Posted on 12/02/2009 9:41:46 PM PST by DGHoodini
Several years back, I had a summer with a goodly amount of free time, and I got a Netflix membership, at $19.99/mnth, 3 DVDs out at a time. It seemed like a good deal, but after a month or so, I noticed no matter how quickly I watched and mailed back the DVds, it was no better than renting movies from the local shop.. The movies just didn't "turn around" all that fast, and I assumed it was beacuse they all came from a California distribution center. So after a few months, I discontinued the service.
a year or so back, the news came out that Netflix had been intentionally slowing down, the turnover rate for "heavy renters", (Like me), and had been caught out at it. Hearing of this, it added some resentment to the disappointment that I held towards Netflix as a enterprise.
So, even though Netflix had addfed several new distribution locations, and began advertizing the new 'Watch instantly' movies, I was not inclined to take on a new membership. But recently, over the last few months, in threads about watching TV online, thjere have been some very complimentary posts made about NetFlix's Watch Instantly movies and TV shows availiable. Again, I remained skeptical. But as time progressed, seeing numerous ads on TV and websites, I figured I'd check out the new Free trial, figuring even ifg they got me for a months fee, it' wouldn't be any worse than renting movbies for a weekend, before I again cancelled.
I wasn'ty really all that interested in the DVD's being shipped bty mail, as I was interested imn what kind of selection they had of TV and movies that could be watched by instant download.
To my pleasant surprise, while you could hardly call the collection "vast" it is quite reasonably large for a service they've recently started. And in the last couple of weeks, I've found enough comntent that looks to be able to fill my free time for the winter, wityhout getting any DVDs mailed to me until after the winter snows have melted. (A key benefit to me, as making a couple of trips tyo the Post Office each week during the zsnowy season is just "Not On" for me. So, at $9 bucks a month, I am pleased. They have a pretty good selection of BritComs and Brit mysteries, for an Anglophile like me, Though no Morse, Poriot, and only a few Marples, but they have Wire in the blood, Inspector Lynleys, Campions..et cetera. and quite a few American classics I enjoy. (No 'It happens every Spring' not even of DVD!)
But in all, I am glad I decided to give them another chance. Turn around is quick with the Distribution center only 60 miles away, and when they couldn't get one DVD out in time, they sent the next one in my que, and had the one that they couldn't send me, mailed to me from the next nearest distribution Center!
So, take this as you will. I shall be watching to see how fast thet are moving more movies into the 'Watvh Instantly' catagory, and if they find that many people like me, want most of their content streaming, if they institute a higher price for it, and if they do, they better darn well put a lot more of their movies up for streaming.
Ok, that's all I wanted to relate.
Wow. Heavy, man.
I live in the same town as Netflix' headquarters, but I don't think they've ever had fulfillment in California. I think it's in Texas.
I bow to your hometown knowledge. It was *several* years ago that I had that first membership. Obviously, my memory is faulty. But perhaps I thought it was from California, because that seems as far away as it could be! :)
My 14 day trial is done today, I’m keeping it.
I stream it through the PS3, works better than I expected.
Another suggestion for you or anyone else considering Netflix:
Spring quarter of our senior year of college my roommate had a very light course load and I’d finished early and was just working a random job until my “real” job. That spring/summer we had a bunch of time to kill so we gave Blockbuster’s version a try.
We picked them because there was a store just down the street and you could do returns there instead of mail-ins. Instead of having to be mailed back to them before triggering your next movie, as soon as they scanned them at the store your next movie went out. Also, each mailed DVD was a voucher for a store rental, turning our basic 3 movie plan into a 6 movie plan.
So gorged ourselves on every “I’ve been meaning to see that” and classic-that-everyone-should’ve-seen until we started to run dry on ideas. It was kind of like trying to “win” at an all you can eat buffet. Obviously that was a unique circumstance, but the point is that a normal person could just choose the most bare minimum plan and watch a TON of movies for very cheap without the long turnaround.
I live in the Bay Area too, and also have Netflix. They have several distribution centers around the country (I believe the newspaper article I read about them said they have 12 distribution centers around the country, but don't quote me on that - it has been awhile since I read the article). The nearest center to one's location is the one that usually sends you your movies. In our case, they have a distribution center in San Jose', CA. This is why we receive our movies from them in just one day.
I've been using blockbuster's. I like being able to exchange the movie received by mail at a brick and mortar for another and watch that while the next movie on the list ships.
Placemark.
I am trying to decide if I want to switch from netflix to blockbuster.
I use the streaming on my 360. It is a pretty nice service. Def watch more movies on that than I get through the mail
We just recently signed back up for Netflix also because we purchased a blu-ray player that hooks up to our network and streams these videos directly to the HD Television. They do have a pretty good selection and $8.99 a month is cheaper than adding premium channels to the cable.
They also have a distribution center in Orange County, so that makes two for California.
Yep, I canceled 2 premium channels, I’m actually saving money and watching more.
I've been very happy with their service so far.
They also give you a coupon at the beginning of each month that you can print out for a free rental from the local brick and mortar.
I live up in the Sierra mountains near Fresno and we used to get our Netflix movies from San Jose. Sometime in the last couple of years our movies started coming from Bakersfield. So California must have a few distribution centers now.
It is a quick turnaround for us too. Send movies back on Monday and get the next in the queue on Wednesday.
Thank you very much for the information! Really appreciate it.
There’s no restrictions on the number of movies you’re allowed to exchange at the store?
My current netflix plan is the 3 at home plan. I’m getting tired of netflix because of the ‘wait’ time on new releases. One “long wait” turned into 7 weeks! My God, buy more discs!!!
The Blockbuster store is only a mile and a half away.
Not that I'm aware of, and it wouldn't make sense for there to be.
I had a problem once with a disk not playing and not only did they send another right away, but gave me a coupon for a free rental also.
I think it's nice to browse a brick and mortar every now and then, I find I'll rent movies I might not have otherwise.
I got soooo addicted to Dexter through it. They have the first two seasons on there.
We’ve used it for a lot of educational purposes, plus some of the kids’ favorite shows are on there.
Love the Netflix.
Forgot to add that we nearly exclusively use the live streaming version and not the mailed discs (except for educational movies and docu’s).
Just curious, is it the picture quality, legality, or not knowing where to go...that keeps you all from watching TV, movies, and sporting events free online?
We finally started getting Netflix (two discs at a time). The only regret I have is that I didn't do it sooner and save myself quite a lot of $ and even more time and gas dealing with crowded, poorly staffed video stores whose selections were a small fraction Netflix's. I never have to go any further than the mailbox to return or receive movies, and turnaround is one day (return on Monday, receive next movie on Wednesday).
As a promotional writer who pays a lot of attention to the power of words and language to move people to action, I consider Netflix's radio ads THE BEST EXAMPLES EVER of how to do it right. They are 100 percent positive -- every player is a winner; there is zero negative in any way, shape, or form to their ads. "Co-RRECT!" I'd been admiring their ads for more than a year before joining ... I should have just joined from the start; any company smart enough to have such great advertising would probably have a great product -- and Netflix is a shining example.
None for me. It’s the selection. And even Netflix’s selection is not that great.
Must be some fancy bizness buzzword. There's gotta be another word shorter than 11 characters that means the same thing. :O)
It’s the content. Look, I love Hulu, and Fancast, and enjoy being able to catch episodes of many, (but not all) of my faves that I miss, because i’m out or such. But really. a lot of the shows and movies that they have are more filler, than anything I’d actually watch. Don’t get me wrong i am not about wanting to pay more for the same that I can get cheapper or free, but a lot of times free means cheap (in more ways than one) or, commercials. or illegal activities that can lead to huge legal fines. There are certain shows and movies that don’t lend themselves well to commercials. Pointy in case: Hulu recently added and old 1960’s BritTV series of the Sherlocjk holmes Miysteries, I used to watch on PBS. It’s great to see those old eopisodes, but Huluj puts commercials in them, and it just dedtroys the whole mood every time one of them comes on.
Yeah...They like to call them “fullfillment centers”...Amazon uses the term for their distribution centers as well. >Bo)
Yeah I’m a big Dexter fan too. And it is really heating up to the season finale! Can’t wait till Sunday night! How ever *will* Dexter deal with “Third Rock Boy” ...nope don’t want to give any spoilers if you are waiting to see this season other than first run. i’ll just say this season started off a touch slow, but it’s got it’s afterburners fired up *now*!
>B-)
I’ve watched literally hundreds of “free” tv programs on Hulu...Heck I’ve watched close to 200 episodes of SG-! on Hulu, for whuich I am most grateful to them for. There’s no way I’d have been able to watcvh them otherwise. I’d never be able to justify over a $150 purchase for the complete series on DVD. (+the two movies that Netflix has as Instant streaming content!...That i’ll be watching sometime in January, when it’s all snowy outside, and I don’t have to worry about returning them) ;o)
I have never used their service. Not that I am for or against it, I just don’t watch that many new movies. I am more likely to catch an old movie on the big screen at the Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto.
Dunno if you have seeen them, but here they have Red Box DVD Rental machines that look like Coke machines. The one here is in front of a Walgreens and you can rent New Release DVD's for a $1 a night. Pretty slick deal if you want a movie night now and again.
And someone in Texas is probably getting their movies from the distribution point near you. That's another reason why movies seem delayed or slow when they arrive. "Throttling" the hardcore Netflix customers is the other half of that problem.
Ha! I was toying with the idea of posting a vanity re:netflix; we got a HD Sony on Black Friday, we should be getting our HD DVR from the cable company tomorrow, and our Blu-Ray is arriving by UPS today. This blu ray is the Sony model mentioned on the Netflix website as ready for downloads from their site (and other sites like Amazon that stream movies). I was wondering how the streaming was working out for other people. Based on your experience, we’ll probably sign up either this month or January . But if I am reading the Netflix website correctly , it sounds like with their plan, you have to get a DVD through the mail (1 or 2 out at a time) to be signed up for the streaming content. Also,when I was a member, I had 3 or 4 DVDs out at a time, and you could have 8 or 10 out, if you wanted to pay $50-60 for the privilege(I don’t)-do they still offer plans for more than 2 DVDs out?
Pretty sure they still offer the 3 out at a time deal. But I was going for the cheapest route, as it was my intention to merely check out what was available for ‘Instant Viewing’.
“a lot of the shows and movies that they have are more filler, than anything I’d actually watch. “
I wasn’t referring to Hulu or Fancast, I was referring to sites that show first run movies like 2012, Blind Side, NFL football, NCAA basketball, etc.
Was curious if the legality of such sites keep people away, or if it was simply not knowing about them.
They keep *me* away. The *last* thing I need in my life, is some content owner suing me for $400,000 dollars, for copyright infringemenTS. That, and fear of D/L ing some major legue virus or trojan horse i’d have to “splain” how it got on to my system/LAN.
I too subscribed to netflix a few years back. The first couple of months or so was great. I was getting about 24 dvds a month. The day I got my 3 dvds in the mail, Id watch them all, return them the next day, and the day after that I'd get my next 3 dvds.
Then all of the sudden, it got slowed down to about 16 a month. The return addresses on the envelopes used to be adressed to a distribution center only a couple of towns away. Now the return address on the envelopes was to a distribution center further away in the city (I live in the suburbs). Sometimes to a distribution center in another state! And instead of getting next day service, my DVDs were taking 2-3 days to get to the distribution center and 2-3 days back to my house. This went on for a period of 9 months before service finally returned to normal and I started getting next day service again and my DVDs were going and coming from that distribution center only a couple of towns away again.
Time goes on, and there were times when money became tight so I had to sometimes downgrade my membership or end it altogether. Recently I had to downgrade my service from 3 DVDs at a time to 1 DVD at a time. But came with that 1 DVD at a time was the watch instantly service. I am LOVING it. Its even better than having the DVDs mailed to me. I can watch it on my computer OR on my tv with the help of my xbox 360 video game console (WHICH I got for free over the internet...anyone who wants to get one for free, freepmail me) and xbox live.
I'm watching so many movies and tv shows through netflix's watch instantly, that I'm not finding time to watch the one DVD that they mail to me. It takes me weeks, even months before I find time to watch that one mailed DVD! And at 9 bucks a month, the price is right too.
They have fulfillment all over the place. Just about every major metro area has one.
Theres no downloading files (like the old napster), just watching video hosted by websites set up like “You Tube”.
I could be wrong and maybe others could comment but if someone posts the new movie “2012” on You Tube... and you watch it at that site...have you broken the law or is it only the person who posted the copyrighted material?
If you watched such a vid (in very high quality btw-LOL)is it traceable if you didn’t “download” anything?
Thanks, TAL! I’ll go to Blockbuster soon. netflix has let me run out of movies AGAIN: “short wait” to “long wait” in my “cue.”
Chief - Thanks for the info on Walgreen’s. I’ll look there too, since it’s right on my way to Blockbuster. :)
I find that streaming movies on the laptop is a must for R-rated movies with the Younguns around.
Their website has a zip code thing and you can search for Red Box locations in your area :) I see 3 near me! Both Walgreens and the Super Walmart. LOL
I think Dexter is BEYOND R, LOL. I watch it alone on my iMac with headphones on! No kids allowed. I agree.
That works!! Is that one of those classic, old re-modeled theaters??
I have been using Netflix for a couple of years now. I like them because I don't watch TV, and they are cheaper than Blockbuster (one movie out at a time is fine for me). If I return a movie on Monday, their San Jose' distribution center has the next one in my mailbox on Wednesday. Plus, they have over 100,000 titles - and Mrs. Zetman has just recently discovered this (and is now starting to "take over" the movie queue from me!!).
It opened in 1925 and is now beautifully restored.
We have been using redbox to get “new” releases and netflix for downloadable movies. $1 movies vs. what, $5 for Blockbuster now?
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