Longest Netflix membership?

When I blogged about my three-year anniversary with Netflix, tedder commented that they've been a member since April 2000. Can you beat that? I'd love to know who has had the longest continuous membership with Netflix. It's probably someone who works for them. If you've been a member since before April 2000, send me a link to your Netflix profile page to prove it. Thanks!

Blockbuster Total Access problems

Blogger Wesley Novack has been experiencing Blockbuster Total Access problems. He says the stores aren't returning DVDs immediately, so that he's had to wait a week for Blockbuster Online to check them in, contrary to what they promise.

Happy Netflix anniversary to me!

I have been a member of Netflix for three years! I joined in January 2004 and never quit. Netflix has sent me 544 titles, which is an average of 15 titles per month. My plan has been mostly 3-out. I took a brief foray into the 5-out and 8-out plans, in 2005, but I got way behind in watching them.

I've rated over 2,200 titles, but written only 11 reviews on Netflix. Here's a link to my Netflix Profile page, where you can see my reviews and lists. My profile nickname is RosieCotton. They wouldn't let me be Netflix Fan. Go figure.

I've seen 923 of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.

Because Netflix provides me with so much entertainment at such a great price, I quit cable in 2004. So this is also my Happy No-Cable anniversary day!

Netflix return envelopes on eBay

If you live in the Houston, TX area, and you don't own a black marker, you can buy some Netflix return envelopes on eBay in order to avoid sending your returns to a far distant Netflix distribution center.

Defeat long-distance Netflix returns

If you have a Netflix return envelope with a far-away distribution center address on it, you don't have to return your disc there. You can simply mark out that address with a black marker, leaving nothing but the words "nearest Netflix distribution center" and the Postal Service will drop it in the local Netflix bin to be picked up by the Netflix truck. This will speed up your turnaround times.

This advice came to me via Netflix Fan Elmer Gantry, who received it from a Netflix customer service rep.

Netflix Fan wins (and loses) Instant Watching lottery

Hacking Netflix has instructions for how to enter the Netflix Instant Watching lottery. I followed the instructions just for fun, and I "won"! I clicked on the help link on the Netflix home page and searched for "instant watching". I clicked on one of the questions, and it contained a link to instant watching, where I saw the Netflix WatchNow home page which told me I could "start now". So I clicked on Start Now, and got the above message.

Only a few members can try this method each day, so some unlucky person must have been robbed of a chance to watch Netflix movies on his PC tonight, because of me.

Ironic, isn't it?

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

Depending on your tolerance for weirdness and violence, you must see Pan's Labyrinth, a strange combination of war movie, fantasy, and political statement. It's about a young girl who lives in Spain in 1944, right after the Fascists won the civil war, who discovers a fantasy world. It's a great movie. But, please, parents, don't take your kids. This is not a kids' movie. Pan's Labyrinth is a dark fantasy, but not dark like Lord of the Rings dark. I mean dark like Schindler's List-dark.

Watch Netflix Now: movie downloads come to Netflix

Hacking NetFlix reveals Netflix's new "Watch Now" movie download feature.

Good news: for no additional cost, you can watch Netflix movies on your PC.

Bad news: you can watch Netflix movies ONLY on your Windows PC.

More bad news: only a select few subscribers can see the "Watch Now" tab on their Netflix home page.

Check out Hacking Netflix's video demo of the new feature.

Read the official press release from Netflix.

P.S. The Netflix Fan blog is written on a Mac, so I'm shut out of watching anything now.

Netflix 1, Blockbuster 0

Matt put Netflix and Blockbuster's Total Access to the test, and Netflix won. He asks:

Is Blockbuster counting on their "return it immediately" policy to build slack-time into their distribution center chain? Is this an effort to cut costs - fewer nationwide distribution centers with less inventory, and fewer monthly DVDs to customers to keep costs low and profits high? Or am I overreacting less than week into my Blockbuster free trial?

Via Matt on Marketing

Netflix Dictionary: Netflux

Heidi Miller, of the Talk It Up! blog, has coined the word Netflux to describe the lag time between returning and receiving your Netflix envelopes. Netflux can occur on a weeknight or weekend. Depending on the turnaround time for your distribution center, you might wait days for your next titles to arrive.

Some people fill the gap by going to a bricks and mortar store for videos, some use other online subscription services, or do without. I find Netflux intolerable, so instead of increasing my Netflix plan, I use other online DVD subscription services to fill in the gaps between Netflix days. I've used Greencine, Nicheflix, Blockbuster Online, Video Library, and currently, SilverScreenArchive. If Netflux occurs on weekends, I like to see movies on the big screen with family and friends. (Unlike most Netflix subscribers, weekends are not a big time for me to watch my DVDs. I use DVDs as a substitute for weeknight TV.)

What do you do during Netflux?

Via Hacking NetFlix

Netflix Customer Service Number on auction

Some clown on eBay is trying to make money from disgruntled Netflix customers by auctioning the Netflix Customer Service Number for a starting bid of one dollar. Auction ends January 11, 2007. He has "1000 available."

I'll be a chump and give you a couple of numbers for free: 1-800-585-8131 and 800-715-2120.

I can't believe something like this isn't prohibited by eBay's terms of service.

My Yearly stats

I saw 473 movies last year.
Of those, 65 movies were in the theatre, so the rest were on DVD or VHS (no TV).
163 were from Netflix.
42 were from Blockbuster Online.
73 were from SilverScreenArchive.
The rest were from other sources, like eBay, Amazon, Facets, Nicheflix, Public Library, or a friend.

I have seen 914 of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.

Shatner DVD club quits

The William Shatner Sci-Fi DVD of the month club, operated by FullTurn Media DVD Clubs, is calling it quits. If you are a current subscriber, you'll get all your remaining DVDs in your final package.

I think they failed because they underestimated their customers' taste. The movies were mostly crap.

Can't see Netflix previews on Mac OS X?

A friend of mine asked me why he can't play Netflix previews in Firefox on Mac OS X. I discovered the reason is that the previews are in Windows Media Player format, which is no longer recommended for Mac OS X users. Microsoft offers instead a free program called Flip4Mac, which allows you to play Windows Media movies in Quicktime. It installs a plugin for Safari or whatever other browser you have on your Mac. I've been able to get it to work in Safari, Firefox 1.5, Camino 1.0, and Opera 9.1. Safari opens the movies in an embedded player on the same page. Firefox and Camino open an embedded player in a new window, but Opera requires you to open Quicktime.