A Year Without Netflix

I can't believe it's been a year since I suspended my Netflix account. I watched 45 movies last year, and only four were DVDs from Netflix and one streaming.  Now I use Redbox, if I really need a movie, or I go to the theater.

Re-releases on Netflix

I have to check the Netflix New Releases on HackingNetflix.com, because I love rating the ones I've seen. Occasionally, one will show up that I have previously rated! It went out of print, and then came back. Or maybe I saw it in the theatre and rated it before it was available. Or maybe I rented it from Facets or Greencine. It's how I keep track of what I've seen, to improve recommendations.

Russian DVD rental service

RussianDVD.com uses the Netflix model to rent Russian-language movies to continental U.S. residents. They say they have 5,000 in their library, and many with English subtitles.

I discovered them when I was trying to finish the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. They had one of them (now out of stock), The Asthenic Syndrome, but it was in Russian, without English subtitles, and I don't want to watch it that way.

Facets Multimedia

If you're looking for titles which are unavailable through Netflix, out-of-print or imported*, you should try Facets Multimedia in Chicago, Illinois. I rent movies from them by mail, on DVD and VHS**. They have a subscription service identical to the Netflix model (except instead of a queue, you have "selections"), and the prices are the same**. Allow an extra day or two for your selections to arrive, since they come from Chicago.

For imports, you need a multi-region DVD player.

**The VHS rentals incur an extra shipping charge.

SilverScreenArchive

So, today I get a nice email from David at SilverScreenArchive, telling me that they are not going to make me pay for the DVD that got stolen on Veterans' Day! Sweet.

And he reminded me that my old posts about ClassicFlix should be updated to show the name has changed to SilverScreenArchive, the other best place to rent classic films. For you young folks out there, when I say "classic", I mean a film that was made between 1906 and 1969. Netflix is great, but they can't rent what isn't on DVD. So what SilverScreenArchive offers, which no one else does, is the service of renting films that have never been released on DVD, making them especially rare and hard-to-find. Their films are usually transferred from some other format to DVD.

SilverScreenArchive is located in California, so it takes an extra day for mail to get here to North Carolina, but the service is excellent.

If you're trying to complete the list of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, SilverScreenArchive is a great resource.

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

Where I get my movies, besides Netflix

I love Netflix so much, to the extent that I can take them completely for granted, like water in the pipes and electrons in the wires. Netflix continues to be amazing and reliable.

Because I've been hunting for the rare and out-of-print titles on the list of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, which Netflix doesn'thave, I tend to take for granted how many ARE available from Netflix. At the moment, they have around 800. The list changes continuously, because some drop off while others are added.

However, for the remaining titles, I have had to use other sources.

I have bought at least one title from each of the following, and received good service:

Xploitedcinema.com
AsianDB.com
superhappyfun.com
arabfilm.com
alapage.com (French language only)
lostsilver.com
YesAsia.com

And of course,
eBay
Amazon

I have rented titles from these online video stores:
Facets.org
Video Library
ClassicFlix.com
Nicheflix a la carte
Greencine

And of course,
Blockbuster

I can't guarantee you will have equally good service from any of these stores, so if you use one of them, and they abuse you, please post a comment here, so my readers will know to avoid them.

Please, if you know of a good place to find rare movies which isn't listed here, post a link in the comments!

Rent Classics from SilverScreenArchive

I've joined another online-DVD-rental-by-mail service. SilverScreenArchive is a member of the Zdag consortium of video stores around the country which use the Netflix business model to rent DVDs online. I joined them because they have an amazing collection of classic titles not available from Netflix. SilverScreenArchive carries titles from 1930 to 1970, over seven about three thousand of them, in three types: transfers from commercially released VHS to DVD transfers from non-commercially released VHS to DVD, and commercially released DVD's.

I've been using SilverScreenArchive for about a month now. Although there are no due dates, late fees, or added shipping costs, all of their plans have a monthly limit. I'm on the "Gary Cooper" "Orson Welles" plan, which is $19.95 $21.95 for 3-out, maximum of 8 per month unlimited. Turnaround is was slower than Netflix, but since they don't promise "unlimited" rentals that's not an issue.

11/14/2007 UPDATE: Per their request, I have changed all references to Classicflix in this post, to SilverScreenArchive. ClassicFlix, as described here, no longer exists. They changed their name to SilverScreenArchive in October, 2006. I've updated the info about the plans and titles, and removed the old logo.

Greencine adds video sales

Via Video Business Online:

West Coast Netflix competitor Greencine "--which counts its subscribers in the tens of thousands, mostly on the West Coast--has opened five distribution centers across the country to handle its new sales business. The company’s film selection includes more than 80,000 mainstream and independent films, which it plans to price competitively with online competitors such as Amazon and mass merchants."

Consumer Reports evaluates movies by mail - Updated 1-14-06

Via WIStv.com Columbia, SC:
They compared the following services:
Blockbuster
DVD Avenue
GameznFlix
Intelliflix
Netflix

Consumer Reports says the movie selection at GameznFlix was lousy, and when they tried to take advantage of the free trial sign up, the DVDs never arrived.

The best deal in DVD delivery, according to Consumer Reports, is from Intelliflix. It costs $16.95 a month for three movies at a time. Intelliflix has a great selection, but the website is strictly no-frills.

I guess "best deal" to them means cheapest.

UPDATE - HackingNetflix made some phone calls and verified the story and added some details to it. The original article is in Consumer Reports Money Adviser, which is why it isn't online.