Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Movie Rental Stores - Who Needs Them?


How many of you have subscribed to Netflix?  Do you download movies that you haven’t seen in years, TV shows that have long been taken off the air, or the most current movies you can find?  I don’t know about you, but I have become pretty fond of the services Netflix offers.  For the reasonable price of $7.99 a month, you can watch unlimited movies and TV shows.  That seems pretty impressive.  One part that I really enjoy is the option to cancel or suspend your account at any time.  We tend to suspend our account in the summer as we don’t watch much TV.  This is also when a lot of kids movies come out too so we tend to go to those in the local theaters.  However you look at it, Netflix seems to be a win, win situation for those who enjoy their TV or movie time.  Or are you someone who is annoyed with the instant access and the wading through of the thousands of options Netflix offers?  If you are, maybe you’ll enjoy it better once they separate their site into separate movie and TV tabs.  This re-design is being tested and might soon be available to all. 

If you do subscribe to this service, what do you use to view them – your PS3, Wii, Xbox, PC, Mac, iPad, Apple TV, Smart TV, Blu ray player, Smart Phones, or some other device connected to the internet?  It seems the instant access possibilities are quite endless.  Looking at the convenience of it all and the $7.99 per month price tag, there’s good reason that Netflix is doing well.


 Someday I hope to quit saying this, but I am amazed at the capabilities we have in this day and age.  Can you imagine back in the 1980’s if we could’ve downloaded movies and TV shows on our Atari’s?  What a thought!  We thought the VCR was an amazing invention.  Being able to watch a TV show some other time than when it was actually on – how great was that!  So what is next for our instant access culture?  Are you one that dreams of the days when we have virtual movie theaters in our own homes so that we would never have to leave for even that?  Or are you the type that still wants to get out and mingle with the people at the rental stores and movie theaters?

 For more information on Netflix please view: https://signup.netflix.com/browseselection

5 comments:

  1. Kelly, you brought up some really interesting points! We have had Netflix a couple of times, and for the most part were happy with its services. The biggest problem that we had was that, because we live in Alaska, it generally takes 2 days for the movies to be returned (through the mail) and another 2 or 3 to get back to you. Granted, this was before they had the instant download options, but it was still easier to go to Blockbuster and get a movie the same night that we wanted it. But since we cancelled our subscription, they have lowered their prices and have more to offer. In fact, we have discussed cancelling our DirecTV and just using Netflix, which is something that a lot of our friends do. But our biggest issue has been that we would not have access to what we enjoy the most: Food Network and sports. Sounds ridiculous to pay what we do for these things, but that's just the way it is right now. :)
    In reference to your theater question, my family and I (especially me) loves going to the theater! We love the whole experience of getting to go out, get overpriced popcorn and see the reactions of the other people during and after the movie. Although going to the movies isn't very interactive, you can make it more interactive. For instance, when the Hunger Games came out, I went with a group of 17 people to see it; some of them my close friends, others I had never met before. After the movie, we all went out for coffee to discuss the movie and compare it to the book. It was a great experience and is something that I love to do. It is so much fun to be surrounded by people who enjoy reading and get their input!
    We have movie nights at our house sometimes, and the effect is just not the same. I hope that the movie theater experience is one that sticks around for a while.

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  2. Netflix is definitely one of my favorite technological advances. With all the new methods of watching videos, it still manages to make the movie watching experience a different one due to their ratings system. For those who do not have Netflix, the ratings system lets you rate every movie you see on a scale from one to five, then recommends movies based on what else you like, the more you watch the more specific and accurate the movie selections become. I also love being able to go back and see shows I watched before, since with Netflix you can see what movies you have watched over the past few months, a handy feature since it allows you to see how much time you spent watching various shows.

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  3. 2 years ago, this topic wouldn't have made any sense to me. I am someone who likes to watch movies but at the same time hate monthly subscriptions so thanks to my cousin who signed up for this service.
    Netflix is amazing! That’s it, nothing more nothing less. This service has come a long way to save us from having to worry about scratched CD's, walking to the movie store to find a movie or realizing you don't even like the movie you picked after driving numerous miles to rent it.
    I love it and the idea behind it.

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  4. I certainly enjoy the cheap price of $7.99 a month, you can watch unlimited movies and TV shows. Our family hasn’t really watched a whole lot of television, rent many movies or go to the movie theater a lot; however, Netflix is so cheap that I don’t mind paying the $7.99 so we can watch a few movies each month. I am excited for the re-design. I am not on it very often; however, it takes me longer than I would like to find a movie. I had no idea I could suspend my account at any time. I am done responding so; I am going to suspend my account for the summer as well. Thanks!

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  5. I am an avid user of Netflix, and have to admit that I won't be one to cancel or suspend my account anytime soon. My roommate and I were discussing getting rid of cable, because we watch TV shows on Netflix more often then actual cable TV. In my opinion, the 8 dollar a month fee is a great price for what is offered, and how many options they give their customers with how we can view what we want. I watch through my Xbox 360 and laptop, but as you stated, there are many other options. The re-design you were talking about is news to me, but it sounds like just one more way Netflix is improving and trying to take care of their customers.

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