 movies, in June I saw 8, and 3 already this month. I even had a mixup where I did an in-store exchange for the next item in my queue and they double sent it. One email later the correct one was sent, which I received the next day. It was like old times, hope it keeps up.

Can I ask a couple questions?

1) What plan are you on?
2) What kind of shipping times are you experiencing?

Just curious since my experience with them both times I tried them was absolutely horrible.

i'm curious what you mean about them being better?

I get about 14-16 discs a month, on two out Netflix. Do you have issues getting discs even shipped, normally?

I haven't read this whole thread since the price increase was announced, but I'll throw my .02 in since I've read about it seemingly everywhere else lately.

This whole uproar is ridiculous (not just here, but all over the net).

Netflix FINALLY passes along some of the price gauging they've been fending off and enduring due to the studios playing hardball and forcing the renegotiation of licensing contracts, and everyone starts crying. A marginal price increase for the most legal, instantly available content anywhere? Also combined with the fast, easy, unlimited disc rentals? Excuse me while I cry tears of outrageous injustice.

And still no one bothers to realize that this isn't even Netflix's fault to begin with (did everyone forget the "studios are playing hardball with Netflix" articles from last week?), instead of jumping right to complaining. How many "new deals" with various studios has Netflix announced over the past year? Do we really think those were compromise-free? The fact that they've been able to maintain their quality service with only a marginal price increase in the face of studio greed and arm-tying should be applauded! Certainly not met with such disdain.

Here, anyone that is even remotely complaining about the price increase needs to do this.

1) Login to your Netflix account
2) Open a new tab or window and visit: http://feedfliks.com/
3) Click "Go to your page" and let it do it's thing
4) View just how much of a value Netflix is to you personally
Example:


Visit the App Gallery for other cool officially licensed applications that take advantage of Netflix APIs: http://www.netflix.com/AppGallery?lnkctr=mfapGal

I am on the two at a time, 5 in store exchange per month $18 plan. I've had it for years. I exchange every movie in-store, and don't watch them fast enough to have ever had a situation where I was without a movie so I couldn't tell you what the turnaround time is since I haven't mailed a movie in years.

After dropping off an exchanged movie it isn't more than 2-3 days before the next one comes in the mail. As I said above, the replacement disc came the next day, and that wasn't even neccessary because I already had two movies at home to watch.

jp

You must be watching a movie every other day then to be mailing them and receiving them at that pace - is that the maximum even possible? Back when BB gave you unlimited exchanges I was hitting 14 a month but that was becuase you could game the system and watch store-exchanged movies while more were in transit.

In four years I had one damaged disc, that was immediately replaced. I haven't experienced any other shipping issues.

If you watch a lot of movies, you can turn them over pretty quick. The key is to not sit on your movies for days. Watch them the day you get them or the day after. For example, even if you were on the 1 disc plan, you could do this:

Day 1: receive movie and watch
Day 2: ship it back
Day 3: Netflix receives and ships a new one
Day 4: repeat

So you are really on a 3 day cycle, so if you stick to that, even on a one-disc at a time plan, you should be able to get somewhere around 10 (give or take because of sundays and holidays). If you stagger your 2 disc plan (so you aren't sitting at home on day 2 and 3 without a movie), you should easily be able to push through 15 or more.

I'm on a 3-at-a-time plan, and while I am rigorous about watching mine the day I get them or the day after, only 2 of the discs come from my queue, with the other one coming from my wife's.....who, sad to say, will let it sit there for 3 or 4 days without watching it.

But I still average in the neighborhood of 18-22 or so a month. On the days I don't have a disc, streaming is there (or I get the Vudu 99 cent deal, or use one of my Redbox codes, or sometimes even pay full price for a Vudu or Redbox movie **gasp**, or even catch up on my DVR, but I've cancelled most TV shows now.). I do readily admit I watch a lot of movies, but that's my "me" time at night after everyone is in bed and is what I enjoy, so don't feel guilty about it.

I just found that the slower BB turnaround times for shipping (and the delays with them actually shipping the same day I returned a movie) and that they don't work Saturdays negated any benefit the in-store exchange had. At least that was my experience. Whatever works for you though.

yeah I watch a movie the day I get it, usually. It's only 1.5-2 hours, not my entire night. Occasionally if I know I can't watch a movie for a couple days, I'll time shift and and return it (to delete when done of course), to get it back in the mail.

I have also been known on rainy Saturdays (or the equivalent), to get my mail, watch the movie right away, and dump it back in a mailbox that I know will be picked up later that afternoon or evening (I have one between me the convenience store just outside my neighborhood that I seem to always be going to for milk or something).

That means Netflix receives the movie the day after I watch it, shortening my "wait" time for another disc. Normally it would be two days after I watch it since I wouldn't be dumping it back in the mail until the day after I watched it.

One of the advantages of having my mail come relatively early in the day.

If I time-shifted, I could do that every day and get a lot more movies, but I find that whole thing to be annoying and a hassle (even though it's not really...I just usually can't be bothered).

I mainly get movies on Saturday/Monday, and Wed/Thurs. If I return on Monday, I'll almost always get a new release shipped out on Tues when they receive my Monday discs.

I usually have to ship back on Saturday to get the new release (they mail it to me on Monday). But it usually works. Usually.

Wow you could go through my entire queue in one month . . . except for all the ones that are 28 days delayed . . hahahahaha

21st century economics? My bill, for the exact same service, is double what it was, and that is considered a moderate increase? I understand NF and the studios getting their fair share, but to call a 100% increase a moderate increase is ridiculous.

mod·er·ate –
1. kept or keeping within reasonable or proper limits; not extreme, excessive, or intense

2. avoiding extremes of behavior or expression: observing reasonable limits

you need to get interested in more movies

I have 35 that aren't movies I've seen before, on disc. plus 12 more that aren't released yet.

I have around 400 in my physical queue. I'd say maybe 50 of those would be considered guilty pleasure type movies.

Also, protip.. 500 is the max you can have in a queue.

Can someone help me out with this? I watched Winters Bone from Netflix on Blu-ray. The movie was in 1.85, but on Amazon, it is listed as 2.35.

Is Amazon wrong?
Does Netflix not adhere to the release Aspect Ratio?

I doubt its my equipment, but just in case (I have Panason BD35(hdmi)->Pioneer 919(hdmi)-> PT-AX200u

Amazon is wrong. Winter's Bone was filmed in 1:85.

That's right. IMDb shows the correct aspect ratio, 1.85:1.

And I rented it from Redbox several months ago and I remember it being 1.85. It definitely wasn't 2.35.