Lawsuit a waste of time and money

Anita Ramasastry, an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle , analyzes the Netflix lawsuit and concludes it was the wrong way to go about correcting the problem:

Since the cost of the suit, and the settlement, may only lead to higher prices for subscribers, one is forced to ask if the game was worth the candle. Perhaps a complaint to a state Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission would have been preferable. Such a complaint might have resulted in a quick court injunction forcing Netflix to disclose its true practices in its Terms and Conditions - thus avoiding a huge expenditure in attorneys' fees.

One thing is for sure: The suit didn't put a stop to throttling. Netflix is still doing it - and so is Blockbuster, which now also offers a rent by mail service for DVDs. The difference is that now, both are doing it openly.

Netflix adds "Buy DVDs" tab

Hacking NetFlix noticed that Netflix Promotes "Buy DVDs" with a new tab on the home page, to the right of the queue tab. I noticed it, too, when clicked on it by mistake.

New Netflix blogger on the scene

netflix - netflix? is a new blog which sees Netflix as "The dark evil giant with the deliciously good white creamy center."

Austin, TX Netflix mail theft inspires ingenius solution by Netflix fan blogger

Inspired by the comments on this Hacking Netflix story about more mail theft of Netflix discs in Austin, TX, I decided to put my considerable brainage to work on the problem. I know some of you have been burned by Netflix discs being stolen by US Postal Service workers, and your account being put on hold as a result, etc.

I think Netflix should start their own mail delivery service, like the United States Postal Service, only for Netflix exclusively. Netflix can call it the NDS. The delivery personnel will drive little red cars and wear little red uniforms. The NDS won't be unionized, so they can instantly fire anyone who steals. NDS will use independent contractors, so they won't have to offer benefits. When Netflix switches over to video-on-demand, they can "downsize" them.

What do you think?

Netflix art

021706-Netflix
Originally uploaded by kate*.

I love this drawing of a Netflix sleeve. Please, if you have done any other Netflix art, point me to it.

Looking for Netflix Friends?

Thanks to having this blog, I have dozens of Netflix Friends who send me recommendations, whose "two cents" I can see, and who challenge me to expand my taste a little.

If you would like to try the Netflix Friends feature, but you do not know anyone who has Netflix, leave your email address in the comments, but replace the @ with "at" and the "." with "dot," so that robots won't spam you.

If you are already my Netflix Friend, be advised that I am saving up your recommendations for a time when I am no longer working on the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die."

Netflix Settlement Update

Hacking NetFlix is reporting that

Chron.com is reporting that Netflix has agreed to modify the terms of the class action lawsuit settlement so that subscribers who join the settlement class will not be automatically charged for the higher subscription plan after the one month is over.

Netflix works on holidays even though the USPS doesn't deliver

A Netflix fan reader wrote me with an interesting theory. The idea is that if Netflix has a mail drop near a USPS "sectional center facility," then they will process mail on holidays and weekends. I think that this is partly true. I believe it works this way: every morning, Netflix brings an empty truck to the USPS and exchanges it for a full truck which the UPSPS filled up the night before, so even on holidays, Netflix can pick up a full truck and process it. Each evening, Netflix drops off the full truck of outgoing mail at the USPS distribution center, and the USPS works through the night, so that it is ready to be delivered to your home the next day.

This reader thinks that, if you live near an SCF, your Netflix discs are processed faster than if you do not. I have posted the list of Netflix distribution centers with the nearby sectional center facilities indicated, if you would like to test this theory.

Google Netflix module

Blake Schwendiman has created a Netflix module for your Google homepage, which uses the Netflix RSS feed to display your queue.

For more information and configuration instructions, click here.

Don't have a Netflix account? Sign up here [He's a Netflix affiliate, so this link will make money for him]. It's worth it for more than just my cool module!

If you would like to install this module onto your Google Homepage, you can do it, by going to the Add Content link on your Google Homepage, then go to Create a Section and enter the following URL:

http://www.blakeschwendiman.com/gh/netflix.xml

Fine print: If you use this, you'll be making your queue vulnerable to Blake, so that if he were a rascal, he could make changes to it. However, he would not have access to your account details.

Another viewing milestone: 704 out of 1001

I have seen 704 of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. My goal is to see all of them, but that may be impossible, since there are about 75 titles on the list which are either out of print, never released to home video, or never released to theatres.

When I started my quest, in May 2004, I had seen about 200. Of the 504 I've seen since then, 340 came from Netflix. I now have 219 movies in my Netflix queue, all of which are on the list of 1001. Eight of them are in the saved section, because they are "release date unknown."

I am using the 2002 edition of the book, which is out of print, but you can buy it used, or find the 2004 edition, which has a few different titles on the list.

You can see the list of Films I've Seen of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die on Listology.

The last time I posted a milestone from this book was October 13, so it has taken me four months to see 100 films on the list.

PodFlix Interviews Hacking Netflix

My buddy Mike, who writes Hacking NetFlix has been interviewed by the guys who do the PodFlix podcast, in which they discuss "Netflix, Hacking Netflix, throttling, movies, trivia, and much more."

Third Netflix distribution center opens in North Carolina

Netflix has apparently created a new distribution center/mail drop in Fayetteville, NC, which makes the third one in the state, and the second one discovered in the last month. If North Carolina has three, then other states must be getting more, too. Amazing!

How they know what you like before you do

Via csmonitor.com

"Customers have contributed more than 1 billion ratings on the Netflix website, says communications director Steve Swasey, adding that 60 percent of movies rented by its 4.2 million members are based on computer-generated recommendations. Those curious about what films are most popular can check out the Netflix Top 100, or they can enter their ZIP Code and find out what's hot in their neighborhood.

Community-driven Netflix recommendations are useful, says Mike Kaltschnee, who publishes a Web log, HackingNetflix.com, which is supported partly by Netflix and Blockbuster ads. Mr. Kaltschnee, who lives in Danbury, Conn., says he sees friends dropping red Netflix envelopes into the mail, and conversations about what people are watching start there, and then move online. "It's sort of turned into a little club," he says."

Read more about how recommendations work in the Christian Science Monitor

Zip.ca and Akimbo Systems Marry Online DVD Rentals with Internet-Delivered Video-on-Demand

This is the first I've heard of an online DVD rental company using a set-top box to deliver internet video on demand.
Via CNW Group:

"OTTAWA, Feb. 14 /CNW Telbec/ - Zip.ca, Canada's leading online video service, and Akimbo(TM) Systems, the first Internet-delivered video-on-demand service for television, have reached an agreement for Zip.ca to bring Akimbo's broad library of content to thousands of Zip.ca members through Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005."

Netflix as a substitute for TV watching

If it's true, as Nielson Media reports, that Americans watch an average of 4.5 hours of television per day, then my Netflix habit is within normal parameters.

I do not watch cable, DVR, satellite, or broadcast television. I use my television to watch nothing but movies on VHS or DVD.

Since January 1, 2006, I have watched 77 movies from all sources, including 24 from Netflix and 13 in theatres. Today is the 51st day of the year. If each film averaged 1.5-2.0 hours in length, then I watched an average of 2.5-3.0 hours of movies per day. So I spent less time on Netflix rentals than the average person spent in front of regular TV.

Inspired by My Netflix Journal-February 19, 2006

Being online means being on your own

Netflix isn't the only online business with hard-to-reach customer service people:

With the convenience of e-commerce comes a trade-off: lack of personal customer service.

Phone numbers are sometimes hard to find, if they are there at all. E-mail queries often are answered by anonymous customer service representatives writing from "Do Not Reply" addresses.

"Our community has 181 million people," eBay spokesman Hani Durzy said. "A community that size requires efficiency, and because 99 percent of customer support is handled between the buyer and seller, our basic level of customer support is Internet-based."

It's not just eBay. Popular Web-based businesses such as Amazon.com and Netflix prefer you to navigate the FAQs first and to e-mail -- not call -- as a last resort.

Netflix spokesperson Steve Swasey says it's about cost-cutting:

"The assumption is that you're comfortable with the Internet and e-mail already," said Steve Swasey, communications director for the Sunnyvale, Calif., company.

Swasey also suggested what some believe is another reason for decreased emphasis on live, phone-based customer service -- cost. Swasey said that rather than outsource call-center jobs overseas, where labor is cheaper, Netflix has cut its customer service staff in half, to fewer than 50, and directed more efforts to improving the company's Web-based support.

Getting in touch with Netflix requires

"At least four clicks to send an e-mail: Start by clicking the "Help" link and work your way through a series of questions. Look closely for the "e-mail" option. The customer service number, 1-888-NETFLIX, or (888) 638-3549, is nowhere to be found."

Read more at Newhouse news

"An Analysis of Netflix's DVD Allocation System" has been updated

An Analysis of Netflix's DVD Allocation System

Blogs are important to Netflix and other businesses

"Mike Kaltschnee's site, HackingNetflix.com, became a force to be reckoned with for Netflix, a video-rental outfit that delivers to people's homes. When Netflix said it was not interested in Mr Kaltschnee passing on questions from consumers, he posted the exchange online, hurting the firm's reputation among loyal customers. The company now treats him much more respectfully and his site has gained a large following.

Increasingly, companies are learning that the best defence against these attacks is to take blogs seriously and fix rapidly whatever problems they turn up."

Read more at Economist.com:

Netflix reviews on Judy's Book

Judy's Book is a site for finding local businesses, where you can get recommendations, share your experiences and create your own book of favorites. Seattle's Judy's Book already has a section for Netflix. Go to the Judy's Book for your area and leave your review of the Netflix service for your neighbors.

Getting to know your Netflix Fan hostess

Mike Hacking NetFlix, has tagged me with the Four Things meme. Since I'm a good sport, here goes:

Four jobs I've had:

Airport security screener
Daycare attendant
Fastfood cashier
Auto auction driver

Four movies I can watch over and over:

Casablanca
The Incredibles
Spiderman 2
Mary Poppins

Four TV shows I love to watch:

Eastenders
Farscape
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Six Feet Under

Four places I've been on vacation:

Niagara Falls
Grand Canyon
Chicago
Hollywood

Four favorite dishes:

Suave Chimichanga de carne
Chocolate ice cream
meatloaf
Southern fried chicken

Four Websites I visit daily:

Hacking Netflix
Hollywood Stock Exchange
Listology
Netflix


Four places I'd rather be:

With my family in Massachusetts
With my family in Ohio
With my family in North Carolina
With my family in New York

Four bloggers I'm tagging:

David at dedwarmo.com
Blondechicke at blondechicke.blogspot.com
Chris at Chris lists
aaron at Opinionated Web