I know I'll sound positively backwards, but I love getting DVDs in the mail. I keep in touch with my friends via email so my postal experience is pretty dismal -- it's bills, bills, bills, and the occasional wedding invitation... and then there are the bright red Netflix envelopes. It's like getting a little gift in the mail. I know I'm being ridiculous. Anyone else feel the same?
NetFlix to Show Movies on ComputersPosted: Jan 16, 07 6:47pmNetFlix changed the way we rent movies with its innovative rent-by-mail system, but in a world where everything is going digital, people have been wondering whether the company will survive, since it deals strictly in shiny plastic discs, rather than the downloads and streams that are looking like the future of entertainment. A New York Times reporter was given a preview of a service from Netflix that will give subscribers a Play button, right next to the one for Add (to your rental queue) that's already there. No file will download; instead, the movie will start playing right after buffering. If you have broadband and don't mind watching movies on your computer (or if your computer's connected to your TV), this is a nice addition to the service, although it'd work even better if Netflix could put a box (similar to a TiVo) in your entertainment system. If they don't do that soon, someone else will (most cable companies already offer a limited selection of movies on a pay-per-view basis. although their catalogs don't measure up to NetFlix's... yet). NetFlix used some sort of Microsoft video streaming technology for the service, so it's tough to say whether it'll be available for Mac or Linux users at this point. Leaving that issue aside for the moment, what do you think... Is this you might be interested in? If enough people think this sounds like something they might want, I'll try to get my own preview of the service in order to see what it's like in more detail.  Illustration by the NY Times 5 Comments
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Posted: Jan 16, 07 7:48pm NetFlix changed the way we rent movies with its innovative rent-by-mail system, but in a world where everything is going...  Posted: Jan 16, 07 10:24pmI know I'll sound positively backwards, but I love getting DVDs in the mail. I keep in touch with my friends via email s... RIght there with you... I used to have NetFlix, but moved about a year ago and never signed up again. Lately, I've been thinking of starting it again. This computer-based streaming thing would be a nice bonus, but I agree, it's really nice to get those red envelopes -- as well as the DVD format's 5.1-channel surround sound and extra features, and I also like the sofa-oriented location of my DVD setup. In terms of extra features, I usually enjoy the director's commentary track, but I don't think that's part of the video streams they're going to give subscribers, which is a bummer. It'd also be nicer if you could download the files to a laptop for plane trips, etc., instead of having to be connected to the Internet via broadband in order to watch them online (and Macs should be supported, of course). Anyway, I think NetFlix's red envelopes are going to be with us for a long time to come... if it ain't broke, don't fix it, as the saying goes. Posted: Jan 17, 07 11:46amI know I'll sound positively backwards, but I love getting DVDs in the mail. I keep in touch with my friends via email s... Me too -- love the extra features on the DVDs. As for Netflix, you should give it another go. They've made A LOT of good enhancements to their web experience. Lots of previews (they have a dedicated previews page!), improved "Friends" area, it's easier to add movies to your queue, and it seems like they've added a lot more foreign films to their collection. Posted: Jan 18, 07 8:54amNetFlix changed the way we rent movies with its innovative rent-by-mail system, but in a world where everything is going... I'm not sure if I'm excited about this or not. With streaming video being what it is, I think I would get annoyed with the interference in play. I'll stick to the joy of opening my red envelopes for now!! Posted: Nov 28, 07 8:57pmNetFlix changed the way we rent movies with its innovative rent-by-mail system, but in a world where everything is going... I watched a few of them on my pc's big screen via Netflix download when it first came out, but now I wait for the DVD. | ADVERTISEMENT  |
