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Nearly 4 Million People In US Still Subscribe To Netflix DVDs By Mail (recode.net)
The biggest Netflix-related news today is that the company is raising its streaming videos prices, from $9.99 a month to $10.99. But there is another interesting nugget of information to consider: Netflix still has 3.7 million DVD subscribers in the U.S. who get their discs delivered through the mail for the same $7.99 a month it had previously cost. Recode reports: That's down 17 percent from a year ago, and is much smaller than Netflix's nearly 52 million domestic streaming subscribers, but it's still sizable. Netflix first separated out its DVD and streaming subscription services in July 2011, charging $7.99 each ($15.98 for both). Streaming was originally an added bonus for DVD subscribers at no extra cost. Are you one of the 3.7 million Netflix users who still get DVDs sent in the mail? If so, what's keeping you from embracing the digital age and streaming movies via the internet?
Are you one of the 3.7 million Netflix users who still get DVDs sent in the mail? If so, what's keeping you from embracing the digital age and streaming movies via the internet?
DVDs are digital - hell it's right in the acronym Digital versatile disc. Just because someone wants a physical copy for some reason doesn't mean it magically was transformed into analog by the postal service.
That said if we wanted to really entertain the question of why someone would want DVDs by mail - ignoring the stupidity of the way the question was posed in this summary - there is still at least one good reason for it on Netflix. Their DVD library is much larger than their streaming library. If you want to see something that is 2-7 years old, there is a really good chance it is available for streaming. Outside that range, your chances are not very good. There are a lot of really good titles available that you simply can't stream. One great example that is relevant right now is Blade Runner. If you don't own it and you want to see the original version before going to the theatre to see the new one, you can't stream it on Netflix, they don't stream it. You can't buy it today brand new at Best Buy, Target, or Walmart as it was pulled off the shelves by the studio. Some of the retailers claim they could ship it to you next week if you buy it today but there's no guarantee. Netflix will tell you when you'll have it.
Beyond that, the single disc service is only $8 per month. Most Netflix subscribers have a card on file with them that automatically gets billed; I suspect a majority of these people wouldn't notice another $8 from their card every month one way or the other. I know I have weeks where my gas consumption fluctuates by a lot more than $8 and I don't spend much time worrying about it.
Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
I personally know a number of people who subscribe to the DVD service, and they do so for a very simple reason: the catalog of available movies and TV shows is much, much larger than in the streaming service.
We still have DVD rental stores and RedBoxes everywhere.
Turns out you can't stream much on 0.9 Mbps DSL.
Crappy rural broadband that services the 90% of the continental U.S. where the least-crowded 50% of the population lives just doesn't cut it for streaming services.
Two reasons: lots of movies are not available for streaming and it is very convenient to put a current movie into the DVD queue and six months later it just shows up. For example, I didn't make it to the theater to see either King Kong or Aliens but I saw both about a month ago.
This is also why Alaska is among the few places there are still Blockbuster stores. RedBox is also popular here.
So I can rip them of course
That is why I am a disc subscriber. There are many movies that have not been moved to streaming due to license issues or lack of demand.
Hey! That's Trump country. They don't need no broadband. Ajit Pai said so last week.
The studios specifically keep many of the best movies off streaming. Even newer ones.
I live in rural Oregon where the only wireline internet is DSL that promises a maximum speed of 1.5 Mbs. And is well below 1 Mbs in the evening.
I subscribe to the DVD service for three reasons: the video quality is better than streaming, the audio quality is better coming out of my home theatre surround sound system, and to have access to a larger catalog of movies which includes new releases. End of story.
Because add +1 if so.
I don't mind waiting a few days and I don't mind getting off the couch to take care of mail.
The streaming selection is like the 99 cent section of Blockbuster. You've probably seen the movie before, but it's what's available. The Blue Ray / DVD selection is like the "New Releases" section - newer movies that aren't streaming yet.
Streaming services can't match the quality and bandwidth of a Blu-Ray. If i'm not going to bother seeing it in the theater, i want the best quality picture at home.
We subscribe to the DVD only service because we just don't watch enough TV to make the streaming service worth it. I think we maybe watch one or two movies a month (if that) so the DVD service works for us just fine. Not to mention the selection is far better than the streaming service as we tend to like a mixture of brand new stuff and older movies. We also don't follow TV shows so there's no need for a streaming service to binge watch things (which would be tough with the DVD service).
I prefer to watch my movies in 5.1 sound instead of stereo, and DVDs offer that to me. Also many, if not all, of the movies I want to catch up on are available on DVD but not in streaming.
Because there are more options on DVD. Thats it. Put all their DVDs in the streaming service and that number drops, surely. (Yeah I called you Surely)
Really, except for their original Marvel content, they have nothing on streaming I want to see. There are still a long list of movies I want to see and get them on DVD. I have lots of old classic movies to watch still, a few series, and then new stuff as it comes out. I can see which ones I could watch streaming and it is a grand total of one series (which I decided not to finish anyway). On the flip side, I've been bored and went looking on steaming side of things for interesting new things to watch. I've yet to comes across anything that was worth finishing. Every now and then somebody suggests something on streaming and I'll watch it, but those are few and far between and usually documentaries. I really don't see much value except for their original content to their streaming, and am getting upset as DVDs they did have sometimes drop off to the Saved list while still for sale, meaning they are not replacing lost, stolen, damaged DVDs still in production.
It's simple really. If you like movies, you will find the best selection on DVD. If you like the miniseries, especially the new ones that Netflix are developing, then streaming service is the way to go.
For some people, Netflix DVDs + Amazon Prime hits the sweet spot for streaming versus movies. A lot of the cooking shows my wife likes are on Prime without additional charge. but Netflix doesn't stream much that she wants. For me I mostly watch movies, and I have been soured on the dwindling selection of Netflix's streaming catalog.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
I just like getting things in the mail.
It's so fun for me. It's like Christmas, in whatever month it is.
I think it's incredibly misleading to ask why DVD/BluRay subscribers have "not embraced streaming yet".
Guess what - we have. I have not had a tuner for many years, ONLY watching shows and most other things via streaming. I have subscribed to Netflix stream since they first offered it, but was streaming TV shows long before that... I also at times use the HBO and Stars apps to watch movies through. Heck, I even subscribe to the Comic Con app to watch movies and shows....
I subscribe to the DVD service for the same reason Willy Sutton robbed banks - that's where the money (movies) is (are).
Yes HBO has a lot of movies, so does Stars. But between them there are still a lot of newer released movies you are not going to see for a long time. If I want to see Wonder Woman for example, I'm either going to pay a lot to rent it online for $6 - half of a monthly subscription for DVDs + Streaming. With the disc I can take as long as I like to watch it, then send it back in...
Basically, physical disc rental is useful for (A) very popular content or (b) very niche content that no-one online is going to offer via streaming. There's still enough of that I end up getting 4-5 discs every month, making it worthwhile to keep the DVD part of my Netflix subscription.
So next time don't look down on DVD subscribers, perhaps they are simply more avid media consumers than you are and need that channel of content still.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
I still use my DVD subscription because with their focus oo much on original content now, a lot of recent releases never make it to Netflix streaming. I'm not paying $6 per movie to rent a recent release when I can get it on Blu Ray if I wait an extra 30-60 days. There is also a much more substantial back catalog of older content and movies that might have once been available via streaming but since dropped out of the library. Also watching the disc doesn't eat up my bandwidth. My disc queue is down to 1/5 of what it was at one point so I may drop down to 1 disc at a time instead of 3 but as long as it remains the fastest and most reliable way to get new releases I'll probably keep it.
To misquote Churchill, never has an operating system (FreeBSD) used by so many been administered by so few. - NetCraft
I get 4 disks a week... they are promptly ripped and added to my media server.
I then can take a copy with me anywhere I go, watch whenever I want
also it is at full quality and sound
when netflix kills off the disk service i will not be switching to the streaming service.
I have to pay by the GB, you insensitive clod! By the time I stream a handful of movies, it's cheaper for me to mail around plastic discs...
I wonder, do they burn a particular title onto DVD that is not currently in stock and mail it to you if they think demand will increase?
The DVDs that I've received from Netflix in recent years look very generic with only a thin black band around the center to identify the contents. No silk screened artwork any more.
slashdot: A failed experiment.
wow netflix isnt 5.1? is that like the YIFY model of streaming: crap for the masses.
I guess people really dont care about audio, which explains the popularity of both yify and netflix...
As a potential lottery winner, I totally support tax cuts for the wealthy
We don't subscribe to Netflix DVD, we get all of our DVD rentals from RedBox. The reason is simple. We simply don't watch enough to make it economical to get a subscription. We watch 1, 2 at the most, movies per month. That is about $3 from redbox. Often times we will get a coupon or deal from redbox, probably trying to encourage us to use them more often, that drops the price to $0. We have dozens of redbox kiosks around our house so it has never been a pain having to go to the kiosk to get a movie when the urge to watch something strikes.
He has a point: who needs high speeds for streaming when DVDs are cheaper and have a wider selection?
"I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
But I pay $4.99 per month. I used to use the $7.99 per month DVD service, but Netflix had too much trouble getting the DVDs to me on time. So I dropped to the $4.99 per month service. I still use the DVD service instead of streaming because much more content is available via the DVD service, and navigation within a show is far easier. Plus, I don't want to use up my precious ISP data bits and run afoul of Comcast's monthly data cap.
I get DVDs from Netflix, and I stream. The list of DVDs is much larger than the list of streamables. If I want old classics, like Criterion series, then DVDs is what I have to get.
How is this even a question. If you "watch netflix" just to waste precious hours of your life and don't care what you watch, then fine get your streaming. If you see netflix as a way to save time and money for A- movies you want to see, but aren't worth the time and money going to the theater, then the disc service makes sense.
I canceled when Netflix discontinued Saturday processing without reducing the price.
I don't use Netflix DVD service, but I previously used Zip's DVD mailing service. Partly because they had a huge catelog and partly because where I was living a few years ago the Internet connection was slow and unstable. Trying to watch a YouTube video, let alone a movie, was border-line impossible.
Even though I now live in a good area for network speed, it still sometimes flakes out, DVDs are more reliable.
because Redbox keeps updating their piracy protection, and my pirated ripper software doesn't get updates.
Doubtful. Most are probably making _legal_ copies and are simply time-shifting.
MOST of the movies I want to watch are not available on streaming. Not "some", MOST.
Because Hollywood managed to pull the wool over regulators' eyes, and convince them that digital bits comprising a movie transmitted over a wire are somehow different from digital bits stored on a disc and transmitted via the postal service.
If you buy a license to view a digital movie, the means by which you get that digital copy should be irrelevant - streaming, disc, OTA TV broadcast, etc. Likewise if a rental company has rights to rent those digital bits to people, the means by which they deliver it (streaming or disc) should be irrelevant.
Time shifting wouldn't apply, since you can time-shift a DVD without copying it simply by playing the original when you want to watch it.
Also, you also have to treat the original DVD as a single unit with all the copies, so if you send the DVD back to Netflix, you either have to delete the copies or send them back with the original.
Can you get the Netflix original series through the DVD service? That's not something that ever occurred to me before, but it seems like an obvious thing now. No reason why they couldn't print those out and add them to their DVD collection.
As everyone else here has mentioned, the selection on the streaming service is far inferior to the DVD and Blu Ray selection. Also, BRD quality is much higher (25mbits/sec 1080P) and there are extras, which I like. There really is no direct comparison between the two services.
I subscribe to both, because my wife and step-daughter like all the original content streaming shows, and I like sometimes more obscure or older movies. There are a large amount of A-list movies that are not on the streaming service as well, depending on who they have deals with at the time.
I have a 100-title queue on the DVD service, of which almost none are available on the streaming service. (to Netflix' credit, when they are available on streaming, they add a 'play' button next to the queue item.)
The whole situation is honestly ridiculous, and in a world absent of crazy complicated licensing schemes and deals, all the DVD titles should also be made available for streaming. The two should be equivalent as far as who gets paid. But they are not, and we continue to have a very fractious market where you have to pay a dozen different streaming services to get access to everything. Netflix' DVD-by-mail is the closest thing to a single source where you can get titles from all the major (and minor) production companies for one low price.
I know several people in rural communities that the best they can do is some Satellite Internet service provider.
Not near enough bandwidth to deal with stream services. They get throttled all the time just trying to use normal web services and watch a few online videos now and then.
I'm one of the 3.7 million. Here's why I prefer mailed DVDs, in no particular order:
* I don't want to deal with Flash, Silverlight, or HTML 5. Originally with Netflix, they gave you both discs and the streaming option, so I have some (legacy?) experience with this. At the time, Netflix used Flash as their delivery medium, and the visual results were pretty good -- but the overall user experience (volume control, pausing, resume playback from where you left off, rewind/fast-forward, subtitles, and audio quality) was abysmal. Then they moved to Silverlight, which improved a couple of those things (volume control, pausing, and subtitles), but the visual quality worsened (lots of blocking, colours looked worse/washed out -- almost all certainly codec-related things). Audio-wise I only care about stereo, but a lot of the streamed videos did very strange things with 5.1 downmixed to 2.0 (more often than not, the centre channel (for speech) would be muffled). But the real kicker was English subtitles. If they were available (most of the time they weren't, yet on DVDs they usually are), were also awful -- bad synchronisation, bad formatting/layout, too large of a font, etc.. I imagine they now use HTML 5, but given the past several years of bullshit, why should I care about it with regards to Netflix? With DVDs I deal with none of the above.
* When I get a DVD, I actually rip it to ISO/MDS using DVD Decrypter, and mount the ISO/MDS using Alcohol 120%. I DO NOT PIRATE OR KEEP THE CONTENT! I delete the ISO/MDS when I'm done. I know some /. people aren't going to believe me when I say that, but I really don't -- I don't have that kind of capacity anyway. The reason I do it this way is because I've sensitive hearing and don't like the "whoosh" of an optical drive spinning. Plus, if I pause the film when being played on an optical drive, if you wait too long (say 30 minutes), the drive firmware actually spins everything down and resuming playback often doesn't work (in MPC-HC and VLC both) -- I have to force-exit the app and then hope I can eject the disc from the drive, then start the whole thing over again. Also, I'll add that I use the "Remove PUO" feature of DVD Decrypter, so a lot of the non-interruptable scenes/sequences prior to the film can be skipped or omitted. On rare occasion I'll get a disc that can't be ripped (copy protection features that are newer than DVD Decrypter), in which case I (grudgingly) use my optical drive natively.
Using the above method gets me pretty much everything I want -- I can pause/resume a film for as long as I want, the subtitles are usually good (and if not, I can find ones at opensubtitles or subscene that integrate easily with MPC-HC), and I'm not using any network traffic.
* My ISP has monthly caps on network traffic (either 500GB or 1TB/month, I forget). Currently with my usage, I'm averaging around 400GB/month, and streaming movies would certainly bump that up quite a bit.
* Considering how often I watch a film, I'm perfectly OK with waiting for the arrival of a disc via postal mail. In fact, it's even fun -- going to your mailbox and going "Oh! I forgot I had a Netflix disc coming!". I don't have need for the "I NEED IT RIGHT NOW" aspect of the streaming service. I'm patient.
I haven't run into problems with delivery times of discs, or issues of theft. I think in the past 10 years of having Netflix service, I've had maybe 6 or 7 returns not make it back to Netflix, and I've always attributed those to USPS negligence. I have run into problems with damaged discs (including some which were completely shattered -- how the hell does that even happen?!), but Netflix is incredibly customer-friendly about that and ships you a replacement disc in advance.
I know a few people who don't have any access to broadband, it's a great way to watch movies for them.
Website Just Down For Me? Find out
Many people on here mention the much larger selection available in the physical disc collection than streaming, but there is another good reason to get a physical copy. One does not have to worry whether their browser or operating system is compatible or missing an update.
You get a disc, put it in the player, and you're done. No fooling around with anything else.
Pure simplicity.
You can get good quality shows and films this way without busting your bandwidth caps.
Also there is a wider selection of discs than their online stuff.
Twinstiq, game news
I wish I didn't need broadband. Internet addiction is terrible.
Obligatory Penny Arcade
Also, i'm not sure where the last two disks i received went when i moved. They'll probably want them back before before i can cancel that portion of the account?
This Space Intentionally Left Blank
If you want some truly timeless classics, you have to delve into the vault of physical DVDs.
Sneakers: https://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/...
THX 1138: https://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/...
On the flip side, there are other movies which have come out on DVD which Netflix refuses to release to their loyal customers:
Ghost In The Shell : https://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/...
Intrigued to hear what others have to say.
I've noticed over the years the quality of content on netflix streaming has declined. There was a netflix employee that made the comment to the effect "they'll take what we give 'em" a couple of years ago. There's generally a good selection of DVDs so I understand the appeal.
Both physical DVD and streaming
Why? Much larger catalog with physical, and earlier release.
I restarted the physical DVD specifically for The Martian Did not want to wait for streaming, nor pirate it.
Several reasons.
(1) Inertia. For years, it wasn't even possible to stream on Linux (at least without some clumsy Wine shenanigans), and my TV box is a linux box. Now I think the Linux browsers do support it, but, eh.
(2) DRM. Yeah, I know, DVDs have it too, but it's long been cracked, so to my mind that makes it a lesser evil. No, I don't pirate the DVDs or keep copies of the content. But, technically, I have to violated the DMCA to play legally obtained DVDs on my own computer, since I need to download DeCSS. Still, I don't want to support DRM-based models if I can avoid it, and I'm not happy that all streaming is DRM-encumbered.
(3) Watching offline. If I want to go back and rewatch a scene, it doesn't use extra bandwidth. If the Internet glitches while I'm watching, I don't have pauses or glitches in may playback. Yeah, sometimes a disk is damaged, and that's annoying. But, I've got far more control over the disk while I have it than I would over a stream. *IF* we could download streams for later watching offline, I would consider a streaming service.
(4) Streaming service selections are ridiculous. You have to subscribe to a whole bunch of them if you want to be able to get everything; this quickly becomes prohibitively expensive. I'm not going to pay $10/month *JUST* to watch Star Trek Discovery without commercials. Hell, it would be more economical to wait a year or two and buy the DVD boxed set! There really needs to be a massive collapse of the streaming market as people buying it realize that they're paying way much for the few things they watch on any given service. On the other hand, Netflix DVDs have many things, the big gap being recent TV series, particularly series that are tied to streaming services.
I have a DVD Netflix subscription for one simple reason - streaming Netflix is enough to saturate my home internet, resulting in lots and lots of buffering. I'm currently looking to move, but haven't found the right house yet.
We use streaming all the time - but some things just aren't available via streaming, so discs (Blu-Ray, usually) are needed.
If we could get everything in the disc library via streaming, we'd go that route. Fact of the matter is that the collections are not equivalent. There are things available only through streaming as well (I don't think Netflix originals are available on disc, for example).
I do wish that Netflix would more tightly integrate stuff on the streaming list with the disc list. When stuff goes off streaming, I lose any record that I had put it on my list, and would likely add it to the disc queue so I could still watch it. Stuff leaves the streaming catalog all the time. It's nice that they add a "play" button to the disc list when something enters the streaming library, but the reverse would be really helpful.
I live one mile for Mar-a-lago. THIS is trump count(i.e. the 1% of the 1%) ry. Our internet stinks. I switched from streaming back to DVD netflix because of that.
If so, what's keeping you from embracing the digital age and streaming movies via the internet?
16% of the movies in my queue are available for streaming. I pay for both services because they have 2 completely different catalogs.
Of the 280 items in my Netflix queue, 47 of them are available for streaming. And really, it is less than 16% since 13 of the items in the queue are a single series that spans 13 DVDs. I'll switch off the DVD service when they offer streaming for the other 233 titles.
Pick a movie from last year. Is available streaming on netflix? probably not. Is available by DVD? yes.
The movie studios can prevent streaming. They can't prevent renting of a physical medium, so everything you can buy at least CAN be available by DVD. Until some sort of compulsory licensing appears for streaming, it will stay that way.
I get 3 stream and DVD. DVD has way more movies then streaming.
Typically I'm either subscribed one or the other, but not both of:
(a) Netflix DVDs together with Amazon Prime; there's a lot of good stuff available by DVD from Netflix that isn't available by (cheap, convenient, legal) streaming, and when I'm waiting for the DVDs I can watch stuff on Amazon. I do this until I'm out of streaming stuff I actually want to see on Amazon, then goto (b).
(b) Netflix streaming. Well, I'm still subscribed to Amazon Prime (and use it frequently for the free fast shipping), but I watch only Netflix streaming and not Amazon until I'm out of stuff I really want to watch there. Then it's back to (a).
I did a free month of Hulu Plus once but so far I haven't paid for streaming on any service other than Netflix and Amazon. But if the market continues to fragment I suppose I may eventually end up doing things like paying for one month of CBS to binge-watch a season or three of Star Trek, etc.
Crappy rural broadband that services the 90% of the continental U.S. where the least-crowded 50% of the population lives just doesn't cut it for streaming services.
This is exactly why I used it for years. You can't stream anything of quality over a rural 3Mbit ADSL connection and you can't afford to stream anything over a higher bandwidth satellite connection. Thankfully, the movie studios have done me a huge favor by only releasing like 1-2 good movies a year so, there is no need for any of that nonsense anymore.
This stunningly silly question is just a way of saying, âoeI know nothing about the art of film, television, I know nothing about foreign films.â Itâ(TM)s like saying âoewhy does anybody go to the library, we have the internet and movie theatres now!â Itâ(TM)s like saying âoeWhy did you buy a physical albums, you can get everything on iTunesâ. Itâ(TM)s like saying, âoeI only consume what marketers are currently telling me to consume.â
Especially: There are foreign movies that canâ(TM)t be found on streaming.
Especially: There are old shows that canâ(TM)t be found on streaming.
Only a philistine would think that âoestreamingâ is the ultimate solution for watching good movies or TV. This is the same level of historical and cultural ignorance that causes a person to never listen to any form of music other than current pop.
Agree on the "only 1-2 decent movies per year". But still like to see those old movies I missed out, or want to see again. Like mentioned multiple times above, Can't find them on streaming, but they usually have the disk.
Although a bit less convenient, I enjoy riding my bicycle to the local public library and checking out bluray discs. The waiting list can sometimes be long for new releases, but anything released over a year ago are usually readily available. Our library system supports reserving a titled via their web page and then they'll transport it from a remote branch to my local branch for pickup over the course of a couple of days.
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
Are you one of the 3.7 million Netflix users who still get DVDs sent in the mail? If so, what's keeping you from embracing the digital age and streaming movies via the internet?
A few possible reasons: I'm 75, I enjoy going to the mailbox even more than watching Matlock, I do stream, too, but it ain't easy to hook a Roku to the 13" CRT w/ built-in DVD player in my den. And how are DVDs not "digital age," since the first D is in fact "digital?"
This is a hacked account, for which the owner can not be held responsible.
Movable subtitles, important in a constant height setup. Sound quality (DTS MA, etc. Not lossy Dolby 5.1 crap they stream) Consistent image quality. Streaming is nowhere close yet.
Because I had streaming. It offered less than half of what I was looking for. I look for great _old_ movies and they don't much do that. I've been seeing some really great old stuff. That's why.
https://youtu.be/Ed66WGD23JY
I have to wonder if not having unfettered access to the infosphere isn't part of why they ended up as Trumpers in the first place. Right-wing talk radio rots your brain, but if its all you have to listen to for news...
It's also an indicator for how neglected "rural" America is in other ways.
Rule 35 of the internet: "If it can be hacked, it will be". - Charles Stross
What about Blu-Ray discs?
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
If you time it right. the lack of Saturday delivery from Netflix needn't be a problem. If you mail your disc(s) OUT on Saturday, Netflix DVD works just as it did before Saturday processing was eliminated. Assuming you make local copies to time shift the DVDs anyway, this needn't interfere with your weekend movie watching time either.
...is one of the best productions the BBC ever rolled-out.
Very highly recommended for those who like mysteries generally, Brit mysteries, WWII era stuff, etc
Well written, well acted, well produced.
The only problem is they rushed through the war with too few episodes and so the later stories had to be post-war (guess they gambled on not getting renewed)
it's an indicator that people like you are in a metropolitan bubble and incapable of having an original thought not programmed into you by a teachers' union, ABC,CBS,NBC,PBS,NPR,Facebook,Google,etc.
See how that works?
You appear a bit xenophobic, with hostile attitudes towards those you have never met, fear of those "others" you do not understand, bigotry against cultures different from your paved-and-glazed city, etc.
How's it feel to be so closed-minded, ignorant, exclusive and hate-filled?
We relish their enormous library of content on DVD and use it extensively! How many movies can one really watch per week anyway? Asks the man that also subscribes Netflix streaming, Amazon and Crunchyroll...
I most likely embraced the digital age long before your whore mother getting paid to suck your dad's dick.
There's a dozen reasons (bandwidth, catalog selection, data caps, just for starters) that keep DVDs showing up in my mailbox. These expand if you move to a place where broadband hasn't penetrated or is limited to DSL speeds.
Now go enjoy a craft beer someplace you entitled, millennial asshat.
Buffering? Rewind? Internet dropouts? Often at the most dramatic bits.
Also I like to accumulate a list of films of interest and watch them later. I rip the disc, then watch in weeks often months later when I have the time. Time shifting in a way, only for movies. If I liked them enough, I will buy the original. Not been many worth buying for a while.
Also if I fall asleep during the movie, I've got proof and reminder of the movie I've not finished watching in the player.
My question is, why do people feel the need to stream everything?
Fuck off, shitbrick. Clinton sucked donkey dick.
Don't blame right wing radio. My dad tried to brainwash me with that shit when I was a kid, but it didn't take. You have to want to believe it. Rush et al have logic so full of holes and biases so obvious, that only a racist asshole would fall for it
Agreed. My parents cannot get cable, DSL, or anything remoting high speed. Their house is just out of reach for cable, it literally ends a quarter a mile away but is too far for the cable company to install. The funny thing is, they are not even that rural, the road they live on is a main drag. DSL is not offered. My parents use Verizion wireless, which isn't much better than dial up even though they told them it was high speed. Satellite might be better though likely not much.
In any case, I think this reason has more impact than people realize.
I collect music. Lots of it. I re-listen over and over. For movies though I am typically a "single watch" person except for my all time favorites. Netflix DVD makes it where I can watch these (within a reasonable release delay) without having to own them. Many of these would take years to find their way into streaming so my choices are buy it or Netflix DVD. That's still the primary use I have of Netflix. I stream their original content but I use DVDs for all else.
-Xen
Seriously?
All I hear every day is that it was the Russians on the internet brainwashing people into voting for Trump.
Now it was because they DON'T have internet and are being brainwashed by the evil "right-wing" talk radio.
You people will literally use ANY excuse to marginalize people who don't agree with you.
There are a few reasons that I still subscribe to the DVD service: 1. You can add a movie to the queue before it's in the theatre - This is nice because when I see a trailer for a movie I can generally add it to my queue right away. Several months later it shows up, sometimes I forgot about it and it's a neat surprise. 2. More selection - There are more movies available on DVD than streaming. 3. Less decision making - When my wife and I finally get a chance to sit down once a week and watch a movie without the kids we don't have to scroll through and decide on something, we just put in the DVD that we have for this week. There is a lot of evidence to show that reducing the number of decisions you need to make leads to less stress and the DVD queue makes that possible.
It seems pretty obvious to me. I can get new-release movies from the Blu-ray system. And the quality is much better than streaming.
The premise of the question is stupid. "Why haven't you embraced digital streaming, you dullard luddite?"
Many of us have embraced streaming, in fact I believe most here are cord-cutters. The only people who haven't embraced streaming is Hollywood studio execs. The reason why people still subscribe to DVD rental is for the simple fact that many newer movies aren't available for streaming and are DVD only. Because somehow the medium of transmission is at issue here.
There are two very big reasons why folks would still subscribe to Netflix dvd. 1) The catalog is huge. Outside of buying the movie/show, itâ(TM)s one of the only ways to get lots of things. 2) Folks who want to build a large digital movie library and thus rip them.
Hah! 4 triggered responders suggests you're onto something.
The physical disk is less compressed than the stream.
Are you one of the 3.7 million Netflix users who still get DVDs sent in the mail? If so, what's keeping you from embracing the digital age and streaming movies via the internet?
It is possible to have both a DVD and a streaming subscription at the same time. One does not rule out the other. In fact, I'd be willing to bet money that the vast majority of the remaining DVD subscribers also have a streaming subscription.
Maybe there should be an I.Q. requirement for /. authors?
I get Netflix DVDs because streaming does not provide commentary tracks and the other "extras". Although, an increasing amount of DVDs from Netflix are "Rental Only" versions that don't have the extras, just a "too bad so sad" message.
If I want to stream something, I'm already paying for Amazon Prime shipping so I can just look into the rando video selection they are including
Streaming is nice, quick and easy. But streaming does not have all the OLD movies that I want to see. Example "Father Goose" or "Them!". And I have Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. Streaming is like the top 40 radio stations. If they are not popular any longer, they disappear from the charts.
When you learn to think past opinions -- to consider the effects of opinions you oppose -- you might understand why some political views are straight up wrong and oppressive, and deserve the ire that they receive.
When someone can successfully argue the merits of a typical "conservative" viewpoint, when they think about a demographic that isn't (a) old, white, retired people, (b) military, (c) businesspeople, or (d) clergy, get back to me. There's a whole wide world out there that middle America knows fuck-all about, and it shows in their politics.
NOT everyone has access to streaming levels of internet service in the US-I am amazed MORE are not getting DVDs in the mail. If you are outside a city let alone town without a certain density of homes there is satellite or sub 1 Mps service.I am in a city of just 11 million part of one of the largest metro areas in the US. I have the option of 1 Spectrum package of 1 speed only OR ATT 768K service. I live 3 miles from the all the internet backbone in my city and thats all my options.
Currently, only four out of 58 in my queue are available for streaming. It has always been that way -- almost nothing I want to watch is available for streaming.
There're (or at least were, when I had it) several times as many titles available on DVD than on streaming.
Yeah, all the mainstream stuff is streamed, but the really weird, offbeat crazy shite is only on DVD. The mail thing is a hassle, but I saw such strange things that I may go back to it as the streaming isn't holding my interest so well anymore.
Exceeding the recommended torque is not recommended.
My internet connection is just barely enough to stream. Crappy rural broadband, but at least I'm not paying any of the obnoxious broadband giants. The local provider is making the best of a difficult situation.
We're sort of film nerds, and anything older or obscure is unavailable for streaming. I notice that more and more titles are disappearing from circulation on netflix. Is this netflix laziness, or the title owners not caring enough to print more dvds?
Looking at slashdot I definitely feel like physical media is disappearing. Is this true, or is it our bubble? Certainly streaming is nowhere near catching up in library coverage.
....that right there should be enough reason to keep your old subscription to Neflix's DVD catalog. Not to mention that with Disney and other stations chomping at Netflix's bit it's quite possible the netflix we know and love won't be around in five years. Bet! I use Meecal to see the latest DVD releases from there and plan on continuing to do so. Forget the cloud. Plus I love having a actual physical copy, even If i just rip the DVD. Yeah, I still do that.