Back with Netflix

I first joined Netflix in 2004, and stayed until 2015.  I took a one-year break, and just rejoined today, for the basic streaming plan, and started over with a one-month free trial. My list of movies and all my ratings are gone from when I was a member before, so I'm not going to bother rating all those movies again; I don't really need recommendations. The first few titles I searched for were unavailable, so we're not off to a good start. 

Netflix Alternative

Read a book.

http://shirt.woot.com/offers/readflix

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.

Suspended

I have suspended my Netflix account, for the time being. I'm still a huge Netflix fan, and I still recommend the service, but you don't need me to tell you it's awesome. Almost everyone has Netflix now. Congratulations to Netflix, for a job well  done.

24 Struggles Every Netflix Addict Will Immediately Understand

This list from Buzzfeed applies to streaming customers mainly. I'm a DVD-only subscriber. I gave up my streaming account when I gave up broadband. I've switched Internet service providers. I'm now with Time-Warner Cable on the Everyday Low Price plan, which is $14.99 per month for 3 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload. The speed has been very consistently between 2-3 Mbps download, which is enough for me.

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.

2013 Annual Report

I'm wearing my Netflix sweatshirt, which I got on eBay, while I blog this. Time for my annual report. In 2013, this is how I consumed movies:

 I saw 123 movies in 2013:

Netflix DVD: 70
Theater: 39
Netflix Instant: 6
Other Internet: 5
Redbox: 2



This is the lowest number since before Netflix. I must admit, I'm not including many hours of television I got through Netflix Instant. I don't count those toward my movie totals. My viewing might have increased if I tracked those hours.

I've seen 999 of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 2002 edition. The book has been revised many times, so the complete list from all editions now has 1,153 titles on it. The newest edition has 28 titles I haven't seen, so there's a big difference among editions. I'm wondering if I should try to complete all editions, or is that a fool's errand? I'm getting my stats from the new iPhone app for the book, 1001 Movies Before You Die. You can also see them on Icheckmovies.com, which is the only list-tracking site I use now. I still have my stuff on Listology.com, but I'm not updating it.

I'm still keeping the DVD plan and the Instant plan, until I can afford a faster Internet connection. I'm currently using Freedompop.com for my Internet, and even on their best plan, I experience only 1-2 Mbps. I need an external antenna. My house is a Faraday cage, apparently. I've heard they throttle streaming users. Oh well. It's slightly better and cheaper than DSL or cable, except when it rains.

Shout-out to Reed Hastings and the Netflix crew for a job well done. Thank you.

IPhone app for the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

I just downloaded and installed the iPhone app for the book, 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, which you know, is my favorite movie list. This is a great app. I'm so excited to discover it. It allows you to keep track of all the movies you've seen on the list. It includes a place to rate each movie, make notes, and a link to buy each movie, or share on Facebook and Twitter.

Wish I had this app back in 2004, because it has a place to save the date seen. If I hadn't already seen a great many of them, I'd add the dates, but that's too much work.

The app allows you to choose which list is your default: the newest edition, the essential, or the complete. I've seen 999 of them, so I'll be interested to see how soon I can complete at least the essential list, once I ch.eck them off.

It's only 3.2 Mb, and it takes just a couple seconds to open.

It opens with a splash screen asking you to buy the book, of course. It goes away with a single tap, and as long as the app is open, it doesn't pop up again.

It requires two or three taps to check off each title. First tap to select the movie, then tap to mark it seen, then tap the down arrow to go to the next title or tap to return to the list For someone like me, it would be nice to tap each title once to indicate seen or not, or import seen titles from another list. But it's very smooth and fast, so it's OK.

It shows you which movies are also on the 1001 Books list, which is cool. There's an app for that book, too.

I paid $4.99 for it, which is worth it, for such an excellent app.

Download 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die from the iTunes store
 it

Binge viewing is a thing

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article about the trend toward binge-viewing on Netflix, which is when you watch a whole TV series in a short amount of time. They say half of Netflix users studied have watched an entire series in one week. I've done that, with series like Band of Brothers, and The Pacific. I watched one or two episodes a day.

Now that I can get through a series so quickly on Netflix, I could never have the patience to watch a series spread out over an entire television season. I like waiting until a series is complete, so I know the story is written, and I won't be left hanging in suspense by a cancellation, or a writers' strike, or other such nonsense. I'm not going to start a series until I know EVERY episode is available on Netflix right away.

Uncritical Netflix

My favorite movie review writer, Leonard Maltin, used to have a page on Netflix.com at http://www.netflix.com/MaltinPicks, like Roger Ebert, TV Guide, etc., but Netflix has done away with critics recommendations, and replaced it with a "taste preference" for "critically-acclaimed" genres. Therefore, I read Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide on my iPhone to get his take on the movies.

I don't rely on Netflix.com for movie recommendations any more. I'm interested in the star ratings they predict I'll give a movie, but it's not the biggest influence on what I watch. I'd say it's about a 30% influence. The biggest influence on me is my friends/family. Next is the the Flixster app on my iPhone, which I use to check out the new releases. I go to the movies almost weekly, so I have to keep up with the buzz.

Gatsby

I searched Netflix.com for The Great Gatsby, because I just saw the Baz Luhrmann version, and wanted to rate it, and the fifth result was Hemlock Grove, a Netflix Original Series. Coincidence?

Netflix bias

I was going to write a post about how disappointed I am that Netflix recommendations for me always include Netflix Original Series. I used to trust Netflix to recommend to me titles I would like, based on my own taste in movies. Netflix usually predicts pretty closely what I'm going to like, so much that my star rating is almost always identical to the predicted star rating.

 But, now that Arrested Development Season 4 is on Netflix, I can't look at Netflix.com without being reminded to watch it. It is a Netflix Original Series, and they predict I'll love it. This made me suspicious that maybe their recommendations are biased in favor of their own content.

Well, maybe to begin with. I used to be confronted with an ad for Hemlock Grove every time I opened Netflix.com. However, they predicted I would give Hemlock Grove only two stars, even though it's a Netflix Original Series. So is it OK to trust Netflix?

Netflix DVD wins 2012

This month marks my ninth anniversary with Netflix. I still love Netflix, but 2012 was not a big movie year for me. My attendance at the movies was way down for several reasons. I worked longer hours. The people I usually go to the movies with were less available, due to work and school commitments. After seeing over two thousand movies in the last eight years, my interest in movies is flagging. I'm more particular in my taste. I've completed some great movie lists: AFI, Academy Awards, Leonard Maltin, and almost all of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. You can see my progress at I Check Movies.

I saw 136 movies in 2012

73 were on Netflix DVD
21 on Netflix Instant via Roku
37 at a theater or other public venue
5 were on DVD from another source

Still worth it

I'm paying $21.33 per month for Unlimited Streaming + 2 DVDs out at-a-time (Unlimited) and I think it's worth it. On the nights I don't have a DVD, I watch something from my instant queue. I easily go through two DVDs each week, and one or two instant titles each week, in addition to the weekly trip to the theater to catch the latest blockbuster or IMAX movie. I like watching older movies by streaming, like The Naked City (1948), because then the picture quality isn't compromised by my slow connection. Keep in mind, I haven't had cable TV since 2004, and because of Netflix, haven't missed it a bit.

I'm glad Netflix changed its mind about splitting up and moving me to Qwikster, but boy, was that embarrassing. I felt bad for Reed Hastings. What a miscalculation.

Qwikster fan?

Not. Qwikster represents the beginning of the end of the DVD. DVDs are old school. I am a movie fan first and foremost. It doesn't matter to me how I get my movie fix. I was one of the first to buy a Roku box and get my Netflix movies streamed to my TV. However, I am one of those who will be moved to Qwikster, because I still have to have my movies on DVD.

The reasons I still want my movies on DVD:

Even with an HD TV and broadband, the picture quality is still better on DVDs most of the time. I admit this is probably my fault. It's cheaper to get DVDs from Netflix than to increase what I pay for broadband in order to possibly improve picture quality.

Of the 455 titles in my queue, only 176 are available instantly.

Optional subtitles, especially on English-language films. Try watching Trainspotting or The Hill (1965) or without them. Oops, bad example. The Hill is available only on DVD.

P.S. I'm still in shock as to Netflix splitting up. The name Qwikster makes me think this is all a bad joke and we're being pwned. It sounds like a mashup of Quitter and Flix. I thought about buying the name qwiksterfan, but I'm not going to do it.

Can't afford the new prices for Netflix?

For those of you upset about the price hike, help has arrived. I just learned about the Netflix Relief Fund.

Netflix and their new prices

Netflix is charging different prices for their services. Some folks are upset about this. Here's a link to the press release announcing the new plans.

The way I see it is that Netflix has a right to charge whatever they want and you have a right to choose whether to use their service. You can vote with your dollars. It doesn't matter how long you've been a "loyal" customer. You got what you paid for, or you would have quit.

You people who think it's "greedy" for companies to charge for their products and services certainly don't think it's greedy when the labor unions demand higher wages. You don't think it's greedy for the government to confiscate our money and our property to redistribute it to people who won't keep their pants zipped. Funny how you don't think it's greedy of you to keep your own money instead of giving it to Netflix.

It's a crime to share Netflix password in TN

I think it's unwise, but should it be a crime? Netflix sharing will be a crime in TN

IMDB 250 on Netflix Instant

PaulIsAGeek has done a great job of finding the IMDB Top 250 on Netflix Instant so you can easily add them to your Instant Queue. I have seen all but the last one.

Still a Netflix fan

I'm still a huge Netflix Fan, but I'm slowing down. I saw only 202 movies in 2010, compared to 473 in 2006. I rented 52 of those on DVD from Netflix, and watched 40 instantly. I saw 67 movies in a theater. I'm still waiting to see the last seven movies of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, 2002 edition. I've been without cable TV for seven years.