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Between the Lines

Larry Dignan, Andrew Nusca and Rachel King

Netflix's streaming option: The DVD isn't dead yet

By | November 23, 2010, 4:10am PST

Summary: When it comes to Netflix’s streaming only option, not all movies are treated equally.

Judging by some of the Facebook updates and tweets I saw yesterday, a fair number of people are excited about the less-expensive, streaming-only option that’s been added by Netflix. After all, it represents what consumers love - instant gratification for less money.

But before you go downgrading your membership to the streaming-only option, ask yourself one simple question: do you have a lot of movie catching-up to do or are you one of those people who watches out for new releases to put into the queue?

If you’re the type who still hasn’t seen the first Iron Man, let alone Iron Man 2, then this streaming deal may be a good option for you. But if you’re looking to watch both of those movies during an Iron Man marathon over the weekend, you’ll need to keep paying the extra $1 for the DVD option - at least for a few more months.

As you can see, not all movies in the Netflix catalog are available for streaming.

The Hangover? The Departed? Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds? All of them are DVD only.

That’s not to say that the streaming-only option - at a lower price - isn’t a great deal. Netflix certainly has made a name for itself in the streaming business, pushing the streaming app into set-top boxes and video game consoles so that the streams aren’t just being watched on laptops or the iPad, but also on big-screen living room TVs, too - the way some movies should be watched.

And eventually, the company will cut the deals, presumably with the studios, to make the full catalog, including new releases, available for both streaming and DVD rentals. In August, for example, the company announced a deal to make movies from Lions Gate, MGM and Paramount Pictures available for streaming.

But until the full catalog is available for streaming, you might want to consider paying that extra buck for a few more months - just to make sure you can watch any movie in the Netflix catalog.

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Sam has been a technology and business blogger for more than 18 years.

Disclosure

Sam Diaz

Sam Diaz has nothing to disclose.

Biography

Sam Diaz

Sam has been a technology and business blogger, reporter and editor at ZDNet, the Washington Post, San Jose Mercury News and Fresno Bee for more than 18 years. He's a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and a graduate of California State University, Fresno.

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RE: Netflix's streaming option: The DVD isn't dead yet
birumut Updated - 20th Jun
Great!!! thanks for sharing this information to us!
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poor selection
sportmac 23rd Nov 2010
there really isn't a lot of "new" in the movie section.
since i bought my apple tv a few weeks back the recently added section has managed to add zero titles.
the movies available for streaming are mostly of the c and d category - and old. even a smattering of good b movies would be welcome.
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Agreed...
gtvr 23rd Nov 2010
Even with the new agreement, I'm not seeing the quality of movies for instant that I'd like. I'm one of those "where did I leave that DVD" types who would love to do streaming only.
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RE: Netflix's streaming option: The DVD isn't dead yet
Pete "athynz" Athens 23rd Nov 2010
I've used Netflix for a few months now and the streaming is great - I use my Wii for streaming on the TV and stream on my laptop and desktop - but I would not forgo my 1 DVD unlimited plan because there are many titles I want to see that are not available for streaming... and the ones that are not I'm content to wait for the DVD.
I just got an email that NetFlix's rates are going up due to streaming not too long after I complained about the "in your face" ad campaign I face every time I login. I CAN"T STREAM! Long time customer about to take my marbles and go.
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Streaming Selection Is Decreasing
TangoMe 23rd Nov 2010
I keep finding more and more selections on my Instant View Queue on Netflix disappearing or moving to "Saved." At first I noticed some were gone on my streaming device and checked my account through Firefox and found a whole TV series had been removed. That was September.

Since then I see more and more movies that get removed from my Instant View Queue. My girlfriend and I have just started watching Adam-12, a show I remember from my childhood and now I see it disappears in 6 more days. Not one season, but all seasons! If I had known that 3 weeks ago, I wouldn't have started on it.

I don't like saying, "Pay the extra dollar a month" because that only rewards Netflix for advertising a service (streaming) that provides less and less each month.

They're going to have to make a major change in January if I'm going to keep my membership.
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What about their blu-ray ?
TxM2xTx 23rd Nov 2010
Wasn't that even more expensive, yet no mention about it. Or does that fall under the DVD category ?
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Amusement
JimboNobody 23rd Nov 2010
I find myself using the streaming more than the DVDs. That means I am often watching films I didn't choose, but were merely immediately available. I am reminded that amusement comes from a root which means "not to think".
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Bummer
LarsDennert 23rd Nov 2010
Looks like Netflix is backpeddling on providing an Android app to stream content citing security risks. Meanwhile Blockbuster, youtube, pandora, tv.com, discovery and soon hulu have figured it out.
I was paying $8.99/month for 1 DVD at a time and unlimited streaming. After trying the streaming, I gave up. It frequently stops to reevaluate my broadband speed, then reduces the quality. Functions like fast forward, skip, etc., don't work well in streaming. I prefer to wait for the DVD. It's not like they have so much great stuff to watch that I need to get it as quickly as possible. I can barely keep a list going for the 8 or so DVDs a month I get in the mail from them.

Also, they made the streaming "cheaper" by raising the price on my subscription to $9.99. Even so, I don't consider saving $2/month worth giving up 8 or so DVDs a month and putting up with the inferior quality of the streaming service.
Well for those of us in Rural America, we do not have the option of streaming
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We've had Netflix 1 DVD and unlimited streaming a little over a year now and I am glad I don't pay it... or it would be history. Their selection is the pits. It is ok if you have lived in a cave over the last decade. A majority new titles are foreign crap I wouldn't let me great grandmother watch. And if you do see something that might strike your arousal or interest, you put it in your que... and guess what... You get a message... "short or long wait". Unbelievable!

I have a new 55" LCD LED LG TV and it has Netflix and Hulu built in... Hulu is 10x better than Netflix... but it is more costly. However, for the price of a HD movie from Hulu, I am glad I watch it in HD quality and now I don't have to worry about returning a disc, or storing the case and disc... if it is something I consider a classic and I want for my library, I'll go and buy it!
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I'm on the 8.99 plan. I do 95% of my viewing via streaming, but I still want the option of the occasional DVD. In fact, I keep one DVD out, unwatched, to stop the DVD queue until I'm ready to use it. I don't need "unlimited", what I need is streaming with the occasional option to take a DVD (maybe once or twice a month). It seems the "$1 more a month" does this, but I don't like paying extra for something I'm not using. While $12 a year isn't that much, when multiplied by the millions of users, it's a WINDFALL for Netflix (as seen by their stock soaring), and that's what I don't like. Just greed.
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In addition to the concerns about title selection, streaming is simply not an option for the large number of people who don't have the option of reliable high-speed broadband.

I'm not talking dial-up; I'm just referring to the vast expanses of the country that are served by spotty, low-end broadband services. (Armstrong Cable, I'm talking to you...)

What's more, even if I did have great coverage, are the streaming HD selections truly 1080p HD? If not, I'll stick with Blu-Ray, at least for new movies.

Until broadband gets MUCH faster, until the selection is MUCH wider and more current, and until they stream in true 1080p HD, I would argue that streaming benefits Netflix more than it does the customer.
Another reason the DVD isn't dead yet is because of the options a DVD offers, which watching something online doesn't... For example, Subtitles / Captions, Screen size selections, Previews / Trailers at the beginning of DVDs, Commentaries by Directors and other special features...
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Great!!! thanks for sharing this information to us!
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