Suddenly, I LOVE Netflix

[The Burgomaster]

I never had a Netflix membership until a couple of weeks ago.  I spent years just buying the DVDs I wanted.  My recent upgrade to blu-ray (and specifically, 3-D blu-ray) put the kibosh on my wild purchasing habits.  Just too expensive to buy everything in sight.  So, I joined Netflix and it's one of the best things I've ever done.  I get blu-rays in the mail, plus I watch streaming videos on my TV.  A vast library of movies right at my fingertips.  And right now I'm getting them free because I'm on the 30-day free trial plan (which will soon be over and I'll be on a plan that's about $23/month, I believe).  Still, a great deal.  I figure I can EASILY watch 23 movies per month (probably much more than that), which boils down to $1 per movie (or less).  I will still purchase movies occasionally (maybe 1 or 2 per month at most), but Netflix has me hooked.  I should have listened to you guys a long time ago.

[Jack]

I usually get movies on Netflix and if I like 'em, then I buy them.  A bit more efficient use of my money that way     They've got tons of "bad" movies available for streaming;  I've got 193 movies in my instant queue and 139 in the DVD queue.  Next up is Darkstar Theatrical Cut   

It's great to sit down in the evening and browse through the instant streaming queue at hundreds of movies you haven't seen and decide exactly which one you're in the mood for tonight.

[The Burgomaster]

I usually get movies on Netflix and if I like 'em, then I buy them.  A bit more efficient use of my money that way     They've got tons of "bad" movies available for streaming;  I've got 193 movies in my instant queue and 139 in the DVD queue.  Next up is Darkstar Theatrical Cut   

It's great to sit down in the evening and browse through the instant streaming queue at hundreds of movies you haven't seen and decide exactly which one you're in the mood for tonight.

Yeah.  I took advantage of some streaming stuff over the weekend.  I watched VIGILANTE FORCE, MR. DEATH (documentary), SACCO & VANZETTI (documentary); THE DESERT FOX; about half of a George Carlin stand-up video (which I will finish later); about half of HALLS OF MONTEZUMA (which I will finish later); the first few minutes of THE THIN BLUE LINE (documentary, which I will finish later); and the first few minutes of MST3K's RED ZONE CUBA (which I will finish later).  Plus, I had the blu-ray disk of UNKNOWN at home.  Both my blu-ray queue and my instant queue are building up quickly.  Between the two, I think I have about 120 movies lined up and I've only just begun.

[AndyC]

We just got Netflix a couple of weeks ago, as part of our plan to consolidate some of our redundant media options. I've been enjoying the streaming video on demand, being able to watch it pretty much anywhere in the house, at any time. Their recommendation system seems to work pretty well at estimating how much I'll enjoy a movie, and I've always found something worth watching whenever I'm in the mood.

I have noticed that the selection of streaming titles is kind of limited, with some really major omissions. Netflix is fairly new to Canada, so I was wondering if it's just a matter of obtaining additional licencing and building up the selection here, or if the situation is the same in the US.

[Jack]

I have noticed that the selection of streaming titles is kind of limited, with some really major omissions. Netflix is fairly new to Canada, so I was wondering if it's just a matter of obtaining additional licencing and building up the selection here, or if the situation is the same in the US.

Pretty much the same here - though they have a fair number of "good" movies for streaming, it's mostly a haven for us B movie lovers.  The good stuff is mainly available on DVD.  Netflix sure seems to be interested in expanding the streaming part of their service, so maybe that will change in the future.

[The Burgomaster]

I have noticed that the selection of streaming titles is kind of limited, with some really major omissions. Netflix is fairly new to Canada, so I was wondering if it's just a matter of obtaining additional licencing and building up the selection here, or if the situation is the same in the US.

Pretty much the same here - though they have a fair number of "good" movies for streaming, it's mostly a haven for us B movie lovers.  The good stuff is mainly available on DVD.  Netflix sure seems to be interested in expanding the streaming part of their service, so maybe that will change in the future.

I'm very happy with the streaming selections because they are mostly B movies or older titles and most probably have mono (or at best, stereo) soundtracks.  For newer stuff, I would rather get the blu-ray disc in the mail and play it through my digital surround system.  I believe Netflix does not currently have the capability to stream in 5.1 or 7.1 surround, so even if they had streaming versions of newer movies I probably wouldn't watch them.

[Hammock Rider]

I've read that the studios are starting to charge Netflix more more streaming rights. If that's the case it might explain why some movies aren't available. It might also explain why tons of public domain movies are available.

  I love the fact that I can take a chance on renting a crazy or obscure title I've never seen before and if it bombs for me I'm only out a buck or less. I've really been able to open up my cinematic horizons.

[lester1/2jr]

I've been on the unlimited plan since 2007. I've seen and reviewed like 900 movies.  wish I had bought the stock back then!

[El Misfit]

wish some old popular movies were on there, i.e. The Blues Brothers, The Princess Bride, etc...

[Ash]

Searching through the Netflix website to find good movies (or bad ones) can be a chore.
I use http://instantwatcher.com/.

It is hands down the best site for finding the good stuff.  It doesn't require a membership and you can add movies to your queue right from their site.
I don't even search through Netflix anymore ever since I found that website.

[Mofo Rising]

Searching through the Netflix website to find good movies (or bad ones) can be a chore.
I use http://instantwatcher.com/.

It is hands down the best site for finding the good stuff.  It doesn't require a membership and you can add movies to your queue right from their site.
I don't even search through Netflix anymore ever since I found that website.

I love the service that Netflix provides, but they have this really weird passive-agressive "we know what the customers want!" approach to their own website. Their recent redesign of their Watch Instantly page is bizarre and kind of horrible. They got rid of list-sorting! Why take useful tools out of customer's hands?

If I were a more cynical man, I might suggest that they are attempting to filter consumer choices into watching only the stuff they want them to watch.

Like I said, I love the service, but there's a nasty strain of middle-management infecting that company.

[Jack]

Yeah, their recent redesign of their website is terrible in my opinion.  You can barely put the cursor anywhere on the screen without causing something to start scrolling or something else to pop up and block your view of what you were trying to look at.  You have to constantly watch where you move your mouse so you won't cause anything to happen.  Freakin' webpage designers gone mad.