I'm kind of curious as to whether Hulu's service has been crippled due to more restrictive contracts with networks, or to try and force users to upgrade to Hulu+.
Either way, I'm actively rooting for them to fail now.
See, I'm hoping that Hulu will eventually wise up and sell out to Netflix, so instead of paying $11/mo for on-demand streaming, I can pay $15 or whatever for new TV content, too. But Hulu+ certainly isn't worth the $10/mo or whatever it asks for, at least, not until it gets all the major networks on board. I'm only going to pay for one television service, either cable OR Hulu, and right now I'm going with the service that provides original airing times in HD with a wider selection of channels and some VOD content.
Atomika on
0
Options
AtomikaLive fast and get fucked or whateverRegistered Userregular
I have a friend who stared with Netflix, left them to use that AppleTV service that lets you buy per-view or permanent digital copies of movies, then went back to Netflix when he realized that the streaming selection had gotten much, much better since he left them, and was much, much cheaper than paying per-view.
Yeah, I don't understand the appeal of AppleTV, and can't account for its relative success, however small that success is.
I have a friend who stared with Netflix, left them to use that AppleTV service that lets you buy per-view or permanent digital copies of movies, then went back to Netflix when he realized that the streaming selection had gotten much, much better since he left them, and was much, much cheaper than paying per-view.
Yeah, I don't understand the appeal of AppleTV, and can't account for its relative success, however small that success is.
Well, my friend and his girlfriend are massive MacWhores, so it worked out for him for awhile. I was pretty sketchy about paying $5 for one showing of Bubba-Ho-Tep, but he didn't seem to mind the cost, at least at first.
Well, my friend and his girlfriend are massive MacWhores, so it worked out for him for awhile. I was pretty sketchy about paying $5 for one showing of Bubba-Ho-Tep, but he didn't seem to mind the cost, at least at first.
Yeah, as it stands digital rentals are one thing I won't bother with (well, rentals in general, it seems). Why rent for $5 when I can probably find the DVD in a store or on Amazon for $10-15 or so? If I enjoy it, great, I can watch it again down the road without further cost, and if I don't, I can give it to someone who does enjoy the film or try to sell it off to recoup some of my cost.
Forar on
First they came for the Muslims, and we said NOT TODAY, MOTHERFUCKER!
Redbox is a neat thing and while I know antecdotal evidence is not the most useful thing in the world I can't name a single person who ever even mentioned Redbox but I can name a lot people who love the shit out of Netflix.
Redbox has always struck me as a local grocery chain trying use use pizzas made in store to compete with a Domino's/Pizza Hut/Papa John's. Even though those pizzas might be higher quality overall? It's just not happening because the grocery store foesn't deliver. They're just plain not providing the same service.
And with streaming? Redbox isn't even competing anymore. They're at best than the next thing to go down in flames unless the internet provider lobby has it's way.
Not to say there isn't a decent market for now but if better bandwidth which allows for even more streaming becomes the norm? Redbox is fucked just as hard as B&M stores unless they adapt.
As the old saying goes, "never underetimate the bandwidth of a station wagon filled with tape backups." Redbox isn't competing with streaming, they are in a completely different market. They are all about the impulse rental, which is why they are where they are.
You're caught in the classic geek trap - you're looking at the tech, and ignoring the people.
Redbox is a neat thing and while I know antecdotal evidence is not the most useful thing in the world I can't name a single person who ever even mentioned Redbox but I can name a lot people who love the shit out of Netflix.
Redbox has always struck me as a local grocery chain trying use use pizzas made in store to compete with a Domino's/Pizza Hut/Papa John's. Even though those pizzas might be higher quality overall? It's just not happening because the grocery store foesn't deliver. They're just plain not providing the same service.
And with streaming? Redbox isn't even competing anymore. They're at best than the next thing to go down in flames unless the internet provider lobby has it's way.
Not to say there isn't a decent market for now but if better bandwidth which allows for even more streaming becomes the norm? Redbox is fucked just as hard as B&M stores unless they adapt.
As the old saying goes, "never underetimate the bandwidth of a station wagon filled with tape backups." Redbox isn't competing with streaming, they are in a completely different market. They are all about the impulse rental, which is why they are where they are.
You're caught in the classic geek trap - you're looking at the tech, and ignoring the people.
And the locations they set up tend to target that. Go to the grocery store, see they have new film X in the Redbox and figure for a buck, you'll watch it tonight. The markets here are very different. I love Netflix, I have a queue that's up to 160 movies waiting for me. My mom can't understand the appeal at all but regularly uses Redbox because she'll want to watch a film. What Redbox competes with is PPV, and those are the people who need to be worried, because while PPV is simpler, it's cost is generally much higher.
It'd be interesting to see how individual channels and companies try to run with their own digital services.
I liken it somewhat to Steam. Now that I've embraced Steam, there are very few companies I can be bothered with otherwise. The simple convenience of having just about everything I want in one place is wonderful, and Bioware and Blizzard are pretty much the only folks to entice me away from that. Part of the issue is the general annoyance with having to create and maintain an ever growing list of logins and passwords for all these services. Sure, sometimes a game is $5 cheaper on D2D, or isn't available (yet) on Steam, but for the moment I'm just not concerned enough to bother buying from a half dozen other sources.
Laziness? Sure. Illogical? Perhaps. But I likes my Steam, and it takes an awful lot to break me away from that.
I see channels and companies all trying to have their own special little services the same way. Do I really want to have 8 different sites to visit to see what I want, paying for them all piecemeal, and perhaps juggling those subscriptions based on the seasonal status of things I like? Maybe, maybe not. Netflix has potential based on how much love it gets in the US, and if it had a similar lineup in Canada I'd likely already have my subscription going again, but I hear Time Warner and HBO and X and Y and Z all having their own services and just want to roll my eyes.
Keep that shit up and I'll just keep buying seasons on Amazon when they hit $10-20 and call it a day.
I still think the way of the future is gonna be buying "channels" that are essentially lists of shit you can stream to your TV.
As the Time Warner and HBO thing demonstrates, I don't think Netflix is can grow much further in some senses. Now that the whole streaming thing has caught on, these companies don't want to sell their shit to some other company to make money off it. No one wants to cede Netflix the monopoly. What we may see more is companies each setting up their own services, and maybe bundling them together into deals ("Get Netflix and HBO-On-Demand for $x a month!") and the like.
The problem with the whole thing though is how many layers of companies sit between the viewer and the content. There's the people who make the content, the people who distribute it, the people who buy those distribution rights and stream it to the consumer and the people who own the tubes that content gets streamed through. All of whom want a piece of the action (and preferably, the whole pie).
Netflix seems to have gotten by on no one really paying attention. Now that it's big news, the internet providers and the people who own the content are both trying to horn in on the money-train.
And this all depends, inevitably, on government internet policy de-retarding itself in the near future.
shryke on
0
Options
ThomamelasOnly one man can kill this many Russians. Bring his guitar to me! Registered Userregular
It'd be interesting to see how individual channels and companies try to run with their own digital services.
I liken it somewhat to Steam. Now that I've embraced Steam, there are very few companies I can be bothered with otherwise. The simple convenience of having just about everything I want in one place is wonderful, and Bioware and Blizzard are pretty much the only folks to entice me away from that. Part of the issue is the general annoyance with having to create and maintain an ever growing list of logins and passwords for all these services. Sure, sometimes a game is $5 cheaper on D2D, or isn't available (yet) on Steam, but for the moment I'm just not concerned enough to bother buying from a half dozen other sources.
Laziness? Sure. Illogical? Perhaps. But I likes my Steam, and it takes an awful lot to break me away from that.
I see channels and companies all trying to have their own special little services the same way. Do I really want to have 8 different sites to visit to see what I want, paying for them all piecemeal, and perhaps juggling those subscriptions based on the seasonal status of things I like? Maybe, maybe not. Netflix has potential based on how much love it gets in the US, and if it had a similar lineup in Canada I'd likely already have my subscription going again, but I hear Time Warner and HBO and X and Y and Z all having their own services and just want to roll my eyes.
Keep that shit up and I'll just keep buying seasons on Amazon when they hit $10-20 and call it a day.
I still think the way of the future is gonna be buying "channels" that are essentially lists of shit you can stream to your TV.
As the Time Warner and HBO thing demonstrates, I don't think Netflix is can grow much further in some senses. Now that the whole streaming thing has caught on, these companies don't want to sell their shit to some other company to make money off it. No one wants to cede Netflix the monopoly. What we may see more is companies each setting up their own services, and maybe bundling them together into deals ("Get Netflix and HBO-On-Demand for $x a month!") and the like.
The problem with the whole thing though is how many layers of companies sit between the viewer and the content. There's the people who make the content, the people who distribute it, the people who buy those distribution rights and stream it to the consumer and the people who own the tubes that content gets streamed through. All of whom want a piece of the action (and preferably, the whole pie).
Netflix seems to have gotten by on no one really paying attention. Now that it's big news, the internet providers and the people who own the content are both trying to horn in on the money-train.
And this all depends, inevitably, on government internet policy de-retarding itself in the near future.
While there have been some companies like HBO that have pushed back hard against Netflix, companies like Miramax have been pushing ahead. Miramax has signed deals with both Netflix and Hulu to offer up their films on the streaming services. They are expected to have a deal with Amazon soon as well. AMC has been making some deals, as have some other companies. So while push back is happening, I wouldn't assume the instant watch library or the subscriber base to stop growing.
I remember how stupid redbox seemed when it first came out, but over the years we have used it more and more. They generally have plenty of new releases, and for only a dollar its a great deal. Not to mention if you forget to return it, you only pay the dollar for another day. We have a netflix subscription but its nice when leaving the local Kroger to just grab a film you want to see for a buck.
Personally redbox had more to do with me avoiding Blockbuster than netflix.
I remember how stupid redbox seemed when it first came out, but over the years we have used it more and more. They generally have plenty of new releases, and for only a dollar its a great deal. Not to mention if you forget to return it, you only pay the dollar for another day. We have a netflix subscription but its nice when leaving the local Kroger to just grab a film you want to see for a buck.
Personally redbox had more to do with me avoiding Blockbuster than netflix.
I like the idea in theory but I find it cumbersome in practice.
Ideally, you'd be able to use Redbox for new releases (since that's one big flaw for Netflix), but Redbox is always out of new releases.
Also, I really wish you could just return a movie without standing in line. I hate that. It is somewhat irrational much that drives me up a fucking wall. I'm willing to stand in line if I'm going to be getting something out of it, but in this case, if I'm just returning a movie, I'm standing line with the intent to walk away with nothing. And there's a pretty good chance that I'm renting a movie when I have time but returning it when I don't. Just let me drop it in a goddamn mother fucking slot.
And the first problem compounds the second. You can't discuss what movie you want prior to standing in line, because there's a good chance they won't have popular movies in stock, so everybody has to stand there paging through the touchscreen catalog, meanwhile I'm just waiting for the morons ahead of me to figure out which shitty b-list comedy they want to watch tonight.
Feral on
every person who doesn't like an acquired taste always seems to think everyone who likes it is faking it. it should be an official fallacy.
I remember how stupid redbox seemed when it first came out, but over the years we have used it more and more. They generally have plenty of new releases, and for only a dollar its a great deal. Not to mention if you forget to return it, you only pay the dollar for another day. We have a netflix subscription but its nice when leaving the local Kroger to just grab a film you want to see for a buck.
Personally redbox had more to do with me avoiding Blockbuster than netflix.
I like the idea in theory but I find it cumbersome in practice.
Ideally, you'd be able to use Redbox for new releases (since that's one big flaw for Netflix), but Redbox is always out of new releases.
Also, I really wish you could just return a movie without standing in line. I hate that. It is somewhat irrational much that drives me up a fucking wall. I'm willing to stand in line if I'm going to be getting something out of it, but in this case, if I'm just returning a movie, I'm standing line with the intent to walk away with nothing. And there's a pretty good chance that I'm renting a movie when I have time but returning it when I don't. Just let me drop it in a goddamn mother fucking slot.
And the first problem compounds the second. You can't discuss what movie you want prior to standing in line, because there's a good chance they won't have popular movies in stock, so everybody has to stand there paging through the touchscreen catalog, meanwhile I'm just waiting for the morons ahead of me to figure out which shitty b-list comedy they want to watch tonight.
I have no idea how people can stand to use redbox without reserving. However, on the website you can search all the machines in your area, and since I have like three locations between work and home, total of like five machines (and two more locations not far out of the way), its convenient. Between all those sites, ONE of them will almost always have what I want...reserve it, hen I just have to pick it up on the way home.
However, I'm right there with you on the return waiting. And when all you want to do is pick up, its nearly as bad. Especially when there are two machines, but of course your movie is in the one with some indecisive idiot at it, while the other stands open and idle.
mcdermott on
0
Options
ThomamelasOnly one man can kill this many Russians. Bring his guitar to me! Registered Userregular
True. Netflix just needs to get off their asses and fill in some of the gaps in their streaming library.
Not even HD necessarily. Just fucking put them in there.
I'm seeing a lot of similar comments.
You guys do realize that if Netflix had their way, they'd drop DVD-by-mail entirely and have every last movie on their site streaming, right? It's not about them "getting off their asses." It's about the fact that the studios (you know, the people that own the content) either asking for more than Netflix can afford, having exclusivity arrangements with other parties, or just plain not wanting to offer it streaming (to capitalize on the DVD market).
Netflix can't force anybody to allow their movies to be streamed.
I think "get off their asses" could be translated as "start writing bigger checks."
They've been writing some massive checks. The Epix deal is worth $1 Billion. The Miramax deal is worth $100 Million.
Yup, it's pretty sweet. You have to enter your CC info on the site, they bill when you reserve, and (IIRC) they do release the movie after some reasonable amount of time (like 9PM the next day or something). But then all you have to do is walk up to the specific machine that has your movie(s) in it, swipe your card, and the disc(s) pop right out. Super-easy.
It makes the whole thing like 99% more awesome, since like you said most of the time any given machine you walk up to won't have shit you want...but there's probably one right down the street that does.
They've been writing some massive checks. The Epix deal is worth $1 Billion. The Miramax deal is worth $100 Million.
Exactly. They have not been slacking, because instant streaming is what they've decided they want their business model to be. They may keep their DVD-by-mail business up for a while as a legacy thing once they achieve total streaming domination, but that's not where they see their future.
But some companies simply don't want to have their stuff available for streaming. Like HBO. Because it undermines their entire revenue model...for a company like HBO, allowing streaming is basically asking them "how much money would you want to give up having any paying subscribers, and anybody ever buying your DVD boxed sets?"
At least, this is their perception of the question. And probably not all that far from the truth. So they just don't do it, period.
Studios are getting better, but you'll notice most of them are still pretty protective of the new release window...they want at least some shot at sell-through, pay-per-view, and traditional rentals happening before they decide to allow unlimited streaming (which is the only model Netflix is willing to offer).
I hadn't given much though to the process behind it--that makes a lot of sense (though it leaves me wondering why a lot of old TV shows owned by smaller studios don't make the cut--when it's not HBO or Miramax). HBO not being present doesn't surprise me in the least, that's fairly clear cut.
Synthesis on
0
Options
Magus`The fun has been DOUBLED!Registered Userregular
edited June 2011
Now that Miramax movies are on instant streaming, I wonder what's good to watch..
I hadn't given much though to the process behind it--that makes a lot of sense (though it leaves me wondering why a lot of old TV shows owned by smaller studios don't make the cut--when it's not HBO or Miramax). HBO not being present doesn't surprise me in the least, that's fairly clear cut.
In some cases it's rights issues. It doesn't just impact streaming. WKRP in Cincinnati is generally the best known example since it has music rights issues out the wazoo. Others don't have contracts remotely covering this stuff. Or no one thinks it's worth it to buy the rights. But some older shows are coming on. CBS has made a big push for the stuff they have the rights to, a lot of it is on Hulu, Netflix and even legally on Youtube.
True. Much, much smaller companies could be holding out as well. On the bright side, it seems like French and German producers are more flexible for their movies that have US followings.
Synthesis on
0
Options
ThomamelasOnly one man can kill this many Russians. Bring his guitar to me! Registered Userregular
True. Much, much smaller companies could be holding out as well. On the bright side, it seems like French and German producers are more flexible for their movies that have US followings.
Generally foreign distribution companies have taken anything resembling a reasonable offer in the States. And the Miramax deal is really good if you're Miramax. Most of the films appear to be slightly older but still popular in their catalog. Pulp Fiction and the like. Films they aren't going to move a lot of DVDs of, but Netflix would still be eager to get. And the deal has no exclusivity. Miramax has made a similar one with Hulu, with their films going to Hulu+ with rotating groups of 15 being available for non-plus members. Both are in the same ballpark for price tags ~$100 million or so. They are working on deals with Amazon for it's service and if I remember correctly, two other smaller companies. So they are going to make ~$500 million off of films without any risk of harming DVD sales and the like. Plus what ever TV rights deals they work out. And the potential to keep working those deals as Netflix competitors pop up.
HBO's kind of makes sense though, considering all of their money is made through subscriptions and DVD sales. They don't even get the theater times like movie companies do. As well, considering I already have a subscription to HBO, I get HBO Go for free. Though I wish their was a way to just subscribe to HBO itself, and not have to go through something like dish network.
I
never die on
0
Options
Magus`The fun has been DOUBLED!Registered Userregular
edited June 2011
Netflix should just have a HBO package for 3 more dollars a month or something.
Netflix should just have a HBO package for 3 more dollars a month or something.
Except that it would probably cost more than that, considering the full rate for a subscription (IIRC) is something like eighteen dollars a month.
A ton of people wind up getting it for free through intro packages, mind you, but even that gets passed along to all customers through regular cable rates. I'd bet the average HBO customer is paying more like $8-$10 a month. Adding an HBO package, assuming HBO demanded fees from Netflix high enough to replace their lost business, would probably almost double your Netflix bill.
It's 10 dollars a month more for HBO from Cox Communications here in Gainesville. I would love to just give ten dollars directly to HBO and get their streaming stuff.
Honestly if Netflix doubled their price and the side-affect was places such as HBO and more new movies and a larger selection of movies from the 90's-early 00s I would gladly pay $20.
Netflix should just have a HBO package for 3 more dollars a month or something.
One of the reasons that Netflix doesn't want to do that is they are afraid, and rightly so, of every company they deal with wanting a cut of the specialized reoccurring revenue. And then Netflix's pricing becomes a twisted mass of headache.
I don't know, when it's late at night and there's few places left to go it's kind of fun to stumble into a blockbuster with friends and find some obscure movie to watch and take home some shit to eat.
Of course, I guess for serious movie watching Netflix is great from a utilitarian standpoint, just get down to business and no bullshit.
It's sad that as technology progresses we lose some of these more lively experiences and get them replaced with watered down sterilized versions. Kind of like how sending a handwritten letter is more touching than some shitty email. Or how someday nobody will drive their own cars anymore because software will do it for them.
The internet has not yet stopped me from doing absolutely unnecessary and pointless shit for the fuck of it. I believe that you too can salvage the capacity to do absolutely unnecessary and pointless shit in all sorts of situations, even beyond the doors of the video store. You might even leverage the power of the internet to do even more absolutely unnecessary and pointless shit. Hell, I'm getting excited just thinking about it.
My buddy wants me to watch the Clint Eastwood movies. It had been a while since I rented any movies. That's when I discovered that the only place I can rent anymore is either Blockbuster (who can die in a fire) or the DVD kiosks or grocery stores, none of which have older movies like that. It just makes me laugh. Growing up I used to think it was stupid that rental stores had old movies like westerns...who watches westerns anymore mIrite? Only old people watch westerns and old people don't know how to operate a VCR so why bother right?
But in all seriousness Unless Netflix greatly expands it's instant watch library, isn't there always going to be a demand to rent some obscure movie at the spur of the moment and not wait for the Netflix queue even though they are pretty quick to ship.
Blockbuster can go to hell, but I was just shocked to discover I simply can't rent any of these westerns locally and I do have to wait to go through my queue. We used to have a Hollywood rental store, but they went out of business a year or two ago.
We're at that gap where Instant watching has gone mainstream but not every movie is there yet and it's just going to take some time for the library to mature.
Man. There is a BB near me that has some sweet games. To bad its practically the only BB in the world doing well. GO OUT OF BUSINESS AND SELL ME THINGS CHEAP.
Man. There is a BB near me that has some sweet games. To bad its practically the only BB in the world doing well. GO OUT OF BUSINESS AND SELL ME THINGS CHEAP.
Although I love Netflix and hate Blockbuster, I hope at least some video rental chains remain in business.
Mostly because the local video store in my hometown rents non-new release movies out at 2 for a dollar for 7 nights, and there is really fuck-all else to do in my hometown other than watch movies when I go home for Christmas. My brother and I went through like 21 movies in 4 days last time I was there. :P
Maybe Netflix Instant could have provided that, but I'm not about to go through the rigamarole of getting on a plane with and hooking up an Xbox, and dealing with the frustration of dealing with my mother (who loses her shit when anyone tries to do anything with her TV more complicated than turning the volume up).
Obviously kind of an edge case, but I really hope next time I'm there I'm not going to be limited to a grocery store box choosing between Big Mama's House 5 and Beethoven 8: Beethoven Plays Dead.
Obviously kind of an edge case, but I really hope next time I'm there I'm not going to be limited to a grocery store box choosing between Big Mama's House 5 and Beethoven 8: Beethoven Plays Dead.
Go with Beethoven 8, it's easily the best of the series, it's directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
I used to work at a video store, then it got bought out by Movie Gallery, then they fired me like a year later for being too young (seriously). From what I heard everything just kept going downhill more and more after that.
These chains' biggest problem is they don't give a damn about customer service and just want to push product like used sales, or gift/membership cards.
A customer once told me that one of the things she liked about coming in to get movies was talking with me and two other people that worked their about which movies to get and general bullshitting. While other people that worked there, just sorta did their job and never said much. She didn't much like coming in when they were working.
Now management just want you pushing the merchandise, not having actual conversations that will get the customers to actually enjoy the experience of renting a movie, and get them to come back.
Long story short, these companies (a lot of companies actually) have no clue how to actually sell their products.
I think the problem is more that they've realized their business core is not as lucrative as the side business of selling 3.99 boxes of Mike 'n' Ikes and no-cost-of-goods service plans.
The Family Videos near where I live are actually pretty good. They offer $1 for 7 days for movies that they consider classics (Shawshank Redemption, Aliens, Major League, Tommy Boy, etc) as well as two for one $1 for a week on non-new movies that they have. As well, they give deals all the time, and if you sign up with them like my girlfriend recently did, you get half off of everything for 30 days. So you could get four movies for a dollar. Its really nice considering how much Netflix doesn't have and the not having to wait for a movie to become available.
The Family Videos near where I live are actually pretty good. They offer $1 for 7 days for movies that they consider classics (Shawshank Redemption, Aliens, Major League, Tommy Boy, etc) as well as two for one $1 for a week on non-new movies that they have. As well, they give deals all the time, and if you sign up with them like my girlfriend recently did, you get half off of everything for 30 days. So you could get four movies for a dollar. Its really nice considering how much Netflix doesn't have and the not having to wait for a movie to become available.
Yeah, that's the chain I go to as well- I didn't mention the name because I didn't want it to come off as a plug. I don't think I've ever had anyone try to sell me ancillary bullshit either, which is nice.
The only problems I've had with them is with renting games/systems and having a bunch of scratches and half-broken hardware, but for movies it's hard to beat (especially if you like making fun of shitty B movies as much as I do.)
The Family Videos near where I live are actually pretty good. They offer $1 for 7 days for movies that they consider classics (Shawshank Redemption, Aliens, Major League, Tommy Boy, etc) as well as two for one $1 for a week on non-new movies that they have. As well, they give deals all the time, and if you sign up with them like my girlfriend recently did, you get half off of everything for 30 days. So you could get four movies for a dollar. Its really nice considering how much Netflix doesn't have and the not having to wait for a movie to become available.
Yeah, that's the chain I go to as well- I didn't mention the name because I didn't want it to come off as a plug. I don't think I've ever had anyone try to sell me ancillary bullshit either, which is nice.
The only problems I've had with them is with renting games/systems and having a bunch of scratches and half-broken hardware, but for movies it's hard to beat (especially if you like making fun of shitty B movies as much as I do.)
Yeah, that's generally a problem I've had in general with renting games though. People treat them like shit.
Posts
See, I'm hoping that Hulu will eventually wise up and sell out to Netflix, so instead of paying $11/mo for on-demand streaming, I can pay $15 or whatever for new TV content, too. But Hulu+ certainly isn't worth the $10/mo or whatever it asks for, at least, not until it gets all the major networks on board. I'm only going to pay for one television service, either cable OR Hulu, and right now I'm going with the service that provides original airing times in HD with a wider selection of channels and some VOD content.
Yeah, I don't understand the appeal of AppleTV, and can't account for its relative success, however small that success is.
Well, my friend and his girlfriend are massive MacWhores, so it worked out for him for awhile. I was pretty sketchy about paying $5 for one showing of Bubba-Ho-Tep, but he didn't seem to mind the cost, at least at first.
Yeah, as it stands digital rentals are one thing I won't bother with (well, rentals in general, it seems). Why rent for $5 when I can probably find the DVD in a store or on Amazon for $10-15 or so? If I enjoy it, great, I can watch it again down the road without further cost, and if I don't, I can give it to someone who does enjoy the film or try to sell it off to recoup some of my cost.
As the old saying goes, "never underetimate the bandwidth of a station wagon filled with tape backups." Redbox isn't competing with streaming, they are in a completely different market. They are all about the impulse rental, which is why they are where they are.
You're caught in the classic geek trap - you're looking at the tech, and ignoring the people.
They are, just signed up for it after reading this thread xP.
Options.
Options....
So many... *Brain pops*
And the locations they set up tend to target that. Go to the grocery store, see they have new film X in the Redbox and figure for a buck, you'll watch it tonight. The markets here are very different. I love Netflix, I have a queue that's up to 160 movies waiting for me. My mom can't understand the appeal at all but regularly uses Redbox because she'll want to watch a film. What Redbox competes with is PPV, and those are the people who need to be worried, because while PPV is simpler, it's cost is generally much higher.
I still think the way of the future is gonna be buying "channels" that are essentially lists of shit you can stream to your TV.
As the Time Warner and HBO thing demonstrates, I don't think Netflix is can grow much further in some senses. Now that the whole streaming thing has caught on, these companies don't want to sell their shit to some other company to make money off it. No one wants to cede Netflix the monopoly. What we may see more is companies each setting up their own services, and maybe bundling them together into deals ("Get Netflix and HBO-On-Demand for $x a month!") and the like.
The problem with the whole thing though is how many layers of companies sit between the viewer and the content. There's the people who make the content, the people who distribute it, the people who buy those distribution rights and stream it to the consumer and the people who own the tubes that content gets streamed through. All of whom want a piece of the action (and preferably, the whole pie).
Netflix seems to have gotten by on no one really paying attention. Now that it's big news, the internet providers and the people who own the content are both trying to horn in on the money-train.
And this all depends, inevitably, on government internet policy de-retarding itself in the near future.
While there have been some companies like HBO that have pushed back hard against Netflix, companies like Miramax have been pushing ahead. Miramax has signed deals with both Netflix and Hulu to offer up their films on the streaming services. They are expected to have a deal with Amazon soon as well. AMC has been making some deals, as have some other companies. So while push back is happening, I wouldn't assume the instant watch library or the subscriber base to stop growing.
Personally redbox had more to do with me avoiding Blockbuster than netflix.
I like the idea in theory but I find it cumbersome in practice.
Ideally, you'd be able to use Redbox for new releases (since that's one big flaw for Netflix), but Redbox is always out of new releases.
Also, I really wish you could just return a movie without standing in line. I hate that. It is somewhat irrational much that drives me up a fucking wall. I'm willing to stand in line if I'm going to be getting something out of it, but in this case, if I'm just returning a movie, I'm standing line with the intent to walk away with nothing. And there's a pretty good chance that I'm renting a movie when I have time but returning it when I don't. Just let me drop it in a goddamn mother fucking slot.
And the first problem compounds the second. You can't discuss what movie you want prior to standing in line, because there's a good chance they won't have popular movies in stock, so everybody has to stand there paging through the touchscreen catalog, meanwhile I'm just waiting for the morons ahead of me to figure out which shitty b-list comedy they want to watch tonight.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
I have no idea how people can stand to use redbox without reserving. However, on the website you can search all the machines in your area, and since I have like three locations between work and home, total of like five machines (and two more locations not far out of the way), its convenient. Between all those sites, ONE of them will almost always have what I want...reserve it, hen I just have to pick it up on the way home.
However, I'm right there with you on the return waiting. And when all you want to do is pick up, its nearly as bad. Especially when there are two machines, but of course your movie is in the one with some indecisive idiot at it, while the other stands open and idle.
They've been writing some massive checks. The Epix deal is worth $1 Billion. The Miramax deal is worth $100 Million.
Sweet.
the "no true scotch man" fallacy.
Yup, it's pretty sweet. You have to enter your CC info on the site, they bill when you reserve, and (IIRC) they do release the movie after some reasonable amount of time (like 9PM the next day or something). But then all you have to do is walk up to the specific machine that has your movie(s) in it, swipe your card, and the disc(s) pop right out. Super-easy.
It makes the whole thing like 99% more awesome, since like you said most of the time any given machine you walk up to won't have shit you want...but there's probably one right down the street that does.
Exactly. They have not been slacking, because instant streaming is what they've decided they want their business model to be. They may keep their DVD-by-mail business up for a while as a legacy thing once they achieve total streaming domination, but that's not where they see their future.
But some companies simply don't want to have their stuff available for streaming. Like HBO. Because it undermines their entire revenue model...for a company like HBO, allowing streaming is basically asking them "how much money would you want to give up having any paying subscribers, and anybody ever buying your DVD boxed sets?"
At least, this is their perception of the question. And probably not all that far from the truth. So they just don't do it, period.
Studios are getting better, but you'll notice most of them are still pretty protective of the new release window...they want at least some shot at sell-through, pay-per-view, and traditional rentals happening before they decide to allow unlimited streaming (which is the only model Netflix is willing to offer).
Steam Profile | Signature art by Alexandra 'Lexxy' Douglass
In some cases it's rights issues. It doesn't just impact streaming. WKRP in Cincinnati is generally the best known example since it has music rights issues out the wazoo. Others don't have contracts remotely covering this stuff. Or no one thinks it's worth it to buy the rights. But some older shows are coming on. CBS has made a big push for the stuff they have the rights to, a lot of it is on Hulu, Netflix and even legally on Youtube.
Generally foreign distribution companies have taken anything resembling a reasonable offer in the States. And the Miramax deal is really good if you're Miramax. Most of the films appear to be slightly older but still popular in their catalog. Pulp Fiction and the like. Films they aren't going to move a lot of DVDs of, but Netflix would still be eager to get. And the deal has no exclusivity. Miramax has made a similar one with Hulu, with their films going to Hulu+ with rotating groups of 15 being available for non-plus members. Both are in the same ballpark for price tags ~$100 million or so. They are working on deals with Amazon for it's service and if I remember correctly, two other smaller companies. So they are going to make ~$500 million off of films without any risk of harming DVD sales and the like. Plus what ever TV rights deals they work out. And the potential to keep working those deals as Netflix competitors pop up.
I
Steam Profile | Signature art by Alexandra 'Lexxy' Douglass
Except that it would probably cost more than that, considering the full rate for a subscription (IIRC) is something like eighteen dollars a month.
A ton of people wind up getting it for free through intro packages, mind you, but even that gets passed along to all customers through regular cable rates. I'd bet the average HBO customer is paying more like $8-$10 a month. Adding an HBO package, assuming HBO demanded fees from Netflix high enough to replace their lost business, would probably almost double your Netflix bill.
SteamID: devCharles
twitter: https://twitter.com/charlesewise
SteamID: devCharles
twitter: https://twitter.com/charlesewise
One of the reasons that Netflix doesn't want to do that is they are afraid, and rightly so, of every company they deal with wanting a cut of the specialized reoccurring revenue. And then Netflix's pricing becomes a twisted mass of headache.
The internet has not yet stopped me from doing absolutely unnecessary and pointless shit for the fuck of it. I believe that you too can salvage the capacity to do absolutely unnecessary and pointless shit in all sorts of situations, even beyond the doors of the video store. You might even leverage the power of the internet to do even more absolutely unnecessary and pointless shit. Hell, I'm getting excited just thinking about it.
But in all seriousness Unless Netflix greatly expands it's instant watch library, isn't there always going to be a demand to rent some obscure movie at the spur of the moment and not wait for the Netflix queue even though they are pretty quick to ship.
Blockbuster can go to hell, but I was just shocked to discover I simply can't rent any of these westerns locally and I do have to wait to go through my queue. We used to have a Hollywood rental store, but they went out of business a year or two ago.
We're at that gap where Instant watching has gone mainstream but not every movie is there yet and it's just going to take some time for the library to mature.
Enlist in Star Citizen! Citizenship must be earned!
I was driving by the one in my town last night, and they had up on their billboard "Rent 1 movie, get 20!"
They're so desperate for traffic they're giving away 20 free rentals to every schlub that comes in and gives them $5 to rent a movie.
Which is asinine. Hastings did it the right way - they cut their rental fees to half those of Redbox.
Yeah, none of the BBs in my area did such a thing. They made everything 1 day rentals and reduced their prices.
I picked up Mass Effect 2 for 9.99 dollars
Mostly because the local video store in my hometown rents non-new release movies out at 2 for a dollar for 7 nights, and there is really fuck-all else to do in my hometown other than watch movies when I go home for Christmas. My brother and I went through like 21 movies in 4 days last time I was there. :P
Maybe Netflix Instant could have provided that, but I'm not about to go through the rigamarole of getting on a plane with and hooking up an Xbox, and dealing with the frustration of dealing with my mother (who loses her shit when anyone tries to do anything with her TV more complicated than turning the volume up).
Obviously kind of an edge case, but I really hope next time I'm there I'm not going to be limited to a grocery store box choosing between Big Mama's House 5 and Beethoven 8: Beethoven Plays Dead.
Twitter
Go with Beethoven 8, it's easily the best of the series, it's directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
I used to work at a video store, then it got bought out by Movie Gallery, then they fired me like a year later for being too young (seriously). From what I heard everything just kept going downhill more and more after that.
These chains' biggest problem is they don't give a damn about customer service and just want to push product like used sales, or gift/membership cards.
A customer once told me that one of the things she liked about coming in to get movies was talking with me and two other people that worked their about which movies to get and general bullshitting. While other people that worked there, just sorta did their job and never said much. She didn't much like coming in when they were working.
Now management just want you pushing the merchandise, not having actual conversations that will get the customers to actually enjoy the experience of renting a movie, and get them to come back.
Long story short, these companies (a lot of companies actually) have no clue how to actually sell their products.
Yeah, that's the chain I go to as well- I didn't mention the name because I didn't want it to come off as a plug.
The only problems I've had with them is with renting games/systems and having a bunch of scratches and half-broken hardware, but for movies it's hard to beat (especially if you like making fun of shitty B movies as much as I do.)
Twitter
Yeah, that's generally a problem I've had in general with renting games though. People treat them like shit.