Is Blockbuster going out of business?
- Thread starter PKerr
- Start date
How does one "give up" on a channel? So like, if there is a show on it you'd love to see you won't because you refuse to watch SyFy over some kind of moral objection? Wha? How can you care enough one way or another?
Redbox is definitely kicking their ass. I have netflix, but even so, I've used Redbox from time to time when I want instant gratification. And there's ALWAYS a line. Somebody is constantly using one of those machines.
Sci-fi's been crap from the get-go. I had high hopes for a science fiction based channel, and they screwed it up. There's so much they could have shown that they just totally ignored.
How does one "give up" on a channel? So like, if there is a show on it you'd love to see you won't because you refuse to watch SyFy over some kind of moral objection? Wha? How can you care enough one way or another?
This is the topic of the year!
Meh, it's OK.
Personally, I'm gonna wait for it to be out on DVD and rent it.
I live in a large, Chicago SW suburb. ALL of the Blockbusters in my immediate area are closed or in the process of closing (about 10). I haven't been to one in years. The only time I'd visit one was to get a relative a new copy of a DVD they wanted for Christmas, birthday, etc. I don't even do that anymore because they are so much cheaper at Target or Costco.
As far as renting, about the only store still standing is the Family Video right next to the train station. Genius location and more: it's coupled with a Game Crazy and so far, still packed all the time.
However, most of my rentals these days come from our fantastic local library. If you live in our village, it's 50 CENTS for a WEEK per film! You can't beat that deal! Sure, at most they have two copies of each film, but they get the latest releases THE WEEK THEY COME OUT! How can you beat that? They also have niche and foreign films, you name it. What you can't find they can get for you from other libraries.
Music - as a part time musician, I lament the death of music stores. All of the FYEs seem to be folding up....that was the last great source for used bargains. It's a digital age. However, I'm just as guilty: the CD player in my van died this week and the wife asked if I was going to get it fixed. I thought about it and said, "I'll just hook up the mp3 player and save $400, because that's the minimum to fix anything on a car at the dealer these days."
As far as renting, about the only store still standing is the Family Video right next to the train station. Genius location and more: it's coupled with a Game Crazy and so far, still packed all the time.
However, most of my rentals these days come from our fantastic local library. If you live in our village, it's 50 CENTS for a WEEK per film! You can't beat that deal! Sure, at most they have two copies of each film, but they get the latest releases THE WEEK THEY COME OUT! How can you beat that? They also have niche and foreign films, you name it. What you can't find they can get for you from other libraries.
Music - as a part time musician, I lament the death of music stores. All of the FYEs seem to be folding up....that was the last great source for used bargains. It's a digital age. However, I'm just as guilty: the CD player in my van died this week and the wife asked if I was going to get it fixed. I thought about it and said, "I'll just hook up the mp3 player and save $400, because that's the minimum to fix anything on a car at the dealer these days."
1/5/2010
http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6713638.html
via
http://www.cybertheater.com/blockbuster-to-world-if-you-cant-beat-em-give-up/
Consumer Electronics? Didn't Circuit City considered merging with Blockbuster Video almost 2 years ago. Well look what happened to them. I guess Blockbuster is attempting this on their own with 300 stores.
The used DVD section in most Blockbuster stores is awful. Only films from the past 5 month releases are all of the DVDs.
When Gamestop was selling used DVDs they had a really good niche. When that dried up as corporate policy changed to games only there is really no chain doing it.
At least I'll be able to browse used DVDs...
As a plus for the Blockbuster Online business, Netflix just signed a deal with Warner Brothers to NOT rent their new releases for one month after street release. Something about most DVD sales happening in the first month, and Netflix was being paid to not rent them right away.
Should drive more business to Blockbuster, Redbox, etc if you actually want to watch a new release while it's still new...
Should drive more business to Blockbuster, Redbox, etc if you actually want to watch a new release while it's still new...
That's not quite the FULL story.
The deal is, yes, to delay new releases, in EXCHANGE for having greater access to WB films in the Watch Now/streaming feature.
I would much rather have more choices in the browse now feature than get a new release at the moment of release...a month isn't very long.
No kidding. Hell, I've been using Netflix to catch up on movies I either never got a chance to see, or better yet, didn't even know existed. I've developed an appetite for Indy and British films.
Just saying that if it's just Netflix doing it, then it'll be obvious that that one company is getting it's "New" releases a month behind it's competitors, and I can't see how that's a positive. Yes, more streamable content, but preventing Netflix from renting movies (their primary objective) seems a funny thing to give up to get that.
Not all people will notice if a new release is available every time, but eventually people WILL notice and dislike this. If I was a netflix customer, and saw a new release i wanted for sale at Walmart, or the grocery store, or whatever, and then couldn't find it when I went to add it to my queue, i'd be kinda pissed, seeing as I'm paying for them to provide that service. And then seeing it available at Redbox or Blockbuster Online, well, how many people will think about this great new business model, and how many will just attribute it to Netflix being slow or not as good as the others, and change?
It's unlikely that the bulk of the Netflix customers are the tech-savy, heavy streaming types. Most, IMO, are doing it because it beats the $5/movie price of Blockbuster stores, and the mail is convenient. The articles all basically said that new releases account for a massive majority of rentals, so cutting back on that market to increase streaming and availablity of older or niche films seems odd. Except that Netflix is likely getting a fat check out of the deal, and is gambling that the customers will just suck it up and deal with it.
Not all people will notice if a new release is available every time, but eventually people WILL notice and dislike this. If I was a netflix customer, and saw a new release i wanted for sale at Walmart, or the grocery store, or whatever, and then couldn't find it when I went to add it to my queue, i'd be kinda pissed, seeing as I'm paying for them to provide that service. And then seeing it available at Redbox or Blockbuster Online, well, how many people will think about this great new business model, and how many will just attribute it to Netflix being slow or not as good as the others, and change?
It's unlikely that the bulk of the Netflix customers are the tech-savy, heavy streaming types. Most, IMO, are doing it because it beats the $5/movie price of Blockbuster stores, and the mail is convenient. The articles all basically said that new releases account for a massive majority of rentals, so cutting back on that market to increase streaming and availablity of older or niche films seems odd. Except that Netflix is likely getting a fat check out of the deal, and is gambling that the customers will just suck it up and deal with it.
I think most Netflix customers are more savvy than you credit them. Also, based on my experience, just because Netflix has a new release does not mean it will happily traverse my queue. I currently have The Hangover and Caprica (the Pilot) in my queue, both of which I queued up in advance and were tagged with *VERY LONG WAIT*. Why would I spend $20 on a movie at Wal Mart, Best Buy, or the like when I can just rent it, even if renting it means I have to wait? That is no different than when the video stores would all be cleaned out Thursday or early Friday afternoon.
Anyway, just my take.
Netflix has been moving more and more to online streaming and streaming to the TV, it's clearly the future and they are positioning themselves now.
It's not just about renting the hard DVD now, it's about getting product into the TV screens of consumers.
My wife and I stream most of what we watch...we get more bang for our buck and we don't have to wait. There is SO much stuff.
They can still rent if they HAVE to have it right away. This however is pretty expensive.
I pay about 10 bucks a month for unlimited streaming and as many DVDs as I can watch and mail in. I can wait the 28 days.
You really should become a customer, it's great.
And you can add it to the queue, you can add things even before they are released. They just won't ship it until it's available.
And, as PICARD, points out, even when it IS released sometimes there's a wait. Especially on popular items.
The Netflix business model is changing, they just aren't waving a flag and announcing that change.
It's about streaming content, not about sending DVDs in the mail.
Hell, when you log on now, on my account it opens directly to the Watch Now Page...
Perhaps. But with more and more ways to stream it very easily to your TV set (X-box, PS3, etc) it's the future.
It doesn't say how old nor does it say they will be niche films. It just says more films owned by the WB. They have a massive catalog...
It's a great deal. It really is, for everyone.
My list for DVD is about 500 movies, I don't remember how long my Watch Now list is...there's something to watch.
I think you might be over estimating the excitement a New Release brings.
Most new releases, I've found, end up being a "Very Long Wait" on Netflix anyway. Hell, "The Hangover" just became available for me a couple days ago, and it's been on my queue since well before it was even released!
Streaming really is the way of the future. They make it so easy to do now! I used to not stream things because I don't like sitting in front of my computer like that. But now I can do it on my PS3! It's incredibly simple to use, and it looks just as good as a DVD (and unlike the computer, I don't have to deal with the browser or ads or any of that nonsense...it just looks like a normal movie!).
I'm sure New Releases are some of the more popular things on people's queues, but that doesn't mean they're necessarily watching them right away. New Releases don't automatically get bumped up to the top of the list just because they're new.
Streaming really is the way of the future. They make it so easy to do now! I used to not stream things because I don't like sitting in front of my computer like that. But now I can do it on my PS3! It's incredibly simple to use, and it looks just as good as a DVD (and unlike the computer, I don't have to deal with the browser or ads or any of that nonsense...it just looks like a normal movie!).
I'm sure New Releases are some of the more popular things on people's queues, but that doesn't mean they're necessarily watching them right away. New Releases don't automatically get bumped up to the top of the list just because they're new.
I don't think everyone wants to give up ownership of physical media just yet. Streaming is fine for people who don't want to own anything, or for people who can't afford to buy DVD/BR (though yesterday I bought a 2008 DVD release for 2.99 on a special, and I'm starting to build up my BR library with major releases I'm finding for $10 or less). But for those of us who treat DVD/BR libraries the same as we treat book libraries, streaming is OK for porn, but not really something appealing for us "serious" film/TV collectors.
THAT SAID, I do feel the days of the video store are numbered, and have been for awhile. For one thing, as I just indicated above, you can now buy recent releases in some places for dirt cheap, or for only a few bucks more than rental, and you don't have to deal with returns and (in many cases) scratched discs, etc. Secondly, although it seems to run counter-intuitive to today's instant gratification culture, the mail-order Netflix and similar services have really taken off. Third, I'm not denying that downloading (legally or non-legally) isn't a huge factor. If they ever get around to putting Blu-Ray burners into home computers, it'll become even more attractive (even to us serious film buffs).
Sadly I do expect by the end of this decade us dinosaurs who believe in preserving our culture (or at least purchasing items that we are pretty certain will continue to be viewable 2-3-4 years from now) will probably be relegated to doing all our business through Amazon. Oh well; going out in public is overrated, anyway!
Alex
A bit off topic, but what is the quality like for streaming videos from Netflix?
