Still prefer DVDs

I may be a luddite, but I still prefer DVDs to Instant Netflix. I don't have a very fast internet connection, (I have the cheapest DSL you can get from AT&T) so I get only two star quality when streaming. I don't mind if what I'm watching is not really affected, but sometimes the movie really suffers. However, I love having an alternative to TV, and I love having something to watch when the DVD is in the mail, so Instant Netflix is a great feature that adds value to my membership.

I like using my Instant queue as kind of a overflow for the DVD queue. I have already maxed out my queue, so I frequently add things to Instant that I don't want to forget about.

Saturday shipping

Today is the first Saturday I have ever seen Netflix acknowledge receipt of a movie I returned on a Friday, and it's the first Saturday Netflix told me they are shipping a title which is due to arrive Monday.

Can you join Netflix without a computer?

Do you know anyone who uses Netflix, but doesn't have a personal computer? You have to be able to go online at least once to join Netflix, but you don't really need a personal computer or to access the Internet more than a few times a year. Because of how the queue* works, you can get online once when you join, and go a very long time without seeing your queue again. If you can get online at a friend's house, or the public library, or at work, all you need to do is fill your queue with 26 movies, and you can go six months without seeing your queue again, if you watch just one a week. This works only if you're OK with watching whatever is in your queue in random order. If you're the type who has to be in the mood for a specific movie, this won't work. If you have a phone that connects to the Internet, you should be able to change your queue that way.

If you're OK with watching streaming movies only, and not DVDs, you can get a "Netflix-ready device." I have an iPod Touch, with the Netflix app, so I can see my Instant queue any time I have WiFi. There are Blu-Ray players, game consoles, TVs, and streaming players that allow you to see your instant Netflix without needing a computer.


*Q:
What is the Queue? How do I use it?
A:
Your Queue is the list of the movies you want to see, in the order you want to receive them. You may add, delete or change the order of movies in your Queue at any time.
To add a movie to your Queue, just click the Add button next to any movie. We'll send you as many available movies from your Queue as your plan allows.
Once you've finished viewing a DVD, simply return it in the prepaid return envelope and we'll send the next available selection from your Queue as soon as possible.
To change the order in which movies are delivered from your Queue, you can change the number in the Priority column, use the 'move to top' button, or simply drag and drop the movie to where you want it in the list.
To remove movies from your Queue, click on the 'X' under the column labeled 'Remove'.

Netflix recommends...

One of the features I like about Netflix is that it recommends movies you'll love. The more movies you rate, the more accurate these suggestions are. You should browse Netflix and rate every movie you've ever seen, not just the ones you've rented from Netflix. This really makes a difference.

The red star ratings you see on the Netflix site are actually predictions of what you would like, based on other users' opinions. If you rate more movies you have seen, those stars will start to reflect your opinion more than anyone else's.

I have rated 3,246 titles on Netflix.com. It's possible that I've seen more than that, I just can't remember them all. As a result, there are 347 movies that Netflix expects me to love. Does that number seem low to you? Or is it about right?

Back before the Netflix Prize was awarded, I had very few recommendations from Netflix. Less than a hundred. I think my taste in movies is so personal and eccentric, that it's hard to predict what I will love. Even the Netflix algorithm predicts only four stars for "movies you'll love." Shouldn't it predict you'll give FIVE stars to movies you will love? I guess it's because my taste is so idiosyncratic.

Watch Netflix instantly on the iPad!

Netflix iPad App Available From App Store - Apr 02, 2010

LOS GATOS, Calif., April 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Netflix, Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) today announced that a free Netflix App for iPad is available on the App Store, allowing Netflix members to instantly watch an unlimited number of TV episodes and movies streamed from Netflix to iPad. Streaming to iPad is at no additional cost to Netflix members on plans starting at just $8.99 a month.

Allow half-star user ratings in Netflix

The Netflix Rating Granulizer for Greasemonkey does exactly that. Install this extension in your browser, and you'll be able to assign ratings with half a star. I used it to give The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus 3.5 stars. It's better than OK, but I didn't really like it.

Best family movies of 2008

Commonsense Media, which partners with Netflix to provide information for parents, has compiled a list of the Best Movies of 2008, and the ages of the children for which the movies are appropriate.


AGE 4+
Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!

AGE 5+
WALL-E

AGE 6+
Kung Fu Panda

AGE 13+
Iron Man
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

AGE 15+
American Teen
Slumdog Millionaire

My Netflix player is coming!!

I'm so excited, I can hardly stand it!! I just ordered a Netflix Player from Roku! I can't wait for it to arrive. The second I learned about it on Hacking Netflix, I had to have one!! I might never watch a DVD again. This little box will allow me to watch Netflix instantly on my regular TV, via my home WiFi Internet connection. I won't be tied to my computer any more. I have 56 movies in my Watch Instantly queue, but I'll be adding more soon.

This means it won't matter if I have a Mac or a PC, I'll be able to Watch Now without my computer at all!

Wow, this signals the end of an era for me. No more cable TV, no more broadcast TV, no more DVR, no more DVDs. Well, maybe not yet. There are still 444 movies in my queue that are available only on DVD.

I will let you know how it works.

Netflix recommends I watch ZERO 258 movies

I don't know if it's the new design of the Netflix Web site, but all suggestions have disappeared. I used to have about 200, because I've rated over 2000 titles. Maybe they've been reset. When I rated the last movie I returned, the number jumped to ten.

***UPDATED 3/30/08 I just noticed, all my Netflix suggestions are back!

Every Movie Available From Netflix On Demand

Jon Dyer’s Blog has a list of Every Movie Available From Netflix On Demand which is very, very handy. It represents alot of work on the part of Jon Dyer. I hope he can keep it updated, but Netflix should make such a list available or at least make it possible to search for movies according to whether they are available on demand.

via Hacking Netflix

Account hold better than canceling

The Account Hold feature of Netflix is new to me. If you're too busy to watch your movies, or you're feeling Netflixia, you don't have to cancel. If you put your account on hold instead, they will stop sending you movies and stop billing you, but they won't stop you from using the Netflix Web site. You can start up again any time.

Account Hold is good for only 90 days. After that, you have to cancel or resume.

I've never used this feature. Have you?

Via BrentEvans by way of LifeHacker