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| Topic Started: Sep 23 2011, 03:40 PM (113 Views) | |
| ImpulseEngine | Sep 23 2011, 03:40 PM Post #1 |
Commodore
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I debated whether this belonged in Extra Extra! or Galaxy Plaza so please move it if I chose the wrong one. I just cancelled my Netflix membership. For a few years, I was paying $17.99 plus tax for their 3 DVDs at a time service. Somewhere along the line, they added unlimited streaming at no extra cost. However, the streamed content was mostly older stuff so I had to keep the DVDs to see the current movies and I hardly ever watched via streaming. Last June, I decided to cut my costs and changed to 1 DVD at a time with unlimited streaming for $8.99 plus tax. July was the first billing at the new rate. That same month, they announced a different pricing structure which you have probably all heard about that charges separately for DVDs and streaming. To keep the same 1 DVD at a time with unlimited streaming would now cost me $15.98 plus tax effective September 1st. So that would leave my cost only about $2 less than they have been all along. So much for cutting costs.  I decided right then I wasn't going to keep any of the Netflix service. A price increase is one thing, but that was too much and too drastic in my opinion. I had intended to cancel before September 1st, but had asked my wife to see if there was anything she really really wanted to see before we cancelled. Unfortunately, the movie she picked was listed as "very long wait" so it brought us past the first billing period in September before we received it. But we got the movie at this point and so I have now cancelled. I don't think I will subscribe to any other service at this time. I'll probably just visit a local video store or Redbox now when I want to rent a movie. Well, at least I got caught up on all the Star Trek and Stargate (except for Stargate Universe) over the past few years.  I was really hoping Netflix would lose so many customers that they would rethink and make some compromise. However, with their recent announcement about splitting their DVD service off to a new service called Qwikster, I'm not too hopeful about it. (For anyone not up on the story, Qwikster will be a separate website, a separate queue, and a separate billing. So anyone that has both streaming and DVDs will now seem to have 2 completely different services.) |
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| Swidden | Sep 23 2011, 10:25 PM Post #2 |
Professional Gadfly-at-large; Provisional wRench-fly at large
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Call it a hunch, but I suspect that the two will be reunited sooner or later. Streaming may well be the wave of the future, but I don't think DVD's are done yet. |
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| 24thcenstfan | Sep 24 2011, 04:56 PM Post #3 |
Something Wicked This Fae Comes
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I've been pretty surprised that Netflix' change in pricing/services has been in the press so much lately. Then again, Netflix was very influential in changing the movie rental industry. They really made a big splash on the traditional movie rental place and Blockbuster. Blockbuster has had to restructure their business and now are beginning to compete again with Netflix and Redbox. I've begun to see Blockbuster kiosks in places like we see Redboxes. So Netflix really changed the industry. It appears they want a bigger slice of the price pie now though. I haven't been to a movie rental place in years, but it is kind of interesting and a little sad to see how they are evolving. It used to be fun to go up there on Fridays and rent a bunch of movies for the weekend. Now if you want to watch something, you only need to click a few buttons on your TV or Internet. |
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| ImpulseEngine | Sep 26 2011, 09:17 AM Post #4 |
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Commodore
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I hope so. And I agree that DVD's aren't done yet. They're still far better quality than streaming especially with blue ray now. And, unless you have a means of watching streaming on your TV, the small computer screen vs. the bigger TV screen doesn't make streaming any more attractive. |
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| ImpulseEngine | Sep 26 2011, 09:23 AM Post #5 |
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Commodore
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I think it's been big news both because of the strong negative customer reaction and because of the impact on its stock value. I think you are also right about its influence on the movie rental industry being a big factor. Blockbuster is now teaming up with dish network, which is going to provide the streaming that Blockbuster has been missing in trying to compete with Netflix. I used to like going to Blockbuster to pick out some movies for the weekend too. In fact, I may be returning to that now. Even if Netflix backs down on its pricing, I probably won't return. It was worth it while I still had a ton of movies and TV episodes that I wanted to catch up on, but it's probably more cost effective now for me to rent just a few good new ones here and there. |
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| 24thcenstfan | Sep 27 2011, 07:26 AM Post #6 |
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Something Wicked This Fae Comes
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Streaming on the computer can be very convenient depending on the situation, but not always very comfortable for long-term viewing. |
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| 24thcenstfan | Sep 27 2011, 07:30 AM Post #7 |
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Something Wicked This Fae Comes
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Hadn't heard that about Blockbuster and Dish joining forces. I'm kind of glad Blockbuster didn't bite the dust and is finding a way to survive. More competition for Netflix will hopefully benefit the consumers. Then again, they can all just decide to continue raising prices on everyone. Cable/Satellite providers never seem to go down in price... and one is never significantly cheaper than the other. |
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| ImpulseEngine | Sep 27 2011, 09:04 AM Post #8 |
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Commodore
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Now there's a sobering thought. 
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| Dandandat | Sep 29 2011, 12:36 PM Post #9 |
Shirley
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ImpulseEngine are you sure about the $8.99 plus tax for the 1 DVD at a time with unlimited streaming; it seems you have been a long time customer so maybe you had a better price offered to you; but when I signed up for the service a little more than a year ago it was $10 and change for the 1 DVD at a time with unlimited streaming, and then went to the $15.98 when they split the services. As for the price increase and now splitting the services completely into two different companies it’s quite clear what the Netflix executive’s intend for the company. They are looking toward the future and don’t see hard media (DVDs, Blue-ray) as part of that future. Just like having a brick and mortar store become to cost ineffective to compete with mail order renting, soon mail order renting and even kiosk renting will be too cost ineffective to compete with streaming. Netflix is positing themselves to be a leader in that industry. They are spinning off their DVD mail order renting and will keep Qwikster running just long enough before the new technology completely disrupts the old. In this way they can squeeze as much out of the old customers as they can before they are totally lost. On the flip side Netflix will be plowing a lot of resources into their streaming business. IE lamented on the fact that their streaming content as of now is not what it needs to be in order to carry the company; this is because streaming use to be seen as just a side gimmick to their main business; but now that they are focusing on it as a means to their future I fully expect their streaming library to grow by leaps and bounds. I’ll be canceling my DVD rental service with Netflix shortly, but I plan to keep the streaming. But they will have to increase their library quickly if they expect to keep me as a customer. They have announced that their library would be increasing once they make the final split so I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
I’d have to disagree; some broadband (and in most metor areas) easily deliver HD quality streaming video, hampered only by the steamers server technology; and broadband itself is undergoing a generational increase in speed; you can already get much faster service from most broadband ISPs at an additional cost above their strandard service and soon that will become their standard service. On the same hand, you can’t buy a new average priced TV without it having steaming capability and even PC like features. Even some new low end TV’s have steaming capabilities. And many TV’s have preinstalled Netflix applications. All Video Game consuls can stream video and Netflix in particular at no additional cost. Many media delivering companies not just Netflix (think Microsoft, Google, HBO, ABC and ect) are all dumping tunes of money into streaming technology; virtually no one is dumping money into blue-ray except for Sony. And the only reason Sony is doing this is because they are a hard media delivery company, streaming video is going to disrupt Sony big time. Cable companies are immune to the effects of streaming video because in most cases they are the broadband ISPs so they just have to sift their business just as Netflix is doing, which only increases the pressure on faster and faster broadband as these companies begin to compete with each other on speed rather than on cable content like they use to. Pay attention to the next cable company commercial you see; I guaranty it will be about their internet speed and what streaming functions you can do with their service vs the other guys service; and not about what cable channels you can get. The next HBO commercial you see will be about their HBGO service more so than about their latest show. We are on the verge of a new computer age; the TV will soon (already is) a computer; you won’t be flipping channels but rather choosing exactly what you want to watch. You’ll be logging into your Microsoft or Google account in order to use their streaming word processing software. You’ll be streaming your music rather than listing to your MP3’s. And all your pictures will be on your facebook account. You’ll find it hard find a DVD drive in your computer just like you can’t find a floppy drive now. And in time you’re hard drive will be little more than a flash memory drive holding little more than your operating system (IPAD). Edited by Dandandat, Sep 29 2011, 12:41 PM.
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| ImpulseEngine | Sep 30 2011, 11:44 AM Post #10 |
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Commodore
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You are right, that was a typing error and should have said $9.99 plus tax. I also think you're right about Netflix's plans. It makes sense that they would split their DVD service off from the streaming so it will one day be easier to drop it completely. That split doesn't bother me nearly as much as the price increases. I still beg to differ about the quality of streaming vs. DVDs. I don't disagree with the arguments you presented regarding the ability to deliver HD streaming and about the video game consoles and newer TV's allowing you to watch streaming content on your TV. In fact, that's how I watched Netflix streaming on the few occasions that I used it - it was through my Wii console. However, there are still plenty of people who don't have or can't afford those consoles or newer TV's. The same people also can't afford the extra cost to receive HD streaming or for the higher level broadband service. For those people, DVDs are still a good thing. True, the HD streaming and higher broadband may become standard down the road, but we're not there yet. And, when they do become standard, it wouldn't surprise me if the final prices land somewhere between where they are now and the prices of today's standards - which means still higher than the standard prices of today. |
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| Swidden | Oct 10 2011, 10:49 AM Post #11 |
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Professional Gadfly-at-large; Provisional wRench-fly at large
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My Webpagehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/10/qwikster-dead-netflix-kills_n_1003098.html Wow. That was fast. Looks like Netflix's boss has decided to not split the two businesses after all. Due, it seems to vociferous backlash. Looks like Impulse's quitting (along with who knows how many more folks) had an effect. Streaming will likely eventually get rid of the DVD, just not yet. |
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| ImpulseEngine | Oct 10 2011, 02:30 PM Post #12 |
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Commodore
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That's good news, but not enough to make me return. They'll have to bring their prices back down considerably first. I can accept a small price increase, but this one was too much. |
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