Netflix (DVD Delivery Discussion Only)

[aox]

Insight into why this happening and why it may only get worse

[cdnchris]

Yeah, that's it. I'm either cancelling the streaming option or my account altogether and going to Blockbuster (the latter if they really don't pick up the slack on their DVD/BD inventory.) But I have to finish all the Twilight Zones before I do either.

[heredity4me]

Annoying but I guess this solves my conundrum for now: Netflix subscription (occasionally) for DVDs and a Hulu subscription for streaming since the constant Criterion adds are more than enough to keep me occupied (until Hulu gets bought and everything is ruined).

[matrixschmatrix]

To some degree, I'm not sorry- I think if the streaming option gets pricier and more fragmented, it's going to stop the rush away from physical media.

It is a pretty good excuse to finally cancel the Netflix subscription, though of course I just started using it properly again. Hulu's certainly more attractive for streaming, at the moment.

[swo17]

I would honestly just drop the streaming option altogether except that my kid has recently become enamored with their "Just for Kids" streaming section. Do other services like Hulu have kids' sections with healthy selections?

[knives]

Cox's Ondemand stuff has a good kids section if that's the sort of thing you mean (I haven't seen a kid specific thing for Hulu yet.

[swo17]

I mean like cartoons for little girls and shit.

[Minkin]

I mean like cartoons for little girls and shit.

He-Man and Rocky and Bullwinkle?

[swo17]

No Strawberry Shortcake could be a deal breaker.

EDIT: Yeah, that's a good way to start a page.

[starmanof51]

I mean like cartoons for little girls and shit.

At my house, (little boys), this means Yo Gabba Gabba, Thomas the Tank Engine, Pingu, Leapfrog, Veggie Tales, Wonder Pets

[Drucker]

Will by the end of the year EVERY Criterion be on Hulu plus? If so I may stream hulu plus and do 1 DVD at a time on Netflix.

I really use netflix to stream whether or not I like a film/director before purchasing a bunch of their stuff. I don't like the quality of streaming media, but I'm not worried about it being so bad on hulu that it distracts enough to make me dislike a movie I would like on DVD.

Think for me it'll come down to what's available on either service. How annoying are Hulu+ ads I've heard about?

[Tom Hagen]

This Netflix change is a major pain.

At my house, (little boys), this means Yo Gabba Gabba, Thomas the Tank Engine, Pingu, Leapfrog, Veggie Tales, Wonder Pets

Yep, with the exception of the veggie Christianity, this exactly! My kid is a Nick Jr. fanatic; there's some genuinely good stuff on there. I love Yo Gabba. I always stop and watch Pingu, too.

swo, you can't go wrong with Nick Jr. Between that and Animal Planet, he's set (though he does have a Disney, Pixar, and Thomas and Friends DVD library that is somehow starting to encroach on my shelves).

[domino harvey]

Netflix has released their new slogan: We Heard You Hated Us Before, And We Were All Like "Oh Yeah?!"

EDIT: Just read my email and see that my service is only going up $3.99-- sounds like I'm one of the lucky ones, but I was already paying a ridic amount anyways so

[swo17]

Just canceled my streaming access. So liberating...

And yeah, my monthly fee was going to increase by 50%. Ridiculous.

[Noiradelic]

The changeover is happening on or after Sept. 1, depending on where your billing cycle falls.

From Netflix's "Change Plans" page:

The price of your Unlimited Streaming + [x] DVDs out at-a-time Unlimited plan will change to $xx.xx (plus any applicable tax) a month starting with your next billing period on or after Sep 01, 2011. If you select a new plan in the meantime, you will only be able to return to your current plan at the new price, regardless of when you make the change.

[Perkins Cobb]

Am I wrong, or is this actually going to save me money? It looks like the 8-film plan (with Blu-ray) will drop from $65 to $61 (not counting tax), and I'll have the option to drop streaming and cut that even further to $53.

I'm sure if I try a little harder I'll find something to complain about, though.

[Roger Ryan]

Am I wrong, or is this actually going to save me money? It looks like the 8-film plan (with Blu-ray) will drop from $65 to $61 (not counting tax), and I'll have the option to drop streaming and cut that even further to $53.

I'm sure if I try a little harder I'll find something to complain about, though.

I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but where do you find the time to watch 8 or more films within a three-to-four day window consistently? I have the two-film plan plus streaming and can easily watch a film every night (or more) if I choose. It helps to live in a part of the U.S. that has a decent mailing turnaround (the new discs arrive two days after I mail the previous ones). Do you have a large family, perhaps?

My cost will go up four bucks from what I was paying now. Given how disappointed I am with most of the streaming experiences I've had with Netflix, I'm thinking about dumping that.

[Matt]

I don't want to keep both streaming and DVD, but I don't know which to cut. The availability of streaming movies that I want to see is pretty paltry, but enough to have a sizable queue. The availability of DVD movies that I want to see (Criterion blu-ray, indie labels) is also pretty paltry, but those movies aren't available to me in any other way than to buy them. The low-cost combined option has worked pretty well, but not well enough that I'm willing to pay 60% more for it.

I suppose I could just alternate from month to month, as long as I don't mind not having a permanent queue.

[mckeldinb]

I'm going to drop Netflix all together... at least for a while. I may go back to either streaming *or* discs, but I think I'll sit it out for a month or two and see which I miss more (and if I don't miss either one, so much the better). I need to wait until the beginning of August though, because they'll cancel the streaming immediately *without* a partial refund. I made a BIG NOTE to myself to remember to cancel on August 1.

[Robert de la Cheyniest]

I'm in the same boat as you Matt. I have the one dvd at a time/unlimited streaming plan, since I live in NYC there is usually a really quick turnaround for getting DVDs. The streaming has always been convenient, but I always looked at it as more of a perk than something I'd be willing to pay extra money for. Most of the stuff I watch instantly is TV shows or if I have to, movies that aren't readily available on disc. Since they often do a terrible job of actually advertising what is available for streaming, a lot of it tends to be stuff that I just discover by accident ("Hey they have all episodes of Anthony Bourdain No Reservations!") and most of it is more of a nice time waster than anything else. I rarely watch movies instantly because even with the HD streaming option and a nice amount of bandwidth, my movies will often devolve into a blotchy pixelated mess. I suppose I will just drop the streaming option once the price change takes effect.

[swo17]

I need to wait until the beginning of August though, because they'll cancel the streaming immediately *without* a partial refund. I made a BIG NOTE to myself to remember to cancel on August 1.

I canceled my streaming but am still able to use it until my next billing period begins.

Also, my cancellation was mostly on principle--I use streaming, sure, but I want Netflix to refocus on its DVD by mail program.

[aox]

Netflix is still amazingly cheap.

It went from insanely cheap to amazingly cheap.

[domino harvey]

Compared to what, surgery?

[aox]

Compared to what, surgery?

Compared to the $3.50 I would spend for a single movie at Blockbuster for 4 nights in the 1980s.

Compared to the $5 I would spend at my local shit video store for one night in the 90s.

Compared to a single BD or DVD I would purchase for $9-$25 in the 00s and today.

Compared to me buying a season of TV on BD or DVD for $30-$120 today.

Compared to $100/month cable which I would never watch.

but...you know.

I don't want to look down on the extra $6 a month this is going to cost me, but it doesn't quite meet the level of outrage I am seeing.

[jwd5275]

...compared to the $0.00 I spend at the public library for a week.