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Netflix's Streaming Business Returns To Level 3
As company's broadband video service begins to truly explode
Netflix, whose streaming broadband video service was just revealed to eating up 20% of peak bandwidth, is taking its business back to Level3 for content delivery after a three year stint with Akamai. To prepare for the surge, Level 3 says it will double storage, adding 2.9 Tbps of global available CDN capacity -- in addition to the 1.65 Tbps that was deployed in the third quarter of 2010. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings recently acknowledged the company is "by every measure...primarily a streaming company that also offers DVD-by-mail," and that they'll finally offer a streaming only option to U.S. consumers (such an option is already available in Canada) before year's end. Netflix predicts they'll have about 19 million North American subscribers by 2011.
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aztecnology
O Rly?
Premium Member
join:2003-02-12
Murrieta, CA

aztecnology

Premium Member

Nice!

I love netflix, delivering content to users in as many ways as possible...

newview
Ex .. Ex .. Exactly
Premium Member
join:2001-10-01
Parsonsburg, MD

newview

Premium Member

Re: Nice!

said by aztecnology:

I love netflix, delivering content to users in as many ways as possible...
I renewed my account with Netflix yesterday and I just canceled the Starz package and ShowTime from DirecTV today. No commercials, no station identifiers in the lower right hand corner, no annoying, distracting ads popping up on the lower left hand corner . . . life is good.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: Nice!

said by newview:

I renewed my account with Netflix yesterday and I just canceled the Starz package and ShowTime from DirecTV today. No commercials, no station identifiers in the lower right hand corner, no annoying, distracting ads popping up on the lower left hand corner . . . life is good.
And if you stream content you don't have to fast forward thru all the coming attractions that they put on the DVDs. At least not yet.

Omega
Premium Member
join:2002-07-30
Golden, CO

Omega to newview

Premium Member

to newview
said by newview:

said by aztecnology:

I love netflix, delivering content to users in as many ways as possible...
I renewed my account with Netflix yesterday and I just canceled the Starz package and ShowTime from DirecTV today. No commercials, no station identifiers in the lower right hand corner, no annoying, distracting ads popping up on the lower left hand corner . . . life is good.
And you didn't wait till this season of Dexter was over?!?!?

newview
Ex .. Ex .. Exactly
Premium Member
join:2001-10-01
Parsonsburg, MD

newview

Premium Member

Re: Nice!

said by Omega:

And you didn't wait till this season of Dexter was over?!?!?
lol . . . I had to cancel before 11/12 or my ShowTime would have been billed another month, but I see that Netflix offers Dexter. What is it, 30 days before it shows up?

SLD
Premium Member
join:2002-04-17
San Francisco, CA

SLD

Premium Member

Re: Nice!

Ha! About 9 months!
whosmatt
join:2005-02-28
San Diego, CA

whosmatt to newview

Member

to newview
No, you have to wait til the season comes out on DVD.

newview
Ex .. Ex .. Exactly
Premium Member
join:2001-10-01
Parsonsburg, MD

newview

Premium Member

Re: Nice!

Oh well . . . something to look forward to I guess.
MADx
join:2005-05-25
Richmond, IN

MADx to Omega

Member

to Omega
Dexter, the only reason I subscribe to Showtime.

kieranmullen
Premium Member
join:2005-12-12
Portland, OR

kieranmullen to newview

Premium Member

to newview
Why would you need to renew it? It is a month to month service with no contracts so if you didn't renew it, it would keep going and going...

newview
Ex .. Ex .. Exactly
Premium Member
join:2001-10-01
Parsonsburg, MD

newview

Premium Member

Re: Nice!

said by kieranmullen:

Why would you need to renew it? It is a month to month service with no contracts so if you didn't renew it, it would keep going and going...
I had canceled Netflix about a year ago. Perhaps renew wasn't the best word to use. I restarted my account is a better description I suppose.

kieranmullen
Premium Member
join:2005-12-12
Portland, OR

kieranmullen to aztecnology

Premium Member

to aztecnology
If they offered the ability to play faster than real time I would stop downloading torrents and using VLC player. I play shows 1.3-1.6 speeds to get through them. Usually for the tv shows...
56403739 (banned)
Less than 5 months left
join:2006-03-08
Naples, FL

1 recommendation

56403739 (banned)

Member

Re: Nice!

You watch shows faster to "get through them"? Doesn't that tell you something about hour habits? Maybe you don't need to watch them at all if it is that inconvenient?

kieranmullen
Premium Member
join:2005-12-12
Portland, OR

kieranmullen

Premium Member

Re: Nice!

Depends on the show. On dramas (house) 1.3 is not noticeable. On mythbusters 1.6 is fast but it is about seeing something interesting, not catching inflections in the voice, expressions and other subtleties.

kdwycha
join:2003-01-30
Ruskin, FL

kdwycha

Member

Re: Nice!

said by kieranmullen:

Depends on the show. On dramas (house) 1.3 is not noticeable. On mythbusters 1.6 is fast but it is about seeing something interesting, not catching inflections in the voice, expressions and other subtleties.
This is the most retarded thing I have ever heard of. To each is own though I guess.
Fickey
Terrorists target your backbone
join:2004-05-31

Fickey

Member

Re: Nice!

said by kdwycha:

said by kieranmullen:

Depends on the show. On dramas (house) 1.3 is not noticeable. On mythbusters 1.6 is fast but it is about seeing something interesting, not catching inflections in the voice, expressions and other subtleties.
This is the most retarded thing I have ever heard of. To each is own though I guess.
Hey, I resemble that remark! It's one of those things, once you get accustomed to "fast play", it's frustrating to use a generic DVR/streaming service without it. Kinda like driving with your grandma at the wheel, let's just get there already!

I can easily knock out a newscast or documentary in less than half the time vs live, & at least 10-15 min per hour faster than just skipping commercials. Oh, and pitch is corrected, too, so it doesn't sound like chipmunks. Anyway, that adds up over an evening, leaving more time for real life & family. Maybe it's an ADD/OCD thing, or maybe "lesser minds" just can't grasp it?

Honestly, though, I generally don't "fast play" movies, so streaming Netflix on demand is sweet.

NYR 56
Premium Member
join:2000-12-05
Smithtown, NY

NYR 56

Premium Member

Re: Nice!

I used to do that for video-recorded class lectures in college, but I generally watch TV shows to relax and kill time, not to "get through them". But to each his own.

mix
join:2002-03-19
Romeo, MI

mix

Member

Akamai

In unrelated news, Akamai today announced the large sale of excess bandwidth capacity...

whfsdude
Premium Member
join:2003-04-05
Washington, DC

whfsdude

Premium Member

IPv6 Still Limelight

They still use Limelight for IPv6 (ipv6.netflix.com).

eg. netflix-475.vo.ipv6.llnwd.net

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

1 edit

FFH5

Premium Member

Akamai still a Netflix provider

»www.von.com/news/2010/11 ··· px?nck=1
Akamai spokesman Jeffrey Young, in statements to several tech sites, denied that Netflix is ending the arrangement or that there have been performance problems with Netflix streaming movies over Akamai’s network.

While the Netflix business is relatively small, in the $15 million range, investors were clearly swayed by reports that it will shift back to Limelight and Level 3. Akamai shares had lost nearly 4 percent of their value in midday trading, while Limelight shares rose 15 percent and Level 3 was up almost 12 percent.
»blogs.barrons.com/techtr ··· netflix/
Akamai (AKAM) continues to provide video streaming services to Netflix (NFLX) under a multi-year agreement, a spokesman for the company said this morning in an interview with Tech Trader Daily.

Earlier today, Level 3 (LVLT) announced that it has signed an agreement to be a primary content delivery network provider to Netflix. That raised obvious questions about the state of the relationship between Netflix and its other CDN partners - Akamai and Limelight Networks (LLNW). And while the release seemed to imply that Level 3 has improved its position against the other two, Akamai spokesman Jeffrey Young contends nothing has really changed.

Indeed, Netflix earlier this week said it has chosen to take a multi-vendor strategy, working with all three companies.
Netflix looking to bolster their CDN connections and provide redundancy in light of massive growth. And they also may be sending Akamai a pointed msg about the couple outages attributed to them by Netflix.
amungus
Premium Member
join:2004-11-26
America

amungus

Premium Member

Re: Akamai still a Netflix provider

"And they also may be sending Akamai a pointed msg about the couple outages attributed to them by Netflix."

...was wondering the same thing

I would bet they aren't entirely to blame, although it may be that there was enough reason that somebody decided to make this "felt."

kingdome74
Let's Go Orange
Premium Member
join:2002-03-27
Syracuse, NY

kingdome74

Premium Member

And in Other News II

Charter announced they will begin enforcing caps on their broadband customers. This is why every living soul in this country should vigorously oppose caps placed the internet. Just as companies find new and exciting ways to deliver content to their customers the masters of the road has decided it's time to close that superhighway and instead dig up a dirt road.

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: And in Other News II

said by kingdome74:

Just as companies find new and exciting ways to deliver content to their customers the masters of the road has decided it's time to close that superhighway and instead dig up a dirt road.
No, I think it means they want a piece of the action if the traffic is going over their road. Or in mafia lingo - a taste.
LINCSAT
Premium Member
join:2003-06-15
Markham, ON

LINCSAT

Premium Member

Re: And in Other News II

Just signed up in toronto and love it they are adding alot of stuff lately, between netflix and downloads I have cut the cord as of tuesday!

Mert
@ut.us

Mert to FFH5

Anon

to FFH5
This is what I don't understand. If I already pay Netflix and I already pay Comcast who is not already getting a taste? Why do they continue to require more and more and more of our $$$$$

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: And in Other News II

said by Mert :

This is what I don't understand. If I already pay Netflix and I already pay Comcast who is not already getting a taste? Why do they continue to require more and more and more of our $$$$$
Because as video traffic over the Internet grows and as users cut back on regular broadcast TV over cable, they have to make up for lost revenue. CEOs are measured by growth in profits, and they will not allow that to erode if they still own the pipes the video is going over. So as TV revenue shrinks, the money they get from the Internet side must grow to replace it. And unless there is some other company to replace them who is willing to accept lower profits, that is exactly what they will do.

So, prices for Internet access are going up one way or another. Either thru caps & overages targeted at heavy users or thru higher prices for everyone on their system.

tuaris
You Clicked on the Apple
join:2001-10-19
Naples, FL

tuaris

Member

Next step...drop silverlight.

Seriously, why did they even drink the .NET poison.
amungus
Premium Member
join:2004-11-26
America

amungus

Premium Member

Re: Next step...drop silverlight.

It is indeed a little bit atrocious on a computer, especially compared to streams on an Xbox or PS3 (can't vouch for quality on Roku, though I've heard nothing but good things).

I have a feeling they restrict bandwidth/quality on PC to nudge people into getting a dedicated device.

newview
Ex .. Ex .. Exactly
Premium Member
join:2001-10-01
Parsonsburg, MD

newview

Premium Member

Re: Next step...drop silverlight.

said by amungus:

It is indeed a little bit atrocious on a computer, especially compared to streams on an Xbox or PS3 (can't vouch for quality on Roku, though I've heard nothing but good things).
I use a re-purposed P4 3.0ghz computer with 1gb ram and a 512mb Geforce7 AGP video card to stream to my HDTV. I wouldn't call the resulting picture "atrocious" . . . it's equivalent to 720p that I see from DirecTV, with no choppiness or video/audio sync problems at all. Of course I've not seen an Xbox or PS3 stream so I can't really compare, but I'm extremely happy with my cobbled together Media Center that was previously just collecting dust in the back bedroom.

redxii
Mod
join:2001-02-26
Michigan

redxii

Mod

Re: Next step...drop silverlight.

You need at least a Intel Core i1337 with 512GB of DDR50-SDRAM and a GTX 5800000 or equivalent to play anything with Flash.

newview
Ex .. Ex .. Exactly
Premium Member
join:2001-10-01
Parsonsburg, MD

newview

Premium Member

Re: Next step...drop silverlight.

Hmmm . . . I'm watching Hulu movies with no problem.

kieranmullen
Premium Member
join:2005-12-12
Portland, OR

kieranmullen to tuaris

Premium Member

to tuaris
I dont like silverlight either, but Silverlight offers adaptive streaming if your connections slows. Does flash? I really don't like the secret deals with Microsoft preventing wii and ps3 users form getting a downloadble version of the software until the agreement ran out recently.

swanboy
join:2001-01-22
Hollywood, FL

1 recommendation

swanboy

Member

love em

I've been with netflix for a while. Always been a fan, but I'm so impressed with them these days.

I feel like I've watched them grow from a toddler, to an almost-failing company, and now to a towering giant of success.
They are worth every penny that I give them.
56403739 (banned)
Less than 5 months left
join:2006-03-08
Naples, FL

1 recommendation

56403739 (banned)

Member

Re: love em

And...they managed to do it without fucking over every vendor and business partner they pair up with.

swanboy
join:2001-01-22
Hollywood, FL

swanboy

Member

Re: love em

Yep. Rare isn't it...
decifal7
join:2007-03-10
Bon Aqua, TN

decifal7

Member

Would be!

This is a service i'd love to use!! My only hope is verizon lte coming in december but i'm thinking i'll be nerfed with high caps and overages.. That and they might of been blowing smoke up my arse about availability soo soon.

Fun things like this will likely be over by the time i get dsl. I'll have low caps, high overages and no fun :-( I'm all for a company making a profit.. But not a killing.. Don't rape people when your done fine with things being fair.

raypsi1
join:2001-04-09
Wayne, MI

raypsi1

Member

system requirements

On the netflix web site they don't say what the system requirements are. All they say is I need an internet connected PC. What a crock.

••••
MrHappy316
Wish I had my tank
Premium Member
join:2003-01-02
Columbia, SC

MrHappy316

Premium Member

Finally

Been waiting for my stock to go back up about time, given the exoflood and everything
rick0204
join:2009-05-20
North Bergen, NJ

rick0204

Member

Streaming only option available now

Apparently it is only available to new customers for $7.99. If you want to switch to 1 dvd at a time it will cost you $8.99 or a $1.00 increase from the $8.99 plan available now.

intelcelrn1
@acanac.com

intelcelrn1

Anon

Does nobody know?

Streaming in Canada is dead. Sorry pilot project, Bell and Rogers killed it. Good luck getting Canadians to pay 30/mth for streaming access (overages plus netflix fee)
Stojko
Premium Member
join:2007-10-20
St John's NL

Stojko

Premium Member

Re: Does nobody know?

Unfortunate but probably will end up true..