Netflix Streaming Only Plan & Price Hikes

[sholling]

According to a post at the Netflix blog the new streaming only subscription with the same limited selection for be $7.99. The post also states that the price for DVD/BD rentals will go up $1-3/mo depending on the plan. The new prices are posted at Netflix. We'll see if they grandfather longtime customers but if not I see this as a great excuse to stop renting and start buying Blu-Rays. I'll be able to buy one BD per month for no more than I'm currently spending at Netflix and no Netflix one-month delay on new releases.

http://blog.netflix.com/2010/11/new-plan-for-watching-instantly-plus.html

 

[jinjuku]

Their streaming library holds a lot of value for me personally:

Weeds
Arrested Development
30 Rock
The Office

Plus there are a ton of good indy flicks:

The King of Kong
Beer Wars
The art of the Theft

Etc...

 

[JerryLove]

Same here. I am mostly streaming. I think I will keep my 1-at-a-time rentals though.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Netflix can kiss my a$$.

Blockbuster: $9/mo w/ no streaming
Netflix $13/mo w/ streaming

 

[sholling]

I just got the notice, there will be no grandfathered pricing. I left them for a year once before and may leave again. I don't really like the 30 day wait for new releases and their streaming doesn't really offer any value to me. I'm almost tempted to drop them and HBO and buy 2 movies/month. I'll ponder on it for a couple of days while I watch what I have on hand.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

What really pisses me off about Netflix is that they don't even have some of the shows I like on blu-ray.

 

[jostenmeat]

Hm, so the 2-limit, 1 DVD at a time has the same price. That was the plan I used for almost the entirety of my membership. For BD, it's been $5.99 a month. Ain't too bad, you know $3 per BD. sholling, you might consider splitting the difference on purchases and rentals with a plan like that.

You see, many of my rentals were of the most expensive titles. Think Criterion Collection and classical music concerts. Such titles are often at the $30 mark, so you can* get more value out of your fees, as a point to be offered.

EDIT: I've been on the unlimited 1 at a time for only a couple of months now, but I just changed my account right now back to the limited plan at $6.

 

[Nomo]

I just read the Email.

Nice.

My plan goes up 4 bucks. Seriously? Wait a month for movies I could rent locally with a price hike?

I stream nothing myself, but the 16 year olds in the house are hooked on it.
I may need to rethink the Netflix thing. It would not be a popular decision to dump'em, but I'm the one paying for it after all.

Grrrrr.

 

[jeffsg4mac]

Yeah I am pretty miffed about it too. I scaled mine back to the 3 at a time plan and am seriously thinking about calling and trying to talk to someone for whatever it is worth.

 

[woofersus]

My 3-a-month plan with Blu-Ray is going up to $24/mo. At that price it's not really a bargain compared to renting locally anymore unless we watched at least 6 movies per month, which we frequently don't. I'll be scaling back to 2-at-a-time at least. I can understand having to wait a little while for something to be available streaming but the delay on new BD releases means we still go to the local Family Video once or twice a month too, so I'm right on the edge of dumping it altogether.

 

[just-some-guy]

i'm a 2 at a time plan, BD's. i don't stream anything. so i am paying for someone else too. but, for me, it is still a good value. i only watch a movie 1 time (for the vast most part). so buying is pretty much throwing money out the window.

 

[BMXTRIX]

Prices go up, it's just a simple fact.

I've been with Blockbuster for years, and under no uncertain terms I've let them know that if the store near me closes, I switch to Netflix.

But, the store near me is profitable (!!!) and they aren't looking like they are going anywhere. The streaming is the big bummer, but man, I get about anything I want, anytime I want.

Just go into the store with a movie they mailed me and I've seen, and pick up something new in five minutes. Got Tron last night! I don't think Redbox will have that. Does Netflix even stream it?

Anyway, nobody likes price hikes, but Blockbuster did it a while back, and I sucked it up. Looks like Netflix is going to be about the same price as BB. Don't know about others, but with a BB so close to my home, this is really a no brainer. We gotta do 8-10 movies a month with the kids.

 

[sparky77]

I got the email today too, and in my opinion, oh, well. I live out in the boonies of North Dakota, and the only video rental store here doesn't carry bluray, but on the bright side we get to rent dvd's a week or more before they're release date. But, I do like netflix for the convenience of the older movies I can't rent in town, and of course the streaming, so the $1 price hike doesn't bother me at all.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

 

[lsiberian]

I just dropped netflix now. Thanks for the hike to put me over the top!

 

[Rmassey]

+ $1 for me, not a big deal.

 

[Red Barron]

The only reason this irritates me at all is because they raised the price $1 a month (I am on the 1 DVD at a time membership + Blu Ray) for Blu Ray discs last year, so that is 2 price hikes.

I don't think of it as just the amount, I think of it as a percentage of what I was paying. My cost went up 20% in about 12 months.

Will that make me quit? Not likely, but I might reconsider paying the extra $2 for Blu Ray.

 

[Rmassey]

Will that make me quit? Not likely, but I might reconsider paying the extra $2 for Blu Ray.

seriously, you'd drop for blu $2, heck it cost that much to back your car out of the driveway these days.

NF offers:
1) DVD rental
2) Blu rental
3) streaming

if I were to drop Blu , I'd just drop NF completely. I can get DVDs from Redbox for cheaper. My NF streaming via HD Tivos is pathetic and one of the worst implementations IMO (Tivos fault, not NF), so no lose there. The only thing keeping me with NF is being able to rent BR discs, since I don't want to buy many.

speaking of NF.... Lately I can't hardly find a darn thing even worth renting. A few titles I want (Breaking Bad, Californication) and so slow to ship, I can get them quicker via BT. They don't even have Clapton's Crossroads available to rent... and they wonder why people use BT for content.

 

[Red Barron]

seriously, you'd drop for blu $2, heck it cost that much to back your car out of the driveway these days.

NF offers:
1) DVD rental
2) Blu rental
3) streaming

if I were to drop Blu , I'd just drop NF completely. I can get DVDs from Redbox for cheaper. My NF streaming via HD Tivos is pathetic and one of the worst implementations IMO (Tivos fault, not NF), so no lose there. The only thing keeping me with NF is being able to rent BR discs, since I don't want to buy many.

speaking of NF.... Lately I can't hardly find a darn thing even worth renting. A few titles I want (Breaking Bad, Californication) and so slow to ship, I can get them quicker via BT. They don't even have Clapton's Crossroads available to rent... and they wonder why people use BT for content.

The main reason I wouldn't quit entirely is because of the streaming. I use a Roku box, and it works beautifully. They are getting more and more (and more recent) movies to stream, but it does seem to take a while to get them in HD.

 

[njedpx3]

Blockbuster Chapter 11

Netflix can kiss my a$$.

Blockbuster: $9/mo w/ no streaming
Netflix $13/mo w/ streaming

Blockbuster just filed for Bankruptcy ( well actually Chapter 11 reorganization)

http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2010-09-23-blockbuster23_ST_N.htm


Right now I am down to 1 DVD/BR unlimited with streaming.

Peace,

Forest Man