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Subject: DVD War: Blockbuster Vs NetFlix
Posted by: MadDOG
- [56012617] Mon, Feb 07, 2005, 18:01
Anybody notice during yesterday's Super Bowl that Blockbuster announced that they are now renting DVD's thru the mail similar to what NetFlix is doing?
I think they are undercutting NetFlix pricing too. I thought I saw $14.50 per month for Blockbuster. Gotta love the free market.
Blockbuster is really making some moves to increase their market share lately. First no late fees and now this.
Should be interesting to see how this turns out. I myself have never rented a movie thru the mail but I'm thinking about it. |
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| 22 | culdeus
ID: 492152212
Tue, Mar 29, 2005, 22:59
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FBG
These guys are raking them in, PSPs, IPOD minis and more with this system.
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| 23 | Ref
Donor
ID: 539581218
Thu, Mar 31, 2005, 09:21
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Block Buster is paying $700K or so to 48 states to refund late fees and pay Attorney Generals' Offices for investigations stemming from their "No Late Fees" claim. Apparently there are still late fees somehow yet they didn't disclose it properly. Apparently they will now disclose when there are and when there are not late fees applied.
Their new 14.99 policy of unlimited rentals is a monthly charge and if you go to the store you can only have one movie at a time and if you do it online you get three at a time. Not a very good deal unless you watch movies absolutely every night and then, how many new movies would you actually enjoy? There's got to be a point of declining marginal returns, yet the monthly fee keeps going.
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| 24 | ChicagoTRS
ID: 122532215
Thu, Mar 31, 2005, 10:03
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Well Blockbuster has 30K movies available. You really only have to rent ~4 movies a month to come out to 14.99. Plus factor in the gas/time you save from not having to drive to the rental store. I kind of like Blockbusters deal over Netflix right now because you also get the 2 free store rental coupons per month which is nice for last minute decision type rentals. Plus at this point Blockbuster is cheaper...
Blockbuster deal is 3 rentals at a time plus 2 store coupons per month for 14.99 (or they have the other deal with unlimited store rentals 1 at a time for 14.99)
Netflix deal is 9.99 for 1 rental at a time
14.99 for 2 rentals at a time
17.99 for 3 rentals at a time
Anyone have any experience with the turn around time on the Blockbuster mail rentals? I know Netflix is around 3-4 days.
I kind of like the unlimited aspect because I would think I would tend to rent more movies that I might want to see but would not want to normally pay for a rental...especially older movies that I have seen before and may want to see again (or copy).
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| 25 | chode
ID: 242172810
Thu, Mar 31, 2005, 10:59
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I did the NetFlix plan about 3 years ago and am currently using Blockbuster's, and find them to be nearly identical in turnaround time (put DVD in mail on Day 1, receive new DVD on Day 3-5) ease of online interface, return methodology, etc.
I had a few problems with NetFlix either not delivering to me or not registering the return of movies I sent back, but that was over the course of over a year, and if I had to guess I'm sure I'll eventually experience something similar with Blockbuster. The NetFlix people were pretty accommodating when there was a problem - possibly because they were a fledgling operation at the time. Hopefully Blockbuster will do the same. Both services have been similar when it comes to availability of new releases, although sometimes it was hit or miss with new movies through NetFlix, and if you missed the first cycle of a new release it would be categorized as "Long Wait", and could potentially not be available for a long time. I imagine Blockbuster has a larger quantity of new releases in which case this might be less of a problem for them, but that may just be my faulty assumption.
At this point the glaring differences I see are the obvious ones: (1) cost for 3 movies (roughly $3/month cheaper with Blockbuster), and (2) the two free in-store rentals with Blockbuster (n/a with NetFlix). The total charge at $14.99/month comes out to about $16.23 each bill, so at that price I think I at least break even by watching 4 movies/month, which is pretty easy to do, and avoids the potential for late fees. The 2 free in-store rentals are gravy.
So although I loathe the misleading nature of the whole "no late fees" campaign, for me the Blockbuster online rentals (truly eliminating late fees) has been the way to go.
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| 26 | biliruben
ID: 531202411
Thu, Mar 31, 2005, 11:02
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Netflix is however long your local mail takes to get the movies to and from the distribution center.
For me, If I drop a movie in the mail Monday, they recieve it Tuesday and immediately mail out a new movie, which I recieve Wednesday. 2 days.
Ref, read 16.
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| 27 | culdeus
ID: 492152212
Thu, Mar 31, 2005, 17:42
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I think the benefit of having 3 out is you can get series of entire shows (sopranos) as one rental and enjoy it bit by bit and have other movies coming at a normal rate.
I'm starting to really up my milage on my bike and plan on watching a couple of movies a week from my bike.
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| 28 | TB
Leader
ID: 031811922
Thu, Mar 31, 2005, 22:08
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Bili, I wouldn't leave netflix if I could get a 2-day turn-around like that. Pretty incredible service for them to receive your DVD, process it, and rush the new one into the outgoing mail so that it is sorted and delivered the very next day.
I got my three movies today from BB (signed up Sunday night), watched one and will drop it into the mail tomorrow. We will see how quick they can process it and get the next one to me.
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| 29 | TB
Leader
ID: 031811922
Wed, Apr 06, 2005, 21:54
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Mailed off the movie Friday, got notification they received it Monday, and got the new movie today. Not as quick as Bili, but acceptable. I sent another movie back Saturday and got notification on Monday that they received it. I didn't get an email until Tuesday telling me that they sent my next movie, but I expect it to arrive tomorrow or Friday.
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| 30 | Unemployed
ID: 572591411
Fri, Apr 08, 2005, 14:46
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I switched back to Netflix from the Blockbuster's in-store movie pass. There was pretty much nothing at the local store other than the latest release that I wanted to rent. Netflix has increased their selection since the last time I was a member which is nice. The postal service is a mixed bag though since Chicagoland service is so poorly rated. It results in sometimes getting the third disc of a 3 disc series a day before the 1st two. Anyway, that's a postal service issue and not Netflix' error.
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| 31 | biliruben
Leader
ID: 589301110
Fri, Apr 08, 2005, 15:05
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Yeah, TB. I have the advantage of the dist. center being in Tacoma, less than an hour south. The mail here is pretty good!
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| 32 | TB
ID: 5809511
Fri, Apr 08, 2005, 16:27
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Mine are coming from St. Louis, MO (to Kansas City, MO). I am going to check if Netflix has a distro center in KC. I think that would probably be the biggest factor in my decision on who to go with. I did get the 5th movie last night and finally got confirmation they received my 3rd movie and sent my 6th, but if it isn't here by Saturday that would be a week turn around time.
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| 33 | culdeus
ID: 492152212
Fri, Apr 08, 2005, 20:25
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BB has been great so far. HQ in Dallas has meant a 72 hour turn from dropoff to pickup!
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| 34 | ChicagoTRS
ID: 46354722
Sat, Apr 09, 2005, 00:54
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I have read a lot about BB being out of stock/long wait for a lot of movies. Anyone experiencing that problem?
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| 35 | culdeus
ID: 492152212
Sat, Apr 09, 2005, 10:12
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The TV season DVDs (Especially disc1s) are in short supply. Regular movies seem to be there when needed.
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| 36 | Ref
ID: 53314150
Fri, Apr 15, 2005, 02:22
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I just got a two month netflix subscription given to me. I have a year to use it. Problem is that I threw away a free two month subscription of my own. Now, since it was a gift, I feel guilty if I don't use it for at least those two months. Going to wait a little while though.
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| 37 | TB
ID: 5809511
Thu, Apr 28, 2005, 12:04
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After my one free month of Blockbuster, I have decided to keep it. I am not pimping blockbuster, just the convenience of getting movies in the mail. We watched a couple movies during the week, but for the most part we watched them on the weekend, mailed them out on Monday, and got the new movies in time to watch the next set of three on the next weekend. There were a couple of movies that said “long wait” that were shipped right away when they came up in the queue. We’ve watched 14 new movies (12 from the mail and the two free ones from the store in the four weeks since we joined and have one sitting at the house we will probably watch Friday. When I went to Blockbuster to get our two free movies, I talked with a guy who joined the in-store plan. He pays the same monthly fee and can rent one movie at a time. He said he lives right down the street from the store and stops off every night after work and switches out his movie. Probably a much better plan for him, but not as convenient for me. Besides, the store doesn’t carry the same selection of movies I have further down on my list. I don’t know how long I will stick with this plan. I have 60 movies left on my queue that I want to watch. I am sure I will add a few more as new movies are released and there are some TV series I could see myself getting. In 6 months I can see myself “all caught up” on movies I have missed out on and taking a break from movie rentals.
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| 38 | sarge33rd
ID: 514141116
Thu, May 12, 2005, 18:52
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katie and I have talked about this at length. Her son uses Netflix and loves it. I'm about to place BB on the same "never another dime" list as Wally-World. They pay their in-store managers, a whopping 20k/yr and expect them to relocate for that. Decline the move and you get demoted. Hell of a deal. I'm leaning very heavily toward Netflix atm.
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| 39 | Bond, James Bond
ID: 324151722
Wed, May 18, 2005, 20:32
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My in-laws swear by Walmart's DVD policy. Claim that's it's better than either BB's and Netflix. Believe it or not, they've used all three and say that Wally-World's is the best. Who would've thunk it?
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| 40 | biliruben
ID: 531202411
Wed, May 18, 2005, 21:42
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I would. Walmart is generally good to the customer, and screws the employee.
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| 41 | sarge33rd
ID: 15420101
Wed, May 18, 2005, 22:35
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bingo bili. and thats reason enough in my book to not give them a dime of my money. i dont personally care, that it would take a quarter elsewhere to get what a dime buys at wallyworld. they dont get my green (or silver). :)
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| 42 | rockafellerskank
Dude
ID: 27652109
Thu, May 19, 2005, 09:44
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Looks like Wal-Mart and NetFlix are joining forces:
link
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| 43 | Bond, James Bond
ID: 324151722
Fri, May 20, 2005, 07:35
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WOW! Big-time news for Netflix. This really will help them IMHO. Looks like Wal-Mart is not good at everything. A little humble pie is always good for the soul. ;)
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| 44 | Texas Flood
ID: 326462912
Sat, May 21, 2005, 09:46
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Seems more often than not when I rent a DVD about an hour into the movie the thing freezes up, starts skipping or the audio goes bad.
I refuse to rent DVD and always go for the VHS option. Buy them always rent them never.
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| 45 | biliruben
Leader
ID: 589301110
Sun, May 22, 2005, 20:16
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Sounds like you need a new DVD player. That never happens to me.
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| 46 | Ref
Donor
ID: 539581218
Mon, May 23, 2005, 23:23
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Netflix has three levels of pricing.
I beleive it is 9.99 for one at a time, 14.99 for two at a time and 17.99 for three at a time. They say 90% of the American population will get their DVD the next day.
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| 47 | Unemployed
ID: 15456322
Tue, May 24, 2005, 00:09
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Actually, Netflix has plans up to 8 dvd's out at a time. Currently at 4 for 23.99 and that doesn't feel like enough.
I totally agree with biliruben on getting a new dvd player. My last player was having many of the same problems with discs that weren't brand new and perfect.
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| 48 | Great One
ID: 46215212
Tue, Mar 10, 2009, 09:58
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Think I'm making the switch. Blockbuster just changed terms of their service - when I trade a movie in-store, they no longer mail out a DVD right away. Rather they will wait til you return that DVD and THEN mail you out one. To me, this was their one big advantage and now its gone. I ask them why and they said so nobody has to worry about late or re-stocking fees. That dollar when it was 2 weeks late was killing me. Whoo!!! Except now I need to rush like crazy to get that movie watched and returned so another is on the way for the weekend. I figured it this costs me about 1 movie per week. The only advantage they still have is the free game rental I get every month. And if I switch to Netflix, I could get unlimited movies via the internet on my TV through any of these devices. I think I am sold.
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| 49 | Donkey Hunter
Leader
ID: 916288962
Tue, Mar 10, 2009, 10:49
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I recently resigned with Netflix. Be aware that the selection of streaming movies is much less than the selection of mail out DVDs. I think I have only watched 1 or 2 in 2-3 months. The main movies they stream that I am interested in is that they have whatever is on the Starz network.
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| 50 | Great One
ID: 46215212
Tue, Mar 10, 2009, 11:49
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Do they have a lot of old movies? Like I could watch Rocky or the Godfather on a random night? and how good is the database of TV shows? I was hoping this would be a good way to catch up on some shows I've never really seen.
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| 51 | Slackjawed Yokel
ID: 53222715
Mon, Mar 30, 2009, 19:41
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Netflix sent out an email today saying saying they're raising the fee to have access to Blu Rays. For me, on the 4-at-a-time plan it's an increase from $1 to $5/month. And this $1/month charge was only added 5 months ago; this new increase definitely seems unwarranted.
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| 52 | Donavan
ID: 422523014
Wed, Apr 01, 2009, 17:47
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It is! That's why I like Blockbuster.
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| 53 | Great One
ID: 46215212
Thu, Apr 02, 2009, 14:40
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Except the prices are higher with Blockbuster in the first place so it all evens out. And no free unlimited streaming. I just got the little Roku box too so I can watch the stream directly on my TV. Well worth it, easy to set up, great picture quality. Good database of movies and TV shows...
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| 54 | Slackjawed Yokel
Dude
ID: 052347519
Sat, Apr 04, 2009, 11:12
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so, Great One, how do you have that hooked up? wired or wireless? What kind of resolution do you end up getting in most of the movies/tv shows? I understand it's not 5.1 sound yet.
by the way, it's probably only a matter of time before Netflix adds a charge for access to streaming.
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| 55 | Great One
ID: 4425722
Sat, Apr 04, 2009, 12:53
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The little box is wireless, the quality is very good, I would say at least as good as a DVD. It is also as an HDMI output -- The Roku digital video player is HD-ready. It has all the connections you need to connect it to your HDTV, and it’s capable of playing back HD content. As movies and TV episodes become available over the Internet in HD from our content partners -- such as Netflix and Amazon -- your Roku digital video player will also be ready.
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| 56 | Great One
ID: 4425722
Sat, Apr 04, 2009, 13:12
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I emailed Neftlix about potential streaming charges, and they said they do not plan to add a fee to any monthly fees for the streaming any time in the near future. And also said they plan to significantly expand the movie and TV show selection. To me, as long as I get say 6 months out of it without them ever upping the fee or charging to stream, it'll pay for itself. I do predict they will soon offer a streaming only package -- with no DVD's through the mail. But thats a different thing altogether.
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| 57 | Slackjawed Yokel
Dude
ID: 052347519
Sat, Apr 04, 2009, 14:20
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yeah, I may have to check that out. I haven't had too much success using the ps3 to watch shows on hulu, even with a wireless connection. There's always a slight disconnect between the sound and video - tolerable for the simpsons but not much else. And it seems the browser craps out about half of the time.
To accommodate the roku, I may have to get a new receiver as my tv only has one hdmi input. I have an hdmi switch, but it's kind of a pain. Also, I'm not sure whether my current receiver has two optical ins or not.
As an aside, we only last week got HD on demand with our comcast (in central indiana). Which helps as far as on-demand programming. The picture was so poor before, I couldn't bring myself to watch any of the movies on Hbo/starz/sho/etc/ on demand.
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| 58 | Great One
ID: 4425722
Sat, Apr 04, 2009, 15:53
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Well the standard audio/video cables are what I'm using now anyway and the picture is still pretty darn good. My two HDMI spots are used by PS3 (same problems as you with Hulu) and my cablebox.
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| 59 | Great One
ID: 101045312
Tue, Nov 10, 2009, 13:12
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and now you can watch streaming Netflix through your PS3... excellent. 3 shows I can now start watching from scratch because of the awesome Netflix streaming availability -- Dexter, Lost and Fright Night Lights.
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| 60 | Great One
ID: 101045312
Tue, Nov 10, 2009, 13:13
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Netflix and PS3
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| 61 | Skidazl
ID: 280401016
Tue, Nov 10, 2009, 16:06
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That's awesome, thanks for the heads up GO. I just ordered my free disc...
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| 62 | Frick
ID: 9103036
Wed, Nov 11, 2009, 08:50
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Blockbuster has announced plans to rent movies on SD cards.
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| 63 | Skidazl
ID: 280401016
Mon, Nov 16, 2009, 18:02
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Got the disc and checked it out, great concept, only the quality is very poor, hopefully in the future, quality will be better...
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| 64 | Perm Dude
ID: 5510572522
Fri, Sep 24, 2010, 08:42
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| 65 | Frick
ID: 42825248
Fri, Sep 24, 2010, 09:29
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It doesn't help Blockbuster that their response to dropping revenues was to increase rental fees and penalties.
There are still plenty of people who rent videos. My local Blockbuster has terrible access and looks like the building has never been cleaned.
A local chain has a slightly better location and much cheaper rates. They also rent kids movies for free and family movies for $1 for 5 nights. Guess where we tend to go?
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| 66 | Perm Dude
ID: 5510572522
Fri, Sep 24, 2010, 10:47
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Exactly. I was going to Blockbuster all spring for their 99 cent kids movies. When suddenly they jumped to $4.99 without warning I was outta there. Netflix got my business, and being able to do instant watching on the TV through the wii means very few reasons to rent @ $4.99 again.
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| 67 | Great One
ID: 218412410
Fri, Sep 24, 2010, 11:41
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Skidazl - still have problems with Netflix stream quality? I never really did. I think the quality is pretty good.
PS3 is going to have an update soon where you don't even need the disc anymore. Thats another bonus. PS3 rules.
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| 68 | skinneej
Leader
ID: 040625911
Fri, Sep 24, 2010, 13:27
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Best investment I made the last few years both financially and for access to content. Been streaming Netflix thru XBox 360 and have no issues since I switched to Clear 4G service. When they announced they would likely discontinue mail service within 3 years and have everything streaming, I picked up more stock below $100 and have watched it sail!
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| 69 | Great One
ID: 218412410
Fri, Sep 24, 2010, 14:10
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What if I bought $10,000 worth of Netflix in Feb 2005 when this thread started?
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| 70 | skinneej
Leader
ID: 040625911
Tue, Sep 28, 2010, 12:18
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I kicked myself for not picking up NFLX and CSTR when they were first picking up steam. I looked into them a while back when I started seeing the Redbox kiosks everywhere and lines of people waiting for them. It wasn't unitl I started reading how much trouble Blockbuster was in that I realized this was a game changer and I needed to be in on the ground floor. Made a nice run of late, but time to take gains off the table and look for the next opportunity.
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| 71 | Skidazl
ID: 3253219
Wed, Sep 29, 2010, 17:02
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GO, depends on my internet connection. Currently stuck with slow DSL since DirecTV won't bundle with AT&T Uverse yet even though they are now partnered, only with their crappy DSL. And not willing to switch from DirecTV. So when anybody else uses the internet, my connection speed slows down even more.
Quality does look great when connection is clear, hopefully they will bundle Uverse and DTV together soon.
I guess Wii and Xbox have the same options now, looking to move my wii from the garage and add this feature up there, though finding my wife only streams TV series anyways, and DirecTV On Demand is awesome for that...
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