Audio Video News

Netflixers Plead for Disc-Only Plan

Mark Fleischmann  |  Jan 27, 2011

Even while Netflix has passed the 20 million mark in subscribers, some Netflixers are pleading for a disc-only rental plan.

"If you don't want instant gratification, then there should be an option -- call it the slow lane, if you like," said a blogger quoted in Home Media Magazine. In the wake of recent Netflix disc-rental price increases, an online poll showed 10 percent threatening to ax their membership. That probably won't cut much ice with Netflix, which sees its future in streaming, even to the point of removing "Add to DVD Queue" from its streaming interface.

Meanwhile, Engadget has taken a look at Netflix's fourth-quarter 2010 report. Subscribers now number 20 million, or two and a half times the population of, say, Los Angeles or New York. The 7.2 million added in 2010 far outpace the 2.9 million added the previous year. Predictably, Netflix calls the FCC's first stab at net neutrality rules "a step in the right direction" while the threats of ISPs to charge more for Netflix traffic, as they groan under the evening streaming load, is "inappropriate." We'll go out on a limb and predict the latter is probably the factor most likely to influence Netflix fourth-quarter results for 2011.

COMMENTS
Kris Deering's picture
Submitted by Kris Deering on January 27, 2011 - 3:18pm
I'm in the opposite camp. I could care less about a disc rental program, I would rather just have the streaming option. Thankfully they delivered that option recently. Hopefully they will do the same for the disc loyalists!!
cgm9999's picture
Submitted by cgm9999 on January 27, 2011 - 5:54pm

I for one could care less about instant streaming. It looks like garbage and sounds like garbage, so to me, it's garbage. It's the same reason why I haven't jumped on the mp3 bandwagon other than for working out with my iPod.

I suspect like most other people who explore this site, I didn't spend thousands of dollars on my home theater set-up just to watch a movie on my projector that looks no better than if I watched it on youtube. No thanks.

For me, part of what makes watching a great movie great isn't just the story, the characters or the performances. It's the technical aspects of the film that I admire as well. I notice and appreciate Oscar-worthy cinematography, sound design and direction. These skills are best admired on a high quality format with high quality components. Without such, a huge part of the movie is ruined for me and makes the magic of cinema disappear. Quite simply, at that point I'm merely looking at a movie rather than being enveloped and moved by it. For me, watching a streamed movie is like watching the beginning of Saving Private Ryan on a nineteen-inch mono Sanyo TV.

As a result, unlike the vast majority of my peers (I'm in my late 20s), I haven't fallen madly in love with netflix. When I do rent a movie, I'm a traditionalist. I mosey on down to the local Blockbuster or Hollywood Video, check out their Blu-Ray section and rent away. The bonus is that unlike netflix, I get to enjoy the movie that very day! What a revelation!

thx2468's picture
Submitted by thx2468 on January 30, 2011 - 8:16am

I totally agree with you. I use the streaming option on my BD player just for tv shows or silly films; and I am not going to stop playing BD's or DVD's on my home theater either.

deckeda's picture
Submitted by deckeda on January 29, 2011 - 7:48pm

My broadband isn't very broad, so I need physical media still. I also greatly value the ability to "time shift" a DVD rental by ripping it. And yeah, a high quality stream is still mostly an unrealized promise.

But that's a lot of people packing disks, and a lot of paper, and a lot of postage just in that one picture. At some point that's gotta hurt the bottom line. So I'm not surprised.

Kris Deering's picture
Submitted by Kris Deering on January 31, 2011 - 11:28am
I would definitely never use Netflix streaming as a substitute for physical media in my HT. The only streaming service I've seen close to BD is Vudu HDX so far. I use Netflix streaming on a 47" LCD in my family room for casual TV show viewing and some documentaries. Blu-ray continues to be the premiere source of the best A/V experience for HT bar none and will continue to be my medium of choice for serious HT viewing. But I do like Netflix streaming for my kids and catching up on TV seasons that I may be interested in.
tmsorosk's picture
Submitted by tmsorosk on February 5, 2011 - 11:35am

Had to comment on the above post that said , '' Looks like garbage , sounds like garbage " dude you need to get someone that no's what there doing to check your set up .

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