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When paperbacks started costing > 9 dollars, I stopped buying them. It hurt to decrease my favorite entertainment, but with my scifi/fantasy appetite of 2-4 paperbacks a weekend, I just couldn't afford it.

Dude... haven't you got a library? The original source of free books...

If you've already replaced Blockbuster with Netflix, what are the odds you'll want to locate and trudge down to the nearest library when you can get your reading fix online? (Especially with some of the types of people who hang around libraries...at least Blockbuster didn't have that problem.)

Great point. I actually have been doing this with Star Trek TNG via NetFlix (While I hate their pop ups it's a good service). The episodes are so much better without commercials. it's easier to get into an stay in the fantasy world without someone trying to sell you dishwasher detergant.

Netflix

Ok, maybe that's one word...

Unlimited movies (I can have 3 out at a time), no late charges, postage paid return mailer, $20/month. Even cheaper if you can find a deal (I was offered a lower rate in exchange for agreeing to a specific period of membership).

I'm close to a Netflix distribution center so if drop off at USPS I'll get a new movie in 2-3 days.

Both the theaters and Blockbuster should be scared of Netflix.

If you can't find it locally, you can rent The Dish from NetFlix.

If you can't find it locally, you can rent The Dish from NetFlix.

I joined Netflix, one of the first of the DVD rental mailer companies, a long time ago and like it a lot. I was interested, then, to read a rough calculation that, in terms of 190,000 MPEG-2 format DVDs, Netflix's daily bandwidth totals 1.5 TB. This is a sizable fraction of the current total estimated Internet daily bandwidth: somewhere between 2-4 TB. Of course, Peter Wayner's calculations do not allow for the online delivery of movies in more compression-efficient formats, such as the MPEG-4-derived DIVX, where a typical 4-7 GB DVD can be reduced to around 700 MB with minimal quality loss.

I guess the CD manufacturers also thought they were safe, when a typical CD occupied 700MB of data in an era of mainly dialup connections. Then along came MP3 with its one-tenth compression ratio and so much for that idea. Netflix's current success is a temporary artifact of our restricted bandwidth and lack of suitable MPEG-4 hardware players.

And I found out from some surfing that some Netflix competitors, such as CafeDVD, QwikFlicks, and DVD Avenue, are cheaper and offer porn, something Netflix avoids.

The new facilities, which supplement the company's main distribution facility in San Jose, CA, are located in the Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Seattle and Washington, DC, metropolitan areas.

Perhaps someday there will be a $20/month service that lets me watch whatever I want to watch whever I want to watch it forever. When that day comes I'll feel like $20 per movie is a ripoff.

Try NetFlix. I've been using it for over a year and it ROCKS. Of course I live very near one of the main distribution cneters so most of my movie turn-around times are about 2 days from sending out to getting the next one on my list.

I'd pick the DVD. They'll have to drop the price a LOT to compete with brick-and-mortar rental store.

Why? You're also paying for the convenience of downloading the movie over broadband without ever leaving your home, remember. I frequently pay NetFlix more money than I would at Blockbuster, just so I can get anime DVDs the stores don't carry and have them delivered right to my home.

I still don't agree. People are lazy. How many times have movies been rented for 5 days, not watched and returned late for double the orginal rental fee?

Um... try Netflix then. Speaking as a lazy person, it's the only way to rent DVDs.

Jeff

Consumers are all too happy to pay more for the superior picture and sound on a disk that actually costs the industry less to mass produce and ship than VHS tapes.

Remember that DVDs are also more convenient to use (instant access and no rewinding). And they typically provide suppliments like feature-length commentaries, cast interviews, trailers, and other previews.

Finally, just about all DVDs these days are sporting new anamorphic transfers (often made from a new HD transfer straight from the original interpositive). Manufacturing costs aren't all that's involved in the price of DVDs, and yeah, I'm willing to pay more (and even pay better margins to the studios) for better quality.

The higher price and the mandatory five-minute commercials (which one could FFWD through on a VCR) are accepted as the "tradeoff" for these great benefits.

Mandatory five-minute commercials? You're kidding, right? I watch probably five new DVDs every week (NetFlix rules), and I've never seen a mandatory commercial. In fact, the only mandatory portion of any DVDs that I've seen are the FBI Warnings, and even those are often skippable.

It's a nice rant and all, but you should at least try to be factually correct.

Luckily it was from Netflix so I didn't have to actually shell out money for bad product.

What are you, nuts? $100/month for DVDs? Get netflix! It's only $20/month and you can have 3 DVDs out at a time. Postage paid mailing labels make getting/returning them easy and now they have a distribution center in the East so they get to you even faster.

I've really liked the service so far.

i know just what you mean. i love mozilla but still use IE when i log into netflix because the same popup killer in mozilla won't let me see the confirmation windows when i add movies to my queue

Drop the cable, she'll get over it. Seriously.

I don't have cable, digital or otherwise. For movies I have my Netflix subscription, and I get the major networks with a cheap antenna I got from Radio Shack. That should tide anyone over once they adjust, no?

YMMV, but we get enough channels to find something half-way decent on most of the time, I get Fox for the Simpsons and can see quite a few locally televised Red Sox games. (Go Sox!) :^P Dropped cable a long time ago as I was sick of their high rates and horrid customer service and really haven't looked back.

According to NetFlix, It is out on DVD.

According to NetFlix, It is out on DVD.

Try this
They seem to have some anime stuff, but I'm not sure what you like...

This company rents you unlimited DVDs for a monthly fee. You can have 3 DVDs out at a time, and when you return them (at company's expense) you can get your next selection (shipped at their expense as well). No late fees or anything since you pay by month not quantity.

I don't know anything about this company but I've heard people talk about it at work, and they're apparently pretty good except getting new releases might be difficult (not a problem if all you want is anime, I suppose.)

Why not just rent your anime ovre the internet? DVDOvernight and Netflix both have a wide selection of anime titles, and with netflix, you can even get a free trial. You rent up to three movies at a time, they mail them to you, and you keep them as long as you want, and when you're finished, you mail them back in a pre-paid envelope they provide. Now you can watch something other than Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns while sitting alone by yourself in your parents' basement.

Why not just rent your anime ovre the internet? DVDOvernight and Netflix both have a wide selection of anime titles, and with netflix, you can even get a free trial. You rent up to three movies at a time, they mail them to you, and you keep them as long as you want, and when you're finished, you mail them back in a pre-paid envelope they provide. Now you can watch something other than Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns while sitting alone by yourself in your parents' basement.

Why not just rent your anime ovre the internet? DVDOvernight and Netflix both have a wide selection of anime titles, and with netflix, you can even get a free trial. You rent up to three movies at a time, they mail them to you, and you keep them as long as you want, and when you're finished, you mail them back in a pre-paid envelope they provide. Now you can watch something other than Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns while sitting alone by yourself in your parents' basement.

Check out NetFlix.

Have you checked Netflix's anime section? What about other DVD mailers?

Personally, I have a Netflix membership that lets me take out 5 DVD's at a time for $30 a month. I would rather watch 15 DVD movies a month for $2/DVD than record a limited selection of movies off HBO coupled with some crappy sitcoms. I think this device is just an attempt by M$ to bring life back in to machine that appears to be dying less than a year after it was released.

So I thought - I'm gonna go over to Netflix and queue up Tarkovsky's Solaris. Haven't seen it since like high-school. Guess what. No DVD. Got me thinking. What kind of 'businessman' in their right mind would release such a thing on DVD anyway - only to be seen by like 3 or 4 people. Unfortunately, I don't have a VCR, so I can't watch it that way. Like you'd be able to even rent Solaris on VHS at Blockbuster. Same problem there - 1 rental a year won't pay for the shelf space. So, this great work of art goes on the ash heap of history. I think that if we let the recording industry assert their rights so much, we had better obligate them to keep such obscurities available at all times as well - in all new formats that come into existence. For 70 years after the copyright holder is dead.

1. Go to Netflix.com.
2. Click on Customer Service.
3. Search for Canada.
4. Click on the only answer.

Q: Do you ship internationally?
A: Netflix currently does not rent DVDs outside of the United States with the exception of Puerto Rico, FPO and APO addresses.

1. Go to Netflix.com.
2. Click on Customer Service.
3. Search for Canada.
4. Click on the only answer.

Q: Do you ship internationally?
A: Netflix currently does not rent DVDs outside of the United States with the exception of Puerto Rico, FPO and APO addresses.

I've been using Netflix for about 6 months and been pretty satisfied. My average cost per movie is about $2.29 (under the $19.95/month plan). That's not too bad, considering I live in semi-rural Alaska (shipping each way is usually about 3 days).

I don't care for them splitting up two disk sets though. If a movie comes on two disks (such as The Godfather, Part II), you have to rent each one seperatly.

The original 1997 film can be rented from NetFlix, and I highly recommend it.

I haven't seen this summer's US remake, but from what I've read, they've watered down the plot for Americans. I wish Katz had watched both and done a comparative review.

You do not have to give blockbuster your social security number. They ask for it but you don't have to give it to them and they will still give you a card.

The last time I put in for a card at Blockbuster, I left that part of the form empty. They didn't even ask me for it when they went to plug everything into their computer system.

(I haven't rented from them in months...Netflix has a much better selection and is cheaper and more convenient.)

When I mentioned that I couldn't find anything by Ingmar Bergman...

These must be new additions then, because it only took me about 30 seconds to find four by Bergman.

Autumn Sonata (1978)
Cries and Whispers (1972)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Wild Strawberries (1957)

When I mentioned that I couldn't find anything by Ingmar Bergman...

These must be new additions then, because it only took me about 30 seconds to find four by Bergman.

Autumn Sonata (1978)
Cries and Whispers (1972)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Wild Strawberries (1957)

When I mentioned that I couldn't find anything by Ingmar Bergman...

These must be new additions then, because it only took me about 30 seconds to find four by Bergman.

Autumn Sonata (1978)
Cries and Whispers (1972)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Wild Strawberries (1957)

When I mentioned that I couldn't find anything by Ingmar Bergman...

These must be new additions then, because it only took me about 30 seconds to find four by Bergman.

Autumn Sonata (1978)
Cries and Whispers (1972)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
Wild Strawberries (1957)

I signed up today for one reason alone, you know all those overpriced DVD's of the documentaries and biographies you see on TV? They have them, although you wouldn't know it from the main page on their site due to poor infotecture.

I signed up today for one reason alone, you know all those overpriced DVD's of the documentaries and biographies you see on TV? They have them, although you wouldn't know it from the main page on their site due to poor infotecture.

Seems like they've updated their policy information on their website since you were with them, at least. When friends first suggested Netflix to me, and I was checking it out before subscribing, I did pretty easily find a reference to this part of their policy:

If you decide to cancel, remember that cancellation is effective immediately, and all discs must be returned to NetFlix within 7 days. [More info is at Netflix.]

It definitely could suck to pay, say, an extra month's subscription fee just to make sure all the disks I sent back arrived. But I suppose that's one of the drawbacks that balances the convenience of never having to go to the video store.

I dunno if it was in place when you were a subscriber either, but there's a way to report DVDs that never arrived as well. Fortunately I haven't had to use this (yet?) so I don't know what they actually do if you report a shipping problem, but at least there's an established process.

Inquisition this, you science dinks! --The Tick

I've been using Netflix for about year and a half. I've been genetally satisfied, however I notice that service goes downhill , slowly but steady. The most irritating new "feature" for me is that now, when you rent a movie which comes on 2 dvd's, you have to rent them as a two separate items! Example. What could be worse then receiving the last 1/3 of the movie and wait until the beggining willl come out of the "long wait" blackhole!

But the idea is already flying. According to Netflix they've been in business since 1998 and currently have 500,000 subscribers. That's over $10 million a month in subscription revenue, assuming subscriptions average out to the $20/3-movie level. In fact, since there's only one lower level (2 movies a month at $14) but three upgrades available, they most likely average higher than that.

Of course, since Netflix is privately held, we don't know what their bottom line looks like. But they're also not exposed to anti-dot.com feeling in the stock markets.

I'd say that they're well past the point of a new dot.com idea with no proven business plan, and pretty well established. Will they last long-term? Who'd want to predict that? Of course, they're potentially vulnerable to rate hikes by the USPS, but they've got plenty of allies to help them lobby against extreme ones, and I'm sure their number-crunchers have run plenty of scenarios to plan for higher postage costs.

Inquisition this, you science dinks! --The Tick

Netflix isn't the only one around. There's Rentmydvd.com which incidentally also has a branch in NY. There are some others that are small-scale like Cafedvd.com that operate on a pay-per-DVD option. And back to Netflix and Rentmydvd.com, the thing I like about them is the flexibility they offer. You can, for instance, change your subscription for a particular month to a 2 DVDs a time if its finals time or you're really tight with your work. And you end up paying lesser.

All said and done, what's really needed is a lot more of the classics being converted to DVDs. Usually, if the movie has a DVD version, Netflix has them. Its the ones that don't that are hard to get. It'd be great if these folks would pursue bringing out DVD editions of these movies.

PS: There's also talk abt Netflix opening up shop elsewhere in the country.

I had an idea of organizing CD sharing network for friends. You know, Netflix allows you to rent DVDs and it's very convenient. Why not organize something similar for musical CDs?
I personally would prefer to get CDs in mail without all the hassle with mp3. Do you know if such a service would be legal in the US?

Not that this isn't a good thing in the long run, but who does it really benefit now? I mean, if things in Australia are like they are in the US, Blockbuster still charges a premium for DVD rental over VHS rental even though a VHS movie might cost $120 and a DVD of the same movie $15.

Why is that, exactly? Is this the CD pricing scheme all over again? I stopped going to brick-and-mortar video stores and started a NetFlix account. It's a little less convienent, but I pay $2-3 per movie depending on how many I manage to cram into a month.

Phathead

If you're trying to replace Blockbuster, then check out Netflix -- no late fees, and the DVDs get delivered by the mailman. I doubt that any "movies on demand" system is going to be a Blockbuster killer, since with a rental system you get to have the movie over a period of days, and the opportunity to watch it multiple times or episodically. (And the episodic capability is really nice if you've got little kids. I've now only got half-hour chunks of time in which to watch movies.)

While watching the movie chrisd got his ass kicked with a society that is fascist and hudled under domes. Exactly how do you assault someone with a society? See Horton Hears a Who or Men in Black for details.

Amen, brutha! I joined Netflix a couple months ago and haven't been to the theatre since. Saved me a bundle too. Someone gave me a pair of free passes so I'll probably use them tonight and see Monsters Inc (no special engagements so FoTR next week is out). I will pay to see FoTR after all the rabid fanboys have had their fill and I can watch it in peace... but that's it until The Two Towers next year!

For anyone who hasn't seen this because it didn't make it to your town, consider renting the DVD of Memento. It's great.

There's a (potentially) better solution: Netflix. I've just started using it, but in theory it looks good. For $20.00 a month, you get as many DVD's as you want, for as long as you want, but you can only hold on to 3 at a time. When you send one back, they send you the next one on your list. The disks get send to your mailbox and the return mailers are pre-paid. Seems like a good deal to me.

Downloadable movies? Haha, who are they kidding? Ok, let's go over the math again.

First, 90% of American households with internet access STILL USE DIAL-UP. Like people want to sit there and download a 500 meg file to watch it ONCE.

Secondly, those with broadband already have easy sources for movies currently in theaters or just released on DVD. Kazaa, Gnutella, Hotline, FTP, IRC, etc...

Thirdly, why would anyone want to wait to rent movies that are available as DVDs? If you have US Postal Service, you can sign up for NetFlix and rent DVDs thru the mail. It's $19.95 a month and you get to check out three DVDs at a time. They have new releases and foreign films. There aren't any late fees and to return DVDs, just drop them in the return envelope they provide. Mad easy! (Only problem with NetFlix is that since I'm located in NJ, it takes a while for them to ship and receive the DVDs I rent.)

w00t!

People don't tend to fork over larger amounts of cash for smaller payments. A lot of the Asian video stores I used to rent movies from (I use netflix.com now.) would charge you $50 to rent a video from them before they'd let you open an account. Then all the rentals you made after that were debited from your original $50.

Most of those stores aren't around anymore, because people hate doing that. There's this psychological barrier that customers have to overcome. They start thinking, "Am I really going to use $10 worth of this content?"

Now this works really good for the pr0n industry, because there are certain brain circumventing hormones at work there, including the well documented powers of L.I.B.F. (Lust Induced Brain Freeze.) Nobody ever goes, man, I need some hot humor, now! (Or if they do, they need help.)

But I dunno, maybe something like that would work...but it'd also require a whole different set-up, and putting up the infrastructure for that is going to run someone some cash, too...

Then donate a few bucks to the EFF to help make sure you'll still be allowed to use the digital equivalent of a VCR in a few years...