DVDs dwindling

I know Netflix is trying to force me away from using DVDs and into streaming*, because of money. They make more money with streaming. This is how it begins. More and more of my DVD queue is creeping into the unavailable section. Of the 344 titles in my queue, 77 have a wait status. Those waits consist of 14 short waits and an unbelievable 63 VERY LONG WAITS. That's crazy. I also have 86 movies "saved" which were formerly queued, so that's 38% of my selections I'll probably never see.

77 waits
14 short waits
63 very long waits
344 queued
86 saved

430 Total
163 Wait or unavailable

I remember being so excited about Netflix when I joined in 2004.

*I can't afford faster Internet. I'm using Freedompop.com, and it's "up to 10 Mbps" is less than 1 Mbps in reality, and they throttle streaming users after the first GB. It's better than nothing or dialup, because with dialup, you have a phone bill. At least I don't have a phone bill.

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'.

Find Netflix Instant Watching titles faster with these tools

I found these on Lifehacker:

FlixWare searches title, actor, genre, year.

Netflix Instant Watch Tracker searches by title, actor, and genre

InstantWatcher.com is very versatile, with searches by title, actor, genre, new, expiring, best, worst, and random. Includes links to play or add to queue, if you're logged in. Includes pop-up title synopses. Free and no registration required.

One month free trial cards from Netflix

I received four one month free trial cards by mail from Netflix, with priority codes.

For each of you that uses one of these codes, I'll get a bonus disc. For each activated card, I'll see a "Bonus Disc" button appear in my queue for each new member.

If you received these in the mail, feel free to post your codes in the comments. Maybe you'll get bonus discs too.

I have to share my promo codes this way, because all my real-life friends and family are already Netflix members!

If you've never joined before, click on Netflix Tell A Friend and enter one of the following codes. If these codes don't work, check the comments for more.

M17010581585
M18013581505
M15015571545
M12011571575

This offer ends June 15, 2008.

Progress report on the 1001 Movies

It's been three months since I last reported on my quest to see all of the titles in Stephen Jay Schneider's book, 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, the 2002 edition. I started in 2004, having seen about 200 of them, and now I have seen 978.

Netflix sent me 595 of them.

Of the 23 remaining, eight are in my Netflix Queue. I have three from Netflix at home. I bought two on eBay. One I have to rent at the video store. One I have to watch at the UNC Chapel Hill library. The final eight are unavailable on home video, or if available, in a foreign language without English subtitles.

I'm going through the book in chronological order, and I just finished the decade of the Nineties.

If you're working on the same list, please let me know how far along you are. I haven't heard of anyone who has completed the list yet. You can track, share, and compare your progress on the fourth edition (2006) of the book at Lists of bests.

Another queue milestone

For the first time since I joined Netflix in January 2004, my queue has dipped below 100 titles!! I haven't had to add anything in a long while, since I'm working on the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. I haven't put anything in my queue unless it's in that book. I have seen 881 of the 1001, which leaves 120. I have 97 in my Netflix queue. I own 12 which I haven't watched yet. I'm still looking for 11 of them. I have just 16 to watch before I'm done with every movie through 1990.

I'm in the Eighties now

I'm using Netflix in my quest to see the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. I have put the movies in my queue in chronological order, and I have just started working on films made in the 1980's. I have already seen 816 of the 1001, and I have 147 in my queue.