Streaming is real great
But Qwikster is real stupid
Prob won't lose my cash

It's not a question of, you know, which gargantuan, cheap, every-movie-ever, streaming-or-nearly-immediate movie and TV service you choose.

It's that Netflix is the only realistic choice right now.

iTunes and Amazon are really wonderful...supplements. Gap-fillers. If you need that movie this second and Netflix doesn't have it, Amazon or iTunes will almost always come through. (Not always-always, I've found movies we did for DIF that weren't on either of 'em.)

When the Netflix-killer comes around, it will almost certainly be better - and if it's any better than Netflix, it'll be great. For now, sixteen bucks a month is nothing. Especially when you watch as maaaaaaaaaaany random movies and series-full of TV shows as I do. I've gotten the Netflix subscription down to the "like $ 0.25 a movie" realm, which you literally can't do with the other options.

It's not some major rip-off. It wouldn't be, for me, at twice the price. It's the fuckin' future, I'm hesitant to be jaded about it.

I've thought that streaming movies would be the future literally since 1987. And I'm not shocked at the pricing. But I am shocked at the lack of content, especially in high def, and especially since Netflix is now hanging its hat entirely on streaming alone.

As for browsing, that's why I have Dish Network. I record 2-4 movies a week and have extra storage, so I can keep about 350 HD movies saved semi-permanently. For me, that's good alternative to Netflix, all things considered (like the $100 I pay). The problem is the lack of obscure titles, which I'd soon have to go to Qwikster for.

Amazon streaming is often cheaper than iTunes and has nearly the same selection (and it's supported by some devices, so you aren't chained to your computer). And Prime gets you a good streaming selection on top of two-day shipping for a good price.

But since it's not in HD, I really just use Amazon streaming for watching along with fan commentaries and revisiting MST3K and British TV (of which a kick-ass selection is included with Prime).

Last edited by Zarban (2011-09-29 16:19:05)

I've been a loyal sub with Netflix since 2004.

A few years back when Netflix first started streaming videos, the president of the company said something like "there is a reason we called the company Netflix and not movies by mail". Their intention was always to go full streaming, they just didn't have the tech or revenue when they started. By splitting the mail and streaming into two companies with different names, I'm pretty sure they will eventually sell off the mail portion so they can focus strictly on streaming.

I personally think both sides are worth it. I pay for 3 movies at a time plus streaming and I watch it way more than my actual cable...and it costs a fraction of my cable bill. The majority of the people who complain about the lack of good movies on the streaming side usually mean "lack of brand new movies". Unfortunately with the greed of the movie companies, they are the ones holding back the brand new stuff. Starz, for example, originally set up the deal with Netflix in 2008 to use their library for 30 million a year. Now when they went to renew their contract, Starz wanted something ridiculous like 300 million a year. I could almost understand them doubling the price (going to 60) but this is ten times the original deal. That's insanely greedy.

So.... Netflix has killed Qwikster before it even rolled out. Wow.