Netflix Cuts Off Their Foot To Please Hollywood → Thanks for the laughs

Forum overreaction to trivialities is hilarious.

I'm not arguing that the 28 day delay is ideal, but people canceling over this is absolutely amazing. Let's look at a few facts:

1) Warner Brothers releases 25-26 films per year. Source: »online.wsj.com/article/S ··· 929.html

2) The Netflix library has over 100,000 titles as of Feb of last year. Source: »netflix.mediaroom.com/in ··· item=307

3) People who rent fewer new releases get queued ahead of those who rent many new releases. Source: »www.soundandvisionmag.co ··· ork.html

As a heavy renter of new releases, you're already going to be throttled by the Netflix fairness system so that hasn't changed. What we're talking about here is for 25-26 films per year (Less than 0.026% of the Netflix library) you might have to wait an extra month before you would normally see a disc. Everything else you want to put in your queue keeps moving along right on schedule, and as part of the deal they added more titles to the Watch Instantly library.

So more Watch Instantly movies at the price of having 25-26 movies a year be slightly delayed is making people cancel?

Damn this is a touchy crowd.

My issue is the dearth of new movies on the streaming. I've never gotten movies by mail nor do I ever intend to do so. It has always seemed stupid to me. I've got a movie gallery 2 miles form my house. If I want a phsyical disc to rent I'll go and get it not wait for the mailperson to come.

for now I'll stick with Amazon

I have to concur.

Though, not for the "mathematics" reasons. (but, that's a good one).

There is - right now - more or less,a tiered release system for movies:

1. Theater;
2. DVD
3. Pay per view (satellite; cable; and, internet)
4. Premium pay television (HBO/Showtime);
5. 2d tier premium pay (Starz/Encore, etc.);
6. the remaining television stations.

(Though, DVD and Pay per view have become almost the same time frame.)

Right now, Netflix streaming is comparable to - and can substitute for - Starz/Encore (assuming you've got a decent internet connection). And, it's priced about the same (at least for DirecTV customers).

This deal boosts that aspect of Netflix. The trade-off is a slight delay on it's DVD side . . . but for a large chunk of it's customers, they don't really care about getting "x movie" on release day anyway.

It's simply unrealistic to believe that the media providers are going to pass up the "premium revenue" from either DVD's or pay per view. If you want it on release day - or as close as possible to it - it's going to be DVD (for the foreseeable future) or by PPV whether PPV is in the form of satellite; television; internet; or cable television.

And if they would do at least 1, 2 and 3 all on the same day they wouldn't have to worry about people torrenting their movies.

I call bullshit on this.

A paid service will never be able to compete with "free" copyright infringement. If that were the case you'd never see MP3s on P2P networks or Usenet groups-- not when services like Napster offer unlimited streaming access to their entire catalog for $5/mo and that includes 5 DRM-Free MP3 download tracks that you can keep. Titles are released the same day as CDs, same as with Amazon and iTunes.

Those that want to infringe copyright will do it no matter what. So I'm not talking about those people. There are those that are wiling to pay for content they just don't want to have to wait for months to get it. My son has a friend whose mom gets bootleg copies of movies still in theaters. Now she pays $5 for these. So obviously she's not trying to get FREE movies. So if she could go get the DVD or PPV the same time the movies is out in theaters why would she get a bootleg copy especially when it's inferior? Last year my son's teacher showed Monster's & Aliens to her class on a free day when it was only released in theaters 2 weeks prior. She even gave the kids the url so they could tell their parents. I suspect if this movie was on DVD she would have rented it and she wouldn't be spreading info on how to illegally download movies.

Now does Hollywood want this lost money or not?

Also if releasing movies for home viewing earlier is bad how come 25 years ago you typically waited 12-18 months from theatrical release to a movie being on VHS now it's 4-5 months from theater to DVD/blu-ray? Obviously earlier release is more profitable otherwise they wouldn't be doing it.

you killed your argument with the word DRM
sorry you lose...

Read it again a little more carefully, there's a hyphen followed by the word "free". As in no DRM.

Couldn't disagree more. I have downloaded movies before in the past and given the choice between Netflix and spending hour or so downloading....the choice is obvious....and I know others who download movies and doubt any of them would NOT choose Netflix either.

Given quality immediate streaming or spending awhile to download, the choice is easy and obvious to me

Plus the download quality isn't that good or it's only a file of the movie no BD ISO. A 22GB movie file becomes a tiny 5GB file and takes 1 to 2 hours to download.

quote:

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And if they would do at least 1, 2 and 3 all on the same day they wouldn't have to worry about people torrenting their movies.

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Maybe pirating would decrease somewhat. . . but the Studios would certainly lose the larger revenue streams created from theaters ($9 per person per ticket); DVD sales ($15 per disc); and pay per view ($5.99 per 24-hour window).

Netflix's $8.99 per MONTH for "all you can eat downloads" isn't going to generate the amount of cash the Studios (a) want or (b) need to produce enormously expensive movies like "Avatar."

No they wouldn't I don't go to movies now as is. I went a movie 6 months ago and before that it was 2 years. People that want the movie theater experience will still go.

I don't buy DVDs now. Never have. Many people are like that. Those they like buying DVDs still will.

How would PPV revenue be lower? PPV as it is now is 4,5, 6 months after the movie has been in theaters. You'd think having it out the same time as theaters would create MORE revenue for PPV not less.

As you admit it would REDUCE pirating. So less money lost is more money earned. Period.I'm not even talking about that. I didn't suggest they put new movies on Netflix streaming the same day. Next time try actually reading what people wirte.