Somara and I joined the last decade by getting into Netflix after resisting the continuous pestering to join practically every time we bought something at Best Buy. To me, the main point I wanted to avoid was the subscription element. This is how WoW and other online games really make their money…they’re hoping you’ll forget when the novelty wears off, then they continue to collect $20-25/month. Netflix isn’t as much yet it’s the same thing because we both go through fits and starts with rentals via Blockbuster.
Why the change of heart? One word. Streaming. We had seen it in action with our friends the Derrs through their TiVo. Seemed rather neat. Recently Netflix added the ability to Xbox and PS3. We have the latter. Once Christmas shopping was concluded, I signed us up. I think we’re still on the 14-day trial but I think we’ll be keeping it with it being a mere $9/month.
There’s only two downsides.
- The PS3 requires a disc to access the stream. Allegedly this will be eliminated in the near future with an OS upgrade to the game console. Why not, every other new game I buy demands a 20-minute timeout to modify the system.
- Netflix’s streaming selection is rather narrow. We’ve managed to find a decent amount of material to check out: Doctor Who, Anime such as Space Battleship Yamato, good flicks from the Seventies and odd independents. The choice tends to reflect many of the Starz channels we used to have with our Dish 250 package. If we were paying at least double for this, I would drop Netflix quickly.
Somara will be the one accepting the one physical DVD at a time. I’m avoiding it. The point of streaming is to eliminate the cost (environmental mainly) from the shipping process.
I am going to miss Blockbuster for all those great memories I had when they were the top dog in the Eighties and Nineties. Jose, Phil and me hopping in the car to drive all the way to the East Side/Oriental District since they hadn’t opened one anywhere near Marquette. Or toughing it out in the blustery cold Milwaukee weather with my girlfriend Carrie to grab something to watch at her apartment. The chain’s miserable demise is poetic justice for all the Mom & Pop stores it killed through its rapid expansion and lowest-common-denominator selections. I guess they saw the “threat” of Netflix too late and/or couldn’t acquire the loss-leader soon enough.
What’s next on the horizon? A new TV eventually to really get the PS3’s Blu-Ray capability to impress. Oh, and to re-watch the first season of the new Doctor Who or as the Brits say, first series.
Netflix is awesome.
Streaming to laptop is pretty cool, too.
Creeped myself out watching Splinter at my desk late one night while everyone else was in bed.
And that scene in The Ring when the gal crawls out of the TV has even more impact when you’re watching it from two feet away instead of across the room.