# DIRECTV targets Netflix offering more movies faster



## dvrblogger (Jan 11, 2005)

*DirecTV Targets Netflix, Offering More Movies Faster* from bloomberg

By Kelly Riddell

April 19 (Bloomberg) -- DirecTV plans to offer movies like "Avatar" almost a month before they can be rented through Netflix Inc., debuting a new service to squeeze more revenue from existing customers.

As many as 400 new movies will be available this summer through DirecTV Cinema. Titles from Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox and Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. will be given to DirecTV subscribers 28 days before they can be rented on Netflix, said Paul Guyardo, DirecTV's chief sales and marketing officer.

Chief Executive Officer Mike White, who took over in January, is looking for new ways to profit as subscriber growth in the U.S. market may slow this year. DirecTV Cinema is intended to make the almost 19 million DirecTV customers more profitable by offering additional features that will eliminate the need to use other options, like Netflix, said Todd Mitchell, an analyst at Kaufman Brothers LP in New York.

"DirecTV had strong growth last year, and I believe their goal this year is to milk their subscriber base, which has reached critical mass and is attractive in that they can afford new services," Mitchell said.

DirecTV, the biggest U.S. satellite-television provider, added 939,000 U.S. subscribers last year, the most in four years, compared with 861,000 in 2008. Smaller rival Dish Network Corp. signed up 422,000 customers in 2009, according to company statements.

DirecTV, based in El Segundo, California, gained 61 cents to $36.16 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. The stock has climbed 8.4 percent this year. Netflix, based in Los Gatos, California, declined 51 cents to $84.80.

Choosing Movies

DirecTV Cinema lets customers pick the movies they like from either an Internet account or set-top box. Selections will be beamed via satellite to a home digital-video recorder, said Guyardo. The movies, renting for $4.99 to $5.99 each, will remain in the DVR for 24 to 48 hours after viewing starts. Unlike Netflix, DirecTV can't offer a monthly subscription because of its agreements with the movie studios.

"Research tells us that 15 to 20 percent of our customers also subscribe to Netflix, so that's where the genesis of this idea came from," said Guyardo. The movies will be streamed in a quality as good as Blu-Ray, which is better than Netflix's current streaming abilities, he said. DirecTV subscribers will be able to program their DVRs to automatically download movies on their release dates.

DirecTV plans to debut its Whole-Home DVR in May, so families can watch downloaded movies from anywhere in the house, Guyardo said.

Cable Operators

DirecTV and cable operators like Comcast Corp. are increasing their pay-per-view movie options and video-on-demand selections to win the additional $8.99 a month or more their customers pay for a Netflix subscription.

Cable companies also have made deals like DirecTV's agreement with movie studios, allowing them to offer some newer releases faster than Netflix. Hollywood studios have been reluctant to give Netflix rights to show more movies through its Internet service in order to protect DVD sales, said Mark Harding, an analyst with Maxim Group LLC in New York. Pay-TV providers contractually pay more for rights to the movies than traditional companies, Harding said.

A group of cable providers, including Comcast, started a $30 million marketing campaign in March to promote their video- on-demand movies. The campaign, called "The Video Store Just Moved In," aims to show cable customers how to rent a movie through their remote controls rather than using a service like Netflix or going to a store like Blockbuster Inc.

DirecTV Cinema and cable's video-on-demand may attract some of Netflix's 12 million subscribers. A portion of Netflix's customers may want to watch the latest movie as soon as it's released on DVD, said Harding. New-release rentals account for about 30 percent of Netflix's total DVD shipments.

To contact the reporter on this story: Kelly Riddell in Washington at [email protected]


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## pfp (Apr 28, 2009)

:nono2:
The studios just don't get it.


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## Motley (Sep 23, 2004)

Let me get this straight I can pay a monthly fee to Netflix and watch 5 to 6 movies a week in BluRay for less than $20 a month or I can pay $5 or $6 per movie through Directv which would equal about 4 per month for the same price.

You don't need calculus to figure that one out. Add in the fact that once you start watching a Directv movie the 24hr clock starts ticking and you need to finish it. Netflix lets me keep it as long as I want. 

Sorry Directv you won't win people over on this one.


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## raott (Nov 23, 2005)

pfp said:


> :nono2:
> The studios just don't get it.


And neither does D*


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## joshjr (Aug 2, 2008)

Motley said:


> Let me get this straight I can pay a monthly fee to Netflix and watch 5 to 6 movies a week in BluRay for less than $20 a month or I can pay $5 or $6 per movie through Directv which would equal about 4 per month for the same price.
> 
> You don't need calculus to figure that one out. Add in the fact that once you start watching a Directv movie the 24hr clock starts ticking and you need to finish it. Netflix lets me keep it as long as I want.
> 
> Sorry Directv you won't win people over on this one.


Im going to say they will for some people. Some people wont want to wait for Redbox or Netflix to get the discs a month later. So it will add some revenue in my opinion. I wont be one of them though.


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## pfp (Apr 28, 2009)

raott said:


> And neither does D*


I think it's out of thesir hands, not that I think D* would do anything differently if they could.


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## RobertE (Jun 10, 2006)

Motley said:


> Let me get this straight I can pay a monthly fee to Netflix and watch 5 to 6 movies a week in BluRay for less than $20 a month or I can pay $5 or $6 per movie through Directv which would equal about 4 per month for the same price.
> 
> You don't need calculus to figure that one out. Add in the fact that once you start watching a Directv movie the 24hr clock starts ticking and you need to finish it. Netflix lets me keep it as long as I want.
> 
> Sorry Directv you won't win people over on this one.


Sure you can get 5-6 movies a week...if your not concerned about them being new releases. It may just be my distro center, but I have too many movies in some level of wait status for far too long. My top 5, Zombieland, Inglorious Basterds, 2012, Surrogates, The Hurt Locker. Some of those have been out for while. The wait is really starting to piss me off. I like netflix, but the wait on some titles is out of control.


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

Or I can go to my local BB and pick it up. And not have the 24 hr clock start the minute I press play.

I work nearby one, so I can usually get there at lunch and get any new release on release day.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

dvrblogger said:


> *[...] Chief Executive Officer Mike White, who took over in January, is looking for new ways to profit as subscriber growth in the U.S. market may slow this year [...]*


*They could take a page from this season's 30 Rock and offer "porn for women". I.e, pseudo-interactive PPV channels of caring guys who are good listeners. *


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

Like I care if I get a movie on Netflix "28 days later". I mean really, who cares? I put movies in my queue the week they hit the theater or when I see an ad for them. I have no idea when they get released on DVD and frankly don't care. They'll show up at my door when available.


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

pfp said:


> :nono2:
> The studios just don't get it.





raott said:


> And neither does D*


I don't understand.


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## BudShark (Aug 11, 2003)

Herdfan said:


> Or I can go to my local BB and pick it up. And not have the 24 hr clock start the minute I press play.
> 
> I work nearby one, so I can usually get there at lunch and get any new release on release day.


Disney is the best for this (especially if you have kids).

We average less than $15 for our Blu-Ray/DVD/digital copy versions. We have Netflix 2 movies at a time, buy Blu-Rays of important movies, and use our DVRs to record shows. I honestly don't have room for another Movie distribution AND like others have said - this is in no way compelling enough for us to drop Netflix. In fact, we haven't even taken advantage of the buy one get one deal DirecTV has been offering.


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## Skyboss (Jan 22, 2004)

Doug Brott said:


> I don't understand.


I think the point is a flat fee would be prefered to a fee per view. I kind of agree, but it would probably result in the same paltry on-demand offerings currently available from online sources. That and it would kill the premium packages.

What they should do is team up with Blockbuster, Amazon (would be slick because of the buy option - TiVo??? Hmmmm....) or Netflix to deliver a fee per month product then tack on a buck or 2 for new releases vs. wait for a blu-ray delivery in the mail.



BudShark said:


> Disney is the best for this (especially if you have kids).
> 
> We average less than $15 for our Blu-Ray/DVD/digital copy versions. We have Netflix 2 movies at a time, buy Blu-Rays of important movies, and use our DVRs to record shows. I honestly don't have room for another Movie distribution AND like others have said - this is in no way compelling enough for us to drop Netflix. In fact, we haven't even taken advantage of the buy one get one deal DirecTV has been offering.


My brother has the Disney on-Demand thing with U-Verse for about $6 a month. Pretty slick. You can see the same movies each month on DirecTV, but they want a fee per view. No way I'm forking that out for my kid who wants to watch Mary Poppins every day.


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## Xsabresx (Oct 8, 2007)

RobertE said:


> Sure you can get 5-6 movies a week...if your not concerned about them being new releases. It may just be my distro center, but I have too many movies in some level of wait status for far too long. My top 5, Zombieland, Inglorious Basterds, 2012, Surrogates, The Hurt Locker. Some of those have been out for while. The wait is really starting to piss me off. I like netflix, but the wait on some titles is out of control.


It used to be with Netflix, and I am not sure if it is the case, that they hold up hit movies to long time subscribers and release them initially to new users. for example a 1 month subscriber my get that 2012 long before someone who has been with Netflix for a year or more. They use it to attract new subs.

Like I said, I dont know if that is still the case as I only use Netflix for streaming and dont bother with the discs in the mail.


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## Beerstalker (Feb 9, 2009)

There was already a thread about this here:
http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=175927

Maybe they should be merged?


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

Xsabresx said:


> It used to be with Netflix, and I am not sure if it is the case, that they hold up hit movies to long time subscribers and release them initially to new users. for example a 1 month subscriber my get that 2012 long before someone who has been with Netflix for a year or more. They use it to attract new subs.
> 
> Like I said, I dont know if that is still the case as I only use Netflix for streaming and dont bother with the discs in the mail.


I see no evidence of this. I have been a Netflix customer for almost as long as they have been around. I have the timing thing down pretty well and I get most new releases on the day they are released.

Since they added the surcharge for Blu-Ray, which they said was to improve delivery of titles, they have delivered on their promise, at least to me. I rarely have to wait for a Blu-Ray title.


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## Movieman (May 9, 2009)

There has always been customers that will continue to use Directv for movies otherwise they would change the model now. As for this new idea. Sure its going to get a few people but there is always Blockbuster which you can drive to. I see them maybe getting a small spike in revenue but long term Directv will not be able to avoid going to a Netflix style system. Unless they figure out how to put Netflix and Blockbuster out of business Directv will slowly keep going that direction. I for one will not be one of their revenue customers. There is no urgency to watch any movies.


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## Earl Bonovich (Nov 15, 2005)

Movieman said:


> There has always been customers that will continue to use Directv for movies otherwise they would change the model now. As for this new idea. Sure its going to get a few people but there is always Blockbuster which you can drive to. I see them maybe getting a small spike in revenue but long term Directv will not be able to avoid going to a Netflix style system. Unless they figure out how to put Netflix and Blockbuster out of business Directv will slowly keep going that direction. I for one will not be one of their revenue customers. There is no urgency to watch any movies.


I can't comment on my feelings towards the DIRECTV Aspect of this. 

However, I will comment on part of the above:

The notion of the local video store, to drive too... is fading fast.
Around here (major suburb of Chicago).

There are only 2 Blockbuster's left. One of them has recently cut the size of their store by over 75%. (they were the entire strip mall front, now they are just 1 of the 4 units).

Hollywood video is now completely gone form the area (the last of 5 stores just closed a month ago). I only know of one mom-pop shop in the area, and they specialize in foreign films and ones that carry the "X" rating.

There are a good number of Redbox kiosks though, I know where at least six are with in a 10 minute drive.


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## Beerstalker (Feb 9, 2009)

Guys right in the article it says "Unlike Netflix, DirecTV can’t offer a monthly subscription because of its agreements with the movie studios."

Their contracts won't let them do a monthly subscription plan, and I'm betting those contracts won't be changed to allow it. HBO, Showtime, Starz, etc would also surely throw a fit if D* were ever allowed to do something like that as it would kill their subscription rates.


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## Hoosier205 (Sep 3, 2007)

This is also so very simple for me. I have no interest in paying the ridiculous DirecTV PPV fee's for bit-starved films with only DD 5.1.

Netflix ceased to exist to me and my bank account when they agreed to delay most new releases by 28 days.

Blockbuster Online now gets my business. I want Blu-rays quality and nothing else.


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## Beerstalker (Feb 9, 2009)

Hoosier205 said:


> This is also so very simple for me. I have no interest in paying the ridiculous DirecTV PPV fee's for bit-starved films with only DD 5.1.
> 
> Netflix ceased to exist to me and my bank account when they agreed to delay most new releases by 28 days.
> 
> Blockbuster Online now gets my business. I want Blu-rays quality and nothing else.


I have a feeling you will eventually have the same 28 day wait for Blockbuster also.

The movie studios believe they are losing a lot of money because of rentals. They want to increase movie sales and PPV rentals so they are going to slowly convince all rental places to agree to the 4 week wait. Right now Blockbuster is resisting, but I think their financial problems are going to end up pushing them to agree with the same delay as everyone else.


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## bidger (Nov 19, 2005)

LarryFlowers said:


> Since they added the surcharge for Blu-Ray, which they said was to improve delivery of titles, they have delivered on their promise, at least to me. I rarely have to wait for a Blu-Ray title.


I added BD access to my account the 11th of this month and went hog **** wild adding BD titles to my queue. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw all the BDs availability listed as "Now" and have no problem paying $2 extra to have that capability. If Netflix can offer @ least 720p streaming to my W7 Media Center interface, we'll be gold. Until the red box offers BD, they're really not on my radar. Honestly, I never liked video stores, online and streaming has it all over them.


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## David MacLeod (Jan 29, 2008)

maybe cause there are only 10 BD players in Maine (  ) but I have only had 1 movie be held up, others almost always ship on release date.
and I can watch and rewatch if I want.


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## wilbur_the_goose (Aug 16, 2006)

Question for Chief Executive Officer Mike White: "How are you going to use satellite technology to beam a movie to my DVR in HD?"

Let's pretend I want to watch something recent, but not super-popular... Let's use "Whip It" as an example.

Will D* have "Whip It" available for satellite download 24x7?

If so, D* is making a very, very bad decision - this tells me that D* is trying to reposition itself away from the leading television provider to a Blockbuster/Netflix type service. Personally, I don't care to use this type of company - I want somebody that is the leader in television delivery (that leader has been D*, and I want D* to remain the leader).

Could this be why D12 has so few new channels? Are they using all the bandwidth to become DirecNetflix?


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## Steveknj (Nov 14, 2006)

Xsabresx said:


> It used to be with Netflix, and I am not sure if it is the case, that they hold up hit movies to long time subscribers and release them initially to new users. for example a 1 month subscriber my get that 2012 long before someone who has been with Netflix for a year or more. They use it to attract new subs.
> 
> Like I said, I dont know if that is still the case as I only use Netflix for streaming and dont bother with the discs in the mail.


This is still the case, at least on the DVD rentals (I don't have a BD, so I'm not sure if it's the same). For the first 2 months or so, I got all the new releases within a week of their release no matter when I had an open spot in my queue. Now, unless I ship back on Saturday and have available queue spots open by Monday, I am on the Long Wait list for all newer releases. Someone mentioned in one of these threads that Netflix does this with folks who get a lot of movies a month. Those are the folks who they don't make that much money on.

For me, it doesn't matter too much as I tend to either watch them right away or "stockpile" them with digital copies and watch when I can (yeah, I know that's a gray area, but I never sell or distribute them, only for my own use)


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## MikeW (May 16, 2002)

As long as they use the new bandwidth to give us the full compliment of HBO/Max that they promised in a press release years ago, and add the other missing HDs that cable and Dish Network have, I don't care what they do with the leftover bandwidth. Based on the latest press release, I don't think we'll have anything to complain about once D12 is up and running.

There must be a couple of people using the PPV service. If not, why would they put so many eggs into that basket? Personally, I'll never use it, but if it adds to their revenue and helps minimize the annual price increases then have at it.


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## pfp (Apr 28, 2009)

Doug Brott said:


> I don't understand.


I waited 6 months for the movie to be released on DVD instead of being gouged at the theatre. I'm not going to let myself be gouged by the studios to get it on PPV, or buy it, just so I don't have to wait another 4 weeks to get it from Netflix.

The studios think holding back movies from rental for a few weeks will make everyone run out any buy them instead or wait for the rental.


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## Hutchinshouse (Sep 28, 2006)

bonscott87 said:


> like i care if i get a movie on netflix "28 days later". I mean really, who cares? I put movies in my queue the week they hit the theater or when i see an ad for them. I have no idea when they get released on dvd and frankly don't care. They'll show up at my door when available.





motley said:


> let me get this straight i can pay a monthly fee to netflix and watch 5 to 6 movies a week in bluray for less than $20 a month or i can pay $5 or $6 per movie through directv which would equal about 4 per month for the same price.
> 
> You don't need calculus to figure that one out. Add in the fact that once you start watching a directv movie the 24hr clock starts ticking and you need to finish it. Netflix lets me keep it as long as i want.
> 
> Sorry directv you won't win people over on this one.


+1 to ya both

Why would I pay more a month to watch a lower quality movie on DIRECTV? No thanks! Still a no brainer for me. Netflix wins hands down!


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## johnck78 (Feb 19, 2007)

dvrblogger said:


> *DirecTV Targets Netflix, Offering More Movies Faster* from bloomberg
> 
> By Kelly Riddell
> 
> DirecTV plans to debut its Whole-Home DVR in May, so families can watch downloaded movies from anywhere in the house, Guyardo said.


??? Have I been completely off the reservation? I haven't heard much talk about the Whole Home DVR in a while.

Already being discussed: http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=176026


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

Earl Bonovich said:


> I can't comment on my feelings towards the DIRECTV Aspect of this.


This really isn't a D* issue. Unless of course they stood up to the studios and said "give us something more reasonable than the 24-hour limit or find another outlet for your movies" which we know they are not going to do.



> There are a good number of Redbox kiosks though, I know where at least six are with in a 10 minute drive.


No Blu-Ray, No Dice! We also have started getting some Blockbuster self serve units at Sheetz convenience stores. Again the BR issue.

I guess my issue with the 24-hour limit is I can't finish every movie in one evening. And these DVR's are smart enough to know when I have watched the entire movie. So instead of 24 hours, give me one complete watch through up until the movie expiration.


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## Beerstalker (Feb 9, 2009)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> Question for Chief Executive Officer Mike White: "How are you going to use satellite technology to beam a movie to my DVR in HD?"
> 
> Let's pretend I want to watch something recent, but not super-popular... Let's use "Whip It" as an example.
> 
> ...


Most of us are assuming they will be using Spaceway (1?) for this as it is currently sitting empty. It was originally designed for hi-speed internet service so it can do a lot of cool stuff with it's transponders, most of which I couldn't explain even if I understood it.

Pretty much the way I think it will work is much like their current On Demand. You will go online to their website and tell it that you want a certain movie and then it will use the spaceway sat to send it to your HD-DVR. You will most likely also be able to use your remote to order the movie if your HD-DVR is hooked up to the internet.

The question is how long after you order the movie will you be able to start watching it.


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## islesfan (Oct 18, 2006)

Herdfan said:


> Or I can go to my local BB and pick it up. And not have the 24 hr clock start the minute I press play.
> 
> I work nearby one, so I can usually get there at lunch and get any new release on release day.


You still have one? Ours just closed and liquidated last week. They still didnt' get it though. They sold their beat up crappy disks for $10.


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## islesfan (Oct 18, 2006)

I stopped doing PPV when they introduced the 24 hour limit. I know it was Hollywood, not D*, but they still don't get my money (that way). I even dropped HBO since I was rarely interested in any of their movies. I don't have time for many movies, so I just buy the few that I want to see, and then I have no time limits at all!


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## islesfan (Oct 18, 2006)

pfp said:


> I waited 6 months for the movie to be released on DVD instead of being gouged at the theatre. I'm not going to let myself be gouged by the studios to get it on PPV, or buy it, just so I don't have to wait another 4 weeks to get it from Netflix.
> 
> The studios think holding back movies from rental for a few weeks will make everyone run out any buy them instead or wait for the rental.


+1 Leave it to a 'Yotes fan to nail it!


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## Movieman (May 9, 2009)

Herdfan said:


> This really isn't a D* issue. Unless of course they stood up to the studios and said "give us something more reasonable than the 24-hour limit or find another outlet for your movies" which we know they are not going to do.
> 
> No Blu-Ray, No Dice! We also have started getting some Blockbuster self serve units at Sheetz convenience stores. Again the BR issue.
> 
> I guess my issue with the 24-hour limit is I can't finish every movie in one evening. And these DVR's are smart enough to know when I have watched the entire movie. * So instead of 24 hours, give me one complete watch through up until the movie expiration.*


I dont know if this particular to Directv or the studio's. Anyway the studios would be wise to create an online distribution system and control everything from production to delivery. Also, I have been to several supermarkets and they all have these new movie kiosks. I have like 11 just a few minutes apart from each other and when I go shopping there is always someone using it so it does look like these getting popular. I wonder if they can be purchased and used as a franchise. I know a few places that they are not in yet and would do well.


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## flapperdink (Jul 2, 2007)

if i were a movie buff then Netflix would be a no brainer, but the wifey are not. we get a PPV about once a month so it doesn't justify getting Netflix


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

I've had NetFlix for a few years and have been happy until the past few months. I get Blu-Ray disc's and for new releases it's been taking 2 to 3 months after release before they come off very long wait, long wait or short wait and I get to view it. I just got Zombieland today, which when I looked yesterday was on short wait, and it was released on 1/6. With their recent agrements with a couple studio's to delay new movies by 4 weeks I can see it taking even longer to see new movies. I'm getting close to cancelling them and seeing if I can live with a PPV or two and the premium movie services.


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

Earl Bonovich said:


> The notion of the local video store, to drive too... is fading fast.
> Around here (major suburb of Chicago).
> 
> There are only 2 Blockbuster's left. One of them has recently cut the size of their store by over 75%. (they were the entire strip mall front, now they are just 1 of the 4 units).
> ...


Pretty much the same here. We used to have over a dozen video rental places in the city around here. In the past year they have pretty much all closed up shop and as far as I know there are only a couple mom and pops left and one Blockbuster trying to hold on (game rentals are the only thing keeping it open).

I honestly don't know anybody that doesn't do Netflix or Redbox.


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

As for waiting for new movies, I haven't had to wait too long. I think I waited a week for Zombieland, about a month for Couple's Retreat but other then that usually within a week of being available if not right away. But again, why do I care? It comes to me when it comes. I've got *plenty* of things in the queue to occupy my time.


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> Question for Chief Executive Officer Mike White: "How are you going to use satellite technology to beam a movie to my DVR in HD?"
> 
> Let's pretend I want to watch something recent, but not super-popular... Let's use "Whip It" as an example.
> 
> ...


I think the Spaceway will be used for this service.... D12 is for traditional PPV and new HD channels..

What would be really fantastic, is if over time, they could use this method for ALL Directv Cinema movies, and then free up the PPV channels for more regular HD channels.. I don't see why we won't see this at some point, if it offers more movies and is close (30 mins) to instant start times... I am beginning to wonder if they are planning on not launching many more locals so they can move whats on spaceway 2 to the d12 and then free up both spaceways for this new feature...


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## inkahauts (Nov 13, 2006)

RAD said:


> I've had NetFlix for a few years and have been happy until the past few months. I get Blu-Ray disc's and for new releases it's been taking 2 to 3 months after release before they come off very long wait, long wait or short wait and I get to view it. I just got Zombieland today, which when I looked yesterday was on short wait, and it was released on 1/6. With their recent agrements with a couple studio's to delay new movies by 4 weeks I can see it taking even longer to see new movies. I'm getting close to cancelling them and seeing if I can live with a PPV or two and the premium movie services.


I believe you will see Blockbuster go to the 28 days model as well...

This is all hollywoods stupidity anyway, they are afraid of change...

I also believe that Netflix is supposed to get more copies, or at least be able to get more at lower prices of movies so that their library will have more copies in it and hopefully that will elevate the backlogs.. Lets face it, they are growing like crazy.... This should have been accepted...


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

bonscott87 said:


> As for waiting for new movies, I haven't had to wait too long. I think I waited a week for Zombieland, about a month for Couple's Retreat but other then that usually within a week of being available if not right away. But again, why do I care? It comes to me when it comes. I've got *plenty* of things in the queue to occupy my time.


I just checked, Couple's Retreat shows 'Long Wait' in my queue still.


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## RAD (Aug 5, 2002)

inkahauts said:


> I believe you will see Blockbuster go to the 28 days model as well...
> 
> This is all hollywoods stupidity anyway, they are afraid of change...
> 
> I also believe that Netflix is supposed to get more copies, or at least be able to get more at lower prices of movies so that their library will have more copies in it and hopefully that will elevate the backlogs.. Lets face it, they are growing like crazy.... This should have been accepted...


One of the reasons they gave for the Blu-Ray surcharge besides BD costing more was due to the growing demand for BD they needed to buy more copies. I've gone for almost a week at times with no movie being sent from my queue (17 movies) and I'm getting a bit tired of paying for the service and not getting any.


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## Christopher Gould (Jan 14, 2007)

Beerstalker said:


> Most of us are assuming they will be using Spaceway (1?) for this as it is currently sitting empty. It was originally designed for hi-speed internet service so it can do a lot of cool stuff with it's transponders, most of which I couldn't explain even if I understood it.
> 
> Pretty much the way I think it will work is much like their current On Demand. You will go online to their website and tell it that you want a certain movie and then it will use the spaceway sat to send it to your HD-DVR. You will most likely also be able to use your remote to order the movie if your HD-DVR is hooked up to the internet.
> 
> The question is how long after you order the movie will you be able to start watching it.


so basicly D* will be pushing movies to a hard drive over satellite just like xstreamhd


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## Christopher Gould (Jan 14, 2007)

inkahauts said:


> I think the Spaceway will be used for this service.... D12 is for traditional PPV and new HD channels..
> 
> What would be really fantastic, is if over time, they could use this method for ALL Directv Cinema movies, and then free up the PPV channels for more regular HD channels.. I don't see why we won't see this at some point, if it offers more movies and is close (30 mins) to instant start times... I am beginning to wonder if they are planning on not launching many more locals so they can move whats on spaceway 2 to the d12 and then free up both spaceways for this new feature...


not everyone has a DVR to store the movies on.


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## scottchez (Feb 4, 2003)

If DirecTV wants people to leave NetFlix for DirecTV Cinema they need to lower the price and have Volumn discount plans like Netflix

They need to match each NetFlix plan price point by price point and use based on average rentals (assuming typical postal return and typical house hold rental rates each month).

Example: Sign up for a DireCTV $8.95 plan and get any 4 SD rentals making the price $2.25 each.


Example Sign up for a DireCTV $12.95 plan with Blue ray HD option and get any for 4 HD rentals at say $3.25 each

You get the idea. . . 

Charging what they change now, there is no way I would ever rent a PPV. Its all about price. I feel I am being ripped off right now at todays PPV prices, with Red box just 3 blocks away.


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## tim99 (Sep 14, 2007)

No doubt you guys are being throttled. I added Couples Retreat (BD) just now to my queue just to see and its available now. 2012, Zombieland and others mentioned in this thread as a wait for some folks are available now.

I've been with netflix for around 8 years but I'm a pretty light user. Blockbusters are always available the day of release, I don't think I have ever had to wait. OTOH it could easily be argued I don't get my money's worth because I don't use it enough.

peace . . .



RAD said:


> I just checked, Couple's Retreat shows 'Long Wait' in my queue still.


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## texasboy1022 (Feb 23, 2010)

If DirecTV would be able to offer the HD sound formats to match the 1080P they offer like Blu-Ray, I would give it a try. Until then, nope. Not worth compromising the audio quality.


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## JoeTheDragon (Jul 21, 2008)

inkahauts said:


> I believe you will see Blockbuster go to the 28 days model as well...
> 
> This is all hollywoods stupidity anyway, they are afraid of change...
> 
> I also believe that Netflix is supposed to get more copies, or at least be able to get more at lower prices of movies so that their library will have more copies in it and hopefully that will elevate the backlogs.. Lets face it, they are growing like crazy.... This should have been accepted...


They need the PPV HD for part time sports over flows and other sports events.


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

tim99 said:


> No doubt you guys are being throttled. I added Couples Retreat (BD) just now to my queue just to see and its available now. 2012, Zombieland and others mentioned in this thread as a wait for some folks are available now.
> 
> I've been with netflix for around 8 years but I'm a pretty light user. Blockbusters are always available the day of release, I don't think I have ever had to wait. OTOH it could easily be argued I don't get my money's worth because I don't use it enough.
> 
> peace . . .


They do indeed "throttle" accounts they feel are returning movies too quickly because it sends up the red flag that you are just ripping and sending them back. I have just the 2 out at a time plan (will drop down to 1 at a time since the queue is starting to thin out) and I usually cycle thru about 4 a week. Like I have 2 more coming tomorrow, if I get them in the mail by Saturday I'll get 2 more back by Tuesday. If I get those back in my Thursday I'll have 2 more on Saturday. Doesn't always work out to 4 a week but since I'm not returning them like clockwork the very next day I don't think I'm throttled.


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## rorkin (Dec 9, 2006)

Motley said:


> Let me get this straight I can pay a monthly fee to Netflix and watch 5 to 6 movies a week in BluRay for less than $20 a month or I can pay $5 or $6 per movie through Directv which would equal about 4 per month for the same price.
> 
> You don't need calculus to figure that one out. Add in the fact that once you start watching a Directv movie the 24hr clock starts ticking and you need to finish it. Netflix lets me keep it as long as I want.
> 
> Sorry Directv you won't win people over on this one.


Check out the actual netflix download offerings.. Next to nothing to watch,
not much new.. Most movies are not available for download


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

islesfan said:


> You still have one? Ours just closed and liquidated last week.


My local BB is a corporate training store. Will probably be the last to go.



Beerstalker said:


> Most of us are assuming they will be using Spaceway (1?) for this as it is currently sitting empty. It was originally designed for hi-speed internet service so it can do a lot of cool stuff with it's transponders, most of which I couldn't explain even if I understood it.


The problem with using SW1 is that is can't cover the entire country. ie it doesn't have CONUS beams. I guess they could do something with spot beams.

I do know that HSI via satellite can be very fast. So they could dump a movie on a DVR in a few minutes.


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## Hoosier205 (Sep 3, 2007)

rorkin said:


> Check out the actual netflix download offerings.. Next to nothing to watch,
> not much new.. Most movies are not available for download


Nothing about his post said anything about downloads (streaming). He was talking about physical discs.


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## Davenlr (Sep 16, 2006)

> Quote:
> There are a good number of Redbox kiosks though, I know where at least six are with in a 10 minute drive.





Herdfan said:


> No Blu-Ray, No Dice! We also have started getting some Blockbuster self serve units at Sheetz convenience stores. Again the BR issue..


http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/news/20...t-and-redbox-forge-distribution-agreement.php

http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/news/20...nd-redbox-announce-distribution-agreement.php


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## Gocanes (Jul 15, 2007)

inkahauts said:


> I believe you will see Blockbuster go to the 28 days model as well...
> 
> This is all hollywoods stupidity anyway, they are afraid of change...


Hollywood isn't afraid of change per se, just change that results in lower revenue. When the home video business was first started it was rental based but the video stores paid around $70 for each copy (and this was in mid 1980's dollars). As time went on especially with the release of DVD that had very low manufacturing cost, they figured out that they would make more revenue moving to the "sell through" model. Instead of 20 people renting the $70 copy, 10 people buying it for $20 would mean more to the studios bottom line.

The issue the studios are having is that people have gotten smart and realized that there are very few movies worth watching more than once so instead of buying a copy for $15 - $20 you can rent reasonably at Redbox for $1 or with a Netflix subscription.

The problem is that the studios set up a situation where they can't charge Netflix or Redbox more than the discs retail for (because they would just buy in bulk from wal-mart). So with the market shifting to renting the studios are scrambling to try and find a way to generate revenue. Even if the studio splits the rentals 50/50 or 60/40 with Redbox, there isn't enough demand to rent enough of a film to make any profit. Think about it, if you have a $150 million production and marketing costs and the movie does let's say $200 million in theaters, the studio will end up with maximum of $120 million. Now at 50 cents revenue each, they have to rent 60 million times in order to just get to break even. No movie has enough demand that over 100 million people will watch it which is what it would take to rent it 60 million times. The superbowl is free to watch and gets short of 100 million viewers.

I have oversimplified the example by leaving out foreign box office but this explains what the studios are dealing with.

It's a difficult problem for them to solve. One way would be to try and get higher box office grosses by extending the home release window but that will increase the piracy problem since we now see it as our "right" to watch a movie when we want to so if it isn't available at home for a year after release we will justify that we aren't doing anything wrong by downloading illegally because the evil greedy studio won't release it.

The studios made a huge mistake back in the 80's when they started relying on home video for most of their profit. They never saw a time when rentals would become so cheap that they wouldn't be able to make any money on them.

I don't think this "no netflix" window will work to encourage sales over renting. If you really HAD to see a movie sooner, you would have seen it in a theater. If you are waiting 4 months waiting another 28 days isn't going to really matter especailly if it will cost significantly more to watch it now instead of 28 days from now.


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## gsslug (Sep 13, 2006)

I have the lowest level Netflix subscription. 2 moves every month. I don't even watch that many. Not enough new releases that I want to see. A movie will arrive and sit on the counter for 2,3 or even 4 weeks before I watch it. I guess it all depends on how you watch movies as to which service is best for you.



bonscott87 said:


> Like I care if I get a movie on Netflix "28 days later". I mean really, who cares? I put movies in my queue the week they hit the theater or when I see an ad for them. I have no idea when they get released on DVD and frankly don't care. They'll show up at my door when available.


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## gregftlaud (Nov 20, 2005)

Robert E. I also have netflix and get my movies very fast. Same day they release. U know what the key is? What you do is when a movie releases at the theaters go onto netflix and find it and click the "save" button underneath it. I think the quicker u get it into your queue the quicker u get it. They must go in order of people putting it into their queue. B/c all of those movies u listed, I got the same day they release. U have to get it into that queue as soon as it's released in the theaters.


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## am7crew (Jun 6, 2009)

too much $ per movie.


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## brian461oia (Nov 15, 2008)

The studio's acting like this will make me use netflix even more.


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## mx6bfast (Nov 8, 2006)

I haven't seen Avatar yet, so an extra 4 weeks delay wont hurt me. I was 30 minutes into 2012 Friday night before we lost power with all the storms that rolled through. I haven't had the time to watch anymore of it.

If I were using D* PPV, I'd be out $7, and then would have to spend another $7 to watch it to completion. In total, $14. With my $17 Netflix account I can keep the dvd and watch it as many times as I want to, or watch bits and pieces here and there, and not have to pay for it again if I get interrupted by my kids. 

Choice is obvious.


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## Grydlok (Mar 31, 2007)

Davenlr said:


> http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/news/20...t-and-redbox-forge-distribution-agreement.php
> 
> http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/news/20...nd-redbox-announce-distribution-agreement.php


yeah they do have blue ray movies, I was shocked when I saw some in stock.I just came back from Vacation in Orlando but I took my 360 with me. If I read this before I left I would have taken my PS3.


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## ehilbert1 (Jan 23, 2007)

There is no way I would drop Netflix to pay DirecTV $5 or $6 for a movie. Like Bonscott said..... I can wait. It's no big deal to me. Some of you say Netflix have no movies for streaming. Are you nuts? My wife and I have over 300 movies in our instant que. We both love the horror genre so it's like we have our own personal horror channel. I get it DirecTV is in it to make money, but come on guys I pay $11 a month and get unlimited streaming and 1 blu-ray out at a time. We usually get 4 to 5 movies a month. I just don't see how DirecTV can compete with that. Plus Neflix streaming is just as easy as ordering a $6 movie.


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## Rakul (Sep 3, 2007)

I'm on the bus with no way I'd drop Netflix for PPV in it's current setup. Today I got an e-mail that made me even more firm in that. I have the second lowest tier for Netflix so one moview out at a time, my top movie in the queue was listed as 'Very Long Wait' and I wasn't worried about it since I have a ton of movies there but I get an e-mail that says they found the movie at another shipping facility and will send it to me and since it will take 3-5 days to receive it does NOT count towards my 1 movie out at a time.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

RobertE said:


> Sure you can get 5-6 movies a week...if your not concerned about them being new releases. It may just be my distro center, but I have too many movies in some level of wait status for far too long. My top 5, Zombieland, Inglorious Basterds, 2012, Surrogates, The Hurt Locker. Some of those have been out for while. The wait is really starting to piss me off. I like netflix, but the wait on some titles is out of control.


I've gotten _Inglorious_ _Basterds_, and _2012_ from NetFlix and have been very disappointed with both of them. Worst movie I've ever seen Brad Pitt in. And _2012_ was way too predictable. Subjective opinions, of course.

Rich


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## AMike (Nov 21, 2005)

We dropped Premier to Choice Ultimate and added Netflix about a month ago. We have Netflix streaming set up through our receivers as well as gaming devices. We have been pleased thus far.

The 28 day delay is a very minor inconvenience. Like others have said, once we receive our disc, we can view it when we want without worrying about the 24 hour expiration period.

This is a no brainer.


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## sdirv (Dec 14, 2008)

wilbur_the_goose said:


> Question for Chief Executive Officer Mike White: "How are you going to use satellite technology to beam a movie to my DVR in HD?"
> 
> Let's pretend I want to watch something recent, but not super-popular... Let's use "Whip It" as an example.
> 
> Will D* have "Whip It" available for satellite download 24x7?


Nope....but "Whip It" will be available 24/7 for download to your DVR over your internet connection......

That's how they run VOD.....


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## sdirv (Dec 14, 2008)

RAD said:


> One of the reasons they gave for the Blu-Ray surcharge besides BD costing more was due to the growing demand for BD they needed to buy more copies. I've gone for almost a week at times with no movie being sent from my queue (17 movies) and I'm getting a bit tired of paying for the service and not getting any.


:lol:

You need a bigger queue........I've only got 178 in mine right now......


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## sdirv (Dec 14, 2008)

bonscott87 said:


> They do indeed "throttle" accounts they feel are returning movies too quickly because it sends up the red flag that you are just ripping and sending them back. I have just the 2 out at a time plan (will drop down to 1 at a time since the queue is starting to thin out) and I usually cycle thru about 4 a week. Like I have 2 more coming tomorrow, if I get them in the mail by Saturday I'll get 2 more back by Tuesday. If I get those back in my Thursday I'll have 2 more on Saturday. Doesn't always work out to 4 a week but since I'm not returning them like clockwork the very next day I don't think I'm throttled.


Top 10 in my queue is showing as Very Long Wait.......few have been there like that for a while.

I'm on the 2 at a time plan, end up with about 6 movies a week. I get them in the mail by noon, sometimes send them back out the same day...usually the next morning though.

I've got a bunch in my queue though, so although it's taking a long time on some of the newer movies, "regular" stuff seems to show up like clockwork though.


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## sdirv (Dec 14, 2008)

rorkin said:


> Check out the actual netflix download offerings.. Next to nothing to watch,
> not much new.. Most movies are not available for download


Yeah I think they've only got almost 20,000 titles available for downloading out of over 70,000 total movies in their system.

But with the signing of the 28 day release delay on new movies, most of the deals have added the back catalogs from the studios for streaming.....which is MANY more movies available.


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## sdirv (Dec 14, 2008)

gsslug said:


> I have the lowest level Netflix subscription. 2 moves every month. I don't even watch that many. Not enough new releases that I want to see. A movie will arrive and sit on the counter for 2,3 or even 4 weeks before I watch it. I guess it all depends on how you watch movies as to which service is best for you.


Crap...no wonder the top 10 movies in my queue show as VERY LONG WAIT. If you're not going to watch them, send them back in so someone else can....jeeze.....


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## gregjones (Sep 20, 2007)

sdirv said:


> Top 10 in my queue is showing as Very Long Wait.......few have been there like that for a while.
> 
> I'm on the 2 at a time plan, end up with about 6 movies a week. I get them in the mail by noon, sometimes send them back out the same day...usually the next morning though.
> 
> I've got a bunch in my queue though, so although it's taking a long time on some of the newer movies, "regular" stuff seems to show up like clockwork though.


Two things are at work here. First, make sure that you pay attention to release dates (or delayed release dates). If the movie will be available on a Tuesday, send back a movie on Saturday. This means that the movie will be mailed to arrive on Tuesday.

Netflix does prioritize mailings considering the frequency of rentals by a specific customer. They do not publish their algorithm, but customers that return movies quickly are less of a priority than customers that keep movies for longer, if all other factors are equal. That being said, I have never had an issue getting a movie on its release day if I shipped a movie in at the right time.


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