Netflix: Should I or Shouldn't I?

Started by pookiethecat, October 08, 2003, 02:40:05 PM

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Sleepless

To be fair, I don't think any of us here who are pro-streaming take the attitude that it's all magic pixie dust so we're willing to pay anything because it's so wonderful. I choose streaming because it's convenient first and foremost. Even though the DVD-by-mail option gives you a greater choice (for now), you still have to wait for the DVDs to arrive, which means streaming is generally still the better option all around - for me at least. But if actual BluRays and special features are what you must have, then fair enough, the streaming is not for you. But don't misunderstand that those of us choosing streaming over physical disks are simply suckers for whatever the latest fad is. A large part of why I chose streaming in the first place is the value I feel I'm getting. Again, I'm not comparing this directly to how much it used to cost to rent VHS tapes ten years ago, but rather to contemporary alternatives such as cable.

I think the cell phone analogy is particularly apt, especially considering that the two biggest companies in both cable and cell service (AT&T and Verizon) are charging people a fortune and like shmucks, the public are paying up. When I first moved to the US from the UK I couldn't believe the obscene monthly fees for a basic cellphone - and this was before data plans were commonplace. That's actually why I put off buying a smartphone for as long as I did, because I couldn't justify spending that much money each month when I knew doing so was akin to being anally raped. Finally, I discovered Virgin Mobile and I'm not getting unlimited data, unlimited texts and far more minutes than I can use for just $40 a month. And even though I sing praises of the service and value I'm getting to people I know, they're still spending crazy money on an iPhone with AT&T. I do not understand it. If the rumors of the cheaper version of iPhone 5 being released on Virgin Mobile next month are to be believed, then it could be the start of a mass revolution if the general public comes to see that they are being ripped off so significantly.
He held on. The dolphin and all the rest of its pod turned and swam out to sea, and still he held on. This is it, he thought. Then he remembered that they were air-breathers too. It was going to be all right.

RegularKarate

Yes, I'm not being hypnotized by technology.  I see what you're saying, Jeremy, and I understand why you feel like that, but while that attitude can lead to healthy consumer rebellion, it can also lead to becoming a grumpy, entitled old man (for the record, I'm not calling YOU a grumpy, entitled old man).

And Stefen, are you serious?  How is it THAT much harder than it was before?  You already had separate queues and your bill will be charged automatically.  We also don't know that they won't tell us when something on terriblenamester is also available streaming (if they don't, that will suck).

I agree that this is going to be a little bit of a pain and it will take some mild adjustment to deal with, but I also know that if this makes more financial sense to separate the companies (they are dealing in different things) then the consumer will probably benefit in the end.

Quickster is a horrible name though.

Sleepless

I tweeted this last night, but this is perhaps the funniest side note to the whole Qwikster revelation.

Yes, that's right. It's not even Quickster. It's fucking Qwikster.
He held on. The dolphin and all the rest of its pod turned and swam out to sea, and still he held on. This is it, he thought. Then he remembered that they were air-breathers too. It was going to be all right.

Jeremy Blackman

Quote from: RegularKarate on September 20, 2011, 10:43:12 AMYes, I'm not being hypnotized by technology.  I see what you're saying, Jeremy, and I understand why you feel like that, but while that attitude can lead to healthy consumer rebellion, it can also lead to becoming a grumpy, entitled old man (for the record, I'm not calling YOU a grumpy, entitled old man).

That's fair... I'm sure there's a healthy balance.

Stefen

Quote from: RegularKarate on September 20, 2011, 10:43:12 AM
Yes, I'm not being hypnotized by technology.  I see what you're saying, Jeremy, and I understand why you feel like that, but while that attitude can lead to healthy consumer rebellion, it can also lead to becoming a grumpy, entitled old man (for the record, I'm not calling YOU a grumpy, entitled old man).

How does being irritated when technology takes a step back equate to being a grumpy old man?

Netflix, a service most of us relied on to watch films, are getting rid of their DVD/BD service (at least this is the first step), so some of us who use the service because picture/sound quality and special features are important to us, are irritated. If you only use the streaming service to watch whatever they offer you, in less than stellar quality, then sure, it probably doesn't make much sense why so many people are upset, but you should at least be able to understand why people who have spent years, little by little upgrading their home theater systems to accommodate the current gold standard of home entertainment viewing feel completely slapped in the face. Those of us who made Netflix what they are are being kicked off to the side so they can focus on the lowest common denominator user base they've decided to cater to.
Falling in love is the greatest joy in life. Followed closely by sneaking into a gated community late at night and firing a gun into the air.

RegularKarate

You're just assuming that they're getting rid of the DVD/BD service entirely.  I'm sure it will eventually disappear, but I'm sure they'll wait until streaming technology reaches or surpasses BD.

How is it a step backward?  They're getting better and better at encoding the HD streams.

Stefen

Quote from: RegularKarate on September 20, 2011, 05:16:34 PMHow is it a step backward?

Two separate sites, two separate bills, two separate queues with absolutely no integration between what used to be a single service sure isn't a step forward.

And what makes you think they're going to keep around the BD service longer than they have to? Their bread and butter is the streaming service where people can watch whatever dick and fart comedies and mindless action flicks are available. Netflix splitting the two services into completely different companies with no integration whatsoever pretty much proves they're trying to get rid of one or the other and chances are it's not the low-quality streaming service with no special features.
Falling in love is the greatest joy in life. Followed closely by sneaking into a gated community late at night and firing a gun into the air.

Jeremy Blackman

Netflix's streaming quality really does leave something to be desired. The limits they've put on buffering need to be removed or at least reduced. Try using Netflix Streaming somewhere with a low or moderate-speed broadband connection... it looks like a WMV file from 12 years ago.

Stefen

Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on September 20, 2011, 06:07:08 PM
Netflix's streaming quality really does leave a lot to be desired. The limits they've put on buffering need to be removed or at least reduced. Try using Netflix Streaming somewhere with a low or moderate-speed broadband connection... it looks like a WMV file from 12 years ago.

True dat.

But an even bigger problem I see down the line is Comcast and other cable/broadband companies using people streaming crappy quality Netflix as a reason why they should move to tiered pricing on home internet instead of one fee a month for unlimited internet.

In a perfect world, it would be nice if Netflix could stream everything imaginable for one monthly fee, but that would NEVER happen. There's no way Comcast, who owns most of cable TV and most of broadband internet is going to let Netflix use up, not only all the entertainment content it wants to use for it's own cable service, but also the internet data it provides to deliver it.

It's going to be pretty shitty when not only can you NOT rent BD's from Netflix and have to blind purchase everything to get it in the best quality, but you can only watch a certain amount of streaming content a month because otherwise, you will go over your monthly bandwidth limit and have to pay a substantial fee.
Falling in love is the greatest joy in life. Followed closely by sneaking into a gated community late at night and firing a gun into the air.

Pubrick

Quote from: S.R. on September 20, 2011, 06:18:55 PM
It's going to be pretty shitty when not only can you NOT rent BD's from Netflix and have to blind purchase everything to get it in the best quality, but you can only watch a certain amount of streaming content a month because otherwise, you will go over your monthly bandwidth limit and have to pay a substantial fee.

welcome to my world. ha!

oh, i've made myself sad..
under the paving stones.

RegularKarate

Stefen, if that happens, that will suck.  This doesn't "prove" anything though.  It's more than likely a move to separate profit from loss a little more clearly for shareholders etc... they MAY end up selling Quikster, in which case, hopefully it gets sold to someone that keeps the quality up, but this doesn't "prove" that they're going to get rid of it completely.

As far as streaming goes, I often forget that not everyone has a broadband connection (I don't know what you consider "moderate" speed, JB), but I have been streaming Netflix to my TV since basically day one and the improvements have been incredible.

Stefen

Quote from: RegularKarate on September 21, 2011, 10:44:36 AMThis doesn't "prove" anything though.  It's more than likely a move to separate profit from loss a little more clearly for shareholders etc... they MAY end up selling Quikster, in which case, hopefully it gets sold to someone that keeps the quality up, but this doesn't "prove" that they're going to get rid of it completely.

lol, that's exactly what it means. All you're saying is Netflix is going to keep the blu-ray and DVD by mail service around for sure. Unless they don't. You really think their goal is to keep the blu-ray and DVD by mail service around? Come on. Separating the DVD and streaming into two separate companies? That means trying to get rid of DVD by mail serivice. Selling Quikster later on down the line? That means getting rid the DVD by mail service. Sold to someone that tries to keep the quality up? That means getting rid of the DVD service.

Quote"Qwikster" is Netflix for "Oh, go away already." Netflix desperately wants to kill off its DVD-by-mail rental business. It's tried raising prices, and it's trying to spin off the operation, but the problem is that Netflix really isn't in control here.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2393196,00.asp

QuoteNow you're probably thinking, "this isn't such a big deal; it's just a name change." But those words I just put into your mouth?  THEY ARE WRONG.  Very wrong indeed.  This represents much more than a name change.  This represents Netflix's growing desire to leave behind the world of DVD rentals and switch entirely to instant streaming.

http://www.themoviepool.com/industry-news/item/1517-will-netflixs-quest-to-kill-dvds-destroy-their-company?.html

QuoteHow much you wanna bet what he really would have liked to do is kill off the DVD-by-mail service altogether? It probably costs the company more money to send out actual DVDs. But can the company really thrive on streaming alone? I'm not so sure. The thing is, right now, the quality of Netflix's streaming service BLOWS. The company owes most of its success to people like my film student friends from college who ate/drank/breathed movies and used Netflix to consume everything from All About Eve to Arrested Development. The streaming service as it exists now is not enough to hold any REAL movie lover's attention. All it's good for is old TV shows and movies that either bombed at the box office or came out in 1984, AKA flicks you can get on DVD at the bargain bin at a dollar store. I doubt most people will be apt to pay for streaming Netflix on its own, unless they're guaranteed to get new releases, quality classics, and an all-around better title selection.

http://thestir.cafemom.com/technology/126149/netflix_makes_monstrous_move_to

Hey, if streaming could offer blu-ray quality picture and sound along with all the special features that come on discs, I'd cancel the mail service in a second, but that won't happen because not only is technology years off, but the studios still find blu-ray discs financially lucrative, so there's no way they're going to let Netflix have the special features that are a selling point for them moving actual discs. Not to mention the cable companies who provide broadband not being happy about the bandwidth being used to provide blu-ray quality streaming of content that they want to use for their own cable television service, which would most likely lead to tiered monthly broadband pricing and you wouldn't even be able to stream all the movies you wanted to anyways, otherwise you go over your monthly bandwidth limit and have to go outside and throw a tennis ball against a wall for the rest of the month.

And in the grand scheme of things, Netflix is nothing more than a middle man. A middle man the studios don't even need in a digital age. Before, Netflix was beneficial for them because it bought their discs and mailed them out to customers. Everything worked well because people still bought DVD's because they were cheap, but now, with streaming, all Netflix is doing is using the studios content and delivering it digitally. The studios can do that on their own. They're already trying with Hulu. So there is a 0% chance that all content, in BD sound and picture, along with all the special features, will EVER be available to stream from Netflix, or any other digitally streaming service. The only way it will be available is on actual blu-ray discs from the studios who make the movies, and renting these discs was a service Netflix USED to provide (before they created a new, throwaway company) for a very reasonable fee before they hiked their prices 60% in an effort to kill this very same service.

The fact of the matter is, unless you're watching the streaming content on your tiny computer monitor, which anyone who posts here most likely isn't, the streaming quality is garbage. I watch Netflix on my 46in HDTV through XBox 360 and PS3 and even the content that claims to be in HD (and not all of it is, which is a shame) doesn't come anywhere NEAR what a blu-ray disc looks like. Not to mention there aren't special features. Go throw on 2001 streaming, then put in your blu-ray and tell me I'm wrong.

Netflix is most definitely trying to get rid of the BD/DVD by mail service because they don't see a future in it, and maybe there isn't, but for me, and I hope for the rest of you, quality will always be more important than accessibility and it's going to be a real shame when we have to either blind buy a blu-ray to see it for the first time or watch it in less than stellar streaming quality and not even be able to browse the special features when we're finished.
Falling in love is the greatest joy in life. Followed closely by sneaking into a gated community late at night and firing a gun into the air.

Pwaybloe

Stefan, you're correct.

Which brings up a good question... R.K., do you own a HDTV or BD player?

Pubrick

Quote from: Pwaybloe on September 21, 2011, 07:27:32 PM
Stefan, you're correct.

Which brings up a good question... R.K., do you own a HDTV or BD player?

under the paving stones.

RegularKarate

Haha, P... I know it seems like I came here for a fight, but I didn't.

Stefen, you might be right... hell, it's very likely you are.  I don't know what you thought you were accomplishing by quoting other people who are freaking out too, but I get that's what you think.

Honestly, the only thing I can't agree with is this:

Quote from: S.R. on September 21, 2011, 02:55:36 PM
there is a 0% chance that all content, in BD sound and picture, along with all the special features, will EVER be available to stream from Netflix,

Special features, you have a point with.  That may be where the studios get people to want to buy discs (but really, most people don't care about them any more so who knows what weight that will hold) and if that's the compromise, that's the compromise.  I can deal with it and honestly, it was already happening with the discs.  Studios were making special "Netflix Only" discs with limited or no special features.

Quality though... that's what we thought about DVD quality streaming years ago.  Technology will get better.  Netflix has enough power to make the studios want to get involved.  It can happen and I think it's very possible.

Quote from: Pwaybloe on September 21, 2011, 07:27:32 PM
R.K., do you own a HDTV or BD player?

Yes, I do.  Have for years.
I have never at any point said that the quality of Netflix streaming is anywhere near as good as blu-ray.  I have only said that they have come a long way with it so it's possible they could get there eventually.

Quality is important to me too, guys.  Like I said, I'm mostly on your side.  I just think the freaking out is funny.