Great article, and crystallizes the problems very well. I did some poking around last night with the Amazon Instant Service, which led to Amazon Prime, which led to registering my Tivo, then finding out it’s incompatible with DirectTV, then going to my XBox, then investigating my Wii, etc., etc. It was stupid, and ultimately pointless. I am computer savvy, but this idiocy transcends computer knowledge.
So, I’ll stick with Netflix streaming for my workout videos and the kid’s shows, and DVDs for my husband to watch. And I almost hyperventilated when I found all the seasons of ER on Amazon to watch, so there’s another $16.00 per season. But only on my computer, because I’m not going to screw around with a ISB cable from a laptop operating on a wireless connection hooked up to my TV. Wait! Maybe I can use my XBox, which is wired…
I haven’t even tried to look at Roku, Hulu Plus, Unbox, etc.
What a mess. Sometimes I miss just having channels 2, 5, 7, 9 and maybe 32.
In addition to what Snowboarder said, their streaming selection is terrible (but I think that has more to do with the studios). I’ve recently started using it for TV shows and they seem to be pretty good there, provided I can make it through the shows I’m watching before they pull them. But as for movies, it’s really not worth $7.99 a month. What you have to understand is that that’s what this increase is all about. Streaming used to be free, now they’re charging for it. Don’t get me wrong, I understand they’re getting charged and just passing it along to the end user.
Also, as I mentioned earlier, people that are dropping their physical DVDs might want to take a look at VUDU.
Right? That drives me crazy. Maybe this change will mean that people who actually watch the discs and return them won’t have to deal with as many of the streaming fans who sit on dvds for months. If I don’t watch something in 3 days, I obviously don’t want to see it that badly, so I send it back and get something else.
What mostly upset me was it seemed like it was out of left field. Not that I didn’t know that the movie studioes were abput to start demanding more, but it would have been nice to maybe have some kind of warning that some kind of increase or change was coming.
Also remember some people are upset because they had Netflix because it was cheap and money is tight. If you are keeping close track of your budget any sudden price jump may be upsetting.
Now that I’m less taken off guard I will be keeping both my streaming and DVDs, but in the form of sharing an account with my fiancee. We both are usually together during our free time anyway so it makes little sense for both of us to pay $15/mo when money is tight.
I’ve never watched a streaming movie. I get one disc at a time, usually watching it the day I receive it and then sending it right back. My turnaround time is outrageously quick. I love Netflix.
I don’t like it, but I’m sure they’re becoming a victim of their own success as content providers ask for more and more money from Netflix. At least I assume that is what’s happening.
When I have a Tivo at $12 a month and Netflix at $16 a month with only 1 disc out at a time, I’ve got to start thinking of something like Dish network for $30 a month with more content but not on demand.
That is exactly what is happening. Warner Bros. tends to lead the charge. They hate when anyone else can make a buck off of their properties, even if they share part of it with Warner. They would rather no one, including themselves, makes money.
Nobody can be successful these days without everyone else piling on and wanting their piece of the pie.
If the studios ever got off their ass and offered streaming each of them would cost more than Netflix, vary in quality, and you’d have a half dozen or more subscriptions to decide on.
Previous stuff I read gave me the impression that the agreement with Sony/Starz was the number of times their material was actually streamed, not raw number of potential streamers. Anyone have a concrete answer?
Excuse me what now? You got plenty of warning. This increase isn’t going into effect for well over a month (actually, closer to 7 weeks). How much more warning would you have liked?
And this goes to all the people that cancelled their subscriptions as soon as they got the news. There’s no reason why you couldn’t have ridden out your current deal for a few more weeks.
Yes, there is a selection of free Amazon Prime Instant Videos. They say 6000 movies and T.V. shows. Go to the Amazon Instant Video page and click on the Prime Instant Videos button.
I know. Somehow I missed in the OP it was September 1st, and when I realized it, i was like - oh wow! A whole month and a half of notice? That’s pretty damned good! Even landlords only have to give you 30 days notice to find a new home.
There’s currently a battle going on in my house. My wife wants us to keep streaming but I want to keep dvds. Yeah, we haven’t used dvds that much but I’m not going to pay for streaming as it’s pretty much hit or miss if something I want is even available. The odds are they’ll have the dvd of it, we’ll just have to get better at turnaround time.
Hell, my first increase won’t be until September 24th, I have over 10 weeks at the current pricing. Whatever changes I make, aren’t going to get made until late August.
Somehow I missed in the OP it was September 1st, and when I realized it, i was like - oh wow! A whole month and a half of notice? That’s pretty damned good! Even landlords only have to give you 30 days notice to find a new home.