Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Nov 14, 2015 19:40:48 GMT -5
Don't know how many other people are still doing discs through the mail but I recently noticed that Netflix has quietly rebranded the service as "DVD.Com: A Netflix Company," which is what's written on their Red Envelopes now. It looks pretty weird because the back of the envelopes are blank and don't have the big Netflix logo on them. I don't know what to think about this, it sounds like they're trying to do the Quickster thing again, maybe this means their prepping the service to sell it or kill it off or maybe this positions them to better market the service without messing with their streaming brand. In general I really want to perserve the status quo, so I'm pretty nervous. I stopped using disc-by-mail in November 2012 - exactly 3 years ago. I was thinking of using the service again, but more than once I've read your complaints about it declining. It's funny, disc-by-mail is such a thing of the past that there's an entire age group of people that don't know about it. In recent months, articles have popped up about Blockbuster turning down an offer to buy Netflix when it was a new-ish company. And in every comment section, someone has to point out that Netflix wasn't originally a streaming service and the idea of streaming full-length movies on a TV wasn't a thing until 2010. Anyway, you are right that it would be nuts for Netflix to shut down their disc service. The original appeal of Netflix was their massive library. They didn't succeed because of disc-by-mail (which always sounded like a stupid idea) or because of no late fees (which is a great idea). They succeeded because you count rent almost any movie. Blockbuster, in its heyday, was a really good place, but if you wanted to rent something obscure or foreign you had to go to a local video store. And even then, there was no guarantees. Netflix was (or is) 99.9% reliable - within reason. The best that Netflix could do now is rival Redbox. Clearly, people don't care about getting movies by mail, but they have no problems renting a movie at their nearest convenience store. Redbox relies on new releases. Netflix could do classics, world cinema and hidden gems. I don't know how many discs can fit in those kiosks, so they might have to do monthly rotations. That's fine. It'll keep people coming. |
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Nov 14, 2015 20:15:08 GMT -5
The thing is, the discs by mail division of the company is still profitable. They have about five million disc subscribers (which is down from their peak of 20 million, but they don't seem to be in further decline, those 5 million seem to be loyal) and they've found ways to streamline and automate that have further preserved profitability. And yet, they also seem embarrassed by the division and do absolutely nothing to market or expand it. There are people out there who would still probably like the service but don't even think to get it because Netflix does everything in their power to hide it.
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Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Nov 14, 2015 20:43:29 GMT -5
They have about five million disc subscribers which is down from their peak of 20 million They kind-of fucked up when they charged separately for each service. It's clear that most people don't wanna pay $20 for disc-by-mail AND streaming. Wasn't there a time when it was super cheap to rent from Netflix? I remember it was like $4 or $5 per month when I subscribed and then the price increased when streaming became a thing. I think it was $7 or $8 per month. Maybe they can do back to that. Instead of charging $8 per month for disc-by-mail, just charge an extra buck or two. People are already paying $9 per month for streaming. They can just say, "for an extra dollar we'll let you rent a Blu-Ray ever week." And I'm sure most people would go along with it. |
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Post by Neverending on Nov 14, 2015 20:49:55 GMT -5
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Nov 14, 2015 20:57:32 GMT -5
They have about five million disc subscribers which is down from their peak of 20 million They kind-of fucked up when they charged separately for each service. It's clear that most people don't wanna pay $20 for disc-by-mail AND streaming. Wasn't there a time when it was super cheap to rent from Netflix? I remember it was like $4 or $5 per month when I subscribed and then the price increased when streaming became a thing. I think it was $7 or $8 per month. Maybe they can do back to that. Instead of charging $8 per month for disc-by-mail, just charge an extra buck or two. People are already paying $9 per month for streaming. They can just say, "for an extra dollar we'll let you rent a Blu-Ray ever week." And I'm sure most people would go along with it. The thing is, renting one disc at a time is really not the right way to do Netflix discs. You almost inevitably end up with a disc that just sits around and then your stuck in one place with your plan and months go to waste. When Netflix first started the "three discs at a time" plan was the default plan and most people went with that. Now almost everyone makes the mistake of dipping their toe into discs by only getting the one disc plan, and that puts them off. |
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Nov 14, 2015 21:00:32 GMT -5
As long as the two sites remain linked I'll be fairly happy. It would really suck if the site stopped showing me when discs in my queue were availible for streaming. |
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Post by Neverending on Nov 14, 2015 21:20:00 GMT -5
Renting one disc at a time is really not the right way to do Netflix discs. You almost inevitably end up with a disc that just sits around. Are you referring to the queue? In that case, you're right. There's movies I never rented because I kept pushing them down in my queue. But at home, a DVD never lasted more than a day or two. I rented two DVD's a week. That's eight DVD's per month. And when they were charging $4 or $5 per month, it felt like a bargain getting eight DVD's per month to rent. |
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PhantomKnight
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Post by PhantomKnight on Nov 14, 2015 23:25:25 GMT -5
I've been on the one-DVD-at-a-time plan since 2008 and am still happy with it. I usually average 2 DVD's a week, and for me, that's enough.
And for my money, Netflix streaming will NEVER be better than the DVD service because of the sheer quantity/variety of movies available on DVD in comparison with the streaming library. |
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Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Nov 14, 2015 23:53:58 GMT -5
I've been on the one-DVD-at-a-time plan since 2008 and am still happy with it. I usually average 2 DVD's a week, and for me, that's enough.
And for my money, Netflix streaming will NEVER be better than the DVD service because of the sheer quantity/variety of movies available on DVD in comparison with the streaming library. You can't beat the convenience of streaming. Netflix didn't lose 15 million customers. They just didn't want to pay double. Netflix can rectify that very easily. $10 for both services would put disc-by-mail back in the spotlight. |
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Post by PhantomKnight on Nov 15, 2015 0:53:58 GMT -5
This IS a case of quantity over quality, and Netflix Streaming's library just took a pretty big hit with their loss of rights for the movies airing on Epix. That was where the bulk of their more recent titles came from.
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Dracula
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Post by Dracula on Nov 15, 2015 1:03:52 GMT -5
This IS a case of quantity over quality, and Netflix Streaming's library just took a pretty big hit with their loss of rights for the movies airing on Epix. That was where the bulk of their more recent titles came from. Anyone remember back when the same thing happened with Starz? They definitely recovered from that but I'm not sure how easily they'll be able to do it again. With all the competition form Hulu, Amazon, and other offshoots like Crackle and whatever the hell else it's becoming really hard to really amass a particularly large library anywhere, that's why Netflix is steering so hard into original programming. They've said they want to be like HBO, which is pretty scary because as a movie channel HBO is fucking terrible. |
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Post by Neverending on Nov 15, 2015 1:51:47 GMT -5
DraculaLet's not exaggerate. HBO/Cinemax, Starz/Encore and Showtime/The Movie Channel are the same thing. They just have deals with different studios. Netflix is no different. They may have lost Epix, but their deal with Disney will launch soon. That gives them access to Marvel, LucasFilm, Pixar and everything else associated with Disney.
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Post by PhantomKnight on Nov 15, 2015 2:11:09 GMT -5
Ha, that means that, soon, Starz will be almost as barren as Showtime in terms of new movies.
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Post by Neverending on Nov 15, 2015 4:23:03 GMT -5
Ha, that means that, soon, Starz will be almost as barren as Showtime in terms of new movies. For better or worse, they still have Sony. |
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Post by Neverending on Nov 24, 2015 18:35:31 GMT -5
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Nov 24, 2015 19:51:29 GMT -5
Well, it's a step in the right direction.
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Fanible
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Post by Fanible on Dec 2, 2015 17:01:05 GMT -5
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Post by Neverending on Dec 22, 2015 16:19:41 GMT -5
Coming to Netflix in January
January 1
2 Fast 2 Furious
Along Came Polly
American Girl: Grace Stirs up Success
Angry Birds Toons: Season 1
Bring It On: Fight to the Finish
Bring It On: In It to Win It
Catwoman
The Celebrity Plastic Surgeons of Beverly Hills: Season 1
Constantine
Forensic Files: Collection 2
Friday Night Tykes: Season 1-2
The Good Road
House of Wax
How to Change the World
Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
Intolerable Cruelty
Journey to Le Mans
Loins of Punjab
Meet the Fockers
Meet the Parents
Nanny McPhee
Piku
Pooh’s Heffalump Movie
Pride and Prejudice
The Rundown
Shout Gladi Gladi
Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassins’ Ball
Something New
Stephen Fry Live: More Fool Me
Stewart Lee’s Comedy Vehicle: Season 3
Swordfish
The Tale of Despereaux
Under Arrest: Season 1
We Need to Talk About Kevin
The Wedding Date
The Whole Ten Yards
January 2
30 for 30: Four Falls of Buffalo
I’ll Have What Phil’s Having: Season 1
January 3
Sofia the First: Season 2
January 4
Blunt Force Trauma
Training Day
January 5
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 10
New Girl: Season 4
January 8
Adult World
Dragons: Race to the Edge: Season 2*
Tom Segura: Mostly Stories*
January 10
Dos Hermanos
El Hombre de al Lado
Esperando La Carroza
The Marziano Family
Rosario Tijeras
Un Oso Rojo
January 11
Littlest Pet Shop: Season 4
January 12
The Ladykillers
January 13
Parks and Recreation: Season 7
January 14
The Testimony
January 15
Degrassi: The Next Class: Season 1*
The Last Five Years
Moonwalkers
Occupied
The Overnight
Sirens: Season 2
January 16
Hyde Park on Hudson
January 17
Z Nation: Season 2
January 19
Curve
January 20
Drone
January 21
When Calls the Heart: Season 2
January 22
Sharknado 3
January 23
Chelsea Does...*
January 25
From Dusk Till Dawn: Season 2
Turbo Kid
January 28
Frozen Planet
Frozen Planet: On Thin Ice
Frozen Planet: The Epic Journey
The Making of Frozen Planet
January 29
Ever After High: Dragon Games*
January 31
Words and Pictures
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SnoBorderZero
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Post by SnoBorderZero on Dec 22, 2015 16:23:37 GMT -5
Saw this yesterday, what an awful lineup. Definitely not giving up my 2 discs a month anytime soon.
Catwoman. I mean seriously? I guess January isn't just a dumping ground for movie studios, it's also Netflix's time to reel in all the shit.
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Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Dec 22, 2015 16:26:58 GMT -5
Catwoman. I mean seriously? For educational purposes, it's good to keep the movie in circulation. |
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SnoBorderZero
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Post by SnoBorderZero on Dec 22, 2015 16:29:31 GMT -5
Catwoman. I mean seriously? For educational purposes, it's good to keep the movie in circulation. Don't tell me you've seen it. |
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Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Dec 22, 2015 16:33:18 GMT -5
Don't tell me you've seen it. I've seen it. It's... I don't know what they were thinking. |
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SnoBorderZero
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Post by SnoBorderZero on Dec 22, 2015 16:40:27 GMT -5
It was the time when comic book movies meant Daredevil and Catwoman and Ang Lee's Hulk. It was a scary time for all.
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Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Dec 22, 2015 16:41:25 GMT -5
It was the time when comic book movies meant Daredevil and Catwoman and Ang Lee's Hulk. It was a scary time for all. LOL. No. We still had Spider-Man and X-Men and Nolan's first Batman came out around that time. |
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Post by SnoBorderZero on Dec 22, 2015 16:44:28 GMT -5
I know, I wanted to be dramatic. For the kids that weren't there, ya know?
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