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Netflix Streaming: Peeking Over the Fence

They don't make it easy!

I'm thinking about buying myself an iPad for my birthday this year. It's a silly thing to buy, but it's one of those milestone birthdays, and I'm feeling a bit silly with my money. Obviously one of my first thoughts was, can I stream Netflix on this? And should I, or should I get Hulu Plus or Amazon Prime instead?

The iPad (and most tablet-y devices) has apps that will let you stream Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime without any problem. I currently have a Netflix DVD subscription, so I wondered, what would I be missing if I switched to a streaming account? What would I be gaining by switching to Netflix streaming, versus buying a Hulu Plus subscription?

Long story short: it's impossible to say.

One question was easy: what would the price difference be? Click "Your Account and Help" in the upper right-hand corner, then under "MANAGE ACCOUNT" click the "Change Plan" link to see all of your options. I'm currently paying about $18/month for a 3-at-a-time unlimited DVD subscription. A Streaming subscription is only $8/month, and I wouldn't have to constantly be fiddling with my queue, driving to and from the post office, and managing my media consumption to deal with the mailing delays.

Beyond that, it's hard to say. Netflix used to have a very integrated website. They had only one page for (say) Arrested Development, and you could either stream it or queue up the DVDs. But that was back when the Streaming service was new, and they were promoting combo accounts.

There is a lot of content on Netflix which is only available for streaming, or only for DVD, but not both. I started with a simple question: was Arrested Development available for streaming? Hulu Prime has all three seasons available. They make it pretty easy for you to see this fact. Netflix? Not so much.

If you don't have a Streaming account, there doesn't appear to be any way to find out if something is available for streaming or not. If you log out of Netflix, go to the main page, then scroll to the very bottom and click "Browse Selection" you can look something up to see if Netflix has it. But they won't tell you if it's streaming, DVD, or both.

This leaves me with only two options: be a pest and ask my friends with Netflix Streaming to check availability for me, or just take the leap and switch to Streaming. Netflix doesn't really seem to care either way, frankly.

Netflix: One Month FREE Plus $10 Rebate

2012 deal that "makes you money" while getting free TV shows and movies.

If you have been wanting to try Netflix, now is a great time! MrRebates and Netflix are offering a FREE month - plus a $10 rebate after your first paid month. At $7.99 per month (and including the FREE trial) you could make around $2.00 for using the service for 2 months. That doesn't look right, but its true - you get the service competely FREE plus you get around $2.00 back (after all is said and done). Check it out while the promotion lasts.

DVD-Only Plans Are Back

Welcome back! Where ya been?

Honestly, I didn't realize that they had ever left. I guess I was grandfathered in to my DVD-only plan, which is a relief! But yes, apparently Netflix has finally realized that not everyone has stable reliable broadband internet access, as well as having either a modern internet-capable television or who is willing to sit at their computer or laptop to watch movies.

The way people talk, you would think that only troglodytes fall into this latter category. But I'll tell you, out here in the rural area where I live, it's more common than you might think. Also, this is a somewhat impoverished area - like all rural areas - and it's easy to rankle at the way some people brush off the very idea of a physical DVD.

"Who watches DVDs?" I have heard so many people scoff. "Isn't everyone just streaming everything?"

Well, no, we're not. A lot of people out here don't actually have proper broadband, believe it or not. They are on satellite or 3G connections. If you have ever tried to watch Netflix streaming on either 3G or satellite internet, you will surely wish that you hadn't.

Not to mention people with accessibility issues. You may not have noticed, but Netflix streaming does not offer closed captioning or subtitles as an option. If you are hearing impaired, or if English is not your primary language, you are out of luck with Netflix streaming.

Apparently Netflix finally decided that it's more interested in getting customers than it is in being super high tech, I guess. Also I bet they are finally realizing that their streaming service is not as cheap and trouble-free as they had originally imagined. The licensing deals can be tricky, and I understand some of them have started costing Netflix a pretty penny.

It must have stung, to have to come crawling back to the physical media. It must have caused a lot of grimaces in the board room, this idea of "giving our customers what they want." Particularly with news of the untimely death of the USPS (which are, like all other such stories about the Death of Mail, completely overheated).

I for one welcome this return to, you know, customer service. Sorry, Netflix. I know it was pretty much the last thing you wanted to do. I know you hate those stodgy old discs that cost you so much overhead in storage and handling. But for people like me who need the DVDs (for whatever reason), we salute your decision!

Oh Netflix, You Know We Can't Quit You

After all, where are we going to go?

The New York Times has made official what I have anecdotally observed among my social circle: almost everyone who canceled their Netflix subscription over the "Qwikster" debacle has come back. Honestly, what else are you going to do? Watch television? Have you SEEN what they put on television these days? It's terrible!

(And if it isn't terrible, wouldn't you rather watch the entire season at once without commercials? Of course you would!)

I have several friends who quit Netflix in a big huff, only to sheepishly return later. I usually only find out when they mention having watched something, and I ask something like, "Oh, is that on Hulu now?" And they have to cop to going back to Netflix.

Netflix is the bright red 500 pound gorilla. And it got that way by being the best. If you want to watch streaming television, your options are extremely limited. Amazon Prime is a pretty good substitute, but a lot of people aren't ready to make the $80/year jump. (It just seems like less of a risk when Netflix charges you $12/month, versus paying Amazon the equivalent of $6.50/month but all at once.) And reports from my friends are that Amazon Prime doesn't have the selection that Netflix streaming does, as paltry as its streaming service is (compared to the disks).

Or there's Hulu, of course. But Hulu is only useful if you buy Hulu Prime to unlock their archives. Here again we have a limited selection, and a lot of people just can't bring themselves to pay for a service (Hulu) which they feel ought to be free. There are also some compatibility issues, where people find that they can watch Netflix but not Hulu on their device of choice.

As for disks, Netflix is where it's at. Blockbuster is closing store after store, and I gave up on them after they mandated the "hard upsell" at the register. Redbox machines are convenient and cheap, if you don't watch many movies, and if you just want to see "whatever is new," rather than anything interesting, arty, off the beaten path, or more than a month old.

No, Netflix, we wish we could quit you, because sometimes your decisions can be vexing. (Even so, I have to admit, I was never all that vexed. I thought it was silly, but I understand that the prices for things go up, and that the days of physical DVDs are limited.)

Redbox Vs. Netflix?

It's framed as a competition, but they serve completely different demographics

A lot of people are making noise about the supposed competition between the Redbox machine network and Netflix. And it's true that Redbox posted strong numbers last year, while Netflix's numbers dropped.

I live in a rural area, where the Redbox is apparently a lifeline for many families. On a Friday early evening, you will see a line out in front of the Redbox which is stationed on the sidewalk in front of the Walgreens. Meanwhile, the Blockbuster store down the street is a ghost town, and the video rental section of Safeway is abandoned and dusty.

But observing the difference between Redbox and Netflix users, it becomes clear that these two services are worlds apart.

Redbox machines require no commitment, no forethought, very little money, and little in the way of decision making. They offer only about 20 movies, but that's a plus for many people. Redbox is geared towards harried families. Mom goes inside and picks up some last-minute items for the weekend, while dad stays outside and chooses the movie.

The fact that Redbox only offers the 20 most recent movies is your tip-off: this is a movie service for people who don't really care about movies. They just want to watch "a" movie. Whatever is out this week. Whatever is popular. Redbox users are looking for 90 minutes of entertainment for about a dollar, and that is exactly what Redbox machines provide them.

Meanwhile, Netflix requires a commitment, forethought, more money per month (for more movies) and nothing but decision making. Netflix is for people who want to spend hours grooming their queue, choosing what they want to watch this week, researching what they might want to watch next week. Netflix is for people who are passionate about movies and television shows.

To put it another way, Redbox users watch "Two And A Half Men" and "King of Queens." Netflix users watch "Community" and "Firefly" and "Arrested Development." And never the twain shall meet.

Netflix users wouldn't stoop to using a Redbox machine unless their lives literally depended on it. And if you gave your average Redbox user a free year's subscription to Netflix, they probably wouldn't even bother to finish the sign-up process, much less order a movie.

Luckily, there is room in the world for both services to coexist side-by-side. If Redbox has cut into anything, it's the movie rental services at grocery and convenience stores. But given the lackluster support for these services, I'm pretty sure the stores are secretly glad they can soon close those departments forever.

The Jetsons Movie: Cheesy Early 90s Goodness

Watch it now on Netflix streaming

Remember that feature-length Jetsons Movie from 1990, in which George Jetson finally got that promotion to vice president that he always sought by default when nobody else wanted to venture out to some far-off planet to push the button that needed pushing? Sure, it’s full of the same stereotypes against women that every Jetson episode contained—with a female robot maid, a shopaholic wife without a job, and a teenage daughter whose only goal in life is to have a date with this hottie or that hunk—but it also had a decent environmental message, along with some super cute creatures and that pure cheesy goodness that we could only enjoy during the late 80s and early 90s (the film was made in 1990).

In The Jetsons Movie (such a vague, early 90s title, too!) we discover that Spacely’s Sprockets are being manufactured at a very heavy cost—the life and habitat of a local species known as the Grunyans. These people are a cross between a Furby and an Eewok, making them something I want to put in my pocket immediately. They even wear Princess Leia-esque headbands. As Spacely drills into their habitat to get his sprockets, the Grunyans experience loss of life, and in protest they sabotage his plant nightly—rendering it an unfortunate place to work, and the last choice of any Sprocket employee. Hence, the always clueless Jetson proudly takes the job, not knowing what he is in for.

The movie involves the whole Jetson family eventually standing up for these creatures, even against Spacely in the end—resulting in the loss of George’s future raise. That message is a good one, despite the banal stereotypes about women—and lazy, stupid men, in the case of George—and one of the earliest examples of environmentalism in a cartoon that I can recall seeing as a child. But there is also plenty of other cheesy awesomeness, such as Tiffany’s singing being used on the soundtrack (including the track “You and Me,” which I used to sing with the same passion as I did Belinda Carlisle hits), and the goofy predictions for what the future might be like. Forget the iPad, folks; we’ve got sprockets and conveyer belts at the mall!

It’s a fun film to watch with your kids with a decent enough message to make it a teaching moment. It’s available for streaming on Netflix right now if you’re interested in seeing it.

3 New Year's Resolutions For My Netflix Account

This year I'll really tighten up and do it right! Oh who am I kidding.

It's the time to start making resolutions to be a better person. I eye my Netflix account, and think "I could do so much better!"

1. I will return my disks promptly, at least twice a week.

If I have disks at home, I watch them. But I don't have disks at home unless I return the disks I just watched. I have a three-at-a-time plan, and I currently average about ten disks per month. Ten! I could double that, if I actually watched and returned my disks on time.

Having a Netflix account is all about the throughput. This is going to be even more critical next year, if the USPS really does slash their distribution centers in half and double the turn-around time for First Class mail.

2. I will rate things, so that Netflix gives me better suggestions

Netflix has an amazing suggestion algorithm, which is based on your reviews of things you have watched. But it can't work if you don't review anything, and frankly, I can never be bothered. This always comes back to bite me in the butt on those days when I want to see something new, but I don't know exactly what.

3. I will actually watch things from my queue - or de-queue them

I know I'm not alone in this. My Netflix queue has hovered in the low hundreds ever since I first signed up, lo those many years ago. Here's how it goes: I add things to the queue that I think I might want to watch later, or think that I really ought to want to watch.

But you know what? It turns out that in large part, if I don't want to watch something right then, I will never want to watch it. Even if I think I ought to want to watch it, which is why there is a huge pocket of movies about artist's biographies (Byron, Pollock, Wilde, etc). I ought to want to watch these movies - there is no reason why I wouldn't want to watch them - but when you get right down to it, I do not want to watch them.

This creates a situation where I'm forever bumping things up to the top of the queue, instead of letting the queue roll naturally (as it is clearly meant to do). And instead of those wonderful compelling and artistically inspiring movies, I end up watching (e.g.) Zombieland and Breaking Bad.

How Badly Will USPS Slowdown Hurt Netflix?

And is the USPS trying to hold Netflix's business model hostage?

The USPS is having a remarkably bad year. In order to combat the fact that the agency is hemorrhaging money, the latest bid is something that the official press release chirps as "progressing with operational efficiencies." That's a very cheerful way to say "closing half our facilities, and slowing the transport of First Class mail from one day to two."

The Netflix DVD business lives or dies on USPS turnaround times. (Which is part of the reason why Netflix wanted to split that business off to the late, un-lamented "Qwikster" not too long ago.) Any good Netflix user can rattle off a list of DVD mailing logistics that would stun most onlookers.

(For example, I know that my local post office has "last call" at 4:15PM. If I drop off my disk by then, it will be at the Netflix sorting facility Wednesday afternoon, and they will mail a replacement disk Thursday morning which will arrive in Friday morning's mail.)

So you can imagine what a huge impact this USPS news is going to have on Netflix. It will essentially double the amount of time it takes a DVD to travel back and forth. According to the USPS they have no choice, because they are facing bankruptcy, and running $3 billion in the red. What else can they do?

In earlier days, the standard response has been to raise postage rates. Frankly, I'm not sure why they aren't doing that now. I also wish they would just raise the rates by a nickel at a time, and less often. I get tired of trying to remember if we're at 42 cents or 44 cents or what!

They also flirted with the idea of canceling Saturday delivery. But Netflix customers rely on Saturdays - as do postal customers who can't get to a post office during the work week to pick up their packages.

Frankly I am starting to wonder if they are holding Netflix hostage. Netflix is one of the last great USPS customers, and they are beholden to the whims of what seems to be an audience of people who hate inconvenience. (Talk about a first-world problem… but I count myself in that, too!)

The only number I could find was from 2002, when "Netflix mailed out 190,000 disks per day to its 670,000 monthly subscribers." With that kind of traffic, I wonder if the USPS is angling to charge Netflix a special tax, like a mobster's protection racket? Maybe create a new delivery level, "Netflix Select," that has the same turnaround times as the old First Class, but costs a little bit more.

All in all, I'm pretty sure that Netflix Streaming is the only winner here!

Microsoft Tipped to Buy Netflix

"If Microsoft does buy Netflix, they may implement changes consumers are unhappy with."

The market research firm IDC predicts that there is going to be a flurry of mergers in 2012. This is because more companies are trying to increase their presence in social networking and online content. IDC believes that Microsoft will be purchasing Netflix and Linked In in the coming years.The reality is that Microsoft is lagging behind when it comes to online content. Buying Netflix will give it a stronghold on the online entertainment market. Analysts say that this is the perfect time to buy Netflix given its diminished market value.

How this purchase will affect customers is not yet known. In fact it is too soon to start speculating what Microsoft will do with the company. Whether or not Netflix is a good investment remains to be seen. Currently Netflix is not doing as well as it should be. The recent price increases have lost the company over a million customers. The reality is that when so much content is available online for free, consumers may not tolerate price hikes.

If Microsoft does buy Netflix, they may implement changes consumers are unhappy with. Thankfully online viewers have a few options available to them. Currently there are over ten websites that offer viewing legitimate streaming. Some of these websites are Hulu, iTunes and Amazon. While Netflix is the preferred choice for many, it is important to remember that it is not the only choice. Those who take the time to shop around may find a better deal on streaming.

Blockbuster Versus Netflix

It all comes down to what you really want

Over the past seven years, my husband and I have gone back and forth between DVD rental services. We’ve used Netflix, off and on, longer than Blockbuster, and while we have found that Blockbuster has the greater value overall, we still like Netflix better. Here is a breakdown.

Blockbuster Pros

Blockbuster has the option of getting DVDs or games, so if you like both (or either), you are set for the same price. You can also get Blu-ray discs if you prefer them. The best thing about Blockbuster is that you can get in-store exchanges as many times as you want, so you are really never without a movie (though you technically can be without one, after you return them back to the store, since your next movie won’t be shipped until your in-store exchange is returned). Like Netflix, there are no late charges, and there’s a decent lot of movies to choose from.

Blockbuster Cons

The worst part about Blockbuster is that their selection is smaller than the one you can get from Netflix. When we switched back, I hated that Blockbuster didn’t have dozens of movies or TV shows that I wanted to watch that I knew Netflix had. Blockbuster is also more costly—depending upon your plan—but you do get more movies/games for your money. So if you are a person who watches a lot of mainstream movies and could watch six or more movies a week, Blockbuster is definitely worth checking out. Streaming is only available to certain customers, though, so that access is out for many of us.

Netflix Pros

Netflix has an enormous variety of movies to choose from that is constantly growing. I love that I can watch most of the movies I want to see from Netflix. They also have the easy streaming feature which allows you to have access to hundreds of movies at a time, which my family loves—it’s an easy movie night without having to leave the house. You can watch seasons of TV shows this way without having to wait for another disc to arrive (which drove me crazy when we made our way through Supernatural!). I also like the queue form of Netflix better, which allows you to see everything at once.

Netflix Cons

Netflix’s recent price hike for renting one DVD at a time was enormous; it nearly doubled the price, which is why we left. For one DVD, I could pay less at our local store or a Redbox machine. The streaming movies are also constantly changing, so something you may have bookmarked to watch later may not be there the next day without notice. Many of the shows I want to watch (including Supernatural) are not on instant streaming, either. Shows that were once on there—such as Sanctuary—might not be there the next day without a moment’s notice, as with movies. There are no in-store exchanges, obviously, or game rentals.

The service from both companies is similar, so that isn’t a big factor with us. Overall, though Blockbuster does cost more if you get the full plan, it’s a better value in terms of what you get—though Netflix’s selection might be worth the cost if that’s what you’re looking for.

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