Topic: Netflix (Read 4236 times)

JimH · « **on:** June 12, 2002, 05:35:56 am »

I'm wondering how many people here subscribe to Netflix and what you think of it.

The reason I'm asking is that I plan to meet with someone who works there when I'm in California later this week.

For those who don't know it, Netflix rents DVD's and sends them to you by mail. You subscribe to their service for $20 a month. You can keep a DVD as long as you want. You just can't have more than 3 out at any time.

I love the service. When you're done, you pop the disk back in the prepaid envelope and mail it. Then they send you the next disk from your queue.

http://www.netflix.com

Gatobrit · « **Reply #1 on:** June 12, 2002, 07:01:37 am »

JimH - I have been a member well over 2 years. My wife and I love it. Absolutely love it!

We have the 4 DVD service (around $20 per month) so we have 4 DVDs at home at any one time. We always have a movie available that we know we want to watch. If we end up changing plans or we just don't feel like watching a movie we don't have to because we can keep the movies as long as we want and there are no late fees.

I haven't been to Blockbuster in years. Love it!

Sometimes we watch a couple of DVDs over a weekend and sometimes we don't watch any. Some months "we get our money's worth" by seeing 7|PLS| movies and some months we don't but either way we both think it is money well spent and we wouldn't be without the service.

Their customer service is excellent. Any problems and they seem to be all over it - like Amazon was in the early days.

The rating / recommendation service they use on their website is good too. It suggests movies based on what you've seen previously but the other neat twist is that it will suggest movies that others liked who have similar tastes. Sometimes you get a turkey but mostly we see movies that we would never have seen without the recommendation and we probably would never have found in Blockbuster.

(BTW - Have fun in Los Gatos - it was my former home town before I moved to San Diego a couple of years ago.)

KingSparta · « **Reply #2 on:** June 12, 2002, 07:30:05 am »

I just buy the DVD's I Wan't I Have Almost 300 Of Them, I Am Going To Need To Buy Another DVD Jukebox Soon

Valisystem · « **Reply #3 on:** June 12, 2002, 08:27:34 am »

I've been a Netflix subscriber for a couple of years. Nothing but positive experiences. Good, easy-to-use web site. I've only needed support a couple of times - which is in itself a tribute, given how easy it is to imagine disks getting damaged or things going sideways in the mail - and each time it's been handled with a couple of clicks on the web site, replacement disks sent out no questions asked.

Easyrider · « **Reply #4 on:** June 12, 2002, 11:33:37 am »

I used Netflix several years ago. It was great, because I did not have to get in my car an drive to get my DVD's and back than the retail stores did not have enough first run movies so 90% of time I did not get what I wanted. The price back than was about the same as a rental store.

I loved the fact that you could reserve inadvance of release! Plus the inventory of all the older movies was great!.

It was pretty neat, that you could preview the movie on the internet too. The rating system helped alot in my selection too.

I leave in Sacramento, CA, it only took 2days to get the movie. Back then you could go online click on the movie you were returning and they would send the next DVD in the que. But, people abused that privilege and they stopped doing that.

I just could not justify the cost. I felt like I had to watch at less 6 movies to keep the cost inline. Sometimes that was easy, but in the summertime it was impossible.

Great service! never had any problems with 100 or so transactions I did with them for two years.

john · « **Reply #5 on:** June 12, 2002, 12:34:07 pm »

i use the library. they have a huge dvd section. free. i got 120gb hard drive for $125. holds my favorite 30 or 40 flicks. if i wanted more i would just get another drive. prices of all digital stuff is still falling.

mike_s · « **Reply #6 on:** June 12, 2002, 06:04:23 pm »

Upside: very convenient, reasonable price, no due date, extensive catalog.
Downside: Long waits for current releases.

Summary: Ideal for movie buffs wanting to see older, international, or hard-to-find movies. Not so great for those wanting to see the very latest releases.

geekboy200 · « **Reply #7 on:** June 12, 2002, 07:23:40 pm »

Like the service a lot, but would prefer:

A) That they received/shipped on Saturday. If they do, it certainly doesn't seem that way, as nothing of mine's ever been received or shipped then.
B) That they changed their slogan. You can't rent all the DVD's you want for $20 bucks. You can only get as many as they and the postal service can turn around. Typically for me, that's about 11 in a month. A great deal to be sure, but not "all I want". In fact, if I could get all I wanted, there'd be no need for their other service plans.

Peter · « **Reply #8 on:** June 13, 2002, 08:14:43 am »

you lucky american!

out here in backwards blighty we've only just got DVDs in Blockbuster!

Yours
Very Sadman who wants more DVDs
aka Sadman who needs to move to the US?

ciggieoxo · « **Reply #9 on:** June 13, 2002, 08:22:52 am »

I too use Netflix. Even though there are Hollywood Video and Blockbuster stores minutes from my home, I was always forgeting to return the movies and ended up paying lots of late fees. If I was more disciplined in returning rentals on time I'd use local video stores. But I'm a procrastinator so I need Netflix.

Gatobrit · « **Reply #10 on:** June 13, 2002, 08:34:56 am »

Peter - I'm a Limey and I moved here. I love it. Netflix is just the tip of the iceberg!

khaos10 · « **Reply #11 on:** June 14, 2002, 06:52:46 pm »

I've had it for the last 2 years also and I'm grandfathered in on the 4 instead of 3 a month.
I can only say positive things, and I've not had problems in getting the movies I put in my que. He was going a little overboard on that comment of getting only "older" stuff.

shelly · « **Reply #12 on:** June 14, 2002, 07:37:26 pm »

I subscribed to Netflix for about a year, but discontinued the service a couple of years ago, as we weren't home enough in the summer to justify the cost. At that time dvd's weren't as readily available to rent as they are now, however, the ease and convenience of using the service was unbeatable.

Coincidentally, I received an email today from mp3.com, offering a free trial from their 'partner', NetFlix. I'd probably respond to such an offer if it wasn't summer.

Shelly

khaos10 · « **Reply #13 on:** June 21, 2002, 07:10:35 am »

They just announced they are opening more distribution centers and will have 10 instead of one to speed up delivery times.

http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1106-937831.html

DocLotus · « **Reply #14 on:** June 21, 2002, 07:28:27 am »

Best Buy has exactly the same service for the same price, have not tried it yet. Have no idea if they are really using NetFlix as their source. Anybody know?

JimH · « **Reply #15 on:** June 21, 2002, 07:31:25 am »

In Minneapolis, they opened a center a few months ago. My return times went from about 3 to 4 days to 1 day.

When I was in California last week, I stopped to say hello to one of our users who works there. It was fun to see a company in the middle of rapid growth. They are a nice combination of loose and organized. Their decor reminds me of ours in Minneapolis. College Sophomore Modern.

My friend says that the MJ 8.0 is getting good use around the company. That was nice to hear.

Gatobrit · « **Reply #16 on:** June 21, 2002, 07:38:37 am »

DocLotus - BestBuy use Netflix. If you go to tbe BB web site and go through the sign-up process it mentions that you are liable to the policies of both BB and Netflix. Cool tie-in for Netflix. I have a friend who works there and she loves the place, the CEO / Founder etc.

Re the post above about new movies - I've never seen a problem with Netflix getting new releases, but my wife and I tend to go to the movies to see those movies that "must see" for us.

Doof · « **Reply #17 on:** June 21, 2002, 07:47:59 am »

King> Your whole life is all about excess, isn't it?

100,000|PLS| mp3's.
300 DVD's.

How many cars do you own? Next Page

chaznet · « **Reply #18 on:** June 21, 2002, 09:59:32 pm »

Tried if for a while -- for some it's great. Personally, I was just as bad about mailing in the DVD's as I am at returning rentals. You still pay the monthly fee even if you rent nothing, and nothing accumlates for months you don't rent. For many, this doesn't matter.

One return was lost in the mail, I emailed them and with no questions asked they removed it from my account...

Jaundiced|PLS|Eye · « **Reply #19 on:** June 21, 2002, 11:10:21 pm »

Key feature of NetFlix is that kids watch a show over and over and over and over. It is great for that.

KingSparta · « **Reply #20 on:** June 22, 2002, 04:23:48 am »

Doof

>> King> Your whole life is all about excess, isn't it?
>> 100,000|PLS| mp3's.
>> 300 DVD's.
131,000|PLS| really

>> How many cars do you own?
When I Ran My BBS I Always Had To Have More Storage, At That Time Storage Cost Alot And I Bought A 18 Disk CD-Rom Jukebox.

I Like Good Things, I Always Have, I Don't Go Shoping If I Can't Spend Money.

My Wife Don't Like To Spend Money. Thats Why We Have Money In The Bank. She Just Wants To Make Sure We Have Something Incase We Are Layed Off Or Fired.

I Am Like A Woman With A Visa\Master Card.

Cascadence · « **Reply #21 on:** September 23, 2002, 08:34:51 pm »

Terrific article in the NYT today on VOD, Netflix, competitors, and bandwidth:

http://www.musicex.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=general;action=display;num=1024500851;start=9

Rudy · « **Reply #22 on:** September 24, 2002, 12:17:54 am »

There's a similar service here in Ireland called DVDRentals.ie. A little pricier, but the same deal-set up your wish list, watch them when you want, put them in the mail, get the next one. Once, I got a movie on Friday, but life happened, and I didn't get to watch it til the next Thurs. It was cool knowing I could hang on to it, no worrying about late charges. It's perfect for those like me who might pick up a movie, but more often than not, can't watch it the night you get it.

betsy · « **Reply #23 on:** September 24, 2002, 04:10:20 am »

Two Questions For JimH:

1. Technically, is it possible to copy the DVD's that NetFlix sends you to your hard drive?

2. Legally, I thought that the U.S Supreme Court ruled in the Sony case, that you could copy VCR tapes that you rightfully posessed, for YOUR OWN PERSONAL (not COMMERCIAL) USE. Is this correct?

3. Could you then play the movies from your hard drive like you can with copies of CD's (CD's which you rightfully posessed) using Media Jukebox?

Harry_The_Hipster · « **Reply #24 on:** September 24, 2002, 05:01:00 am »

Betsy:

Not meaning to pre-empt Jim's response, but I'm pretty sure that the answer to questions 1 and 3 is 'no', and I'm certain that the answer is the same for #2.

You're referring to the Betamax case, and what the Court said there is that copying of over-the-air broadcasts for time shifting purposes (as a subset of 'personal use') is not an infringement. The opinion suggests that there is a Constitutional basis for this right, but doesn't quite say it. However, no commercial uses were sanctioned. (Long and complex topic, boring for most non-lawyers.)

Since then, the Digital Millenium Copyright Act became law, and that made it illegal to circumvent any digital rights management program for the purpose of copying data, even if the DRM is preventing you from making copies for permitted uses and you're bypassing it to restore the permitted use. So, if most of the material is copyguarded, you probably can't get into it, and if you do, you're in a world of trouble. Think federal felony and lots of tight-lipped US Attorneys.

IMO, the DMCA is probably unconstitutional itself, but I doubt any one of us has the time, the money and the capacity for pain to challenge this directly.

HTH

JimH · « **Reply #25 on:** September 24, 2002, 05:16:06 am »

Harry,
Thanks for the pre-emption.

Betsy,
He's right (I think).

Rudy · « **Reply #26 on:** September 24, 2002, 06:23:18 am »

Technically, it is possible. There are progs. you can use to rip and encode DVDs to mpg or avi files, which you can view in MJ or any other player. Do a search on "dvd copy" to see. Of course these programs would be for personal, backup use only...

betsy · « **Reply #27 on:** September 25, 2002, 11:45:07 am »

Rudy,

You are right. I love u. I had an old DVD movie that I bought that was so dirty and scratched that it only played intermittently. I was able to copy it to my hard drive and play it from there. My friend has a DVD burner and I was able to burn a backup of the DVD too. So now I don't have to worry about all those scratches anymore. I am going to backup all my DVD from now on when they are brand new. They are too expensive to risk losing.

JimH · « **Reply #28 on:** September 25, 2002, 12:13:02 pm »

Betsy,
What was the movie?

Jim

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Author Topic: Netflix (Read 4236 times)

Valisystem

Easyrider

john

mike_s

geekboy200

Peter

ciggieoxo

khaos10

shelly

khaos10

DocLotus

Jaundiced|PLS|Eye

betsy

Harry_The_Hipster

betsy