Who else got an email from Netflix today?
Oct. 10th, 2011 12:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
trinityvixenNetflix has abandoned Qwikster, the separation of DVD and streaming that might be the model of the future but which is definitely hurting their brand now. That's the sad part. They might actually have a point that streaming is the wave of the future, and they're smart to want to head the way that is going to be most profitable. But because of the way they rolled this out, they'll probably never be able to implement it again without everyone going, "This is gonna be Qwikster all over again."
Still, the time wasn't right and the method was completely wrong. If ever I thought otherwise, I was proven right in my negative opinion when, amidst declarations that streaming was the way to go, half of my streaming queue disappeared. My streaming queue was completely indiscriminate; it didn't matter how much I wanted to watch a thing--if I wanted to watch it even a little, I could just add it to the streaming queue and see if I ever got around to it. I didn't have to make it one of my two DVD rentals at a time and throttle my access to other things I might want more. My streaming queue was longer than my DVD queue, and my DVD queue is routinely over 400 titles, less than half of which was made up of things on my DVD queue that were also available for streaming. Because of the price increase and because my roommates were letting me use their streaming on the TV, I was debating dropping streaming from my plan. But only after I made sure to copy all the things on the streaming queue because I literally cannot remember all that was on there otherwise. As such, it may seem like no loss at all--can I really miss a thing I don't know I'm missing?--but it was worth trying to save, to me.
And now I can't. So forgive me if I take extreme delight in Netflix's walking back its idiocy. It's literally the least they can do by not rearranging their whole system.
Still, the time wasn't right and the method was completely wrong. If ever I thought otherwise, I was proven right in my negative opinion when, amidst declarations that streaming was the way to go, half of my streaming queue disappeared. My streaming queue was completely indiscriminate; it didn't matter how much I wanted to watch a thing--if I wanted to watch it even a little, I could just add it to the streaming queue and see if I ever got around to it. I didn't have to make it one of my two DVD rentals at a time and throttle my access to other things I might want more. My streaming queue was longer than my DVD queue, and my DVD queue is routinely over 400 titles, less than half of which was made up of things on my DVD queue that were also available for streaming. Because of the price increase and because my roommates were letting me use their streaming on the TV, I was debating dropping streaming from my plan. But only after I made sure to copy all the things on the streaming queue because I literally cannot remember all that was on there otherwise. As such, it may seem like no loss at all--can I really miss a thing I don't know I'm missing?--but it was worth trying to save, to me.
And now I can't. So forgive me if I take extreme delight in Netflix's walking back its idiocy. It's literally the least they can do by not rearranging their whole system.
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Date: 2011-10-10 07:46 pm (UTC)My issues with streaming, and why it won't be the way of the future for a while:
1. Unreliability of streamed material. The content gets yanked. Or the connection futzes out.
2. A pleasant streaming experience relies on too much additional tech that Netflix shouldn't assume its customer base has. I know plenty of older people who have a simple TV/DVD player, but not a setup conducive to streaming. Without BSD's Xbox 360 Gold Account (which is a SEPARATE EXPENSE), I wouldn't have a good streaming setup either. I don't like watching videos on my computer.
3. Currently, streaming video on Netflix lacks subtitles and closed-captions. There is only so much dubbed anime I can take. Captioning is useful if I intend to use a stream in the classroom (assuming I am in a room that allows streaming), not mention its necessity for the hearing impaired. These should not be "on DVD-only" options.
4. Currently, streaming lacks amusing options such as commentary tracks. I understand there needs to be some incentive to continue to rent DVDs. However, the DVDs are increasingly lacking these special features. Instead they are available only on Blu-Ray. Grrr.
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Date: 2011-10-11 12:48 am (UTC)3) Actually, some streaming videos on Netflix do offer subtitles, including some anime, like Monster and Death Note. It's up to the studio to decide what options to offer.
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Date: 2011-10-11 12:50 am (UTC)