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I don't think their "lost year" is over yet. Remember when announcements about Netflix got you excited? When was the last time they announced anything of note? They are stagnant - something a subscription company cannot be.
CNET Has Insider Information on What Happened During Netflix's "Lost Year"
Greg Sandoval from CNET took a look back at the Qwikster & price hike debacle that happened a year ago (time really flies, doesn't it?). Sandoval spoke with current and former employees to get a better understanding as to what went wrong. Once the decision to spin of the DVD business as DVD Co. ...
Just a terrible way to do it. I got excited thinking I could remove at least one of these from my DVR (because CW's "streaming video" website is the worst I've ever seen in my life), and this deal means nothing to anyone until the end of 2012.
This does not deserve applause.
Netflix Add CW Shows to Streaming: Vampire Diaries, 90210, Gossip Girl, Nikita & More
CBS & Warner Brothers have signed a multi-year exclusive deal where Netflix will be the only place to stream more than 700 hours of previous seasons of the CW Network shows. Programming available to Netflix members will include the eight dramas on The CW’s Fall 2011 schedule, including new seri...
This is exactly what I was thinking last night. QWIKSTER was such a baffling idea, the only amazing part of it was that it was announced in September, and not April 1st.
So what if their only real rationale behind it was their lifelong inability to show more than 500 titles on a page? They seem to struggle with this what should be basic (for them) issue, more than anything else. I can't think of many sites that have to show this many links on one page, and figure out a way to do it with style (and not freaking sliders... I almost expect their next great idea to be a sliding, fully animated queue). The old stats about how many Netflix users have queues nearing 500 can no longer hold true.
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"Uh, Reed, what if we added a second website, and then we wouldn't have to combine the DVD queue & instant queue into one big'un?" ... "Registering domain right now - you're a genius Andy."
Is Netflix Removing the 500 DVD Queue Limit?
Marty writes, "Netflix started allowing more than 500 dvd's in the queue. Sunday 10/2 was the first time I noticed the relaxed restriction. I routinely hit that wall and was pleasantly surprised. I have no idea what the maximum allowed is now, but I did get to 516." I am stuck at 500, including ...
What I always like is when DVD's that were not released on Blu-ray have that trailer for the "Blu-ray Experience" right before the movie starts.
It's like "Yeah, I would've preferred to see this on Blu-ray too - so why'd you skimp out?!"
Studios Still Using Fake Bonus Features Menu to Upsell the DVD or Blu-ray
I rented Fast Five from Blockbuster (yes, I still subscribe) and when I clicked on bonus features it displayed the following notice: Dear studios: if you're not going to include the bonus features on a rental disc, why annoy rental customers by putting a fake menu on the disc? It's not like ...
It's funny, I was just thinking yesterday this exact thing. Reno became funniest in its last season, contrary to Mr. Know-it-all; and there's definitely room for it now in this world, as everyone's missing seeing those guys on TV now. Not many have gone on to starring roles, so they're certainly not to busy to make their return.
I like this idea. Doesn't have to be a 20 episode season. They could do it like South Park - 6 episodes in two months, then go away for 5 months to shoot more.
Netflix in Discussion to Bring Back Reno 911!?
The Vulture reports that Netflix is in talks to bring back Reno 911! It’s still a long shot, but there’s a ray of hope. Producers Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher have been in active discussions with Netflix about reviving the comedy, though they caution that a deal isn't yet sealed with co-cre...
Since every website out there is afraid of bots - someone smart should make a bot that auto-searches for the exact title they want to see on Netflix 100 times a day (or more, whatever suits you), whether it's "Saveable" or isn't on the site at all.
This is the only other "metric" they're going to have, because mindreading isn't yet possible over the intranet. Problem solved.
Is Netflix Ignoring Smaller Independent Films?
Anthony Kaufman at indieWIRE writes about the plight of independent films on Netflix: The Decline of Indies on Netflix, Were They Amputated With the Long Tail? Netflix strongly defends the company’s indie cred. “Netflix acquires content that we know that is going to have an audience,” Swasey sa...
Man, some compelling points presented there - in a better way than all of the articles could do this past week.
It's true though. The initial love has faded. I still love movies and TV, but the full queue eventually becomes daunting. Sure, it feels great to discover something no one else has heard of, just as it is awesome to watch what came out last week. But when it becomes a chore to always have that envelope laying there nagging you to hurry up and get it over with, it's not fun anymore.
This Qwikster thing means more than just a name change. It really is going to be the most massive thing to happen to the company since the very first day they started streaming. I'm just worried it's not going to be as well received (and hey, streaming wasn't at first. People are still finding ways to whine about it, despite secretly loving it).
I'm waiting to see how it goes, but I am awfully worried about a company I at one time had full faith in.
The Netflix Fail Song Video
When a company makes a big change it seems everyone wants a creative way to express how they feel about it...
"It's not as if he's reading -- or gives a crap about -- anything you write here."
Right, because he wouldn't care what his most enthusiastic customers thought about his company on the most well known Netflix commentary/news website. I'm sure he's never heard of Hacking Netflix.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings Still Has a Sense of Humor...
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings posted a Facebook update, proving that he still has a sense of humor in spite of the recent events.
This is great news for me, being that I thought my titles were safe in that area of the queue. Much like the rest of your readers, I used it to offload my DVD queue into, since members of Netflix are still forced to work under a limit while paying for unlimited service.
You guys better go download your queues right away - now we know they are subject to deletion at any time. Just a few weeks ago, I took someone's advice, and copy and pasted by DVD queue into a spreadsheet (somehow it retains formatting!). Strongly wish I'd done this with my saved queue, but who could have expected this idiocy.
Netflix Removes "Saved" Titles from Instant Queue
Update: Reader Jason discovered that you can use Feedfliks to recover your "Saved" titles from youor instant queue, but it might not work for long. Netflix removed the "Saved" titles section from the Instant Queue (the DVD queue still has a "Saved" section). I was unable to get a response from N...
Someone should design an Netflix-powered app that pulls your queue out into a spreadsheet file. Copy and pasting doesn't work, because it grabs too much extra information.
Quitting Netflix in Advance of the Price Increase? Do it 2 Days Early & Save Your Queue
With the price increase looming, several readers have asked how many days before the "Next Billing Date" (under "Your Account") they should cancel or change their membership status. A source at Netflix suggests doing this 2 days before the Next Billing Date, but not earlier because Netflix doesn...
Everybody whined and complained, but nobody changed their account type.
What Did You Do After the Netflix Price Increase?
Reader FearNo1 suggested a poll to follow up on what you did after the Netflix price increase. I'm curious to see the results of this poll vs. the poll we ran right after the price increase. Post-Price Increase You:
The acting in Return to Sleepaway Camp was embarrassing and sad. It shouldn't have been released.
What's the Worst Movie on DVD or Streaming at Netflix?
Super Booyah has complied a list of the 25 worst movies on Netflix Watch Instantly, and the list includes Titanic 2, Taintlight, Snakes on a Train, Transmorphers, and of course Gigli. The titles alone are so bad that at first I thought the list was a joke. If you're into watching horrible movies...
Being that I have so many 1-star ratings on my Netflix account, I had to narrow it down to the one that was offensively bad, and not just terrible on a basic level. I streamed this with high hopes, and even watched to the end.
How this guy wrote the original Sleepaway Camp movie, and eventually followed it up with THIS, is completely beyond me:
Return to Sleepaway Camp (2008)
What's the Worst Movie on DVD or Streaming at Netflix?
Super Booyah has complied a list of the 25 worst movies on Netflix Watch Instantly, and the list includes Titanic 2, Taintlight, Snakes on a Train, Transmorphers, and of course Gigli. The titles alone are so bad that at first I thought the list was a joke. If you're into watching horrible movies...
I thought this was a workaround to see more movies/TV show recommendations in the scrolling list of whatever device you're in. I prefer surfing through titles on the device to the website, but am cut off at the knees by only being able to see like 35 of each genre.
Lame.
Possible Workaround to See More Episodes on Netflix Streaming Devices
Netflixhelps has posted a possible workaround to enable seeing more episodes of some series on some streaming devices: Some devices don't display all of the episodes. To see all of the episodes on your device: Exit the Netflix application on your TV. On a PC or Mac, locate the desired episode o...
It's expendable income. Either you drive around looking for Red Boxes, or you pay for the convenience of an entire site's worth of movies. What it costs isn't up to you, because you'll pay anything. It's why you go to a bar or restaurant and pay more for a beer than it'd cost at a gas station.
Please Contribute to the Netflix Relief Fund
Jason Alexander is asking you to give to the Netflix Relief Fund. Netflix Relief Fund with Jason Alexander from Jason Alexander Thanks to Sun Surfer, Someone, eHomeUpgrade, and everyone else for sending this in.
You must realize by now that eventually they're going to say: "in keeping with our tradition of taking away features until our site has nothing but a big *Play* button, we've removed user reviews. We decided for you that you don't need them. Hope you like what we did without asking our customers first! Ltrz!"
Don't get too attached to reading the always insightful reviews of, "WHEN IS THIS MOVIE COMINGS OUT ON DVD?!?!?!?" or "I HAVEN'T SEEN THIS, BUT I HEARED IT WAS RILLY INTERESTING AND WELL, I'VE GOT 30 MORE CHARACTERS SO, OER)EORPIAOREE!"
Member Reviews Missing for Some Customers, Netflix Working on a Fix
Several readers (and me) are unable to see member reviews. We're getting a message, "There was a problem retrieving member reviews. Please try again later." NetflixHelps on Twitter acknowledges the problem: "We are aware that some customers are not able to load the member reviews. The reviews...
@Nic Peterson 9: Huh, what did you say?
Netflix Sued by National Association of Deaf Over Captions
Digial Journal reports that the National Association of the Deaf has filed a federal lawsuit against Netflix for not providing captions for all streaming titles. “We have tried for years to persuade Netflix to do the right thing and provide equal access to all content across all platforms. They...
Yet we were just talking about their renewed interest in Facebook integration? Guess not.
Netflix Removing Avatars, Nicknames & Bios for Reviews
Netflix announced that they are removing avatars, nicknames & bios from reviews. We’re removing avatars, nicknames and bios associated with reviews, as very few Netflix members use them. We’re constantly working to improve the Netflix experience, and by removing these little-used features we ar...
That's a crazy good amount. It's becoming a very realistic number, and it's certainly good you can reactivate dead computers/devices as you go along.
Eventually, I hope to be able to have Netflix streaming no matter where I am. They're making that happen.
Netflix Increasing The Number of Netflix Ready Devices per Account to 50?
Reader Derek noticed an interesting change to the maximum number of Netflix ready devices per account: 50. If you go to "Your Account" and select "Manage Netflix ready devices and computers" you'll see the following notice: You may watch instantly on up to 50 unique devices: Including personal...
I've always had this problem. I shouldn't have to - but every month I have to go through my queue and find the random saved titles that Netflix didn't correctly tag "Blu-ray". It's frustrating that nothing works as it should on a website I am paying to use.
Netflix Adding DVDs Instead of Blu-ray When Blu-ray Preference Set?
Christopher writes, "I noticed recently that even though my account is specifically set up to have the Blu-ray added to my queue when available, the DVD is added and I have to manually change to Blu-ray in the queue. I noticed this after receiving a DVD copy of a film that was also on Blu-Ray. ...
The queue design has been out of date for many years. There's no excuse for why it's so hard to work with. People with big queues full of titles cringe at the thought of even having to move one of the discs around. It's like trying to open a moderately-sized program in Windows - it's guaranteed to lock up completely.
Was Your Streaming Queue Randomly Reordered?
MC writes, "I've been watching a bunch of stuff on my Instant queue today, and I noticed that several hours ago that it was in a different order than how I had set it. Kind of a pain in the ass as I keep it ordered so I can find things easier. I know I don't really "need" an Instant queue anym...
My favorite thing is how I've suddenly rated every season of every show I've watched - including the ones that haven't even debuted on TV yet.
Great idea combining them.
Are You Having Queue Troubles with TV Shows?
I've had a number of reports of queue problems, and reader Mike writes, "My instant queue has now surpassed my disc queue, which means that my instant queue grows increasingly more complicated to organize. So, I tried to move all tv series to the top as a way to give some order to the mess. Then...
Any horror fans out there feeling left out lately? I don't feel like NFLX is buying as much in the genre as they used to. There used to be at least 5 titles a week.
Netflix New Releases for May 10th, 2011
Click here for the full list of new releases. Interesting titles include Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I, Country Strong, The Hit List, Cougars, Inc., No Strings Attached, Blue Valentine, Breaking Up Is Hard to Do, The Violent Kind, Bhutto, Budrus, and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never.
And here I thought you meant that they were bringing back "buy now". That would be the much better approach. You should be able to buy any Blu-ray/DVD you rent on the site, and receive the case for it within a few days after you decide to keep it.
Netflix Still Experimenting with Buy Now Link for DVDs
Alert reader Andrew notice the small "Buy Now" link on the Little Fockers movie information page under the "Add to DVD Queue" button. The "Buy Now" link goes to the official site for the movie, and says you can "Own it NOW," and "28 Days Before Netflix & Redbox."
@Tester Go into a Blockbuster that's running a Store Closing sale, and see if the employees care about Blockbuster anymore.
Death to major corporations that manhandle America. Bankruptcy is the greatest thing ever.
Better Use Your Blockbuster Gift Cards Soon... Auction Starts April 4th
Consumerist reports that Blockbuster will not accept gift cards after April 6th, according to a notice posted at a Blockbuster store. In a related story, Erik Gruenwedel from Home Media Magazine reports that Blockbuster officially goes on the auction block on April 4th, after losing $68 million...
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