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The latter isn't in Netflix's interest: Quote:
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Mr. Vieira
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
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That was my other question (which I forgot to ask)...I assume, from ezkcdude's post, that there's a downside to the streaming-only plan in the lack of selection/choice or newest releases?
Is there a site that keeps a running tally of Netflix's streaming-only offerings? I don't care that much about new movies, but how "new" are we talking here? Weeks, months or years after the movie is released to traditional (disc-based) home-viewing? EDIT: Nevermind, I think I found one. I think I could have a fine go of things with just what's available via streaming. That $7.99/month...what does that allow for? What does that get me? A certain number or hour's worth of viewing? Or is that anything I can cram in, to any of my devices (iPhone, iMac and TV)? If I'm traveling and I want to lie in a hotel bed or sit in an airport terminal with time to kill and stream a movie to my iPhone or (pretend I have one) iPad, I can do that too? |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Clayton, NC
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One thing I noticed recently (since the fee split) is that browsing Netflix when you have a streaming-only plan is very discouraging. It doesn't feel nice. It's like you're a second-class citizen (which is true, actually). I hadn't been as aware of how truly lacking the streaming library is. Every search I do on Netflix presents me with a "Ha! Ha! That's not available for streaming... loser," experience. This split will at least mitigate that. That is, unless they continue to show you results for movies that they don't have in their streaming library.
Ugh. |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Clayton, NC
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I have done streaming to one TV via Roku, while streaming to another TV via Wii. I have also done streaming to an iPad. I haven't tried all three at the same time - I don't think my Internet connection would like it too much. Ugh. |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
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(I fully agree that pricing has a long way to go. I've bought songs off of iTunes Store, but movies? Even rentals? Terrible deal.) |
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Mr. Vieira
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
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Wow. Thanks. That sounds wonderful. I'd take that over every giving money to Comcast or any other cable outlet again...
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Veteran Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
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Amazon doesn't have quite a good a selection, but if you already are an Amazon Prime member, their streaming is unlimited and free. Prime costs $80 per year last I checked. Like I said, though, the selection isn't quite as good as Netflix.
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Formerly Roboman, still
awesome Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
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Many of the people who cancelled due to the price hike were DVD-by-mail users who were unaware they didn't have to pay for streaming if they would never use it. Whenever you restructure services in such a major way, there's bound to be consumer confusion. I don't think Qwikster is helping. Quote:
Netflix is clearly hoping to sell the by-mail service while it's still worth something, while also working towards making it totally irrelevant for whoever ends up owning it. and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong |
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But, no, this isn't so unclever at all. Clumsily worded blog entry, sure, but somewhere deep down, I think they know what they're doing. |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Unknown
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I think this probably has much to do with the ongoing negotiations over licensing fees to the MPAA. I don't know exactly how, but I think that Netflix probably thinks they gain some ground in the negotiations if they don't offer both a streaming and a DVD rental service at the same time.
Do you know where children get all of their energy? - They suck it right out of their parents! |
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Formerly Roboman, still
awesome Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
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I still feel like nobody's really gotten TV-on-the-webs right yet. Hulu is close, Netflix is closest (Apple is...nowhere close), but still... Selection is a part of it, but not all of it. Hulu is too complicated (two tiers of show selection, many episodes are only available for a few weeks, playback on many devices only available with "Plus") and lacks an ad-free option. Netflix generally lacks episodes as soon as they air, and has no ad-supported option. I guess my ideal service would be like this: Everybody gets the same episode selection and can view them on any supported device. (This would be good for sharing — you would be able to send people links to episodes without worrying that they wouldn't be able to watch it.) No rolling "last five episodes" either — once a show was on the service it'd be there to stay, contracts permitting, like Netflix. (Again, good for sharing.) Ad-supported a la Hulu, with the only option a paid ad-free subscription for, say, $7/mo? But this wouldn't change anything else. Oh, and a discussion board for each episode. I guess it sounds a little like Spotify for TV. Or Hulu without the suck. What do virtually all my friends do when a show isn't viewable on Hulu or the network's website? They don't not watch it. They don't buy it on iTunes. They go to Google, type in "watch [show]," and watch a version someone is illegally streaming elsewhere. (The hipper ones torrent it.) Networks think people value their shows enough to buy them all on DVD or iTunes. People might value their favorite shows enough to buy on DVD or iTunes. But most shows, people just want to watch, probably only once, and they're used to watching them for free with ads. And if the networks don't allow that (online), people will find a site that does. It's not hard. The only thing networks are missing out on is the ad revenue. and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong |
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@kk@pennytucker.social
Join Date: Jan 2005
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The biggest downfall to this is that if you just have the streaming option, there are basically no new movies on there. THere will be even less once Starz pulls their movies off there in February.
I love the streaming, but I love getting DVDs as well. I think this may just drive me to give up the physical media, although I don't want to give up access to new releases. No more Twitter. It's Mastodon now. |
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Formerly Roboman, still
awesome Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
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What would be "unclever" would be buying Qwikster. Even ignoring the whole "optical media through the mail? srsly?" thing, by buying Qwikster you would be giving Netflix a boatload of money...that they would then use to improve their service, killing your Qwikster offering. You would be entering the rental arena by giving a large sum of cash to your biggest threat. Still, I'm sure they'll be able to find someone to buy it. Somebody bought Blockbuster, after all. and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong |
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I shot the sherrif.
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I just added the netflix new movie RSS feed. Since Aug. 1 there have been 579 movies added to the streaming service.
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Veteran Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
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So, this makes the Qwikster vs. Redbox competition more interesting. I didn't really think twice about Redbox before today, but maybe I'll look into it now, since I have to have two separate services anyway.
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M AH - ch ain saw
Join Date: May 2004
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I dropped my instant streaming account earlier this month, in anticipation of the price hike and after hearing about the most recent contract difficulties with Starz. Haven't missed it yet, but we'll see how it goes.
User formally known as Sh0eWax |
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Formerly Roboman, still
awesome Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
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Yes, I am a cheapass. and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong |
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Less than Stellar Member
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Maybe there's a method to this Netflix madness. This seems to be a little bit of a stretch but bear with me:
- on Monday, Netflix announced this Qwickster nonsense - on Thursday, Facebook had their f8 conference at which they announced all sorts of media partners and ways to share data about users. - also on Thursday, there was a hearing in congress to get privacy laws changed so that rental information could be shared Netflix said that they cannot share data about users with Facebook because of the aforementioned law. My guess is that Facebook is paying Netflix a shit ton of money for their data and that Netflix is preemptively splitting their DVD business off entirely to circumvent these rental privacy restrictions. Why else would they silo their data and businesses so much? If it's not red and showing substantial musculature, you're wearing it wrong. |
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Formerly Roboman, still
awesome Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Portland, OR
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Netflix is trying to make their own legacy business obsolete. If they don't, someone will; they know the by-mail business isn't the future. They could either hold on to it as it declines in value until it's absolutely worthless, or they could sell it while they still can and use that money to improve their streaming service, giving them pole position in the race that matters. There's benefits to Netflix's image, too. They want to be seen as the leader in Internet streaming, and the association with those red envelopes instead cements the idea of Netflix as the movies-by-mail company. What you're saying is probably true; I'm sure Netflix would like to open an auxiliary revenue stream by sharing user data with Facebook. But that's what the congressional hearing was about; legally, they can silo the data between the two services all they want but they're still the same company. (Though this could certainly be a contributing factor in Netflix wanting to ditch the rental business sooner rather than later.) and i guess i've known it all along / the truth is, you have to be soft to be strong |
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Custom User Title
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: At home
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Selection in Canada is even worst and I'm not disappointed... well... not that much disappointed. I think you have to use it differently. I pratically never search for something and just browse to see what's interesting. Selections based on your ratings are somewhat decent. If you're starting to search for something specific, you can be there all night long before you find something you wanted...
Dave Mustaine :"God created whammy bars for people who don't know how to solo." |
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Less than Stellar Member
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As far as Occam's Razor - this explanation is actually very simple and it makes perfect sense. I mean, all of us in here were struggling to find an answer for this move and the one we settled on was "Netflix is stupid" but that doesn't lead to this particular event being explained. My proposal does. If it's not red and showing substantial musculature, you're wearing it wrong. |
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BANNED
I am worthless beyond hope. Join Date: Dec 2005
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This guy (and company) is clueless and/or lacks balls.... what a mess....
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.co...s-on-qwikster/ Quote:
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Veteran Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
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Cool. At least they got it right in the end.
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is the next Chiquita
Join Date: Feb 2005
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I have to admit it just makes it even more confusing and leaves more questions than answers.
For example, when this was originally announced, there were speculations that the impetus behind the move was to gain a bargaining chip with the studios and thus push for better pricing and/or content structure if they're a streaming-only service. If this was true, then I'd have think they'd have had held their ground and sticked to the plan, a la iMac - floppy disk drive. But now this says either their have no balls or they were not thinking clearly WRT what they were doing. Maybe it's just one time stupidity (maybe the announcement was made while CEO was drunk or something?), though, and I hope that's the case. Netflix isn't a Microsoft, you know. |
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@kk@pennytucker.social
Join Date: Jan 2005
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I'm glad the right decision was made in the end, but damn, that was a messed up process by a major company.
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Space Pirate
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
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Time for new leadership.
Actually, time for ANY SORT OF leadership. ... |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: oaktown
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Isn't it time for another rambling apology/justification from Reed Hastings? I always enjoy those.
"I messed up again. I owe you money. Wait, what was I saying? I had this weird dream where I started making random changes to Netflix while wearing no pants and everybody laughed. But I'm awake now! As far as I know! Bygones!" That which doesn't kill you weakens you slightly and makes you less able to cope until you're completely incapacitated |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
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I expect Reed Hastings to announce a 4" screen. Just because. Dude has his finger on the pulse of the American consumer.
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