http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/Jan 16th 2007 9:55AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
Though I'm not going to complain about free...]]>Jan 16th 2007 9:59AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/They have to employ a cycle of improvement to support customers

cycle of improvement
===================================
1. Add bandwidth/servers
2. service good? goto 4
3. service pathetic? goto 1
4. all customers have access?
5. yes, goto 7
6. no, goto 1
7. add servers/bandwidth, goto 8
8. monitor for service degradation
9. service good? goto 8
10. service pathetic? goto 1
==================================
end of cycle]]>Mar 1st 2007 12:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
]]>Jan 16th 2007 10:03AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
I'm currently with Gamez N Flix ( http://gameznflix.com ). They're OK, but they have WAAAY too slow of a turnaround. Especially since one of their centers is, IIRC, about 100 miles from me.

So I'm about to switch to Intelliflix ( http://intelliflix.com ). I'm going to try them for a month or two and, if they have good service, plunge into their year's subscription which offers a deep discount over monthly rates.]]>Jan 16th 2007 10:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
I really don't plan on leaving Netflix because their turn around time is normally very very good (except for the current movie that they are sending me which shipped from Maryland, but they also told me that it would take longer and gave me a delivery date).

But Gamefly may be getting cut. The discounts that they have on pre-played games can't be beat. But I feel that they almost make up for that in the monthly charge that stick you with. And ti also seems that nothing is is stock anymore. I'm sure this is due to lots of new business from Christmas console purchases. But what better way to loose a customer then to suffer from growing pains.

I will also have to check out the Intelliflix that you posted. I didn't even know about them. ...And adult titles also. I'm not big on adult stuff but I like having the option available. Wait... used adult DVD's... Maybe I'll pass on renting those after all. Or make sure I have on a pair of latex gloves when handling them...]]>Jan 16th 2007 7:38PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
Seems interesting at least. 18 hours a month of free online viewing (i.e. not an additional charge beyond what I was paying netflix anyway) seems pretty nice to me. Not sure how much I'll want to watch in a browser, but seems like a nice way to maybe watch something I wouldn't necessarily bother putting in my queue, etc. ]]>Jan 16th 2007 10:06AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
Lets me out. They'd better cut the price of my service if they don't intend upon providing me with a full-featured account.]]>Jan 16th 2007 10:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/Jan 16th 2007 10:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
Movie downloads represent a significant service enhancement, not some minor point update. In fact, they stand to become a major part of Netflix's future business. At some point, I see the "account-with-downloading" becoming the standard account. If, then, Netflix _precludes, by their own choices of technology_ my participation in that level of service, I should not have to pay the same as someone who gets the full ride. There's no reason I should be asked to fund infrastructure that I am refused the use of.

No one should be required to pay Porsche prices for Trabant service.]]>Jan 16th 2007 12:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/Jan 16th 2007 11:17PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
It seems like a lot of us cinephiles have a problem with the lack of support for Macs, so I would have thought that building something for us might be a higher priority. On the other hand, I found Jaman (http://www.jaman.com), so I probably wouldn't even use Netflix for anything other than commercial big studio productions for the downloads.]]>May 21st 2007 3:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/Jan 16th 2007 10:26AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/Jan 16th 2007 10:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/Jan 16th 2007 10:45AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
Why not DivX? ]]>Jan 16th 2007 11:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/Jan 16th 2007 11:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/Jan 16th 2007 11:03AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
Blockbuster Video= OWNED!]]>Jan 16th 2007 11:15AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
It's a nice feature for travelling with a laptop. Watch a movie in the hotel with thier wi-fi connection and it doesn't cost me anything extra over my current netflix subscription. For a FREE bonus it's a great idea!

I don't want to download a DIVX movie when I get the DVD in a day from netflix. I'd rather watch a DVD than a downloaded DIVX.

]]>Jan 16th 2007 11:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/Jan 16th 2007 11:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/Jan 16th 2007 12:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/Jan 16th 2007 12:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
Excuse, but I can't help but feel that your logic is flawed. Netflix is only offering an additional medium to view films. You're still getting what you originally paid for.

Let's say that Sony started including portable versions of their artists' albums with the CD purchase. I'm assuming that these will either be UMD's, some type of proprietary format that will only work with some current or future Sony portable player, or maybe passcodes to download the films from a Connect-type store. Would you expect to pay less for the disc because you can't take advantage of the expanded portable formats, considering that you are still able to access the CD in all the traditional ways?]]>Jan 16th 2007 2:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.netflix.com/InstantWatchingRollout

System requirements exclude Macs. This will prevent me from enjoying a service that other subscribers are receiving for the same price. In June I'll be switching to Blockbuster if this is not fixed.]]>Jan 16th 2007 1:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
@ poster thinking of signing up for Intelliflix. DO NOT DO IT BY ANY MEANS! Just google reviews of it and you'll see. I paid for a year service (~$100ish) and received about 5 movies from my queue of about 20. When I did receive movies, they took up to a month between movies to arrive. I didnt receive any further DVDs and no updates on their webpage about my account status. They just vanished. Recently they billed me another $100 which I did not authorize (presumably for another yr of service) and now have to file a claim with my bank to get it back. Moral of the story...Intelliflix=no. ]]>Mar 1st 2007 7:50PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.jaman.com]]>May 21st 2007 3:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
That would make me buy one in a heartbeat. I can download a movie a day easliy ... if not faster.]]>Jan 16th 2007 1:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/Jan 16th 2007 1:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://img483.imageshack.us/my.php?image=snap1mi6.jpg

That's what I currently see with my account.]]>Jan 16th 2007 1:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/Jan 16th 2007 1:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
Would you be comfortable paying the same price for dialup as you pay for DSL/cable? Even given that dialup continues to provide the same level of service that it gave in 1998? No?

Of course not. The standard moves forward, and prices for the "old standard" drop. This is progress in the marketplace. If the new standard includes more services than the old standard, then people who are precluded from using the new standard should be offered the old service at lower prices. QED.]]>Jan 16th 2007 2:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
That's why it's total crap. You can't watch the movies you "download" on anything else but your PC, and not only that, but only on a browser.

That may work for YouTube where the quality of the video does not necessarily have to be that great, but to watch full length movies on a freakin' browser? No, thanks.]]>Jan 16th 2007 2:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/Jan 16th 2007 3:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
It's called capitalism. Market forces cause the changes you are describing. If Blockbuster would make you happier for your money, feel free to switch. The price for plain-old-boring-DVD-Netflix is not relative to Netflix-DVD+WatchNow, it is relative to the competition. Also WatchNow costs almost nothing to provide, relative to the physical DVD business... physical media, inventory management, and human labor ain't cheap compared to a few servers and some bandwidth.

That said, I'm sure the realistic course of things will be that after WatchNow gets traction, becomes more useful (MCE, etc), in general matures, it will become a paid feature and standalone DVD rental will be priced separately (e.g. they will be unbundled). But again that is partly dictated by the competition.

Oh and one other thing that is not really relevant to my point: if you take into account the phone line cost, dialup does actually cost the same as, or more than, base level DSL/cable in many markets. :) (Due in part to captive markets, and also similar costs for providing either service. Actually, again, DSL is probably cheaper to provide than dialup, all told.)

Eh, in summary, wait and see, and if think another service would make you happier, go for it, and don't forget to tell Netflix why you are leaving so that they can take it into account if enough people say the same thing. Yay for voting with the consumer dollar!]]>Jan 16th 2007 3:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
Selection will matter. Can I get that movie that's been on Very Long Wait since I've signed up instantly streaming? That would be great, as long as the quality is there.]]>Jan 16th 2007 3:22PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
Very good argument. We'll see what comes in June, but I wouldn't be surprised if they:

A) treated it like their version of the Blockbuster program -- mail it in, or watch it on your computer, same price. It's just too new and raw to be a viable paradigm shift (see the griping from several other users about the sheer audacity of Netflix to offer a free, optional addition to their service that won't clean their house after pleasuring them).

-or-

B) Treated it as a paradigm shift, and provided the full version as some type of premium service (think the original days of DSL, when it was $20 for dial-up and like $80 for the faster connection).

Either way, I would be very surprised if Netflix "standard" became cheaper until much later in the product cycle.]]>Jan 16th 2007 3:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
Netflix should offer me a free subscription, seeing how I can't take FULL advantage of their service because I don't have a DVD player..


Nerd

Wait
Don't use it

Get :

A PC

A Life

Over it!


]]>Jan 16th 2007 3:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
either way, i have moved on to HD. i simply refuse to watch movies unless they are in HD. for now this limits me to using an HD Tivo, but soon I'll be getting an Xbox 360 with the hd-dvd drive and at that point will sign up with netflix or blockbuster again.]]>Jan 16th 2007 4:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/Jun 9th 2007 11:01PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/Jan 16th 2007 4:03PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/lol]]>Mar 1st 2007 12:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/read some customer reviews:

http://www.dvdrr.com/reviews/Intelliflix.html]]>Jan 16th 2007 6:33PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
"XP-only. IE-only."
Didn't see a IE only qualifier so I'm assuming it isn't IE only. For the people complaining they do say it's going to be available in other formats. I run XP but I don't have it yet either but meh, it'll come and I'm not paying extra for it.

And for the people who don't even have Netflix I have no idea why you're complaining.]]>Jan 16th 2007 7:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/Jan 16th 2007 8:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/
Getting the studios to agree to a download service is not going to happen any time soon. They're still trying to keep MovieLink afloat, despite the fact that no one uses it.

I don't want to pay for an individual rental, and I don't want to buy a low-res download from ITMS. Ideally, I'd like to be able to download a movie to my iPod, with some type of DRM, as part of a flat-monthly-fee program like Netflix (of course, I'd still want to watch most movies on DVD via mail). The DRM could keep me within the three-at-a-time restriction, and would make the studios happy. But DRM was meant to be cracked, so I don't think it will happen soon.]]>Jan 16th 2007 9:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/16/netflix-watch-now-feature-offers-movie-download-alternative/]]>Mar 1st 2007 1:00PM