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Amazon to Enter the Online DVD Rental Business
ChrisF79 writes "Wired News is reporting that Amazon.com is hiring programmers to work with online dvd rentals. From the article: "Advertising for positions based at the company's Seattle headquarters, the listings seek engineers to help in 'building systems and algorithms that must move inventory between our fulfillment centers and our customers in a way that gives customers exactly what they want, when they want it.' The postings indicate they are specifically for an online DVD rental service." Netflix seems to have a stronghold on the market so despite numerous advantages for Amazon, especially economies of scale, can Amazon enter the market and surpass Netflix?"
Of course, if all that fails, they can follow their usual MO and file a patent for the idea of unlimited online rentals for a monthly fee and drive Netflix out of business that way.
-JMP
I was a NetFlix subscriber for about two years, because they were the best of what was around. Recently, I switched to Blockbuster's in-store unlimited rentals, because it could give me something that NetFlix couldn't: instant gratification.
I am fickle. With NetFlix, I too frequently found a DVD in my mailbox that I felt like watching 3 days ago. Being able to pick out a movie and be watching it 20 minutes later really makes a world of difference.
Perhaps NetFlix will go one better. With movie downloads just around the bend, it appears that they're taking innovation and competition in their industry very seriously. Amazon may have the inventory and distribution architecture to easily catapult themselves into the market, but if they don't have anything more interesting than DVDs-by-mail on the horizon, they may quickly find themselves left behind.
domain combinatorics
I think Amazon's advantage is that because of the sheer volume of shipping they currently do they can probably get better prices on video shipping.
However, personally, I really never use Amazon for anything more than books. Perhaps it has caught on in other markets, but I really see Amazon as a book place. I think my first instinct would still be to go to Netflix if I wanted to rent movies.
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netflix is very nice, but i ended up canceling my service. I had it for a few months but eventualy canceled because i dont watch enough movies to make it worth my while.
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...for whom the bell tolls, for it tolls for Blockbuster!!!
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When netflix lowered their price in competition with blockbuster, netflix claimed they were in jeopardy of making pennies for profit. The opposite happened and their stock prices went higher.
I am really confused as to whether everybody is still overcharging. Considering everyone has an endless queue list that seem to be sending things out of order again and again. There is still a real supply problem.
...before anyone else can claim prior art!
"Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
History has shown that when it comes to Internet businesses, nothing is forever ... So if Amazon gives better service and/or better prices Netflix customers will have no remorse switching.
Amazon already have a DVD rental system in the UK. I have never tried it as I use LoveFilm, but I hear its ok.
They have already entered the DVD rental market: Amazon.de Launches DVD Rental Service For Customers in Germany, Amazon.co.uk Launches New DVD Rental Service
Isn't this just US Amazon getting behind the times?
...Amazon in the UK have been doing DVD rentals for a while now. Presumably this hasn't been true in the US until now?
:)
I wonder if they've held off to iron out the logistical problems that having a considerably larger distribution area will cause compared to us over in our tiny country
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Amazon already does this in the UK. Since learning about this from my friends over there, I figured it was just a matter of time before they brought the program over here.
What do you know I wrote a novel
They've been there done that http://www.amazon.co.uk/
Better flight searching coming soon.
FWIW, I recently read that Netflix started in 1998, Amazon 1994.
The only way Amazon would get me interested would be if they offered more foreign releases, such as region 2 and region 3 titles that Netflix doesn't offer. In my neighborhood is a rental company named Scarecrow Video that offers 70,000 unique titles (compare to 40k of Netflix). They have VHS tapes and laser disks dating back to the 80s, things that never made it to DVD, and DVDs that are out of print.
Anyway, for your Average Joe/Jane, selection isn't that important. But I really like a comprehensive store, especially with Asian titles that never make it to the States.
I'll stick with netflix unless they go patent crazy.
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The way that Amazon could really gain an advantage is if they could find a way to combine buying other items with DVD rental. If I could buy a book, and get it shipped free with my incoming DVD that would be something. Otherwise, I don't see how they can compete except on price or name regonition.
I don't practice what I preach because I'm not the kind of person that I'm preaching to.
With the deployment of the XBox 360 in mass quantities in '06, content producers will have the ability to content lock their movies. Microsoft will finally be able to promise that security to media execs, which will then loosen them up enough to allow the streaming to occur. When that desire is coupled with the increased availability of broadband, the on-demand downloading will finally go mainstream with Microsoft attempting to lead the way. Others in this market will be Apple with iVideo, potentially Sony on the PS3, and potentially juggernaut Google to the PC.
Unless Amazon can couple the download with the the DVD rental (both will be necessary), they will be too late to be of consequence. My guess is that Netflix, Intelliflix, and Blockbuster will all begin on demand downloads by the end of next year.
of course it depends on your taste in films, the rocky box set is £25 in one store near where i work. bought Solaris last week for £4 from Virgin Megastore. Having about 6 stores within half a mile of where i work all fighting to get rid of lots of stock at cheap prices is great. And then there's the (probably legally dubious) ex rentals from my local blockbuster and choice videos offering newish films at low low prices. in this instance i tend to buy really obscure/foreign films that are highly unlikely to have been watched that many times = bargains.
obviously i dont know how well this all translates across the pond but basically i hardly ever rent and when i do it's because it's 7pm and me and the missus are a bit bored of my japanese samurai film collection and she sends me to the video store to find something "girly". we dont go online and find something to watch in a couple of days.
but having said that i'm far too tight to fork out the cash for the stanley kubrik boxed set. now i might be tempted to rent THAT for a few quid, a whole weekend of kubrik and post it back. handy. think i just defeated my own point!
If you don't risk failure you don't risk success.
...at least for Comcast.
When I'm not blowing $18-21 at a time to rent a whole season of a tv show at the local video store(yes, I know I should go netflix), I give Comcast VOD a try.
So let's go watch Constantine.. Wait, it's not listed. Okay, let's go watch Hellboy..wait. No, wait, the only have bottom-of-the box office barrel movies available.
Comcast's offerings of VOD is incredibly pathetic for being such a mega-corp. You would think DVD distributors would lend them a few episodes of a TV show they just released for free viewing. Then,if you like the show so much you could buy it. Free advertising. Give 'em a taste.
Heck, let me pay a small fee to VOD the HBO/Showtime premium tv shows, without having to subscribe to said premiums.
So far, VOD to me is a dud.
Simple answer, yes they can.
They already have a massive distribution network, with wharehouses all over the country, equipped with the latest in inventory management hardware/software. They have agreements in place with all of the major shipping companies, and DVD distributors.
All they lack is a website. I'm not quite sure if they can figure out how to create a website though. Might be why they are seeking to hire some engineers.
I remember all kinds of handwringing about Walmart or Blockbuster running Netflix out of business. Sort of like the handwringing we read a few years ago when people were saying things like "Yeah, Amazon's fine now, but wait until REAL vendors like B&N or Borders get into the online market. They'll crush Amazon." The things that make Amazon and Netflix unique, and successful where the name brands we already knew have come up short, all have to do with the fact that the "new guys" like Amazon and Netflix have some real experience doing an online business and understand (and have built) the infrastructure required to do so, whereas the "big name" B&M people have litle idea of what they're getting themselves into when they go to battle with the internet guys. So, after hand-wringing about Walmart running Netflix out of business, I read that Netflix has absorbed the shards of Walmart's attempts to enter this business. But Amazon is a different issue. They might not have a lot of experience with media rental, but they've got a ton of experience running a large, distributed internet storefront. Or, they might underestimate what Netflix accomplishes already. I guess we aren't really gonna know until it's over.
I could see Amazon doing with books what Netflix does with DVDs. It is essentially the same thing with the same issues.
Time to sell your netfilx stock. Sell short if you don't have any!
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I like Amazon in general, but I'm going to stick with Netflix for now. I've been a member since they started and I've seen the service continue to improve over that time. I like them because for me it is a real hassle to go to BlockBuster and Netflix has more movies that cater to my outside of the mainstream tastes, like foriegn films and anime. If Netflix can continue to appeal to niche markets as well as the mainstream, then they have a shot.
To the making of books there is no end, so let's get started
"All they lack is a website."
And customers willing to rent from them. They will have to earn the trust of those who rent regularly from Netflix. In fact, I'll venture to say that unless they can offer some significant benefit that Netflix can't offer then they will have a long, tall hill to climb in developing new customers.
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Netflix is doomed
Amazon awakens soon
We want cheap movies
Hopefully Amazon will offer a competitive price and that will hopefully lead to lower prices on Netflix...
If Amazon does a good job here I would probably switch over because I have noticed that everytime I start returning a lot of movies back to Netflix there is a mysterious slow down in delivery of new movies on their part. They blame it on the Post Office but there distro facility is right down the road and checking with the Post Office there really is no delay. It looks to me like Netflix either doesn't process returned movies quick enough or delays them so you get less movies per month if you happen to be watching/returning them too fast. Anyone else have that issue?
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I doubt amazon will fare any better.
They have two advantages over Netflix. The first is that Amazon has a more mainstream audience. Netflix clearly dominates the market amongst early-adopters, but that leaves things open for Blockbuster and Amazon both of which have a more mainstream customer base to draw from.
The second is that Amazon can run this program at a net loss, or breakeven point while it builds the economies of scale needed for profit. They can do this because they have money in the bank from their other lines of business, and because they can view what money they lose on this operation as an 'advertising' expense. This service will no-doubt drive clicks to amazon.com, which will result in more sales from their other product offerings. Not to mention how likely it is that someone will purchase a DVD they rented using the Amazon service.
...Doesn't mean that Amazon can't succeed. Netflix did good and Blockbuster was scared so they jumped in. As a few readers pointed out however, they like their instant gratification and to be able to walk into the store and get what they want when they want it. Consider Blockbuster a bricks and mortar store that happens to have an online component.
The real point here however is that just because Netflix and Blockbuster online exist doesn't mean Amazon can't come along and emerge as the winner. There were how many mp3 player manufacturers back in '01 with Rio (if my memory is working correctly this morning) being the big player along with all the others. Along comes Apple and they crushed the competition. If Amazon does it right, and I'm sure they've done their homework, they could easily rise to the top.
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A problem I see with that is postage, books are considerably larger and heavier == expensive.
Also, books get damaged far quicker than dvd's. I dont think it is a real option for them.
I sure don't.
I have the Netflix super-duper account (8 movies at a time), and have for a while. What you're describing, I've seen I think once or twice in more than a year. Just a glitch, in my opinion. As a hardcore movie buff, I think that Netflix is just fantastic. Good service, quick turnaround, and a much, much better selection than somebody like BallBuster could ever have. Plus, they don't intentionally mislead their customers like BallBuster (hence the "no late fees!" class action lawsuit). I feel bad for not going to my local video store, but considering I try to watch one new (to me) movie every night, I was quickly going broke at my local store.
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I thought amazon bought out netflix.... or was that another company? Wasn't there a story about the sale a little hwile back on /.?
Don't be daft. "Unlimited" as they use it clearly means that the terms of DVD rental have no hard number limiting your rentals, but rather the number of movies you get is limited only by the number of movies available and the logistics of getting those movies to you. Just like the "bottomless cup" of coffee they offer at the local diner isn't really bottomless, but is simply a regular cup that they will refill until you've had enough and leave.
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Amazon.co.uk already does DVD rentals, and I'm a subscriber.
Must be a Market Acceptance tester. Similar to how some movies are released in Australia first to see whether they will float or not.
[% slash_sig_val.text %]
If the US service is as good as the UK service, this should do quite well. Neat little DVD holders, clever postage packaging and fast turn around and the price was significantly cheaper than renting from Blockbusters. My only complaint was that my girlfriend has taken it over. In the last month she has made me watch The Notebook, Million Dollar Baby and Piglet the Movie. Apparently, I'm not allowed to rent Shaolin Soccer because we can't both watch it?!?!?!
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I read that some are so twitchy that a couple days delay is too much for them to bear: I read some that say Netflix is too expensive:
As compared to what?
As a WalMart Rental ejectee, I find Netflix to be fair, honest, fast, and have a great selection.
I suggest that being so twitchy is nothing to be proud of, and those who don't consider it a fair deal ~$20/month, a large pizza, for three outstanding to say what a fair deal is? Is $5 too much? If so, it should, and effectively is, a free service, so just say so.
I think one thing Amazon will have going for them is their website. Assuming they leverage a lot of their existing code, their initial US launch should be miles ahead of Netflix. While Amazon is constantly adding new features that help me find interesting things in the long tail, I don't think Netflix has made an improvement to their website in the two years I've been a customer.
Don't get me wrong, I like Netflix, but the recommendations they make for me are almost always off target. On the other hand, Amazon is always presenting me with interesting recommendations on music and books.
That's just one feature that I expect they will execute better than Netflix. They also have a slew of fetaures Netflix doesn't offer. Some of the ones I've found useful include "the page you made", "customers who bought this also bought this", "customers who viewed this also viewed this".
Then's there's "Artist Essentials". Just getting into jazz but overwhelmed by the many choices for say, Ella Fitzgerald? Then check out her "Artist Essentials". It's just a static list, so how hard could it be to implement? But if you want an opinion from Netflix about the best movies of, say, Jim Jarmusch, well, you're just SOL.
All in all, I'd say Amazon's entry into this market will introduce some good competition, and we're all going to benefit.
Meanwhile, the cable companies continue to deploy video on demand. And it looks like TiVo will soon offer content programming downloads via the web. Why would I want to rent DVDs?
Since Amazon have already shown they're not entirely US-centric by doing DVD rentals in the UK and Germany, it'd be nice if they brought it up here too.
Canadians like movies too!
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Netflix sues Amazon for violating its patent on mail-delivered DVD rentals. (After the dupe of this article of course.)
insert inflammatory anti-microsoft comment here
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Now in the case of Amazon.com
and whether their product will bomb.
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For you and for me,
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This came to mind. Not necessarily the case here, but predicting a company's future actions based on job postings seems common.
They already operate distribution centers in several locations around the US
That is true. And that's how Netflix started.
But then they realized that for timley delivery of movies, you really need hundreds of distribution centers, not several. Hundreds may be exaggerating a little bit, but Netflix definatley has more than several.
The ones who can get you the widest selection fastest wins. The only thing Amazon might offer in competition over Walmart (which did not fare well against Netflix) is perhaps a better web UI and more customer visits. But Netflix already has a good UI and an accurate customer rating database (Amazon knows what you bought [from them] but not who you bought it for an generally not how much you liked it).
Don't forget Netflix is also in partnership with Best Buy, which gives them a pretty good ongoing new customer base. I don't think they have to worry about Amazon overmuch, especially if Amazon is just now hiring programmers!
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
As compared to what?
Presumably as compared to other entertainment alternatives. It depends a lot on how many movies you want to watch per month. You need to rent more than one disk a week to make it comparable to dropping by the video store (depending on how close they are, how much you mind returning movies, etc.)
But if you instead spent $60 on a video game and then spent three months playing it, you break even. Or you can buy several books. Hell, going outside is free.
You're right that Slashdotters often have a strange notion of "value". For example, many declared $.99 per song from iTMS too much based on absolutely no market data. Sure, they'd RATHER pay less, but that's kind of a no-brainer. At least in the iTMS case, people seem to be reasonably content for a buck a song. The question is, how elastic is your entertainment dollar?
Me, I get around 80 disks a year from Netflix, which would cost $300 at the video store compared to $240 from Netflix. A good savings, but not inordinate. It means I get to see stuff I wouldn't take a chance on otherwise; I wouldn't spend even $240 at Blockbuster if I had to take some of those risks.
is they don't know how to design a good-looking and easy to use website. Netflix's site is nearly perfect, but Amazon's pages are too complicated, tie in to too many things, and finding your way around can be too circuitious.
I'll admit they've improved a lot recently (their new book pages are great), but I think they've got too much historical cruft in the mix to be truly committed to good, simple interface design.
Amazon is becoming just as disgusting as SCO has been regarding their patents. They should be shown the same disdain as a SCO worker today.
Okay.
To be fair, the Netflix model sounds like a pretty good deal for people whose lives happen to circulate around watching lots and lots of movies. I've been there, and it can be a lot of fun when you're in that head-space.
But for me, it sounds like WAY too much trouble. --Like working for a company which gives you a pager and has you on-call 24/7. Knowing that I MUST watch 3 movies at some point during the month seems very stressful to me. I'd rather be able to get a movie when I feel like it and not feel that it is yet another item on my To Do list.
I can happily go for a couple of months without ever watching a DVD, and then I'll blow several nights in a row consuming something which catches my interest, (like the ill-fated Bruce Campbell TV Western series, "Brisco County Jr." --Which was unbelievably cool, but is only available from my friend who downloaded pirate copies from the web and burned them to disk for me because the series was never officially released.). --And then I'll happily watch nothing for another three months.
Perhaps Netflix could offer non-member limited rental packages with no deadlines on some of those funky single-use disks. --Subscriptions bother me. I don't like feeling 'obligated' to do anything, particularly with regard to my free time activities. Though, it seems to me that the rent-a-DVD-by-mail business model depends rather heavily on the various forms of psychological momentum subscriptions create, so I somehow doubt short term purchases will come about.
-FL
Lemme know which broadband you speak of. 99% of america is still stuck on shit ass 4mbit cable or worse yet, most of the midwest has qwest who offers that sweet 256kbit DSL for 20$ a month. I'd know, all 10 of the open access wireless points in my apartment are using it.
Now, let me know how exactly you think anyone is going to be downloading a 6GB+ DVD to watch "on demand". If by "on demand" you mean "it'd be faster to ship it in the mail". Ya, maybe.
Amazon recently rolled out peerflix, or has done some advertising for it in any case. It's a dvd trading service. Think P2P for DVD's. Perhaps this is what they are hiring for?
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Amazon bought IMDB a while back, and luckily, hasn't screwed it up. The IMDB is the best source for movie and TV info online. When Amazon bought it, the only obvious change was making the "buy it" link in the upper left corner always point to Amazon.
If they tie it in with the IMDB, that would be pretty handy. Search for "Virginia Madsen" and you see a list of all her movies, with boxes next to the ones available for rental. Tick the ones you want and they get added to your queue.
This is also a plus since you could search with IMDB for any movie, not just the ones they stock. Want a movie that isn't out on DVD yet? Add it to a wish list.
Amazon also has the setup with used DVDs ( and books ) to ofer deals if you want to buy the movies instead of, or after, renting them. I'd expect them to let you know how long your wait will be for a rental while offering a shorted length if you want to buy one now.
Amazon also didn't pump up the IPO by paying spammers like Netflix did. Netflix will always be tainted by that.
From the article: 'short delivery times have forced the company to cap flat-fee rentals at six per month... Customers can rent additional titles for an extra fee.' If they tried to pull that crap, Netflix would get all but every one of amazon's customers. The point of this is no rental cap. Silly amazon.com.
I've been online since the 300 baud modem and I've rarely come across an online resource as overloaded and cluttered as amazon.com. Their site already pounds people with advertising. I could care less a guy in Toledo bought a gas grill when he bought the same book title I just added to my cart. At one time I was a regular Amazon customer and would surf their site just to find something interesting for a gift. But now? They will have to start screening users based upon their connection speed.
The Luddites were ahead of their time.
DVD's: No ads. Only content that you want to watch. Not paying the cable companies. Those are the main reasons that there's no cable TV, broadcast TV, satellite TV, or TV programming of any kind, whatsoever in my house (unless it's on a DVD, of course).
I don't respond to AC's.
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Everyone keeps mentioning that amazon has dist centers. Well what about Walmart? Its not like they dont have enough locations, companies, money and customers. They seemed to have failed in a matter of weeks. I encourage the competition. The entrance of Blockbuster has lowered industry prices. With an entrance from Amazon, price should drop even more. I wish them luck.
I signed up for the rental in the UK, the 7.99 one. I added some dvd's to my list, out of 15 only 2 had 'short wait' the others were available straight away. I signed up about midday yesterday, they were dispatched at 9pm and arrived through my letterbox at 10am this morning.
Amazon and Royal Mail have surpassed themselves this time!
Blockbuster could trump both Amazon and Netflix with a monthly subsciption service that allows any combination of either mail-in or in-store rentals. Amazon and Netflix can't touch the instant gratification market with their current business model. The icing on the cake would be for Blockbuster to put in place a very consumer-friendly privacy policy (i.e., so consumers had confidence that their viewing habits weren't beeing sold).
My wife and I have recently hit on a great, free source of DVD's - the Library. For those who haven't been there in a while, check out your local branch and you might be surprised at what's available. We just picked up Donnie Darko, Kinsey, and Lost in Translation the other day. Since we take the kids there once a week to pick up kid's movies and books, we grab a couple for ourselves and when you're on a tight budget, free entertainment is a major bonus...
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How much time before we see a "A way to rent movie with one click", "A way to post DVD back in one step", "A way to watch DVD in one viewing" patent surfacing?
I know for a fact I've been throttled. The first couple of months they were great... then suddenly my 3-day turnaround time went to 7-days with no explanation... somehow everything I sent in the mail was taking longer to get there and when they did get the disks they took longer to process and get here. It would have pissed me off a lot less if they didn't flat out lie to me about it being the Post Office's fault and garbage like that. There are whole websites devoted to this subject. Unlimited rentals my ass.
The second Amazon's service goes into effect, assuming they have a decent anime and out-of-print DVD selection, I'm switching. Also Amazon, the ability to rent games in addition to movies would be awesome, and something Netflix doesn't offer.
---If you can't trust a nerd, who can you trust?
OK maybe not that bad....Anywho I have tried the other services and nothing matches the service of netflix. I tried walmart - that sucked - I gave BLOCKBUSTER 3 tries! and each time was worst than the previous. The last time I tried blockbuster they lost a movie - I complained so they sent a replacement. After 3 weeks I decided to quit blockbuster due to extremly long wait times for processing and recieving movies. The day after I quit they send me an email stating that they had not recieved my last set of movies and if they did not by a certain date I would be charged $60+ dollars!!! I already mailed them back - and knowing their terrible processing I got worried. Emailed another another complaint on how rude their letter was (and it was really worded quite rude) - so I dont get any response back whatsoever except that they recieved my movies (2 weeks after I sent them back) So now remember that movie they lost - I recieved it the week I sent my last batch back after I quit. Being an honest person I simply put the movie back in the mail (after flipping the cover) sending it back to them. 3 months later I get an email stating they recieved my movie and if I add to my que they can send my next movie! So in response to Amazon setting up - good for them but I went through enough agony to know my home lies with netflix - I dont mind the extra costs as long as I am happy and content.
"Not to mention how likely it is that someone will purchase a DVD they rented using the Amazon service."
Which is not bloody likely. People would use the service because they don't want to buy DVDs.
As for the "early adopter" argument, Netflix has been around how long? Five or more years? What's "early" about that? They are well established and booming. Amazon will be able to offer NOTHING that netflix doesn't already have. As for economies of scale, Netflix already lowered their monthly three-move rate from $21.95 to $17.95 a long time ago to meet the competition head on (and ulitmately crush them). They can and will do the same with Amazon if they try to rent at a loss.
The pursuit of absolute tolerance leads to the most rigorous and ludicrous intolerance. - REX MURPHY
I compare the online dvd rental business with the age of the laser disk...to pass the time until something better comes along. Just give me pay-per-view from a movie library instead of the current 5-10 rotating movie selection the cable providers offer.
I did the same as you - was a netflix subscriber, then switched to blockbuster because I could go in store and get the movies whenever I wanted.
I did this for about 5 months.
I then resigned with netflix.
Why? Because as more and more of blockbuster's customers went to the unlimited subscription, I was no longer able to rent ANY new releases. I literally had to wait over 2 weeks for a new movie at one point.
Netflix has similar issues, but at least you can wait in a queue for a movie, rather than leave it to pure luck that someone is returning a video that you want in the few minutes that you're in the blockbuster store.
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Really, even netflix is moving away from this. The future is downloads. It's plain as day. When I want to watch a movie, I want to see it NOW..not two days later. I dont want to walk to my mailbox.
You will see companies like Motorola release more web capable set top boxes to allow people to download these movies and watch them on TV from companies other then their TV provider.
i wonder if its possible to do book rental and if amazon will ever do this?
'Unlimited' doesn't mean the same thing as infinite. Rather than meaning that there is some sort of never-ending DVD supply chain in their warehouses, it just means that there is no set limit for the number of DVDs you can rent, although obviously it isn't possible to rent an infinite number.
This has been said before but Amazon has a recommendation engine that's light years ahead of what Netflix has. I've been an Amazon customer for longer, have bought more product from them, and so has everyone else. Even after rating 300 movies and reviewing several Netflix makes the stupidest movie recommendations while Amazon prove insightful most of the time.
Amazon has the distribution, but also the ability to cross-sell a lot more than Netflix. It's probably a lot easier for them to sell you the movie if you rent it and like it. They have better promotional opportunities, like including free rental coupons if you buy DVDs.
The one thing Amazon doesn't have going for it is customer service. Have you ever had a problem with your order? One time someone sent me a gift from my wish list, they could not select the address it was shipped to, and it got lost. It was a complete headache trying to resolve the issue and contact their customer support. Netflix, on the other hand, has amazed me with how good their service is. One time I sent my own DVD back instead of the rental, so I emailed them, and they managed to find it and mail it back to me a couple of weeks later. I also had a real, live, human who answered the email. Unless Amazon shows improvement I'll be sticking with Netflix.
You would need to rent the book for days or weeks, and you would inevitably damage the book or otherwise depreciate it much more than a DVD.
Also, DVDs can be duped cheaply and on demand, but not books.
to the man who forks out for the rent,
yet sees it twisted to others' own ends;
say don't commandeer,
my viewing, my dear,
for a bitchslap often offends.
I live in a city with a Netflix depot. My turnaround times for all but one of the movies I've rented has been 2 business days. Mail one back on Monday, the next one's in my mailbox Wednesday. The one exception took a third day.
It's theoretically possible that Netflix does throttle customers, but the person with the rant and the Javascript calculator isn't even basing it on personal observation or anyone's anecdotes. They're just extrapolating from some business-news quote they read somewhere that Netflix *must* be slowing turnaround times to limit people to a monthly rental volume that doesn't break $2/DVD. Except that nobody's observing this in real life.
I don't know about the rest of you, but whenever I go to Amazon they always say "Ships in 24 hours" and then they end up shipping three to five days later.
I currently use Netfix and will continue inthat they have shown they can deliver a quick turn around and Amazon is just too big to do anything fast anymore.
Shouldn't Netflix be patenting a system to keep track of movies incoming/outgoing as well as recommendation to moves you might like? I know Netflix has been offering this since I used the service back in the olden days, I believe even prior to Amazons patents on said technology. Why fight competition with marketing when you can just create a dozen patents and sue your competition into oblivioun of file Cease and Desist orders.
Who could've seen this coming? Apparantly not NetFlix...
"Netflix seems to have a stronghold on the market"
That's funny, I thought they just rented DVDs.
A strain of paranoid prevention can be worse than the disease, whate'er the intention.
I signed up for Netflix about 2 months ago and I love it. My GF uses Blockbuster, which doesn't have as wide of a selection.
/. crew wouldn't either.
I will never use amazon because of there patents. I would seriously hope the rest of the
until (succeed) try { again(); }
You can get two at a time for $15 a month, or cheaper plans still (if you don't mind a monthly limit).
If I could walk to a Blockbuster I might give thier plan a thought, but for me I never find going to a Bockbuster more convienient than mail and I really like the wide variety Netflix offers.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Because I remember a story similar to this on Slashdot many years ago. It was when the old brick-and-mortar store, "Barnes And Noble" decided to take on Amazon in the online world. Lots of the same arguments were there, especially the "they'll just lower prices and put Amazon out of business" one.
So, we'll see. Personally, I'd bet on the one that has the market already.
The cake is a pie
In fact, it's so accurate with recomendations it almost always knows what rating i'm going to give a movie before i even rate it. And I watch all kinds of movies.
I will be among the first customers! Then I will quit after my free trial and never use them again.
How long till amazon tries to patent sending DVDs through the mail?
I'm a fascist when it comes to DVD quality. Never handle them except by their edges. Always put them in their container/sleeve when not in use. Apparently, I'm a lone wolf in this respect, because when I go to any local Blockbuster to rent a DVD, the discs are absolutely fucking maimed. Scratches all over. Some that I would qualify as "cuts." Not scratches, but deep grooves in the disc. People are goddamned animals, and this is proof.
In contrast, my experience with Blockbuster's mailed discs has been very good. Maybe 1-2 out of each twenty I've rented have been bad. Blockbuster has quickly shipped a new disc when informed of a bad disc.
Not happy about the price hike to $18/month though. I'm a high volume user, so I'll probably stick with them. For now.
Well after posting a fat loss today, Blockbuster has announced that they are going to be raising the cost of their online DVD rentals. Doesn't seem to be the way to retail supremacy.
The Big Yuan - tracking mainland China
"Which is not bloody likely. People would use the service because they don't want to buy DVDs."
I'm sorry, but I rent DVDs all the time and occasionally I find one that I like enough to buy. The movie "Brazil" was probably the most recent example.
As for 'early adopters', I'm sorry but 85%* of Americans have never heard of Netflix. Whereas 85%* of Americans have heard of Blockbuster, and probably 50%* have heard of Amazon. That's what I meant by early adopters.
Now if you sample the
*Yes I pulled these numbers out of my posterior. The fact is these numbers are close enough to the truth that they illustrate my point.
Here's a hint: You could operate on weekends. Yeah, that's right, then the customer wouldn't have a 4-day delay if they returned a disc on Friday.
YA LISTENING NETFLIX?
HUH?
This could not have come more timely. I'm a BB-online customer and today I got an email informing that they're raising the 3 at a time plan up to $17.99 (plus tax). So much for price competition!
Recently, I read a brief interview with Derek Sivers of CDBaby and he discussed how he has no intentions of taking on all these great ideas that people send him for the future of CDBaby... such as online radio stations.. and other forms of music related features. He pointed out that CDBaby is an online music store and nothing more. The more you spread yourself, well... you know what can happen. You can grow too quickly and have too many things to manage... or you can be really good at what you do. CDBaby is really good at what they do.
:-)
Netflix is *really* good at what they do.
When I stick my returning DVD in the mail before 6pm on the weekday, I get the next one in my queue 2 days later. My girlfriend and I have the 3 dvd at a time package and it works great. They are adding new features all the time (RSS feeds of my queue, recommendations, etc)... and now have Friends features. I can find movies that I cannot find at blockbuster or hollywood. I have been a Netflix customer for 3 years now and don't regret a single payment.
It would take a lot for me to want to switch away from a quality service in favor of a company that tries to get themselves involved in every online market out there.
Advantage: Netflix.
Robby Russell
PLANET ARGON
Robby on Rails