Author Topic: NetFlix - Worth It??? (Read 1642 times)

Werewolf · « **on:** August 17, 2007, 07:31:39 AM »

My wife and I are about as fed up with cable and commercial TV as one can possibly get. Commercials, Commercials, Commercials! And they're all on at the same time. You can't even channel surf away from them. So why the HELL am I paying for cable? It sure as heck isn't to watch commercials.

So we're looking at NetFlix. 80,000 movies, 1 to 2 day delivery and you can have 2 DVD's at a time out for 8.99/month.

Sounds like an invitation to cancel cable to me.

So how is the NetFlix service? Good deal? Do they come across as advertised? Quick delivery? Any customer service problems? If you cancel do they keep on charging your credit card? Are the DVD's in good shape so they'll play without skipping or freezing up?

Would y'all who've used NetFlix recommend it?

Bogie · « **Reply #1 on:** August 17, 2007, 07:55:40 AM »

Go blockbuster...

I get three movies. I watch 'em. Take 'em to the local blockbuster where I can pick out three for five days, and the others go back, and they send fresh ones, sometimes arriving before I finish the ones from the store.

Ezekiel · « **Reply #2 on:** August 17, 2007, 08:04:12 AM »

Never had a problem with Netflix: been a subscriber for years.

In Kansas City, we're talking one day turnaround, delivered to my door.

Cheapest entertainment I've got.

zahc · « **Reply #3 on:** August 17, 2007, 08:09:13 AM »

It depends on the turnaround time in your area. I switched to blockbuster recently, but I'm starting to miss how Netflix had everything, and I mean everything in existence, available for rent instantly. Enemy of the State and Heat have been sitting in my blockbuster queue with a 'very long wait' for weeks, and that just doesn't happen with Netflix, even if it's some low-budget foreign film.

Bogie · « **Reply #4 on:** August 17, 2007, 08:30:52 AM »

Yeah, but they're both on the shelf at Blockbuster - so take in your envelope, they'll scan it, and you get a freebie movie...

My blockbuster is 3 blocks away...

m1911owner · « **Reply #5 on:** August 17, 2007, 08:39:12 AM »

What's available at the local Blockbusters here is far less than what you can get though Netflix. And for me, it's far more convenient to have the mailman pick up and deliver than it is to run to the store. Where I am Netflix is one day delivery--Order today, and it's here tomorrow.

Ben · « **Reply #6 on:** August 17, 2007, 09:01:06 AM »

I like it. I rarely have more than a one day turnaround on movies, and I've been using Netflix a lot to rent TV series. Plus I find a lot of cool old stuff to watch -- great selection. The only boondoggle I've run into is "very long wait" for 300 which was just released. Didn't want to wait, so I bought it, which I would have anyway now that I watched it.

jnojr · « **Reply #7 on:** August 17, 2007, 09:06:49 AM »

Netflix rules. Thousands of movies. I can turn a movie around in about three days on average. In theory, I can watch a DVD a day, send it back immediately, and a new one will arrive before I watch and return the next two.

There's no way Cockbuster has anything close to the selection of Netflix. They love to tout how you can go to their stores... big whoop. A meager selection of old titles that they think should be popular, and then all the latest crap from Hollywood. I haven't been in a video rental store in years and don't miss it one bit.

Werewolf · « **Reply #8 on:** August 17, 2007, 10:15:28 AM »

Thanks guys...

I think I'll give NetFlix a go.

wooderson · « **Reply #9 on:** August 17, 2007, 10:32:13 AM »

Blockbuster doesn't have a lot of the stuff I watch, so I went with Netflix. I'm in the processing of selling all but my most-watched DVDs, as there's little Netflix doesn't cover.

Only negative for them is that they sometimes don't upgrade releases as quickly as I'd like (ie the Criterion John Cassavetes boxed set that came out a couple of years ago - they're still renting out some older versions), but I suppose I'll live.

InfidelSerf · « **Reply #10 on:** August 17, 2007, 10:47:23 AM »

If your on the go alot they have a new streaming movie function that allows you to "download" a movie on and watch it as it downloads.
There are ways to save the movie to watch again later if you like :p

There is the option of just downloading all the tv content you ever care to see. Commercial free

but that enters a rather gray area of the law...

Tallpine · « **Reply #11 on:** August 17, 2007, 11:42:16 AM »

Well, I'm about 45 miles from a Blockbuster store - most of that gravel and dirt.

Werewolf · « **Reply #12 on:** August 17, 2007, 11:47:08 AM »

One more question if you please...

When ordering from NetFlix or at least building your 'I want it List' can you specify wide screen vs full screen.

Since going High Def I absolutely hate watching movies in TV size. I had to rebuy The Last Samurai because I had the full screen version - perfectly acceptable on a normal TV - but totally unacceptable on my wide screen TV.

wooderson · « **Reply #13 on:** August 17, 2007, 12:18:00 PM »

I've never had it come up - I don't think Netflix even stocks the 'full screen' versions.

Ben · « **Reply #14 on:** August 17, 2007, 01:19:46 PM »

I've run into full screen versions of pre-1990s movies. A good portion of the ones I see have widescreen on one side of the DVD and fullscreen on the other.

jnojr · « **Reply #15 on:** August 17, 2007, 02:15:23 PM »

Pan and scan is teh debil. Except for Air Force One which, bizarrely, was filmed at 4:3 and then the theatrical and widescreen releases were chopped down from that!

The only time I've ever received a "full screen" DVD from Netflix has been when there's no 16:9 offering at all.

Vodka7 · « **Reply #16 on:** August 17, 2007, 02:29:13 PM »

Quote from: jnojr on August 17, 2007, 01:15:23 PM

Pan and scan is teh debil. Except for Air Force One which, bizarrely, was filmed at 4:3 and then the theatrical and widescreen releases were chopped down from that!

The only time I've ever received a "full screen" DVD from Netflix has been when there's no 16:9 offering at all.

A lot of movies are like that, actually. Shot at 4:3 and then matted down to a theater ratio. Kubrick was famous for insisting that the matte be removed for home videos, resulting in things like the famous helicopter shot in the Shining.

Usually the mattes never come off, though, so you never really know you're "missing" anything, if you can even call it that.

m1911owner · « **Reply #17 on:** August 17, 2007, 03:58:59 PM »

Well, normally it's not really a matter of the extra being "missing." In some camera/lens systems, they shoot on standard 35mm negative stock, with a straight (non-anamorphic) lens. Thus, the camera records a 4x3 image. The image that they are actually shooting, however, is the matted ~2.3:1 area. The rest of the image recorded on the negative is not actually part of what the director intended to be part of the movie.

So even though there is stuff record on a negative somewhere, it's not really part of the movie. Which is totally different from scan-and-pan, which is actually deleting part of the image that was shown in the theater.

DJJ · « **Reply #18 on:** August 17, 2007, 04:16:37 PM »

Any of you guys ever get "throttled"?

Bogie · « **Reply #19 on:** August 17, 2007, 05:17:25 PM »

Welp, blockbuster just raised my rates...

bye...

Ben · « **Reply #20 on:** August 17, 2007, 05:49:24 PM »

Quote

Welp, blockbuster just raised my rates...

That's kind of an interesting business move on their part. I recently got a notice from Netflix that they lowered the monthly rates.

Lee · « **Reply #21 on:** August 17, 2007, 06:00:19 PM »

I use Netflix. Blockbuster is the K-Mart, Walmart, Sears of video...when they dominated the market they treated people like crap. Go Netflix.

doczinn · « **Reply #22 on:** August 18, 2007, 06:07:32 AM »

I've had Netflix, then Blockbuster, then Netflix, and now it's Blockbuster again. They just told me that on my new plan (which they've decided I'm going to switch to) I can only get two movies per month from the store. Same price.

Hello, Netflix!

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Author Topic: NetFlix - Worth It??? (Read 1642 times)