Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[InflatableMouse]

With NetFlix being available in the Netherlands, I'm facing a choice: Should I support it or not?

I've always said that if a good platform were introduced, I would be willing to pay for it. If someone asked me how much, I replied it would depend on the level of service they provided but I never thought of paying less than 10 euros a month for an unlimited service.

NetFlix is cheap. 8 euros is what I pay for lunch on some days. For a month of unlimited watching that is a bargain. Why is it this cheap? Are they really afraid people won't pay for a quality service? It's obvious to me the quality of NetFlix is directly related to the subscription fee they charge.

I never asked for a bargain. I want quality. No one ever bothered to ask me what I want. I activated my NetFlix account today and honestly, I don't see myself using it. The website sucks and I can't customize it. It doesn't show titles so I'm stuck reading the sometimes crappy titles in fantasy font x (or no title at all on some covers). I found a series, click it expecting a season page but it just starts playing an episode. Via the menu in the bottom I can browse a season and find the episode I want. Do I need to do this every day if I want to watch an episode a day for a given series? I can't find a way to have it remember my subtitle choice and I don't seem to have a choice for audio track - everything I play is stereo.

I think the level of quality they offer is on par with the subscription fee.

I seriously wonder what I should do. Supporting it and hope it will improve? The problem I see with that is that if enough people do this (as its cheap) they might think they are offering a great platform and service and improve very little. Or should I ignore it as it doesn't offer me what I want? If enough people do this and they will leave the Netherlands as its not profitable and move along. We've made a statement, but what statement that is in the minds of NetFlix board of directors is left to be seen.

I would pay 3 or 4 times the NetFlix subscription for a better service. Maybe even 5 times if its truely an awesome platform. But for starters, an API to allow for seamless integration it into 3rd party applications, options for surround tracks, remember preferences for subtitles (why can't I choose english subs on english spoken movies?) and slightly better quality video. Even a HD stream seems more like a good DVD quality to me. Compression is just too obvious.


Sigh ... just one, big, long ... sigh 

[MrC]

We love it for being able to quickly playback shows from the queue I've created over the years.

I use the website to 1) add items to the queue, and 2) rate items.  And that's about it.

All the streaming is done/controlled by other devices (Apple TV, Panasonic's built-in Netflix app), so I don't worry about the web UI.

What I care about most is that I push Play, and the show starts to play, essentially, immediately.  And buffering is so rare as to be non-existent.  The dynamic quality adjustment provides an overall excellent experience.

I would rate Amazon's video service to be sub-par.

[fitbrit]

Don't worry; they have a reputation of steadily reducing their service for their price, or jacking up the fee. Hopefully you'll feel this is an increase in quality when they do this down the road.

[InflatableMouse]

So NetFlix are flooding us with commercials. My son (10 years old) can be very confronting at times. He's a smart fellow and saw the adds and saw me fiddling with NetFlix yesterday. He's been using Gizmo and MC around the house for watching his movies and series.

Son: Is NetFlix better than Gizmo?
Dad: No, its not really the same thing.
Son: Is it better quality?
Dad: No, its not.
Son: Does it have more movies?
Dad: Yes it does.
Son: Can we watch series?
Dad: Yes.
Son: <Excited>
Son: Do they have The Adventures of Merlin?
Dad: Only Season 1 but its not HD.
Son: Dissapointed, but then hastens to add that quality is not that important.
Son: Do they have Phineas & Ferb?
Dad: No.
Son: Do they have the Smurfs?
Dad: Afraid not.
Son: Sad face.
Son: The Croods then?
Dad: Nope.
(Son continues to ask for a few more then gives up)
Son: Thinks ... Then why do we have NetFlix? Is it free?
Dad: Cancels subscription.

[RSleith]

Yeah, I still have a disc subscription  because the streaming content is so sparse.

Of course the *real* tragedy is not buying stock after the "split" debacle...