Netflix Raises Prices

[Moonliner]

Netflix has raised it's prices (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1292114) while at the same time introducing a streaming only option. The obvious intent being to move everyone to streaming only which is more profitable for them.

Of course their selection of streaming titles is anemic and the quality below that of a blu-ray disk.

[Alex]

I haven't watched a disc from them in nearly a year, living entirely on streamed content (which is fine for me, but then I've never used Netflix for "new release" stuff) so this will finally move me to downgrade my plan (I kept my old plan because I was on a grandfathered cheaper 4-disc plan that I'd lose forever if I changed).

[Cadaverous Pallor]

We're the opposite of Alex. Until they have new releases on streaming, forget it.

[Snowflake]

I'm waiting for more new releases to switch over to streaming only. I'm still finding the instant queue too limited for what I'm interested in seeing.

Gotta say, though, Netflix has saved me a bundle since I do not purchase many DVDs any longer. Not unless it's a film I really love and will watch over and over.

[JWBear]

We use Blockbuster's service. It's nice to be able to drop off a disc at our local store (which is in walking distance) and pick up the next movie in our queue when we don't feel like waiting for it in the mail.

[Morrigoon]

Love Netflix. Love streaming.

[Kevy Baby]

Love sex

[BarTopDancer]

Love sex
No!!! You don't say!!! Next you're going to tell us the Pope is Catholic.

[alphabassettgrrl]

I love the streaming, too, but we still get physical discs in the mail.

[cirquelover]

I wish there was more good movies to stream, so for now I will keep my 1 disk out at a time.

[Chernabog]

I stream and watch physical discs about equally. I'm not going to downgrade though because I hardly ever purchase blu-rays (the only ones I ever buy are Pixar and Disney, I know you are all shocked) but love watching them.

However, I do send back less discs per month than I used to, so it works out well for Netflix!

[Moonliner]

Vudu to the rescue?

Like everyone else, I'm a bit peeved at Netflix. So I decided to try Vudu (http://www.vudu.com/) on the Mooncave's PS3.

Vudu promises on demand streaming of movies the same day they come out on DVD/Blu-ray. Unlike Netflix which makes you wait.

Sound and picture quality are important given the full blown home theater setup in the Mooncave. So I went right for the Gold standard:

War of the Worlds. A suckie movie with truly awesome bass. No luck, Vudu did not carry it.

LoTR - Fellowship of the Rings - Nope.

Iron Man 2 - Only available in standard def.

Grrrr...

There seems to be a lot of movies missing from Vudu. No James Bond movies at all for example.

I finally settled on "The Dark Knight". It was on par with the Blu-ray in terms of picture and sound quality so that was impressive but until they fill in the holes in their library I'm don't think I'm dumping Netflix.

Still, If you compare what's available via streaming on the two sites Vudu wins in a walk for new releases but of course Vudu is a pay-per-view service not a streaming buffet like Netflix.

[flippyshark]

Is Vudu hi-def any higher than iTunes store hi-def rentals? If so, do Vudu rentals cost more? Will my soon to be purchased Xbox 360 allow me access? (I'm sure I could research these questions on my own, but if Moonie knows the answers off the top of his head, then yay.)

[Alex]

Vudu is blocked from work. What's their pricing?

[Ghoulish Delight]

It varies depending on the film and the quality you want. Usually between $4-$7 per rental for big ticket movies.

[Alex]

Do they have a back library. Admittedly, I don't have much need for a home source for "new releases" (I show Netflix et al who's boss by paying $12 to see them in the theater) but at $4 my same viewing pattern would be several times more expensive than Netflix.

[Moonliner]

Is Vudu hi-def any higher than iTunes store hi-def rentals? If so, do Vudu rentals cost more? Will my soon to be purchased Xbox 360 allow me access? (I'm sure I could research these questions on my own, but if Moonie knows the answers off the top of his head, then yay.)

Vudu is blocked from work. What's their pricing?

I don't know about the iTunes store, but most movies on VuDu can be streamed at 1080p with 5.1 Dolby digital+ sound. On my 102" screen Dark Knight looked as good as the blu-ray and the sound was crisp an clear two floors up. Always a good sign.

The Xbox does not seem to be supported, but many Blu-ray players with an Ethernet port are.

Cost wise movies run from the $0.99 special of the day up to $5.99 for 1080p versions of new releases. I think it varies but for Dark Knight Vudu gave me 24Hours to watch it.

Note: To watch in HD you will need a steady download speed of around 6MB/s


There is also a purchase option for movies but I've not looked into the details of that.

[Alex]

So it looks like Starz may be disconnecting from Netflix.

That could be, where the price increase wasn't, a breaker for me as a very large percentage of the movies I watch start with the Starz logo.

[Prudence]

I am definitely looking at dropping netflix inthe future. Once Ryan starts working we'll be able to afford Fios, which will keep me busy enough I suspect to drop the netflix. Or drop back to just the DVDs. I might still want access to classic movies and such.

[BarTopDancer]

If HBO and Cinemax continue to show movies before Netflix streaming does I will reevaluate their value and may dump Netflix for one, or both of those movie channels,

[Moonliner]

One of the comments I heard from Netflix on this is that the demise of the Starz deal leaves them with a boatload of cash to go after other content.

[Kevy Baby]

One of the comments I heard from Netflix on this is that the demise of the Starz deal leaves them with a boatload of cash to go after other content.They're gonna need a bigger boat

[Prudence]

Lately all the Netflix content news has been about them losing content, not gaining. I'm suspicious that the content providers, now that they've let someone else lay the groundwork for streaming delivery, are going to try to sell their stuff directly, ending Netflix affiliations as contracts expire.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I keep thinking about this and here's my bottom line: No one else has their (current) selection for anything resembling the price.

[Chernabog]

^^ True. BUT... the whole problem is that Netflix's pricing has moved it from a nice extra service to something more expensive than my monthly gas bill. That's when you get to the "do I really need this?" question.

And honestly, after having downgraded to the Streaming + 1 DVD/Bluray service, I think I am going to cancel streaming in a month or so and go back to 3 DVDs/Blurays per month. Which basically means, for me, that Netflix completely failed to move me in the direction they wanted as a result of the pricing increase.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

^^ True. BUT... the whole problem is that Netflix's pricing has moved it from a nice extra service to something more expensive than my monthly gas bill. That's when you get to the "do I really need this?" question.

And honestly, after having downgraded to the Streaming + 1 DVD/Bluray service, I think I am going to cancel streaming in a month or so and go back to 3 DVDs/Blurays per month. Which basically means, for me, that Netflix completely failed to move me in the direction they wanted as a result of the pricing increase.In our case, we don't consider it an "extra", since we don't have any premium channels and can't go to the movies anymore. If we get rid of Netflix, we'd have to pick up some other way to get movies when we want them. Streaming rental isn't cheap enough and doesn't have the selection.

We like streaming well enough and we don't have a Blu-ray player, so one disc + streaming still makes sense for us.

[cirquelover]

I am either canceling or putting my account on hold after this weekend. We just got free HBO,Max and showtime from Dish and crazily almost everything in my que(dvd and streaming) is on one of those channels! I am now recording them all on the dvr for later viewing.

If Netflix shows great strides of improvemnet I may come back, as it was very convenient.

[katiesue]

ok now that their idea to up the prices sent people off in droves they're now going to make the streaming and the disks totally separate. Article here. (http://news.yahoo.com/netflix-separates-dvd-streaming-businesses-122052917.html)

So now I'm guessing if I'm looking for a movie to stream and it's not there. Then I have to log into a separate site to get the disk. Great idea.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Oooookay.

We just changed our account to switch to 2-discs, no streaming next month. We'll see how it all shakes out.

Still kinda feel unhappy about that choice. Even though we barely user the streaming, i like knowing the option is there, especially with the number of devices it's available through (now that BOTH of our phones can do it). But seriously, we haven't streamed anything in months.

[innerSpaceman]

Quikster? Yeah, smart. In other stupid news, Google just changed their name to Searchfun and Coke is changing theirs to Brown Bubble Drinkup.

[BarTopDancer]

With the introduction of HBOGo I am contemplating keeping HBO and cancelling Netflix.

[katiesue]

We use the streaming - quite a bit actually. I'm addicted to old BBC series. We just switched to one disk/streaming. We do 3 disks in the summer when Maddie's home and I switch back to one in the fall.

I actually was just looking into Amazon Prime but the catalog isn't as good. And it's a mix of free with subscription/paid. A lot of series will have season one free but subsequent seasons for 1.99/episode.

Actually I just looked up one series I've been watching and they're $7.99/episode. Uh no thanks.

[Betty]

We have needed to switch plans for an embarrassing amount of time. We just don't seem to do the mail thing well. AND it's the 3 disk plan. (confession - just where is one of those discs?)

Anyway - the initial price change didn't really affect us the way it did those on the one disc plan... and nothing changed still.

Now though they will force us to get with it. My husband is hooked on the streaming. I could take it or leave it but he hardly watches anything on a real tv anymore because of his beloved netflix.

We'll end up dropping the rental program and they'll get less money. Oh well. I should take care of this today.

I would gladly pay a higher monthly fee if it meant more variety. Unless you really like McGyver or Stargate type of stuff, it's rather hit and miss. They better be careful or they'll drive people back to torrent downloads.

[Snowflake]

We do 2 discs at a time and also stream lots of films and old brith TV series (mysteries mostly). My Netflix fees did not change all that much (about a $1) so I'm none too concerned.

I won't cancel the disc option since so many thing I've wanted to see are available only in disc form and not streamable.

What I need to figure out how to do is cancel my cable, or cut it down so all I get it basic with TCM.

[Alex]

If you're on Comcast then you're going to be out of luck since (I've already tried to do this) the only way to get TCM is to get the second tier digital package (two levels up from the most basic package).

Unfortunately I just can't justify paying the extra $20/month (compared to the first tier digital package) for just once channel.

[Snowflake]

Yes, Alex, you're correct, we're on Comcast. :(

[Strangler Lewis]

You get a bit of the best of TCM in the free movies section of On Demand. For instance, the other night I watched a circus crime caper from 1930 involving Lon Chaney in drag, a strongman and a midget.

[Morrigoon]

Strangler: is that the one where he plays an armless knife thrower? That film is a CLASSIC and a true example of Chaney's talent as an actor!

[innerSpaceman]

I'm perfectly happy with my 2-disc option since they (1) lowered the price on that plan and (2) I'm a troglodyte who doesn't have wireless at home, and so I can't stream content from my internet connection to my giant display unit that I prefer to watch movies on. What I DON'T like is belonging to something called "Quikster" and I plan on dumping it based on the stupidity of that name change alone. :p

[Snowflake]

Strangler: is that the one where he plays an armless knife thrower? That film is a CLASSIC and a true example of Chaney's talent as an actor!

No goonie, that film is The Unknown

Strangler was watching The Unholy Three.

[innerSpaceman]

Ugh, wanna see DRIVE like it's nobody's business. BF won't go with, 'cause I have a huge crush on Ryan Gosling. I'm too busy to find time to see it alone. Guess I'll have to wait for Netflix, er, sorry, Quikster. :rolleyes:

[innerSpaceman]

According to Time, Netflix lost 1 million of their 24 million customers following the pricing change.



I really don't have time right now to even watch my Netflix movies, so I think I'll quit - at least for a while - right when they switch to Quikster. That'll show 'em. :p

[Motorboat Cruiser]

You may not get the chance, iSm.

Netflix abandons plan for Qwikster DVD service (http://money.cnn.com/2011/10/10/technology/netflix_qwikster/index.htm?hpt=hp_t1)

[innerSpaceman]

Yay, they came to their senses. I approve. :cool:

[Ghoulish Delight]

I haven't seen that much back pedaling since I watched Triplets of Belville in reverse!