# I’m now Netflixer



## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

After a while of contemplating I decided to sign up for Netflix, I have a month free and will most definitely be keeping the service after the free trial is over. I got my first three movies in the mail this afternoon, less then 40 hours after initially signing up. First three flix I chose were The Day After Tomorrow, South Park: BLU and The Butterfly Effect, currently on queue 217 more movies. I am very surprised by vast library they have, especially the Imax films and for the foreign film buff, they seem to have a huge selection. I’m very delighted with the service overall, and would recommend it to anyone who loves movies, or wants to catch some of those hard to find flicks.


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## JBKing (Mar 23, 2002)

I signed up for a 2 week trial on Blockbuster and have kept it for an extra month so far. I think it's a good deal. For 19.95 you also get 2 coupons each month for a free rental at the store. I've gotten 7 movies so far in the mail this month and have used one of the coupons at the B&M location. That's well worth $20 a month.


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## Danny R (Jul 5, 2002)

Netflix is definately superior to Blockbuster. The turnaround times are much faster. I've been with them over a year now.

With Blockbuster I was often waiting 3 days for movies to arrive and then the same wait once I shipped them off. Netflix always ships and receives the day after I drop them in the mail. Also Blockbuster's mailers seem flimsier. Twice the front was ripped off, where I got the mailing label but no DVD. And all this in just the one month I tried them free of charge.

Netflix has only had 1 lost movie in the year I've been with them, and I think that was really because of a mislabelling problem and not because it was lost, so they didn't check it back in correctly.


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## JM Anthony (Nov 16, 2003)

Hey, thanks for the info. on Netflix. I've been thinking about giving it a try, but now I'll definitely give it a shot.


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## ImmerTech (Jul 19, 2004)

NetFlix is fantastic. I switched to it from Blockbuster. Wow what a difference!! Blockbuster has a much smaller library. They often don't carry the theatrical released NC-17 versions but only straight to video R versions of films. Plus it takes them forever to get you the DVDs in the mail. And as if that wasn't enough, out of the 21 discs I got from them 4 were damaged. 

Definitely NetFlix is the way to go.

- ImmerTech


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## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

Agreed. I've been with Netflix since 1999. They are definitely the best in the business. They have distribution centers all over the country and still growing.


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## ibglowin (Sep 10, 2002)

I just joined Netflix as well. I was drawn by the fact that they rented all the TV series stuff like CSI etc. The day they hit my mailbox its DVD Shrink time and then back in the mail the next day. My closest mailing point is Denver (only about 400 miles away) but its taking 3 days to get movies. Hope the TAT picks up with the USPS.

Has anyone tried Walmart? Did you see that Amazon.com is getting into the DVD rental business? Netflix stock tumbled lastnight in after hours trading.


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## DJ Rob (Jul 24, 2003)

Netflix is going to lower their rate down to $18 for 3 movies out at a time...I guess it's a preemptive move since Amazon.com is getting into the on line movie rental biz.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

This is great news, I saw an interview on Bloomberg with the CEO of Netflix. From what I gather, Netflix was pretty much forced to drop it's monthly price.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041015/ap_on_bi_ge/blockbuster_prices_1


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## kwajr (Apr 7, 2004)

JBKing said:


> I signed up for a 2 week trial on Blockbuster and have kept it for an extra month so far. I think it's a good deal. For 19.95 you also get 2 coupons each month for a free rental at the store. I've gotten 7 movies so far in the mail this month and have used one of the coupons at the B&M location. That's well worth $20 a month.


if you use cooper as promo code you get 4 weeks free


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## kwajr (Apr 7, 2004)

ibglowin said:


> I just joined Netflix as well. I was drawn by the fact that they rented all the TV series stuff like CSI etc. The day they hit my mailbox its DVD Shrink time and then back in the mail the next day. My closest mailing point is Denver (only about 400 miles away) but its taking 3 days to get movies. Hope the TAT picks up with the USPS.
> 
> Has anyone tried Walmart? Did you see that Amazon.com is getting into the DVD rental business? Netflix stock tumbled lastnight in after hours trading.


walmart took about a week to get me movies blocbuster distro one city away takes 3 days and netflix nex day but i like the movie pass thanks to dvd shrink iget a ****load of them and they never seem to care that it only takes 3 hours for me to trade sometimes


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## Guest (Oct 16, 2004)

Danny R said:


> Netflix is definately superior to Blockbuster.


That's strictly a matter of opinion. With Blockbuster you get more movies for less money, with the additional two in-store coupons a month. Turnaround time is strictly a matter of how close you live to their shipping/receiving facilities. I was with Netflix in the past, and their turnaround time was far worse than what I get now, and I got far more damaged disks from them than I do now (I've gotten no bad ones from Blockbuster so far). And I've yet to not find a movie on Blockbuster that I've wanted to put in my queue.

I am not loyal to any company, I am strictly interested in getting what I consider to be the best value (way too many people here act insulted or get defensive if anyone chooses any satellite provider or any other service other than the one THEY have. That's just silly). If Netflix lowers their prices, I'd give them a good hard look. I didn't know Amazon was going to start an online movie rental business; if and when that happens, I'll take a good hard look at them, too. All this competition can only be good for us consumers.


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## JBKing (Mar 23, 2002)

I haven't had a problem with Blockbuster with unavailable titles or broken/lost discs, but it does take 2 days to ship back and 2 days to receive a new DVD. Since BB is now lowering their price to $17.49 to counter Netflix's new price, I'll stick with BB. I like getting 2 free rentals at the store. Hell, you factor that in, the mail order price is less than $10 a month. I also don't like the fact that Netflix limits you to 10 rentals a month. *edited, I am wrong about this! THere is no limit *Considering the longer mail delay with Blockbuster, it would be hard to get more than 10 a month sent. But with Netflix, and 1 day shipping, I could easily use 10 rentals up in a month. Also, I read Netflix doesn't ship on Saturday?

Enjoy these prices while they last. They can't be turning a profit at this rate.


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## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

JBKing said:


> I also don't like the fact that Netflix limits you to 10 rentals a month.


Are you sure about that? I've never heard of that restriction.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

There is no limits on how many movies you can take out per month, unless you go with the $15 plan. But you are correct Netflix doesn't ship on Saturdays.



> 2-at-a-time (4 rentals a month) for $14.99
> Up to 4 rentals a month - up to 2 movies out at a time for a flat monthly fee of $14.99.
> 
> 3-at-a-time for $21.99
> Unlimited rentals - up to 3 movies out at a time for a flat monthly fee of $21.99.


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## JBKing (Mar 23, 2002)

Geez, my bad. I could have swore that you were limited to 10 a month.


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## Danny R (Jul 5, 2002)

_The day they hit my mailbox its DVD Shrink time and then back in the mail the next day. _

hehe... I often do the same thing, although I rarely use Shrink, but just copy the ISO to my hard drive. I'm on a 3 at a time plan, and copy them to computer the day I receive them, and pop them right back in the mail. This way I'm able to get 6 / week.

I then watch them one or so a night at my leisure, deleting when I'm done.

I know a few folks who burn copies of everything, but I don't really see the sense of that. There really are only a small number of movies I can see watching over and over again, and those I generally buy. A few, such as the Extended Editions LOTR, I buy anyway because they are just such cool things to have, but I've yet to actually sit through a whole showing of any of them yet. Shrinking those to a single DVD almost seems like a sin. 

_That's strictly a matter of opinion. With Blockbuster you get more movies for less money, with the additional two in-store coupons a month. _

Well, not just opinion. I'm able to get far more movies with Netflix because of their faster turnaround times. I average 24 a month. The breakage issue might be due to the same factor... less time in postal service hands equals less time for breakage.


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## Steve Mehs (Mar 21, 2002)

JB, after you signed up for your trial, on your initial delivery did you receive all three of your DVDs on the same day? The Blockbuster trial for the iPod was what persuaded me to get Netflix over them. I had three discs on my queue, School of Rock, Face/Off and South Park season 4 disc 1. I received School of Rock 2 days after I signed up, Face/Off another 2 days later, and South Park 6 days after I signed up. I don't really know what the problem was, and it’s not like these are three new release high demand titles, but since I wasn’t paying for the service I didn't make a big stink about it, but that was one of the reasons why I didn’t stick with blockbuster. When I went to cancel, they sent me a retention offer email, $15.99 for the unlimited 3 at a time plan for 6 months.


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## JBKing (Mar 23, 2002)

No, my first three movies all came in on the same day. I've had a slight delay on some movies due to availability, but not more than a couple of days longer than normal. I keep enough in my queue to where another movie automatically gets shipped, even if there is a delay.

Thanks for the tip on retention offer, I'll try it.


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## Guest (Oct 21, 2004)

Danny R said:


> Well, not just opinion. I'm able to get far more movies with Netflix because of their faster turnaround times. I average 24 a month. The breakage issue might be due to the same factor... less time in postal service hands equals less time for breakage.


I guess you didn't bother to read my first post all the way through, so I'll try again. Turnaround time is related to where you live. My turnaround time is faster with Blockbuster than it was with NetFlix. You can't argue with that, because it is a fact. I got far more damaged disks from Netflix than I do with Blockbuster. You can't argue with that either, because it is also a fact.

So which service is "better" is indeed a matter of opinion. I'm currently happy with Blockbuster; if you are happy with Netflix, that is fine too. I don't see enough difference between the two to make either superior, but I like the two addtional in-store rentals I get with Blockbuster. I'll be watching to see what Amazon does; they may offer an even better service, and if they do, I'll switch.


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## Guest (Oct 21, 2004)

ibglowin said:


> The day they hit my mailbox its DVD Shrink time


Without getting into the ethics of what you are doing, I am curious about DVD Shrink. I take it that it will compress any dual-layer DVD onto one DVD-R/RW or DVD+R/RW? Does it retain DD or DTS surround sound? I am utterly uninterested in watching a movie in an inferior, compressed format, but I could see other uses for such a program.

I also don't understand your apparent need to get as many DVDs as possible from Netflix. Do you really get a chance to enjoy them, or is is a marathon to watch as many as you can to get "more value" from your subscription? I keep most movies at least 4 days; some I keep longer, as I may want to watch them multiple times. I'm more into quality than quantity, but again, that is a matter of personal choice.

But I am interested in hearing more about DVD Shrink. I'll probably download it and give it a try, but any input from anyone is welcome.


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## Danny R (Jul 5, 2002)

_You can't argue with that, because it is a fact. I got far more damaged disks from Netflix than I do with Blockbuster. You can't argue with that either, because it is also a fact._

Exactly my point, although the opposite results. I agree 100%. Which service you choose is definately based on where you live. My point was that the results are not just matters of opinion but observable facts.

The amount of damage for either is likely directly related to the amount of time their mailers spend in the hands of the postal service.

_Without getting into the ethics of what you are doing, I am curious about DVD Shrink._

DVD shrink has a number of options. Its main purpose is getting a double layer DVD onto a single layer. You can do this in a number of ways.

For one thing, you can cut out the extra features on a DVD and make a disk with just a movie and not wasting space on menu's, previews and other extras. In this fashion you can often get a full film on DVD and have absolutely no compression at all. You would not be able to tell the difference between such a copy and the original from just watching the movie.

For instance a standard movie might have a menu, feature film, and extras such as trailers. The film itself also likely has a number of audio tracks and subtitles. One can use DVD Shrink to pick and choose, stripping away what one wants.

Since DVD audio is already pretty compressed, I don't believe DVD Shrink does any conversion on those at all. Thus you audio you get is exactly what the film has. Its not converted to mono or the like.

Also DVD Shrink has the ability to chop the video. Thus you could break a DVD into two disks and not have it compressed at all. Also one could chop the credits off, and the studio labels at the beginning of the film to save some space.

The compression is variable, so its possible to set up a DVD so the menu's and extra's are highly compressed, but the feature film is fine.

All in all its a pretty useful tool if you want to copy a DVD. I don't waste time doing it for rentals, but it definately has a purpose in my home. My nieces watch the crap out of my disney movies, and a lot of these are no longer available. A couple of copies thus works great, and I don't have to worry about them scratching it or holding it incorrectly. Also I'm able to delete the Full Screen version, forcing them to watch the Widescreen on a few of those films. 

_I also don't understand your apparent need to get as many DVDs as possible from Netflix. _

Different viewing habits. I generally watch a movie a night, and rarely watch the same film over unless its a classic (Shawshank for example always sucks me in). Copying them to my computer and sending them back immediately provides the perfect amount of flow. Unlike the poster above, I don't bother burning rentals. If I want to keep a movie, I definately will buy it.


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## Guest (Oct 21, 2004)

Danny R said:


> DVD shrink has a number of options. Its main purpose is getting a double layer DVD onto a single layer. You can do this in a number of ways.


One other question. The web site for DVD Shrink indicates that it "plays nice" with other burning software. I have Roxio's Easy CD & DVD Creator, and I've found that "123CopyDVD" and "DVD X Copy" conflict with Roxio software. So short of installing VMWARE or a dual-boot system, I'd prefer something like DVD Shrink, if it can co-exist with Roxio. I get the impression DVD Shrink doesn't access the DVD writer at all, it simply copies DVDs to a hard drive, and you use the burning software of your choice to move it to a DVD. Is that true?


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## Danny R (Jul 5, 2002)

DVD definately burns the DVD's as well. I have NERO, and it doesn't conflict. I don't know about Roxio, but I doubt it would mess it up either.


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## kwajr (Apr 7, 2004)

Danny R said:


> DVD definately burns the DVD's as well. I have NERO, and it doesn't conflict. I don't know about Roxio, but I doubt it would mess it up either.


YOU CAN ALSO JUST HAVE IT COPY TO HD ANT THEN BURN WITH THE PROGRAM YOU CHOOSE


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## DonLandis (Dec 17, 2003)

Thanks DannyR- I got the DVDShrink and that's the best. I haven't tried all the features you mentioned yet but it does work flawlessly. I have used it in conjunction with Nero 6.


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## garypen (Feb 1, 2004)

Chris Blount said:


> Agreed. I've been with Netflix since 1999. They are definitely the best in the business. They have distribution centers all over the country and still growing.


I started with them in 99 as well. Back then, they didn't have all the distribution centers. It was possibly only the one in San Jose. I've always had excellent turnaround. If I mail a movie back on Monday, I have a new one in my mailbox on Wednesday.
The real plus of NetFlix is the selection, and the ability to easily search. Even if my Blockbuster had the obscure Japanese movie I wanted, it might take forever to find it, as most of their clerks are clueless, and probably put it on the wrong shelf.
Between NetFlix and the DVDStation at work ($1/night), I never have to set foot in a Blockbuster again.


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