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I don't think so, certainly not when it comes to "keep".

The only real incentive here for them is to keep revenue growing. If that's best done by a mix of self-produced content and licensed content, that's what they're going to do.

Plus, producing content is pretty damned expensive, isn't it? It's not obvious to me that the margins would be higher with self-produced content in the first place. Or at least, it seems like something that would be true or not depending on the specific content, and not true as a rule one way or the other.

Roger Ryan wrote: Mon Oct 29, 2018 12:30 pm The odd thing about this is that Netflix made a token effort of adding Welles' Touch of Evil and The Stranger to its service (presumably so The Other Side of the Wind wouldn't feel so alone!).

Which version of The Stranger is up on there?

Black Hat wrote:

Roger Ryan wrote: Mon Oct 29, 2018 12:30 pm The odd thing about this is that Netflix made a token effort of adding Welles' Touch of Evil and The Stranger to its service (presumably so The Other Side of the Wind wouldn't feel so alone!).

Which version of The Stranger is up on there?

Kino/Lorber

Do they have 4K discs for rent?

Hahahahahahahaha, no. That would require them to put something resembling effort into an area other than streaming

They do charge more for the option to rent Blu-Ray discs, while simultaneously not offering Blu-Ray discs when they are available. E.g., I received a DVD of the Kino Lorber edition of "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" - that's a new release, so they simply didn't bother to acquire the Blu-Ray version.

They only get the Blu-rays for newer films and even then, they'll usually ignore it if it comes from a boutique label, though they will supposedly carry Minding the Gap!

What you're missing if you no longer subscribe to Netflix by mail:

I DO subscribe to Netflix by mail, because I have a dedicated theater for movies only. The blu-ray situation is pretty dire unless you're into Marvel/CGI/Stuff Blowin' Up movies. Guess I'm old and crabby. Though my wife thinks I developed EOC (Early Onset Crabbiness) years ago...

swo17 wrote: Fri Oct 07, 2022 3:22 am What you're missing if you no longer subscribe to Netflix by mail:

pfft piece of cake:

1. We all stream down here
2. Do you want to play a dvd?
3. I see grainy people
4. You're gonna need a bigger macroblock
5. It's not in 4k! it's not in 4k!
6. We all go a little redbox sometimes
7. Do you like to go to the theater to see movies?

Non-paywalled version of the story: Netflix will shut down its DVD rental business in September

This really sucks, as despite having access to two public libraries, half a dozen streaming services and an academic library near me, there were still movies (including many for the current ‘70s project) I was only able to secure there. Of course I could start pirating more which I’m sure is the solution everyone wanted!

Yeah this does suck, I still rent DVDs from them. But I can't say I'm surprised.

Yes. Even if many of the 400+ titles still in my queue can be covered by streaming (w/o special features, of course) or picked up on eBay (cool, more clutter), and even as the service slowed and their library shrunk, they provided a handy one-stop space to not worry about cycling rights issues and granted easier access to a lot of stuff that's not readily available. Will be missed.

So much for making more memories

Wow. I will never be able to watch a special feature/commentary on any movie I don't own ever again.

Cash Flagg wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2023 11:58 am Wow. I will never be able to watch a special feature/commentary on any movie I don't own ever again.

Local libraries carry a lot of discs, and if I remember correctly you’re right by one of the ones that has the most

Cash Flagg wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2023 11:58 am Wow. I will never be able to watch a special feature/commentary on any movie I don't own ever again.

I was wondering about that. Doesn't physical media still fill that niche and isn't there a way to have access to special features/commentaries outside of the physical disc?

Kracker wrote: Thu Apr 20, 2023 4:13 am

Cash Flagg wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2023 11:58 am Wow. I will never be able to watch a special feature/commentary on any movie I don't own ever again.

I was wondering about that. Doesn't physical media still fill that niche and isn't there a way to have access to special features/commentaries outside of the physical disc?

The mainstream streaming services do occasionally offer special features, but they're so rare and thin I usually forget to look under the "Extras" tab beside the "Other Films LIke This" default. It's usually just a trailer. But sometimes HBO Max will have TCM intros and docs. Netflix has some of the same features that have wound up on the Criterion discs of their productions. The capacity is there, but I don't know the incentive is; even if they're a subscriber model, they're more into driving viewers to "next content" instead of "supplemental content," and the supplemental content not produced in-house would probably require additional streaming licenses.

brundlefly wrote: Thu Apr 20, 2023 5:00 am

Kracker wrote: Thu Apr 20, 2023 4:13 am

Cash Flagg wrote: Wed Apr 19, 2023 11:58 am Wow. I will never be able to watch a special feature/commentary on any movie I don't own ever again.

I was wondering about that. Doesn't physical media still fill that niche and isn't there a way to have access to special features/commentaries outside of the physical disc?

The mainstream streaming services do occasionally offer special features, but they're so rare and thin I usually forget to look under the "Extras" tab beside the "Other Films LIke This" default. It's usually just a trailer. But sometimes HBO Max will have TCM intros and docs. Netflix has some of the same features that have wound up on the Criterion discs of their productions. The capacity is there, but I don't know the incentive is; even if they're a subscriber model, they're more into driving viewers to "next content" instead of "supplemental content," and the supplemental content not produced in-house would probably require additional streaming licenses.

To risk stating the obvious, the Criterion Channel will usually have all the special features available for films on its platform. I held onto the Netflix DVD service up until a couple of years back just to rent Criterion discs to watch/listen to those extras, but the diminishing availability of every label's titles made me realize I was letting weeks go by without selecting a film (while my "wish list" queue was filled with released physical media titles that Netflix would never get around to stocking). Libraries are now the best bet - I'm always surprised how many carry boutique label releases (the major ones anyway - Criterion, Kino, Arrow). Of course, as we've discussed elsewhere, fewer labels, including Criterion, are even bothering with the kind of extensive extras that used to be prevalent.

Welp, today is the last day of Netflix DVD/bluray service. I was still one of those that was still getting discs from them. They are sending me up to 10 discs that were either on my queue or are similar to what was on my queue. They just shipped out three so far. And they don't have to be returned. Not a bad send off. I will miss the service