Good article about Netflix's lack of classics -- Physical Media's continued relevance (1 Viewer)

[Josh Steinberg]

I use iTunes and Vudu to replace a la carte rentals that physical video stores used to be my outlet for.

I subscribe to Netflix as an alternative to having an HBO subscription.

They both fill different needs. Netflix is good when I want curated content, when I feel like watching something but don't have strong or specific feelings about what that is. iTunes/Vudu are great when there's a specific title I want to see at a specific time.

Most non-new releases rent for $2-4 on those services. Before Blockbuster disappeared, a single rental was $5 and required me to leave the house to pick it up, hope that it was in stock, and then make a second trip within a timed window to return it or face a large penalty fee. In just about every way, iTunes and Vudu for streaming rentals improved upon what video stores were offering before they went out of business.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Incidentally, I don't spend any time making "watch later" lists on any of the subscription services I have - precisely because stuff is coming and going all the time, so why spend an hour looking for things to save for later when they might not be there? My problem is that I already have too many things to watch and not enough time. I'm trying to shed viewing obligations and not take new ones on. Which is not to say that that's the right move for everyone but it seems to be working for me.

 

[Jake Lipson]

This is a great article. Thanks for posting it.

I agree it would be nice if Netflix offered more classic films, but as Josh mentioned, most are available on iTunes/Vudu/Amazon as paid rentals. Netflix is a business that is catering mostly to the general public, so of course they're going to spend their dollars on the content they think will get the most views, and sadly that's not classic films. The issue issthat if you add another streaming service like FilmStruck or Warner Archive, the cost naturally goes up, and how many different streaming sevices can one person afford to pay for? This is a situation where competition makes it more difficult for the consumer than when Netflix was the only game in town and the majority of licensing went to them. Now, you've got Prime, Hulu, and all these other different things, and Netflix isn't feeling the need to license as much because they are spending big on their original series and movies.

I think Netflix's disregard of the theatrical release on their original films already demonstrated "a lack of reverence for cinema history" (to quote the article) because their refusal to play ball with a theatrical release essentially renders their films as expensive TV movies. But that's another discussion for another thread, probably.

I don't often do digital rentals, but when I wanted A Bronx Tale and the 1956 Ingrid Bergman Anastasia for specific reasons at specific times this past summer, I went through Amazon and paid the $3.99 per title fee, which, again, essentially replaces Blockbuster. Netflix is no longer trying to replace Blockbuster; they're trying to get casual movie fans to put something on, which is a very different type of goal. Both are worthwhile.

Honestly, though, I get most of my classic films by going through the TCM listings once a week and setting a bunch of them to record on my DVR. It's so great that that channel continues to exist on basic cable, and it really is one-of-a-kind.

On a related note; the article mentions being able to press a button and skip opening credits of TV series you're bingeing. I never pressed such a button, but it is skipping credits sequences for me on TV shows, and I don't like it since i actually want to watch the credits sequence every time, even in a binge. Does anyone know how to control or deactivate this feature on my Netflix user profile?

 

[Matt Hough]

Yes, I don't know what we'd do without TCM. I have a vast, vast library of movies on tape, laserdisc, HD-DVD, Blu-ray, and UHD, but there are still quite a few movies that appear on TCM which I want to see and that I don't have. And, when you put some of them with interesting commentators like Eddie Muller giving generous background information about the films, their makers, and their afterlife, it's an unbeatable combination.

 

[EricSchulz]

I think Netflix gets a lot of press on this because as a DVD rental company they offered almost everything to rent. When they jumped into the streaming game they were going to keep the Netflix name for streaming and call the DVD rental arm Quickster (remember THAT debacle?). If the current "streaming" Netflix was called by any other name I don't think that the blowback would be so bad. For example, when you mention Napster what do you think of? The illegal file-sharing service or the (later) legit music downloading software?

 

[Randy Korstick]

85% of what I own is not available to legally stream anywhere and more than half of it is not available to stream period. So I disagree that you can find most old films on Amazon/ Vudu/iTunes. I don't doubt you can probably find about 60-70% of what could be called classics 101. The classic films that "everyone knows and everyone says you have to see". But streaming is very thin on pre 1980 TV shows, catalog title movies, classic horror and sci- fi movies, westerns, pirate/swashbucklers, classic comedy teams, musicals, war movies, hong kong movies/martial arts, spaghetti westerns, 80's horror films, classic Italian Giallo/Mario Bava/Dario Argento, Hammer Films and I could go on.

 

[Race Bannon]

Respectfully,

What you think Netflix is, and what Netflix actually is, are 2 different things. Netflix is primarily for it’s own content, much like HBO, not classic films. If you go into a grocery store looking to buy clothing then you realize they only sell food, that isn’t the grocery store’s fault.

.

I'm familiar with what it is, as a long time subscriber. What I said was it's movie selection is terrible, not just it's classic movie selection. It should not be thought of as a "movie channel." As you say, the original content and TV shows are the only things that saves it.

There's a lot of comment here that seem to not realize that the OP article is not confused about why it is this way, or misunderstanding Netflix. It is more about the ramification of the leading service being this way, and its effect on new, younger viewers who treat it as if it is the default source of content.

 

[Race Bannon]

And in general I was finding their movie selection just plain bad. Perhaps I should try Amazon Prime. I can't tell you how I miss my local video store. When I think of the classics I discovered there, but no more....... Even Blockbuster had a better selection of classics, and that's saying something.

You should, but not just for Amazon "Prime." Amazon streams rentals on demand from a HUGE library. So if you truly miss paying for single movie rentals (which can be a very efficient choice), Amazon is just about the only one doing that well. VUDU is also good, although I'd have to look again at classics for them.

 

[StuartK]

I would also suggest checking out Kanopy as an alternate to FilmStruck. They also carry a good variety of Criterion and independent titles, and many public libraries have arrangements with them, allowing their patrons to access the service for free via their library accounts.

There are some caveats, however. They do not have quite as many films as FS, nor do they offer the bonus content like FS; not all library systems work with the service; while they have Android, iOS, and Roku apps, there is no app for Kindle devices (though you can stream it to a TV via Chromecast); and you are limited to 20 or 30 programs a month. But still, for free, it's a great way to catch up on some classic cinema.

 

[ChromeJob]

I'll have to check out Kanopy. I didn't realize that Criterion Collection still had a licensing arrangement with a third party.

I'll be happy to check out of Amazon Prime. Their "Prime Video" is woefully inadequate for a supposed "all you can eat" promise. Many of the older films they feature are terrible, and I do mean God-awful terrible, masters. Some look like they were recorded off a TV showing a VHS tape.

Re: the complaint of films disappearing from Filmstruck, I've noticed this and can only guess it's due to licensing. Remember for many of these films, they don't OWN the property, they license it. So restrictions will surely apply. They do identify some identify the limited availability, but others have gone "poof!" on me. :-\ The joy of Filmstruck, though, is the availability of the "extras" from Criterion Collection releases, including some commentary tracks.

But they're a young service and the apps for Apple TV, etc, are still a work in progress. The Apple TV Siri can't search it, and the app won't respond to the Apple TV voice commands. You can't even cue/fast-forward 10 seconds like most apps. Poor little Filmstruck really needs to hire more developers and get a move on.

 

[Traveling Matt]

Netflix began on August 29, 1997...

He listened while the Terminator laid it all down. Skynet. Judgment Day. The history of things to come. He took it pretty well.

 

[Jake Lipson]

A local theatre is doing a production of Chapter Two by Neil Simon which I saw last weekend, and it was pretty terrific. (It was directed here by Marsha Mason, who was Oscar-nominated for starring in the film.) And now I would like to see the film...but the only option available seems to be to buy the DVD from Amazon. There's not even a Blu-ray option. I'm not sure I want to do that blindly right now, especially for a DVD, but I'd like to watch it once. Unfortunately, Amazon and Vudu don't have it for rental, and the TV listings don't have it in their database, so TCM (which would seem to be the only network that might show it on TV) won't be airing it anytime soon, if ever.

And this thread popped back into my head because this is a prime example of a film that is just too hard to find. I'd love to stream it via Netflix, but I would also be perfectly happy to do a paid rental, but there aren't options available allowing me to do that.

Sigh.

 

[Worth]

Doesn't Netflix still rent DVDs in the US?

 

[Jake Lipson]

Yes, but I don't subscribe to the Netflix DVD option. Doing that would be more expensive than just buying it.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Ultimately. I had to buy a copy of Billy Wilder's version of "The Front Page" on DVD earlier in the year because it wasn't available on any of the subscription services, the streaming rental services, or even as a purchase option. The DVD was about $10 so it wasn't a bank-breaking endeavor, but I ended up not liking the film, and I'm unlikely to watch it again. If it was a BD, it might have some resale value and might have looked good on my display, but the DVD was from an unimpressive master, and I'm sure was immediately worthless the moment I removed the shrinkwrap.

Now, a single movie ticket to a 2D feature is $16.50 in my neighborhood, so it was still cheaper to buy the disc than it would be to go see a new release on the big screen, so that's how I justified the purchase. But it wasn't really an ideal situation for me.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I agree, Josh. That's the same situation I'm in with Chapter Two. With so many upcoming new releases around the corner in the fourth quarter, I'm not going to be able to get all of those that I want, so I can't justify dropping $13+tax on a DVD of Chapter Two right now, but would happily rent it if it were to become available. The studio is losing money by not making it available for rent, since I'm not going to buy it at the moment but would love to rent it for a night. Fortunately, our movie ticket prices are substantially cheaper here than where you are, so I can't really make that comparison to a blind buy. I do know that I liked the play, which makes it likely that I would enjoy the film, but that doesn't necessarily mean I will want to watch the disc over and over again.

 

[Kyrsten Brad]

New article on Digital Bits encourages our youth to consider buying movies on disc for much the same reasons we’ve been saying the same here.
http://www.thedigitalbits.com/columns/my-two-cents/091318-1100