I think this article lends a bit of positivity to the NetFlix pricing, content and stock price debate.

I've looked into replacements for Netflix and have come up mostly empty-handed. No competitor matches up.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/242515/i ... k.rss_news

My point is, there are a lot of options when you're in the mood for a movie, but for us TV-o-philes Netflix is far and away the best deal out there. I hate seeing the stock take such a beating because I want the service to remain strong. I want to see them continue to have the capital to put into content acquisitions (TechCrunch says Netflix will double content spending in 2012, but it isn't clear if they're factoring in the U.K. and Ireland content in that figure).

"I mean...it's [Netflix Streaming] $8/month. I know people who spend more than that for coffee and a pastry at Starbucks every morning. Let's stop acting as if these price hikes are going to be sending us all to the poor house, shall we?"

At the end of the day, that is the most salient point the author made. One that I made any number of times in these forums when people were beating up on Hulu Plus. While both services could use improvements - e.g. increased HD content on Netflix and more content on Hulu Plus are just a couple - the reality is that $8/month is inconsequential for most people. As long as I can find a few decent movies a month on Netlfix and Hulu Plus continues to provide me the ability to watch a few of my desired shows at my leisure, they will be worth it to me as an individual consumer.

While an employee that is heavily invested in company stock, and preparing for retirement, is not too happy, I imagine that Netflix management is not overly concerned about the stock price right now since there probably will not be an impact in the near-term. However, the concern for Netflix (and by extension consumers) in the long-term is that a collapsed stock price could impact Netflix' ability to raise capital and borrow money, and hence, acquire content.

jcmolet wrote:

"I mean...it's [Netflix Streaming] $8/month. I know people who spend more than that for coffee and a pastry at Starbucks every morning. Let's stop acting as if these price hikes are going to be sending us all to the poor house, shall we?"

At the end of the day, that is the most salient point the author made. One that I made any number of times in these forums when people were beating up on Hulu Plus. While both services could use improvements - e.g. increased HD content on Netflix and more content on Hulu Plus are just a couple - the reality is that $8/month is inconsequential for most people. As long as I can find a few decent movies a month on Netlfix and Hulu Plus continues to provide me the ability to watch a few of my desired shows at my leisure, they will be worth it to me as an individual consumer.

While an employee that is heavily invested in company stock, and preparing for retirement, is not too happy, I imagine that Netflix management is not overly concerned about the stock price right now since there probably will not be an impact in the near-term. However, the concern for Netflix (and by extension consumers) in the long-term is that a collapsed stock price could impact Netflix' ability to raise capital and borrow money, and hence, acquire content.

I just dropped a digital cable tier with channels we almost never ever watched outside of Nick Jr. and the west coast feed of Nick which my daughter used on occasion. The rest were Encore channels and extra MTVs, VH1s, etc. I'm saving close to $20 a month. I already had Netflix streaming and added Hulu Plus. I'm paying less and getting more of what I want. Even though I have small quibbles with each, I'm not of the mind that because I pay someone money, they must do exactly as I want at all times. To me, it's that narcissism that drives much of the complaining.

The change in price in netflix does suck... but honestly I suspect that the dvds are really a thing of the past in the not too distant future, so it'll go the way of vcrs and 8 tracks before them...

Netflix might have some potential with continuing dvd thing with blue ray, but really I suspect many in the general population probably don't have blue ray players yet. Probably just a matter of time til netflix phases out dvd thing all together... suspect the price change may have been a step in trying to force folks to move to streaming only so that the removal of the dvd side of the business could be done without anyone complaining too much. However, the price hike was too much so it caused the oppossite reaction...

The only time I've ordered a physical DVD via Netflix was by mistake.
Holding onto DVD technology seems akin to the the US Postal Service's problems:
Changes are coming and eventually everyone knows how it will end.
P.S. I don't think the USPS is banking on DVD mail volume saving their butt...

mastermesh wrote:

Netflix might have some potential with continuing dvd thing with blue ray

I was surprised that one Netflix mailer I received earlier in the week was advertising blu-ray.

Netflix Disc Mailer wrote:

Blu-Ray, the best way to enjoy movies at home!
* Stunning picture * Superior sound * Enhanced interactivity

What is Blu-ray?
Blu-ray is the next-generation high-definition format. Netflix has a growing library of Blu-ray movies.

www.netflix.com/MediaSelection

According to http://feedfliks.com/blu-ray, 21% of Netflix disc customers who are also feedfliks members have opted to include blu-rays in the Netflix subscription, which is an added cost. However, only 2% of the Netflix disc titles are available in blu-ray.

After doing some googling, I found an article from September 2010 that list these household penetrations:

blu-ray penetration: 17% (i.e., 17% of households have at least one blu-ray payer)
DVD penetration: 95%

Like many have said, I also think the days of the disc are numbered. However, I think we are looking at a decade or two, not a a few years. For example, many areas of the United States still have to get beyond the third-word-country status when it comes to the Internet before downloading of movies is viable; and people still want to own their purchases, which means either disc or the widespread penetration of something that enforces DRM that the studios and consumers buy into.

"I mean...it's [Netflix Streaming] $8/month. I know people who spend more than that for coffee and a pastry at Starbucks every morning. Let's stop acting as if these price hikes are going to be sending us all to the poor house, shall we?"
But MY cost for streaming and ONE DVD almost doubled. It's like the frog in the boiling water. Double the cost of Netflix isn't going to drive anyone to the poorhouse, but tax increases, the De-valuation of your dollar, increased cost of gasoline, heating oil, garbage pick up, utilities, BANKING FEES, higher airline prices, etc probably will. And they are designed to do just that.
Keep defending them though.

mauiman wrote:

"I mean...it's [Netflix Streaming] $8/month. I know people who spend more than that for coffee and a pastry at Starbucks every morning. Let's stop acting as if these price hikes are going to be sending us all to the poor house, shall we?"
But MY cost for streaming and ONE DVD almost doubled. It's like the frog in the boiling water. Double the cost of Netflix isn't going to drive anyone to the poorhouse, but tax increases, the De-valuation of your dollar, increased cost of gasoline, heating oil, garbage pick up, utilities, BANKING FEES, higher airline prices, etc probably will. And they are designed to do just that.
Keep defending them though.

Netflix is an entertainment luxury. If you can't afford it (and can't afford the price increases), drop out or find another company doing it better/cheaper. It's not a utility or necessity.

mauiman wrote:

.................It's like the frog in the boiling water. Double the cost of Netflix isn't going to drive anyone to the poorhouse, but tax increases, the De-valuation of your dollar, increased cost of gasoline, heating oil, garbage pick up, utilities, BANKING FEES, higher airline prices, etc probably will. And they are designed to do just that.................

Gosh; I never realized what a crafty and evil genius Reed Hastings was.

mikebdoss wrote:

mauiman wrote:

"I mean...it's [Netflix Streaming] $8/month. I know people who spend more than that for coffee and a pastry at Starbucks every morning. Let's stop acting as if these price hikes are going to be sending us all to the poor house, shall we?"
But MY cost for streaming and ONE DVD almost doubled. It's like the frog in the boiling water. Double the cost of Netflix isn't going to drive anyone to the poorhouse, but tax increases, the De-valuation of your dollar, increased cost of gasoline, heating oil, garbage pick up, utilities, BANKING FEES, higher airline prices, etc probably will. And they are designed to do just that.
Keep defending them though.

Netflix is an entertainment luxury. If you can't afford it (and can't afford the price increases), drop out or find another company doing it better/cheaper. It's not a utility or necessity.

Mike, I think he understands that. He did state that double the cost of Netflix isn't going to drive anyone to the poorhouse. I dropped Netflix all together. It's not that I can't afford it by any means. I live in a beautiful gated community in Florida so I'm not hurting. I feel Netflix lost it's value once the prices went up or when they split the cost for streaming and DVDs, however you would like to look at it. It has been about a month now and I don't miss it. There is PLENTY for me to watch on my Roku without it. I do have to admit that my H.O.A fees do include basic cable though so I am not a cord cutter. I do use a private channel that costs just under $2 more a month than Netflix does (and it is not the forbidden channel) and it offers so much more and current stuff for the money.

crassh76 wrote:

I do use a private channel that costs just under $2 more a month than Netflix does (and it is not the forbidden channel) and it offers so much more and current stuff for the money.

I'm curious what it is, and why you don't name it.

mikebdoss wrote:

crassh76 wrote:

I do use a private channel that costs just under $2 more a month than Netflix does (and it is not the forbidden channel) and it offers so much more and current stuff for the money.

I'm curious what it is, and why you don't name it.

Because just like mentioning "the forbidden channel" which I don't use, a select few tend to over react when it is mentioned.

crassh76 wrote:

mikebdoss wrote:

crassh76 wrote:

I do use a private channel that costs just under $2 more a month than Netflix does (and it is not the forbidden channel) and it offers so much more and current stuff for the money.

I'm curious what it is, and why you don't name it.

Because just like mentioning "the forbidden channel" which I don't use, a select few tend to over react when it is mentioned.

But now the act of you NOT mentioning it has brought even more attention to your post =)

I've only seen people "not talk about" PlayOn, GBTV, and various adult channels.

mikebdoss wrote:

crassh76 wrote:

I do use a private channel that costs just under $2 more a month than Netflix does (and it is not the forbidden channel) and it offers so much more and current stuff for the money.

I'm curious what it is, and why you don't name it.

Ok, it's NokNok. NokNok by far exceeds what I had. I did make a mistake though. NokNok is free. One of the plugins on NokNok is for a cloud storage channel/company, I subscribe to them, so I am not paying for NokNok, it is free for all to use. There are many plugins within the channel. For example if you subscribe to the dropbox plugin, you pay dropbox for their service. I have been playing with the channel for many months. It is still in beta but I can tell you it has come a long way. I hope other users can find the usefulness that I have with it.