Netflix streaming (1 Viewer)

[Douglas Monce]

That is precisely the point which is overlooked far too often in most tech articles I read. First, some of us are lucky to have any high speed internet period. I have no other options in my area and it is take it or leave it for service. My speeds also are at 1.5M and that is it. Second, the limited bandwidth for some providers can be an issue. Even if you have a 10 or 20M connection, they may limit you to what you can use because they are competing with those services and want your money spent on their cable TV services. I don't know how people can get excited over the "future" of streaming when all these limitations exist and there is no solution that can be provided since it would counter productive for them to do so.

Well as I stated before, Comcast has stated that they don't throttle Netflix streaming, so bandwidth is not an issue for that particular service. I suspect that few others do as it is a very popular service and their phones would be ringing off the hook with complaints.

I also suspect that your provider will be upgrading your service very soon as the internet becomes the primary source for entertainment for most Americans. I know my service doesn't even offer a plan that has less than 3mbps, and that plan is being phased out in favor of the 15mbps. Many people I know are moving into the 25 and 50mbps plans because they send and receive large files.

Doug

 

[Jeffery_H]

Well as I stated before, Comcast has stated that they don't throttle Netflix streaming, so bandwidth is not an issue for that particular service. I suspect that few others do as it is a very popular service and their phones would be ringing off the hook with complaints.

I also suspect that your provider will be upgrading your service very soon as the internet becomes the primary source for entertainment for most Americans. I know my service doesn't even offer a plan that has less than 3mbps, and that plan is being phased out in favor of the 15mbps. Many people I know are moving into the 25 and 50mbps plans because they send and receive large files.

Doug

You are 100% wrong on most of those statements and let me explain why. First, there are indeed limits imposed by Comcast and others as I have stated already. This is a FACT and most people know this based on the tech articles from places like arstechnica, tomshardware, engadget, etc. Also, I would refer you to some of the podcasts such as TWIT (This Week in Tech) with Leo Laporte. Do NOT believe what anyone says at those companies that provide cable service, read the articles done on them that show the REAL testing and truch of the matter. Yes, Comcast may not "throttle" the bandwidth, that just means they don't cut the speed down based on the bits scanned for packet data to a certain place (i.e. Netflix). However, that has nothing to do with what is being discussed here and that is "data caps". Most providers, such as Comcast and some others have been imposing data caps for some time now. Just do a Google search for "data cap" and you will find many that have them. This goes back to the original point which is you are NOT going to get streaming content, such as Netflix, without restrictions. This again can be referenced on the many tech articles if you search. All this talk about "streaming" is NOT the future unless those providers get on board and change their current policies. As stated, it is counter productive to their business and they don't care how popular Netflix streaming may be because of this.

Second, you made a bold statement in what you assume will be changes to ones service in the future. I have news for you, not everyone lives in a large city and they are lucky to have any service at all. There is no way many of us will ever get anywhere close to 5M service let alone 50M due to the fact there is no profit for them to do so. At this time I pay $100/mo for 1.5M service since there is no other competition. As I stated, there are no options for many of us and it is take it as is or leave it period.

 

[Douglas Monce]

My bold statement is simply based on the reality. They will HAVE to provide service able to handle the content because that is the direction everything is moving. Frankly at 1.5 mbps, much of what is available on the internet is not accessible to you. At least not reasonably accessible. If they don’t provide at least a 10mbps service, then someone else, be it satellite or some other service, will come along and put them out of business. Even in small towns.

Two years ago when I when I first watched a film streaming on Neflix, I stated that this was likely where everything was going. Yes at the time it was not even DVD quality, but you could see where it was going. Of course most people scoffed, saying that streaming would never catch on, because there wasn't enough bandwidth. Well today its more than half of Netflix business. As streaming becomes more and more important to Hollywood, there will be enormous pressure put on the internet providers to allow unlimited streaming with out restrictions. My service already provides this. I know providers in most major cities do. If they don’t their competition will. Of course that is the disadvantage of living in a small town, but I suspect that people live there feel they have other advantages.

The fact of the matter is that the movie studios would like to get away from consumers owning their content. They have NEVER wanted you to be able to own a copy of their films. They fought it when the Betamax came out, and have been trying to find a way to put the genie back into the bottle. It looks like they have found a way. I'm not saying that physical media is going away tomorrow, but it looks to me like its days are numbered.

Doug

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Yuh know, I have been touting the possible advantages
of streaming movies to my home rather than purchasing DVDs.

Over the past few days I have finally given Netflix a good,
hard look and I am sorry to say that I am rather disappointed.

It has nothing to do with the streaming quality. It has
everything to do with the selection.

There's nothing of real interest here. Not many new movies
listed under NEW RELEASES. Most of the stuff is standard
catalog fare. Many times I did searches for catalog titles that
were only 3-5 years old and was told that it was available for
DVD RENTAL ONLY.

So, last night, while in the mood to watch a movie I ended
up watching two really good documentaries, a National
Geographic piece on North Korea and a Marx Brothers bio.

....but the point is there is nothing of real interest to watch.

Am I missing something? I understand that new releases
take about 30 days to hit Netflix after video release but looking
through the selection of stuff I couldn't find anything of real
interest.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

I've been on a Blu ray Binge of late I guess the prices have wooed me, especially lately gettting disks for $8 or less and Box sets for under $25. But I know what you mean, I stream alot of movies and tv shows via my Apple TV , and the new one has Neflix streaming and even on my 65" screen it does'nt look too bad especially the HD content. I might go this route with my Membership since they are charging more for Blu ray and carrying less copies, they obviously want to go streaming only. Now if they can work out deals to get alot of their tv content streaming I'd be happy with that, it would save me on encoding and I have Netflix apps on almost every device possible, I too might be winding down on my purchases.

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein
Okay thoughts from someone that just signed up for Netflix
for the very first time yesterday....

After owning thousands of DVD and Blu-rays I came to the
decision recently that I don't want to continue buying product
that I am only going to watch once or twice and then just sit
on the shelf for the sake of having a collection.

It goes without saying that I will always buy my favorite films
on Blu-ray. There is nothing currently available that matches
the resolution and experience of watching a movie on that format.

So, after months of toying with the idea of streaming, I finally
signed up for a Netflix account yesterday afternoon via the app
on my brand new LG display.

I get a free month's trial then a subscription of $7.99 a month
for unlimited streaming which I think is very fair.

I only clicked on one movie to sample. I think it was called
"Finding Harry Nilsson" (or something like that). Sampled the
first 10 minutes. Overall, on a 60" plasma display, it looked
fairly good though a little dullish.

If I can get DVD quality from streaming I would be a happy camper.

I'm not looking to use Netflix as a venue to watch 5-star releases.
I look to it to find stuff I would not normally buy -- or perhaps what
I used to buy blindly. For that reason the quality does come second
to the selection as long as I am not watching really bad video.

I am happy that Netflix has made this arrangement for those that
just want to stream content. I'm sorry that those that subscribed
to DVDs in the mail are having to pay more but it absolutely looks
as if Netflix may be wanting to get away from mailing out DVDs
as they are claiming that their streaming may mean the end for
that format.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

In addition to my comments about lack of content....

Got a question....

Does Netflix do 1080p or is it all 720p?

Reason I ask....

Looking to possibly buy an Apple TV. However
that is only limited to 720p output for Netflix.

I am not certain what Netflix via my new LG display
or Blu-ray player is outputting. If it will output a
better resolution than Apple TV then there is no need
to buy it.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein /forum/thread/306097/netflix-streaming#post_3755622

Yuh know, I have been touting the possible advantages of streaming movies to my home rather than purchasing DVDs. Over the past few days I have finally given Netflix a good, hard look and I am sorry to say that I am rather disappointed. It has nothing to do with the streaming quality. It has everything to do with the selection. There's nothing of real interest here. Not many new movies listed under NEW RELEASES. Most of the stuff is standard catalog fare. Many times I did searches for catalog titles that were only 3-5 years old and was told that it was available for DVD RENTAL ONLY. So, last night, while in the mood to watch a movie I ended up watching two really good documentaries, a National Geographic piece on North Korea and a Marx Brothers bio. ....but the point is there is nothing of real interest to watch. Am I missing something? I understand that new releases take about 30 days to hit Netflix after video release but looking through the selection of stuff I couldn't find anything of real interest.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein /forum/thread/306097/netflix-streaming#post_3755631

In addition to my comments about lack of content.... Got a question.... Does Netflix do 1080p or is it all 720p? Reason I ask.... Looking to possibly buy an Apple TV. However that is only limited to 720p output for Netflix. I am not certain what Netflix via my new LG display or Blu-ray player is outputting. If it will output a better resolution than Apple TV then there is no need to buy it.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Dave,

Had to remove your posts.

I very much appreciate the fact you wanted to offer
a reply but all you ended up doing was quoting my
original posts with no additional content from you.

I know it was an accident. Please try again.

 

[Jeffery_H]

Originally Posted by Douglas Monce
My bold statement is simply based on the reality. They will HAVE to provide service able to handle the content because that is the direction everything is moving. Frankly at 1.5 mbps, much of what is available on the internet is not accessible to you. At least not reasonably accessible. If they don’t provide at least a 10mbps service, then someone else, be it satellite or some other service, will come along and put them out of business. Even in small towns.

Two years ago when I when I first watched a film streaming on Neflix, I stated that this was likely where everything was going. Yes at the time it was not even DVD quality, but you could see where it was going. Of course most people scoffed, saying that streaming would never catch on, because there wasn't enough bandwidth. Well today its more than half of Netflix business. As streaming becomes more and more important to Hollywood, there will be enormous pressure put on the internet providers to allow unlimited streaming with out restrictions. My service already provides this. I know providers in most major cities do. If they don’t their competition will. Of course that is the disadvantage of living in a small town, but I suspect that people live there feel they have other advantages.

The fact of the matter is that the movie studios would like to get away from consumers owning their content. They have NEVER wanted you to be able to own a copy of their films. They fought it when the Betamax came out, and have been trying to find a way to put the genie back into the bottle. It looks like they have found a way. I'm not saying that physical media is going away tomorrow, but it looks to me like its days are numbered.

Doug

Sorry, but you are yet again 100% wrong in your statements. I can prove them to not be factual in several ways, all you need to do is a search on Google or reference the articles and podcasts I refer to. As stated, most service providers can and do limit you with "data caps". One such statement from Comcast here:

http://www.comcast.net/terms/network/amendment/

I will not post others because all you need to do is read it for yourself as there are MANY articles on this. It is not just limited to Comcast but most other providers as well.

You said:

"They will HAVE to provide service able to handle the content because that is the direction everything is moving. Frankly at 1.5 mbps, much of what is available on the internet is not accessible to you. At least not reasonably accessible. If they don’t provide at least a 10mbps service, then someone else, be it satellite or some other service, will come along and put them out of business. Even in small towns."

Again, you are 100% wrong in this statement for reasons I have already mentioned prior. If you think anyone is going to upgrade service outside of large cities for people demanding it then you have either never lived in a small town or you are not educated in business economics 101. It does not matter if this is believed to be the future or not and it certainly does not matter even if every single resident is "demanding it". As I said, it comes down to cost vs profit. There is no profit incentive for anyone to do so and no business in their right mind is going to do something they can not turn a good profit on. Most small towns don't even have ANY high speed internet and it is either dial-up or satellite service. Which brings me to the other point that most all current satellite service tops out at 1.5M down and about 256kbps up for their plans regardless of where you get it. Just look at DirecWay, Wild Blue, etc. so you will never see faster speeds there unless another company does so.

What you are talking about is simply pie in the sky type of things without having actually done research on it first hand to know the full details. I have explored all options and trust me when I say I know a LOT about all of this. You simply are not going to get what you perceive to be future changes in service for many years, if ever, in smaller towns. No one is going to just come along and put someone out of business as you suggest because of going back to what I have said all along, cost vs profit. You must have enough people willing to pay x amount of money for something before you can make money doing it. In a smaller town, even if every one signed up, it simply would not be enough to justify the expense. I have checked into this personally and there is no way, even with a possible government subsidy can it be done by anyone due to limitations. I could go on and on as to the reasons why still, but I have made my point many times over.

 

[Scott McGillivray]

I signed up for Netflix just over a month ago and so far, I am very happy with it. I live in Canada and where I am has excellent bandwidth, so the streaming is very fast and, I think, looks excellent. I am a Hi-Def snob and I find the HD content to be just fine. Sure, not up to Blu Ray, but very good...better than DVD.

I agree with Ron that the selection is pretty limited. However, for $8.00, I cant complain. I am watching lots of TV series, the occasional movie and documentaries. My thinking is that as the service increases in popularity, they will be able to get bigger/newer titles online. I really see this as the future of TV. If they can grow their selections and keep up with the demand of bandwidth, the next few years will see me getting rid of cable (heck, the only real reason I keep it now is for sports).

 

[Douglas Monce]

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein
Yuh know, I have been touting the possible advantages
of streaming movies to my home rather than purchasing DVDs.

Over the past few days I have finally given Netflix a good,
hard look and I am sorry to say that I am rather disappointed.

It has nothing to do with the streaming quality. It has
everything to do with the selection.

There's nothing of real interest here. Not many new movies
listed under NEW RELEASES. Most of the stuff is standard
catalog fare. Many times I did searches for catalog titles that
were only 3-5 years old and was told that it was available for
DVD RENTAL ONLY.

So, last night, while in the mood to watch a movie I ended
up watching two really good documentaries, a National
Geographic piece on North Korea and a Marx Brothers bio.

....but the point is there is nothing of real interest to watch.

Am I missing something? I understand that new releases
take about 30 days to hit Netflix after video release but looking
through the selection of stuff I couldn't find anything of real
interest.

I rarely watch anything that is newer than about 10 years, so I suppose that is something I simply haven't run into. In recent days there have been a number of rare classic films noir added that I've been enjoying. A bunch of early MST3K episodes have popped up recently. Also new TV seasons seem to be added on a regular basis. Neflix stated in a press release this last week that it will be spending significantly more this next year on licensing more titles for its streaming service. I suspect that much of that money will go toward new releases.

Doug

 

[Ronald Epstein]

The other side of the coin, according to what I have
been reading, is the studios are realizing that the content
they have been licensing to Netflix have now become their
own worst nightmare with package media taking a tumble
to the streaming service.

I do want to again ask if Netflix does 1080p. I am deciding
on whether to buy Apple TV which only does 720p or if there
is a higher bitrate streaming delivery method for the service.

 

[Douglas Monce]

Sorry, but you are yet again 100% wrong in your statements. I can prove them to not be factual in several ways, all you need to do is a search on Google or reference the articles and podcasts I refer to. As stated, most service providers can and do limit you with "data caps". One such statement from Comcast here:

http://www.comcast.net/terms/network/amendment/

I will not post others because all you need to do is read it for yourself as there are MANY articles on this. It is not just limited to Comcast but most other providers as well.

You said:

"They will HAVE to provide service able to handle the content because that is the direction everything is moving. Frankly at 1.5 mbps, much of what is available on the internet is not accessible to you. At least not reasonably accessible. If they don’t provide at least a 10mbps service, then someone else, be it satellite or some other service, will come along and put them out of business. Even in small towns."

Again, you are 100% wrong in this statement for reasons I have already mentioned prior. If you think anyone is going to upgrade service outside of large cities for people demanding it then you have either never lived in a small town or you are not educated in business economics 101. It does not matter if this is believed to be the future or not and it certainly does not matter even if every single resident is "demanding it". As I said, it comes down to cost vs profit. There is no profit incentive for anyone to do so and no business in their right mind is going to do something they can not turn a good profit on. Most small towns don't even have ANY high speed internet and it is either dial-up or satellite service. Which brings me to the other point that most all current satellite service tops out at 1.5M down and about 256kbps up for their plans regardless of where you get it. Just look at DirecWay, Wild Blue, etc. so you will never see faster speeds there unless another company does so.

What you are talking about is simply pie in the sky type of things without having actually done research on it first hand to know the full details. I have explored all options and trust me when I say I know a LOT about all of this. You simply are not going to get what you perceive to be future changes in service for many years, if ever, in smaller towns. No one is going to just come along and put someone out of business as you suggest because of going back to what I have said all along, cost vs profit. You must have enough people willing to pay x amount of money for something before you can make money doing it. In a smaller town, even if every one signed up, it simply would not be enough to justify the expense. I have checked into this personally and there is no way, even with a possible government subsidy can it be done by anyone due to limitations. I could go on and on as to the reasons why still, but I have made my point many times over.

I suspect that if your town is so small that you don't even have cable, that there are many modern conveniences that you are doing with out, and that is your choice for living there. There are probably many modern annoyances you are living with out also.

Yes satellite is limited to around 1.5 mbps....for now. Again if they want to compete they are going to have to do better than that.

I never said that EVERYONE would have access to this kind of service, or that it would be available right away. There maybe some towns that will NEVER have high speed internet. After all there were some small towns that didn’t have electricity until the mid 1960’s.

Doug

 

[Douglas Monce]

Originally Posted by Ronald Epstein
The other side of the coin, according to what I have
been reading, is the studios are realizing that the content
they have been licensing to Netflix have now become their
own worst nightmare with package media taking a tumble
to the streaming service.

I do want to again ask if Netflix does 1080p. I am deciding
on whether to buy Apple TV which only does 720p or if there
is a higher bitrate streaming delivery method for the service.

I know that when I first got the service on my PS3, when it required a disc to play, it was 720p. When it went to the installable version, I noticed they added 5.1 audio with DD plus. I'm not sure if there was an upgrade to 1080p or not. I'll see what I can find out.

Doug

Edit: At this point netflix is 720p. They just added 5.1 DD+ audio with closed captioning. The rumor has it that they plan to roll out 1080p sometime next year.

 

[Michael Elliott]

The early days of DVD were quite limited in the titles that were available so it really shouldn't come as any shock about the selection right now. This is still a rather new thing so I'm sure once more deals are worked out then you'll be able to get more titles.

I think right now it's mainly of interest to film buffs. There are some extremely rare and hard to come by titles available for streaming that were never even released to VHS let alone DVD and (laugh) Blu. If MGM, Paramount and Fox feel there isn't an audience for these movies then they're more than welcome to throw them on streaming.

According to several articles Netflix thinks steaming will be the main thing going forward so I'm sure they've got some more stuff lined up. The push for Netflix-ready players are quite high and it's funny that many Blu players are being sold not for HD but for the Netflix streaming.



EDIT: Is anyone else having a problem where they hit submit and their entire post doesn't show? It's been happening to people in the TRACK thread but I just wrote out a rather long reply and the entire bottom half (about six paragraphs) isn't showing up.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Netflix Partner Says Comcast ‘Toll’ Threatens Online Video Delivery

 

[Mikah Cerucco]

...and suddenly a casual browser of the thread perks up.

Originally Posted by Douglas Monce
They just added 5.1 DD+ audio with closed captioning.

 

[Douglas Monce]

Well be aware that only a few titles have 5.1 DD+ so far, but they are adding more all the time.

Doug

 

[Douglas Monce]

Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt

Netflix Partner Says Comcast ‘Toll’ Threatens Online Video Delivery

This will likely end up in court.

Doug