talk me into why I should get netflix. I am confused

gm

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Mar 3, 2000
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I have heard good things about it but I have some questions.

Do you get new releases as soon as they come out. When do you put in your que to get them quick?

Also the membership fee is more for bluray. Question is the same, do you get the new releases quick or do you have to wait a long time to receive them.

Also if you watch tv shows like Lost from Netflix and say season one has maybe 7 disks, than does each one counts towards the 2 a month or do you get the whole set at once?

So confused as to if I want to get it or not. Mostly I want to watch new movies as they come out and not have to wait a long time to receive them when I can go to the redbox and get one same day.

opinions are greatly appreciated:hippie::hippie::love::love:
 
I love Netflix. I have been able to get the new releases the day they come out. I make sure that I return the previous DVD in the mail on Sat., Netflix gets it on Mon., they ship the new release that day & I have it on Tue. The tv seasons ship 1 disc at a time. Another nice feature is being able to stream movies & tv series directly to my computer (there are other ways to stream) - no additional cost.

I have had Netflix for 4 years - one disc at a time - well worth the $9.74 a month. I would give it a try, you can always cancel if you decide it's not for you.
 
We also LOVE Netflix. I am very frugal and it took my husband a while to convince me to try it. It is definitely worth the money. As far as new releases go, we get them very quickly. You can put them at the top of your list before they come out and we have never waited very long at all. If you are watching seasons of a show, each disk counts seperately. So, if the season has four disks and you haved payed for the 2 disk at a time program, you will get disk 1 and 2. When you return those they will send disks 3 and 4. The turnaround for sending out a disk you are done with and receiving the next disk on your list is really quick though.
 
Overall Netflix is a good value if you keep up with it, which can be hard to do when busy. Basically, if you end up keeping them for longer than a night or two you are not getting your best value. Though be warned if you start watching them the day you get it and send it back the next day they will start taking longer to get the next one to you. Great value is you watch alot and keep up with it. Great way to watch TV shows (or at least try disc 1 before you buy it). Never had an issue getting new releases right away. The only real waits come from more of the independent/foreign movie market since they have fewer on hand. Usually you can get 2 weeks free so try that and see how you like the computer system and such and then go from there....you can cancel at anytime but do it at the end of a bill cycle since they do not offer partial month refunds.
 

Not much to add besides agreeing with what the others have said. We get new Blu-rays when they come out if I have them at the top of the queue. Blu-ray only costs you an extra $2 per month, which is well worth it. I find the blu-ray selection in every Redbox we've checked to be pathetic and mostly no-name straight to video type movies we've never heard of.
 
I have it and keep thinking of cancelling, because of not getting my money's worth from not watching, and then don't. Esp days like this (cold).

I find myself watching TV rather than movies these days.

My sister uses the RedBox and loves that.
 
Honestly not pleased with them lately . Gotten so many broken bluerays even took till 4 th the proposal to not be broken . I swear 2 they sent were the same disk. IMO
 
just do the red box...It's easy convenient and cheap
 
I have been a Netflix member for 6 or 7 years. Have only had a handful of problems with them during all that time, and they are quick to rectify.

If I want to make sure I get a new release the day it comes out, I make sure I send the DVD I already have back to them on a Saturday, so they get it Monday and ship the new movie (they ship them a day before they are actually released) so I'll have it on Tuesday, the day it gets released.

But I don't mind waiting for some new movies either, I have a huge queue (over 200) so there is always something coming that I want to see. :)

This time of the year we're not good about sitting down and watching them right away, but most of the time I keep up with them pretty well and it's a good value. I'm on the 3 at a time plan, it's about $18 a month. To get a new movie on our DirecTV it's $5.99 per movie. That adds up quick, so to us Netflix is the better way to go. And no late fees!!
 
I'll put it this way... Netflix is the only "extra" I have kept after making a new budget. It is SO much cheaper for me to use Netflix then to buy all the movies I want to see (I REFUSE to use Blockbuster or Redbox due to issues people I know have had).
 
Do you get new releases as soon as they come out. When do you put in your que to get them quick?
Figure that when a new release comes out, many people want them asap. Many people will get them immediately; others will have to wait a bit. Overall, it is more effective than the local video rental store, because you don't have to keep going back in to check to see if a copy of the new release has become available... as soon as one is available, it gets allocated to someone who wants it.

There is a pretty clear understanding of how allocations happen, now. I'll be glad to overview my understanding of it, for anyone who is interested. I think, though, that it is enough to say that it is a fair allocation scheme. It benefits the typical renter.

All-in-all, I was always pretty satisfied with how soon after a disc was released it arrived in my mailbox.

Also the membership fee is more for bluray.
A few dollars more, if I recall.

Question is the same, do you get the new releases quick or do you have to wait a long time to receive them.
Clearly, there are fewer BD subscribers, and BDs are more expensive to stock regardless, so there are fewer BD discs to go around. I know that commando-renters express some concern that they don't get new releases the day of release, but that's the case with everything -- the folks who are those looking to get more from the system than the typical user are goign to end up disappointed more often than not.

Also if you watch tv shows like Lost from Netflix and say season one has maybe 7 disks, than does each one counts towards the 2 a month or do you get the whole set at once?
Each disc in a set counts as one. Figure that if you choose the two-per-month plan, you're going to get between 3 and 8 hours of entertainment, depending on which titles you select. There is no magic. They've worked really hard to keep things fair.

So confused as to if I want to get it or not. Mostly I want to watch new movies as they come out and not have to wait a long time to receive them when I can go to the redbox and get one same day.
In comparisons many folks have done, between Netflix, Blockbuster Online, Redbox and the local video rental store, Netflix is the best with regard to getting new releases quick. Keep in mind that Redbox kiosks can only hold a certain number of discs (1500 I think, including all titles in the machine), and so when they're gone from that machine you're out of luck until they restock. With Netflix, if they don't have a title you're looking for available locally, but have it in San Diego (for example) they'll send it to you from there.

If all you care about is getting the latest release during the week it is released, then you're always going to be better off going to the video store and buying the disc retail instead of renting it. All the rental systems end up disappointing a good number of people, in that regard, in many parts of the country. You could hit on a place where you get lucky (generally, where very few people want the same things you want, yet the buyers still stock their shelves or machines with what you want in great numbers anyway -- like I said, rare). There isn't that much money to be made in renting a disc once or twice, and then having to sell it used. So the people who do best with any disc rental system are the folks who are not looking at the calendar.

If you want a new release, you'll almost surely get it within a month of the release, with any of these systems. They vary based on how convenient they each are, and how efficient they are, and how pricey they are. They also vary based on selection: Redbox is generally at the low end, with as few as 60 titles per kiosk (and a smaller percentage of titles with Blu-ray discs available), while Netflix has a catalog of over a hundred thousand titles. If you're never going to take advantage of Netflix's advantages (not having to make a special trip to the store, renting older movies now and again, watch instantly online, availability of Blu-ray Disc titles, etc.) then you might have a hard time seeing the value others see in Netflix.
 
Do not get Netflix for new releases. I was a member from September through early December, and was a fairly infrequent renter. We did the three at at time plan, and I bet we cycled through no more than 10 movies a month. So I was paying about $1.70 a movie. More than redbox, but the convienience was worth it to me.

It was starting to tick me off when I wouldn't get what I wanted, I was there ONLY for new releases. I really wanted to get Santa Buddies, Four Christmases, and My Sister's Keeper. I took EVERYTHING out but those to make sure I got at least one of those movies. I put them in my queue, and would even make sure they were active (you know how sometimes you have to move them from saved for later to your actual queue) and it was a solid ten days, at least..and they never shipped. Santa Buddies was released Nov 24, and it immediately went to "very long wait" to me. I googled that movie w/netflix, and some people WERE getting that movie, so it wasn't a case of Netflix didn't have it. Finally, I cancelled my plan Dec 10 (right before my bill recycled) because I didn't get anything in..what..10 business days? Ridiculous.

It's ok if you want older stuff..that's not what I was there for.
 
A pp mentioned but I will reiterate- the streaming is reason enough for me to keep netflix. We have an HD tivo so we can watch on our tv and you can also watch with an Xbox and of course on your computer. Most of it is older stuff or documentaries and some older or more obscure tv is even available for streaming. That works out well for us because then we can fill up our queue with newer movies and tv and still get to watch a variety through streaming and since we only get one disc at time the streaming is great for when we are waiting. We turned off our satellite because the combination of digital antenna and netflix dvds and movies give us plenty to watch for less than $10 a month as opposed to the $60 we used to pay for satellite.

As for disc delivery they are far superior to Blockbuster. We tried them for a while because you can return mail-order discs to the store and exchange it for a free in store rental and they also emailed us a coupon for a free in store rental every month. This SEEMED like a great deal and that it would be superior to Netflix. However the turn around in the mail was much slower which made it less enjoyable for us.
 
Honestly not pleased with them lately . Gotten so many broken bluerays even took till 4 th the proposal to not be broken . I swear 2 they sent were the same disk. IMO

Have to agree. In the last three weeks we have received two damages disks. These were the first ones in over 2 1/2 years of service.
 
Though be warned if you start watching them the day you get it and send it back the next day they will start taking longer to get the next one to you.
People who experience delays tend to immediately assume that that is the case, but they simply don't consider all the information relevant to their own situation. What is often is the case is that they've exhausted the discs that are available "Now" locally, and have only titles left at the top of their queue that are not immediately available, or older titles which are warehoused at other distribution centers.

I can say from personal experience that, as long as you keep a number of discs in your queue* that are relatively recent and listed as available "Now" you will experience no delays. I feel that many of the discussions of the so-called "throttling" phenomenon are just buyer's remorse. (* ... and not buried at the bottom of your queue -- apparently there is some consideration that if something is very low in your queue, that you'd rather wait an extra day for another chance at getting something higher in your queue, than continually getting discs pulled from the bottom of your queue.)

I did mention in my earlier message that there is a fair allocation scheme for New Releases. It bears mentioning in more detail, I suppose, since it is often the source of the consternation that some Netflix subscribers choose to build upon in defending their assertions of being "throttled". The fair allocation scheme does not reward "six-at-a-time" renters (despite the fact that many of them feel that they should be rewarded). Instead, every subscriber gets an equal shot at New Releases. In a way, the fair allocation scheme actually benefits the more typical renter, and even the less-than-average renter, because the fewer discs you get per month, the more often you're going to have priority for New Releases.

Great way to watch TV shows
This advantage cannot be over-stated, and it is an advantage Netflix has over practically all other options:

There are many people -- fed up with hard to use DVRs, fed up with cable pixelization and other glitches, fed up with very high satellite and cable television bills -- who are trying to make the move toward getting their television entertainment from discs. Not every program is available that way. Mostly, it is only successful scripted comedies and dramas (though some unsuccessful shows, and some reality shows, are also put onto disc). Of course, this approach does you no good with regard to live programs (American Idol, or sporting events), or news and information (except documentaries).

One cautionary note, though: While it seemed that the industry was moving towards putting all these shows, which have been going onto DVD for years, onto Blu-ray Disc as well -- that trend as been reversed. Apparently, the cost of putting television shows onto BD is simply too high, and so only shows that would specifically benefit from being on BD will be offered that way. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the case with movies as well. I suppose the realization is that DVDs, at 480i resolution, is good enough for most purposes, and as long as there is any significant price differential between DVDs and BDs, there is no sense in spending the extra money to put out BDs when DVDs will suffice.

We've ditched paying for premium cable, in favor of waiting for everything that we used to get from HBO and SHO on disc.
 
I didn't realize how amazing Netflix was until now. I have had it almost a year and since I am a HUGE movie fan it was great. I was also laid off for a year so it came in handy.

Even now that I am back to work, I am still very good with the DVD's.

Movies come out so quickly now on DVD that if I really didn't want to spend that $12 bucks to see a movie I could wait and boom its out on DVD in 3 months.

I wanted to see the entire Sex and the City series and I have been doing really really well. I get it, watch it that night while I do other things, then the next morning on my way to work, stuff it in the mail and get the next one within a day. I have never had an issue getting a DVD within a day or so unless its over a weekend.
 
I love my Netflix, but sometimes when there is an overwhelming demand I have to wait a bit and instead will pick it up at Redbox or Blockbuster. For example, at the moment there is a huge wait for "Hangover" so unless it clears up today I will reorder my queue and pick it up somewhere tomorrow. No worries, this happens very rarely :goodvibes

By far Netflix's 2 biggest draws for me are their vast collection of odd-ball choices that just don't exist in brick & mortar stores due to space limitations AND the ability for me to watch a pretty nice selection of material on-line (The Office & CSI). Love it:goodvibes
 
By far Netflix's 2 biggest draws for me are their vast collection of odd-ball choices that just don't exist in brick & mortar stores due to space limitations AND the ability for me to watch a pretty nice selection of material on-line (The Office & CSI). Love it:goodvibes

Yes that is the thing, isn't it? I rarely buy a DVD. Oh and now it is flipping hard to find them as they are overrun with BluRay.

My next series to watch is Fringe. I started watching it when it came out and then dropped it. So now I can go and watch it via NetFlix.

My 18yo college dd will watch movies on her laptop at her dorm with the "watch instantly" thing.

Plus the late fees...I am notoriously horrible for not watching something right away so DH says Netflix is his insurance policy for that.:lmao:
 
Netflix with the "Watch Instantly" feature is AWESOME!! Most of you don't use it???

18,000+ movies and TV shows I can watch whenever I want to on my PC...plus the other movies that you get by mail...1 movie at a time for less than $10 a month? It's a great value!!
 







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