Netflix (DVD Delivery Discussion Only)

[Ishmael]

Netflix now has Andre Techine's Les Voleurs available for instant viewing. I don't think this has ever been on DVD in R1, which makes its availability pretty sweet. This a great movie; it's up there with Wild Reeds among Techine's work. I haven't checked out the transfer, but I'd expect VHS-quality P&S.

[jesus the mexican boi]

It's part of the Starz! Play package. Not sure if it was shot 1:85 or 1:66, but this is definitely cropped to 1:33 and is fair quality. Luckily, subtitled and not dubbed.

[Ishmael]

It's part of the Starz! Play package. Not sure if it was shot 1:85 or 1:66, but this is definitely cropped to 1:33 and is fair quality. Luckily, subtitled and not dubbed.

Yes, when I wrote P&S I should have written that's it probably just open matte. It's been a couple years since I saw it, but the tape I saw it on was full screen and I don't remember seeing any strange lateral cutting or video-generated pans. It's good to know that the quality of the instant viewing copy is acceptable. I'll have to revisit this.

[Antoine Doinel]

Relationships and the NetFlix queue.

[essrog]

Relationships and the NetFlix queue.

The apparently little-used profile feature is a godsend -- I can see why the people who use it went apeshit when Netflix said it was going to discontinue it. My wife and I have the three-out-at-a-time plan, and we set up separate profiles for movies I alone want to see, movies she alone wants to see, and movies we plan to watch together. Now I can't complain about her unwatched Gossip Girl, she can't complain about my unwatched Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, and we have only ourselves to blame for the unwatched Atonement. The only problem is that it's slowed progress through the huge number of unwatched movies in my queue (dare I say, my Webyip? Netyip?)

[Matt]

Grrrrrrrr.

Dear Matt,

You are receiving this email because you added unlimited Blu-ray access to your account for $1 a month. The number of Blu-ray titles has increased significantly and will continue to do so. As we buy more, you are able to choose from a rapidly expanding selection of Blu-ray titles. And as you've probably heard, Blu-ray discs are substantially more expensive than standard definition DVDs.

As a result, the monthly charge for Blu-ray access is increasing for most plans and will now vary by plan. The charge for monthly Blu-ray access on your 1 DVD at-a-time (Unlimited) plan will increase from $1 a month to $2 a month. The price of your 1 DVD at-a-time (Unlimited) plan is not changing and remains at $8.99 a month.

The new charge for Blu-ray access will be automatically added to your next billing statement on or after April 27, 2009 and will be referenced in your Membership Terms and Details.

If you wish to continue unlimited Blu-ray access for $2 a month, you don't need to do anything. If not, you can remove Blu-ray access anytime by visiting Your Account.

If you have questions about this change or need any assistance, please call us anytime at 1-888-923-0898.

-The Netflix Team

Why doesn't Netflix use their clout to get Blu-ray prices lowered? The studios have a vested interest in getting the format to mainstream, and price differentials is not the way to do it.

[swo17]

Mine went up to $3 a month for just the 2-at-a-time program. Of course, this increase only amounts to the cost of 1 Criterion DVD in a year, but it's still sort of annoying.

This is also still way less expensive than paying DISH Network something like $100 a month just so the wife can watch Project Runway in HD.

[Matt]

Ah, I see. It scales based on your plan. And I guess it makes sense to charge only those who use Blu-rays for the cost of purchasing more Blu-rays instead of hiking rates across the board. I guess I'm just a little miffed because so few of the titles in my queue are actually available on Blu-ray.

[nsps]

Mine went up to $3 a month for just the 2-at-a-time program. Of course, this increase only amounts to the cost of 1 Criterion DVD in a year, but it's still sort of annoying.

This is also still way less expensive than paying DISH Network something like $100 a month just so the wife can watch Project Runway in HD.

I thought the reason to do that was TCM (minus the HD).

[swo17]

Yes, but that's not as good of a punchline.

[Antoine Doinel]

I'm really surprised the studios aren't pressuring NetFlix to abandon this plan. With the economy the way it is blah blah blah, it only makes the prospect of going HD less attractive.

[Matt]

This is also still way less expensive than paying DISH Network something like $100 a month just so the wife can watch Project Runway in HD.

Your good lady wife will be happy with this news, then.

[Antoine Doinel]

Curse yourself now for not adding the BluRay of Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist to your queue.

[kaujot]

Just a note to anyone in the Austin area:

If you use Time Warner as your ISP, they've stupidly (and, somewhat maliciously) decided to meter your bandwidth usage starting in April, so if you stream Netflix often, I suggest you switch ISP to someone else (and AT&T is also going to start doing that in Austin, too, the fuckers).

[swo17]

This is also still way less expensive than paying DISH Network something like $100 a month just so the wife can watch Project Runway in HD.

Your good lady wife will be happy with this news, then.

Ah, if only that were the only show on Bravo that she required to sustain a pulse. Plus, as was mentioned earlier, it's worth it just for the SD feed of TCM, right? Right?

[jesus the mexican boi]

Just a note to anyone in the Austin area:

If you use Time Warner as your ISP, they've stupidly (and, somewhat maliciously) decided to meter your bandwidth usage starting in April, so if you stream Netflix often, I suggest you switch ISP to someone else (and AT&T is also going to start doing that in Austin, too, the fuckers).

I'm in the Austin area, too, kaujot, and saw this news. Who's left? Verizon?

[kaujot]

I'm in the Austin area, too, kaujot, and saw this news. Who's left? Verizon?

I checked Verizon's site today, and as of now, they don't offer FiOS service in my area (relatively near UT's campus). The only other non-metering service that I'm aware of is Grande Communications, which is supposedly pretty good. According to my boss, who used them years back, they had good service and speed. They also offer tv, if you're worried about losing that from TW, too.

Their reasoning is complete bullshit, anyway.

[swo17]

Original post updated with a handful of new and expiring titles.

[Cash Flagg]

Carol Reed's Odd Man Out, which is unavailable on DVD

Though there is a R2 Network disc available.

[swo17]

Thanks for that, though for future reference, when I say "unavailable on DVD" in the context of this thread, I mean through Netflix.

[tartarlamb]

Emir Kusturica's Arizona Dream seems to be available, but several people are complaining about an audio glitch that makes it unwatchable. Haven't tried it myself.

Edit: Have tried it. Looks and sounds like you're watching the film from the wing of an airplane. What a shame.

Edit 2: I was crazy/stupid enough to actually watch the entire film last night, with the audio chopping out a small bit every few minutes. It is watchable if you're dedicated -- a lot of the lines that are ruined because of the audio problems are Vincent Gallo's, which some may even consider a bonus. Alas, some Jerry Lewis bits are mutilated.

And, hey, all of the digital distortion looks a bit like confetti at times, which makes the film even more fun.

[Matt]

I got a disc from Netflix the other day, cracked clean through. So I requested a replacement of the same title. I got the replacement today--from a different distribution center--and it too is cracked, almost identically to the first. In fact, I thought at first that maybe they just sent me the same disc again, but that wouldn't be possible. I never receive damaged discs from Netflix, so two in a row (of the same title) is a pretty odd occurrence. The last damaged disc I got was in January '08, and the one before that was in August '07.

[swo17]

That exact same thing (two cracked in a row) happened to me once too. You didn't happen to rent L'Argent, did you?

[Cash Flagg]

That exact same thing (two cracked in a row) happened to me once too. You didn't happen to rent L'Argent, did you?

Ditto, but it was Blondie: Behind the Music for me.

[knives]

It happened with Wild at Heart for me this week.