2.7 Million active mail accounts Netflix DVD (1 Viewer)

[David Wilkins]

The thing that annoys me most about rental, is that they still treat Blu-ray like it's something special, charging a premium, and not stocking many titles in the format, though they're obviously available. Seems to me it would be worth it for them to stock, based just upon the anti-scratch coating on Blu's, which makes them far more durable than DVD's. Blu isn't still some expensive "elitist" format, but it's unlikely that Netflix will change any of their archaic policies. Why would they do anything positive for mere customers, despite having billions in the bank?

 

[Brian Kidd]

I have never seen a stripped down Criterion disc. Only the bigger studio releases.

While that's true, Netflix has a habit of not offering the Criterion releases of films for which they already own older copies. Understandable, but disappointing for those of us who love Criterion's releases.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Since the studios pretty much know how many copies of a title will be sold to Netflix and other such companies,
it is not a lot of money for the larger companies to take away extras and author an uncomplicated Blu-ray for rental. It is a very small cost.

Having paid for some of this work, I can say that a major studio with a major release would not blink at such a minor cost.
.

Still waiting for your examples of "stripped down" BDs released over the last year or so.

As I noted, the most recent release I've encountered that was "rental fodder" came out in January 2018.

Over the past 12 months, I got 45 new releases from Netflix. Every single one was a regular retail disc!

 

[DeanR]

I think Ready Player One was the last stripped down movie I got from Netflix.

 

[aPhil]

Still waiting for your examples of "stripped down" BDs released over the last year or so.

I must reply that when I get to the point in my life that I'm making lists of stripped down BDs that I have reached the end of all meaning, all value, and all sanity.
I hope to never get there.

 

[aPhil]

One thing that I have noticed lately is that Netflix discs now take 3 days to arrive after the shipping date.
It is not the quality of speed and service that it used to be.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I must reply that when I get to the point in my life that I'm making lists of stripped down BDs that I have reached the end of all meaning, all value, and all sanity.
I hope to never get there.

You claimed that the studios still put of lots of rental-only discs. I asked for examples - you gave none.

I didn't ask for "lists" - I requested examples from the past year. Shouldn't be that hard to remember, especially since you claim to see so many of them...

 

[aPhil]

You claimed that the studios still put of lots of rental-only discs. I asked for examples - you gave none.

I didn't ask for "lists" - I requested examples from the past year. Shouldn't be that hard to remember, especially since you claim to see so many of them...

I'm not trying to argue with you nor have I made any claim other than that I have received lots of stripped down discs and that I continue to receive such.

I don't keep lists on that kind of thing. It is not important to me.
Sorry it bothers you. Sorry I see such discs.
Glad you do not if you don't like such.

 

[JohnRice]

I've been renting discs from NetFlix since they started, and only had one warehouse. For the last several years I've been on the unlimited, one at a time plan for $10. I have never experienced any of the problems that people have listed as common problems with them. I am fortunate that the local (about 60 miles away in Denver) warehouse is still operating, and isn't likely to close unless the entire service goes away. I have never... never received the wrong disc. Ever. I have received some damaged discs. Probably twice a year out of about 100 total discs a year. What I really like NetFlix for is cable TV shows.

If there is a new release I want on release day, I send a disc back on Saturday, and 98% of the time the new release is sent to me on Monday. If not, I either check Redbox of just be a grown up and wait a week or two, which is typically how long it takes to get it. In reality, Redbox isn't always an option, since they have such a limited offering.

I hadn't thought about it, but I'm not sure what the last stripped-down Blu-Ray I got was. I think it has been a while. The Hunger Games and Divergent ones had non-HD soundtracks. In the case of missing extra features, I've found they are sometimes on the disc, but the menu won't take you to them. There are ways around that.

 

[Cineman]

I am fine with streaming Netflix movies but I want my end credits and end credits music back. Doesn't this annoy anyone else? The instant the end credits for the movie begin to roll, Netflix immediately shrinks the streamed movie into a smaller format, moves it to the corner of the screen and cuts it off soon after that so they can fire up an ad for some other movie or tv show in their line up. It is a total mood killer.

For well produced movies, the end credits and music is part of the show, a continuation of the experience and appropriate coda for what the movie just accomplished, not a dispensable afterthought. And I might actually want to SEE who did what on this movie right here and now with some degree of appreciation and, dare I say "respect", as the producers intended without having to look it up online later.

As far as I have found, there is no way in the settings or on-screen controls to prevent this insult to the filmmakers and dismissal of the audience from happening on Netflix. Does anyone else know how to adjust the settings on Netflix streaming so I can watch and read the end credits and enjoy the end credits music as the filmmakers intended? It seems there ought to be a way to do it. After all, I assume my streaming subscription PAYS for my ability to watch the whole movie all the way to the very last of the end credits and not just the portions of the movie Netflix wants to show me until they fire up an ad for another program.

That amounts to a commercial break and interruption, something I thought my paid subscription was meant to eliminate. Worse, it breaks and interrupts the movie and never comes back to where it left off.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I hadn't thought about it, but I'm not sure what the last stripped-down Blu-Ray I got was. I think it has been a while. The Hunger Games and Divergent ones had non-HD soundtracks. In the case of missing extra features, I've found they are sometimes on the disc, but the menu won't take you to them. There are ways around that.

Meaning people have uploaded them onto YouTube or there's some way to unlock them on the rental disc itself?

 

[JohnRice]

Meaning people have uploaded them onto YouTube or there's some way to unlock them on the rental disc itself?

I was referring to the second one. Sometimes there are extra features or alternate versions of the movie, but the menus have been modified so you can't access them with a player, but they're still on the disc.

 

[Malcolm R]

Yep, sometimes you can use the "title" or similar function of the player to access features not listed on the menus.

 

[aPhil]

If there is a new release I want on release day, I send a disc back on Saturday, and 98% of the time the new release is sent to me on Monday. .

That is the one thing that has really changed here in the Piedmont section of North Carolina.
A year ago,
if I returned a movie on Monday, I would usually have another one by Wednesday.

I'm on the 2 Blu-ray discs at a time plan.

When I look at my shipped date vs arrival date now,
if I returned a movie on Monday, there would not be a new one in my hand until Saturday.

It leads me to believe that Netflix is showing little energy here and that the physical disc support is fading away.

I get discs because of the superior playback. Image quality is extremely important to me. I feel that Streaming will improve in the next few years, but it still pales if you have the demand for the best.

 

[JohnRice]

When I look at my shipped date vs arrival date now,
if I returned a movie on Monday, there would not be a new one in my hand until Saturday.

No doubt they are closing shipping centers. Did you ever look at the return address to see if it's changed? It probably has. I'm fortunate, being in Colorado, since it's not likely the center in Denver would close unless the entire service goes away. It's logical to keep Denver, even if there were only three shipping centers left.

 

[Malcolm R]

DVD Netflix reaches new milestone:

https://ew.com/movies/2019/08/27/netflix-crosses-5-billion-dvd-rentals-rocketman/