Netflix sues Blockbuster to shut online service

news.com ^ | April 4, 2006,

[discostu]

Well there's no set limit, there's a slow down point but no true limit, they never cut you off, just make it harder to get more.

[chpmass]

Good info. Thanks.

[dighton]

Microsoft Patents Ones, Zeroes

— The Onion.

[technochick99]

Odd - I have had nothing but satisfaction in my dealing with netflix!

[D-fendr]

You must be a light user. You get preference.

I have movies sit at the top of my cue for weeks and weeks.

[D-fendr]

Same problems with the throttling. "Unlimited" does not mean unlimited. That's what bugs me.

And if they were honest, they'd have a Throttle-Meter on your Que page.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

This is a bunch of BS on the part of Netflix. Whatever happened to duking it out in the free market? What a bunch of vaginas.

[Politicalmom]

Yeah. That's going to make me go back to "throttling" at Netflix.....

[chpmass]

Yeah, same for me. When a new release comes out, even if it's at the top of my queue, I don't receive it, and then it's listed for me as a "very long wait". I ended up waiting like 7 or 8 weeks to get Revenge of the Sith after it came out, even though it continued to remain at the top of my queue.

[HungarianGypsy]

Saw a children's play place at Chick-Fil-A and I think one at Burger King.

[Kozak]

The funny thing is Blockbuster used to have the "sign up for Netflix" stuff in the stores at the checkout. Thats where I got mine and signed up. Haven't been back to a video store in over a year. I thought at the time that BB had to be nuts.

[Arthalion]

Yep, people here don't get it. We issue patents, which are essentially legal monopolies, every day. The issue of business process and software patents has been brought up in Congress since that 1998 decision, and our representatives have declined to address it. In other words, our representative government has decided that this is a perfectly legal and legitimate use of our patent system.

Yes, you could patent the Drive Thru today. Yes, you could patent the twist-off bottlecap today. Yes, you could patent the idea of sending radio waves today. Sound stupid? It is, but that's our government for you.

They ignore it because patent royalties have become a multi-billion dollar business since that decision came down. Reversing this would devastate giants like Microsoft, EBay, Amazon, and IBM. Those companies respond to the criticism by pouring enough money into congress to keep anything substantial from happening.

[Mamzelle]

Yes, I have observed the bar code. My question--where and when is it first scanned once I have put it in the mailbox? Netflix regularly sends me an email the morning after I have mailed the envelope--even when I put it in the box at the last possible moment for collection.

I'm wondering if there's a system at the PO that scans the envelope, sends Netflix the message right from the PO, rather than Netflix having the returned DVD "in hand" before emailing me.

[Mad Dawgg]

"I'm wondering if there's a system at the PO that scans the envelope, sends Netflix the message right from the PO, rather than Netflix having the returned DVD "in hand" before emailing me."

I used another Netflix Like system { Bourderbound I think it was) and this is how they did it. They were notified by the Post Office when they received the Disc and my new disc went out ASAP. However they still were not as fast as Netflix. I would assume Netflix uses the same system.

I have noticed it takes longer to get a new DVD shipped out of your que if you put the disc in so the bar code does not show in the window. Though that could be coincidence.

[Shimmer128]

The last time I used Netflix, I mailed out three movies in separate envelopes on a Monday. By the next Tuesday (8 days later), They still hadn't notified me of getting them or sent me any more. So I cancelled that Tuesday. They had gotten them, they just didn't bother sending me any more.
Jerks.

[Mamzelle]

re: I have noticed it takes longer to get a new DVD shipped out of your que if you put the disc in so the bar code does not show in the window. Though that could be coincidence.)))

Since it would have to be handled "by hand", I guess it would slow things down.

re: They were notified by the Post Office when they received the Disc and my new disc went out ASAP.)))

I think this is kind of cool--wonder what kind of co-op deal they work out with the PO?

But then, I love to watch that a package takes over the internet by UPS when I mail order something. Don't know why, but it's fun to track a package--

[ican'tbelieveit]

Blockbuster has an advantage. I get 2 free rentals in store every month. So on top of the deliveries, if I really don't want to wait for a new release, I run over to my local Blockbuster, and it is free.

[ican'tbelieveit]

Netflix, like Blockbuster has many local distribution centers. Almost all of my movies are shipped from and returned to the local Denver office. So, I get my movies over night in most cases.