Is Netflix a Rip-off?

[barnaclelapse]

It probably didn't help Blockbuster either that they opened entirely too many stores back when business was good. People tend to not take that into consideration. They built more than was necessary and never imagined for a moment that things could potentially take a sharp left turn for the worst.

I like Netflix, but I'm not against going to an actual video store. I still do that about as often as I did before I got Netflix. I had often relied on either purchasing movies or waiting for them to come on satellite. The video store was a last resort (although there was a store in Richmond, VA called Fan Video that I would often go to just because they were a truly badass video store), and the number of times I go there in a given year are about the same as they were before I got Netflix a few years back.

I do wish I could take advantage of streaming more often, but I'm stuck on a shitty satellite connection, and Netflix Instant Watch would eat up my bandwidth limit in just a couple of movies.

[Sparky]

They over saturated the market for sure. Then they stuck to a business model that was gradually being left in the dust. It's been about a decade since I ever rented anything from Blockbuster. It's been 6 or 7 years since I rented anything from a brick and mortar video store. If it's a movie I want I will buy it. Now that I have a Netflix streaming account i can actually watch a lot of the movies that I never bothered with back in the day. I have no cap on my internet so I could stream 24/7 if I wanted to.

[darkshadow0001]

Sparky wrote:

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They over saturated the market for sure. Then they stuck to a business model that was gradually being left in the dust. It's been about a decade since I ever rented anything from Blockbuster. It's been 6 or 7 years since I rented anything from a brick and mortar video store. If it's a movie I want I will buy it. Now that I have a Netflix streaming account i can actually watch a lot of the movies that I never bothered with back in the day. I have no cap on my internet so I could stream 24/7 if I wanted to.

What kind of Internet do you have with no cap? I miss those days

[Garak]

Sparky wrote:

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It all depends on what you are looking for with the service. I have no problem finding a title that I want to watch. I have found so many TV Shows, Movies and Documentaries that keep me entertained for a long time. Even with the limited selection it is still well worth the low monthly fee. It would cost me far more per month on my cable bill to add channels that would at best, show a quarter of what I want to watch on Netflix. Even if it was up to 50% or 75% I am still saddled with the channels' schedules. The great thing about Netflix is that it is instant, and available where I want. TV, Computer, iPhone, iPad.

It's a fantastic service, I completely agree with you, and the price is right. I suppose that is why it's so frustrating not having the same content availiable as the States does - you know it can be better and at a great value too.

I do agree that it can be very frustrating almost to the point of anger, when a title is available in the US and not up here though. I just hope that the disparity between the available content will grow smaller.

Are they even working towards that though? I've found no mention of it using my google-fu.

[Captain Craig]

The Netflix price "increase" is actually just a return to their original pricing.
However, when they had the original price streaming wasn't available like it now is so really your still getting a much better deal even at the "price hike".

Scout asked if he should go to Redbox....well only if you wanted a very limited selection. If all you care about are the latest DVD releases you'll probably be alright most of the time. If you are a movie junkie then Redbox isn't an option. Just try to find say Galdiator at one, you won't. Obviously that is an example but you see what I'm saying?

[barnaclelapse]

I used Redbox once. It's actually kinda handy if you're at the grocery store and just happen to feel like seeing a particular new title (assuming the damn thing has it).

[Scout101]

Captain Craig wrote:

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Scout asked if he should go to Redbox....well only if you wanted a very limited selection. If all you care about are the latest DVD releases you'll probably be alright most of the time. If you are a movie junkie then Redbox isn't an option. Just try to find say Galdiator at one, you won't. Obviously that is an example but you see what I'm saying?

Yes, but it's not really an endorsement of Netflix from where I'm sitting. I own a lot of movies, and if it's an older movie or tv show I really care about, I've already got it. I'm not renting Gladiator one way or the other, it's on my shelf.

A lot of what I'm looking for IS newly released. Occasionally I check out some older stuff, but I'm not digging that deep anymore. I've been a blockbuster customer (mail in) since 2004, i think, so i've really dug through most of that.

At this point, netflix is just delivering new releases, but delayed a month. Streaming is nice for digging up older stuff without waiting for the dvd, but not great for new stuff.

Honestly, for me, I'm trying Netflix, and I'll see how it goes, but from a price standpoint, it's probably dumb for me. If I want mostly new stuff, i'm probably better off grabbing them from Redbox, I can't possibly be getting more than 14 movies a month. Really, Netflix is more about convenience, but they're pricing themselves past the point where it's probably worth it for me. Like I said, I've only been a customer of Netflix for just over a month, so annoying that I'm already getting a price increase right after my very first bill.

Not as happy with their online interface as Blockbuster, either, but that's a seperate issue. Blockbuster makes it easy to save movies that aren't out yet, by having categories for movies coming out NEXT week, plus movies in the theater right now. That way, you add them when you hear about them, and a few months later, they show up when released. I find myself using the blockbuster interface to identify what to add to my netflix queue, which is dumb...

[Keith1701]

Admiral James Kirk wrote:

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Early last year I signed up for the Blockbuster Online service. Why? Because it had unlimited in-store exchanges for both games and movies and the price was right.

A few months later they dropped the game exchanges but still kept the unlimited in-store movie exchanges. Then many months later they raised the price. It was just a few bucks but it chapped my ass a tad.

Then they raised the price again a few months later. Still annoyed but I rented movies every week so I kept it.

Then a couple months ago they raised the price again. That did it! I changed plans! Five in-store exchanges a month plus unlimited mail-in rentals.

Basically I'm now paying for this "service" what I was paying last year for a service that had infinately greater value. I'm finding myself resenting it greatly and am considering firing their asses and going with Netflix.

Any real value with Netflix or do they just buttfuck you like Blockbuster Online does?

I agree the cost of movie from Block Busters or Net Flix is out of this world. I will continue to use my DVR.

[Professor Zoom]

Keith1701 wrote:

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I agree the cost of movie from Block Busters or Net Flix is out of this world. I will continue to use my DVR.

The cost of a movie from Netflix (can't speak about Blockbuster) out of this world? SERIOUSLY?

For 10 bucks you can have UNLIMITED streaming and UNLIMITED DVDs, as long as it is 1 at a time, basicaly 2 to 3 times a week. So 10 to 12 movies a month.

So, about ONE buck a movie PLUS as MUCH streaming as you can.

THAT is out of this world?

Even the three at a time with unlimited streaming is a great deal.

If those aren't, what is?

Maybe you were just kidding... I don't know.

[PsychoPere]

According to the New York Post, Netflix is looking to make additional in-roads into airing episodes from current television seasons:

The company is in talks with studios about gaining access to current episodes of primetime shows and is willing to pay between $70,000 and $100,000 per episode, according to a person familiar with the matter. Netflix had no comment.

[...]

Yesterday, Netflix signed up another content partner, indie firm FilmDistrict, for first-run movies in the traditional pay-TV window, jumping ahead of premium pay-TV services like HBO that would normally get first crack.

[RoJoHen]

Professor Zoom wrote:

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The cost of a movie from Netflix (can't speak about Blockbuster) out of this world? SERIOUSLY?

For 10 bucks you can have UNLIMITED streaming and UNLIMITED DVDs, as long as it is 1 at a time, basicaly 2 to 3 times a week. So 10 to 12 movies a month.

So, about ONE buck a movie PLUS as MUCH streaming as you can.

THAT is out of this world?

Even the three at a time with unlimited streaming is a great deal.

If those aren't, what is?

Maybe you were just kidding... I don't know.

Plus, DVR isn't a substitute for Netflix. I have both in my house. They serve completely different functions.

[Nick Ryder]

I just wish Paramount wouldn't be such asswipes and would let Netflix stream ALL 11 movies and all 5 series. I mean, they took a few of the older Trek movies off instant stream - like Wrath of Kahn - but kept ST-IV-VI, then skipped Generations but have First Contact, and skipped Insurrection and Nemesis, but have ST2009... UHM... okay...

But I do really love Netflix - especially nice with the app they have for iOS, so cool being able to go to a wifi hotspot with reasonable speed and be able to watch a tv show or movie while I'm eating. That alone is almost worth the price of admission!

[137th Gebirg]

^^^ Wondering the exact same thing!

I too have been going with Netflix since not long after they started and, aside from a small throttling problem for frequent rentals, I have no complaints.

I've recently started watching instant movies on XBox 360 and I understand they want to move towards that kind of viewing and away from DVD mailings - cheaper to do. I'm good with that, however I noticed that stuff that I remember seeing online earlier in the year is now no longer available for viewing now. Like the remastered Trek TOS series, for example. In fact, I also noticed that listings like First Contact and several other titles are only available through January 1, 2011! It's December and the classic movie "Christmas Story" is listed as only available on DVD!

Now, I don't get something - if they want people to start using their online service, why are they intentionally limiting their selections like this? Can't be storage - terabytes are cheap to purchase now and just about everyone has some kind of broad-band. So what gives? Anyone know?

[Starbreaker]

Contracts with the studios.