[trains are bad]

I normally am against renting movies because it's a straight expense....I just buy them, then I at least have the movie. However I've just discovered what a great deal Netflix appears to be. 10 bucks a month, free shipping, huge selection. Especially for anime which tends to be person expensive. Apparently you can rent the 8 disc Fullmetal Alchemist series indefinately, which I could watch at my leisure, undubbed. Hellsing, Gunslinger Girl, others. Anyone have any bad things to say?

 

[JahJahBinks]

The problem is that if someone is watching the movie you want and they don't have any extra copies, then you have to wait indefinitely until that copy is returned. Otherwise it looks like a sweet deal.

 

[BPRJam]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JahJahBinks The problem is that if someone is watching the movie you want and they don't have any extra copies, then you have to wait indefinitely until that copy is returned. Otherwise it looks like a sweet deal.

I've been with Netflix for quite a number of years and have never had that problem. Once, way back when, there was a new release that I had to wait an extra day or two to get. I don't even remember what movie it was. I haven't waited for anything for at least 2 years.

The only catch is that, at the $10/month level, I think you only get 2 discs at a time. So, you can't get the whole "8 disc series", but two of the discs at once. I watch a lot of episodic television on DVDs, and that's not a problem for me, either.

Bottom line - I'm a big fan of netflix.

BPRJam

 

[spaceman]

I've been using Netflix for almost 4 years now, and rarely have to wait for a movie. New, extremely popular releases, yes, there can be a wait sometimes, but they just send the next one in my queue. I'm not someone who has to see a movie as soon as it is released, so no big deal for me.

 

[JeffS]

I've been a netflix user for about 4 years. In short, it rocks!

I actually went above the basic account and pay a little more to get 5 movies out at a time. I've rarely had to wait for a movie (twice, but that was 3 years ago).

If you're on the low number of disc progam, you could get all of them at once
but it wouldn't be completely on the up and up. In theory you could
make a personal backup of the dvd to your computer/ipod/whatever but if
you don't own it, that wouldn't be legal.

I'm not suggesting this as a way to use the service, only noting that it
is a technical possibility. That is of course assuming you have a way of
decrypting the encrypted dvd.


-Jeff

 

[PhilS]

I echo the pro-Netflix comments above. I've been a user for more than 5 years and it's great.

 

[daycart1]

Just started recently. No problems, no waiting (though I don't usually go for popular items).

 

[bpm2000]

I've been throttled like a rock on Netflix. But if you use it within their bounds of rent/return then it is a decent service. I've found Blockbuster to be a little faster overall (im using both currently), but with a slightly smaller selection.

No matter which you choose, make sure to look for coupons and stuff to get that first month free and whatnot.

 

[Todd R]

Love Netflix.
Haven't had to endure the movie store for years.
2 at a time works out good for us since we only have time for movies on the weekend.
TR

 

[SennFan]

I've only heard great things. No horror stories. Some have mentioned that it can be difficult to get popular films, but this doesn't appear to be an issue as their inventory is huge

 

[averydonovan]

I've had the 3-at-home plan for over a year now and love it. I'm bad about returning anything I rent and not having to worry about late fees is great, as is being able to look up reviews and have movies in queue for delivery. I'm not a big movie watcher but won't give up my Netflix service any day soon.

 

[nabwong]

How the heck do you guys find the time to watch 5 movies? During the term, it would be a luxury to be able to watch 1 a week. I only activate my netflix account in the summer. It's a great service!

 

[socrates63]

Throttling sucks as it goes against their marketing promise of unlimited rentals.

I've been with Netflix for a couple of years (3 discs at a time plan) and have also tried Blockbuster. I like Netflix better because of the wider selection and better web interface.

I haven't heard of any horror stories. Even when discs are lost or damaged in the mail, Netflix is very good about not charging you for it. It's a good service.

 

[incognitoedleon]

Netflix is a great - unless you rent three or more movies a week. Outside of that, I've never had any problems with them. Blockbuster was pretty bad the last time I used it. They started shipping movies from the middle of my queue for nearly a month. If you live on the west coast, Greencine's another interesting option if you want a lot of esoteric, arty movies, but their availability is really spotty.

If you want new releases with Netflix, you MUST ship back your movies on the Saturday before the DVD is released. I've never had a problem getting new releases this way, even when I was throttled to death.

 

[Blitzula]

I watched 90 movies last year on Netflix alone. I love it except for the throttling, which is garbage.