Fezmid Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I'm starting to wonder if Netflix is having major problems or not. First the HD DVD thing, then they say they'll charge more for Blu-Ray in the near future, now they're ditching user profiles: http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/06/20/netfl...-with-profiles/ For those who don't know, profiles are a way for multiple people in your family to manage their own movies. For example, if you have the "3 at a time" plan, you can make a queue for yourself, one for your wife, and one for you child so that they can each have a movie that they like. They're removing that feature "to help improve the Netflix website for all customers." Ummmm, ok... All of these negative changes are leading me to wonder if they're having problems. With the downturn in the economy, I wouldn't be surprised if families looking to save money are cutting "frivilous" things like DVD rentals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I'm starting to wonder if Netflix is having major problems or not. First the HD DVD thingDumping HD DVD was a smart business move, not a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WellDressed Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 Fez, I am a Netflix dog. I couldn't count how many films I rented over the past year. They always have the lesser known titles that I am interested in. The blu-ray titles seem to be always "for the ready" If anything, I would think that venturing to the cineplex would be on the decline and Netflix would be going even stronger. I had blockbuster for a week and cancelled because of their limited inventory & almost indefinite wait on blu-ray titles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted June 20, 2008 Author Share Posted June 20, 2008 Dumping HD DVD was a smart business move, not a problem. I'm talking about the fact that they wouldn't let new members sign up for HD DVD when they still have inventory, not complaining about dropping new titles etc. I still can't understand how dropping profiles helps anyone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted June 20, 2008 Share Posted June 20, 2008 I'm talking about the fact that they wouldn't let new members sign up for HD DVD when they still have inventory, not complaining about dropping new titles etc. I still can't understand how dropping profiles helps anyone... It was in the video industry's best interest to quickly kill whichever HD format lost... to allow the winner the best chance at success by eliminating customer confusion. I've never messed with the family profiles, though I do see they've added a 2nd queue for video-on-demand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted June 21, 2008 Author Share Posted June 21, 2008 It was in the video industry's best interest to quickly kill whichever HD format lost... to allow the winner the best chance at success by eliminating customer confusion. I've never messed with the family profiles, though I do see they've added a 2nd queue for video-on-demand. Maybe their programmers didn't know how to have two separate queues? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 Maybe their programmers didn't know how to have two separate queues? Maybe if their programmers figured out how to run VOD using Firefox, I might use it.... nah! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corp000085 Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 netflix is not going down. they're just streamlining their product. how the hell can a movie delivery service go out of service before the theaters, based on the current state of gas prices? And on a personal note, netflix BETTER not go down. i've got about 100 movies in my queue, and i'd be rather pissed off if they went away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacka Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 I drove past their HQ (in Los Gatos, CA- Trent Edward's hometown) a few weeks ago, it's not as big as you might think. The parking lot was still full of cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted June 21, 2008 Author Share Posted June 21, 2008 netflix is not going down. they're just streamlining their product. how the hell can a movie delivery service go out of service before the theaters, based on the current state of gas prices? And on a personal note, netflix BETTER not go down. i've got about 100 movies in my queue, and i'd be rather pissed off if they went away. How is removing a feature streamlining their product? They really push the "friends" and "ratings" systems that they have. "Since you liked movie X, and your friends like movie X, you'll probably like Y as well!" Without multiple queues, that's not going to work so well. My wife doesn't like the same movies as I do, but if I lump all of the chick flicks together with all of the action/sci-fi/etc movies, it's no longer going to be very accurate. I don't see how removing this feature can be considered a good thing - and I can't figure out why they would do it. The only advantage I can think of is that they can reduce the size of their database and thus won't need as many servers in their farm. Cutting costs like that means they're not doing as well as you might have hoped. I'm not saying they're going under tomorrow, but a lot of the changes they've made this year seem a bit desperate to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corp000085 Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 How is removing a feature streamlining their product? They really push the "friends" and "ratings" systems that they have. "Since you liked movie X, and your friends like movie X, you'll probably like Y as well!" Without multiple queues, that's not going to work so well. My wife doesn't like the same movies as I do, but if I lump all of the chick flicks together with all of the action/sci-fi/etc movies, it's no longer going to be very accurate. I don't see how removing this feature can be considered a good thing - and I can't figure out why they would do it. The only advantage I can think of is that they can reduce the size of their database and thus won't need as many servers in their farm. Cutting costs like that means they're not doing as well as you might have hoped. I'm not saying they're going under tomorrow, but a lot of the changes they've made this year seem a bit desperate to me. I don't use the profiles, so as long as they don't jack the price way up, i'm going to be just as happy with the product tomorrow as I was yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Jack Posted June 21, 2008 Share Posted June 21, 2008 Maybe they want you to get separate accounts for the spouse, children, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted June 22, 2008 Author Share Posted June 22, 2008 Maybe they want you to get separate accounts for the spouse, children, etc. Maybe... I wonder how many familes would really do that though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodBye Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 netflix is not going down. they're just streamlining their product. how the hell can a movie delivery service go out of service before the theaters, based on the current state of gas prices? And on a personal note, netflix BETTER not go down. i've got about 100 movies in my queue, and i'd be rather pissed off if they went away. Only 100 movies?? I have almost 500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corp000085 Posted June 22, 2008 Share Posted June 22, 2008 Maybe... I wonder how many familes would really do that though? There's gotta be a market for it. Upon further reflection, it takes approximately one web guy to manage the website programming and one IT guy to manage the logistics software capable of multiple queues within the same account. If they were going to cost cut, they'd do so at a higher level, like throttling (which they already to do an extent), or cutting back on some of the titles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted June 30, 2008 Author Share Posted June 30, 2008 Apparently I wasn't the only one outraged (for lack of a better word) at the removal of profiles. I just received this email: You spoke, and we listened. We are keeping Profiles. Thank you for all the calls and emails telling us how important Profiles are. We are sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused. We hope the next time you hear from us we will delight, and not disappoint, you. -Your friends at Netflix Of course that means, "We realized we would lose business if we got rid of profiles, so we're keeping them." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corp000085 Posted July 1, 2008 Share Posted July 1, 2008 Apparently I wasn't the only one outraged (for lack of a better word) at the removal of profiles. I just received this email: Of course that means, "We realized we would lose business if we got rid of profiles, so we're keeping them." hey, i don't get any e-mails from netflix besides the ones telling me when they've been shipped... under the e-mail subscriptions, would the e-mail that you got qualify as "netflix news"? i'm signing up for it as we speak. Also, I just got off the phone with netflix, and they said that the add profiles, for those of us who don't have them yet, will be reapplied to the website in "the next week or two", so check back in mid july if you are like me and are without subprofiles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apuszczalowski Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 netflix is not going down. they're just streamlining their product. how the hell can a movie delivery service go out of service before the theaters, based on the current state of gas prices? And on a personal note, netflix BETTER not go down. i've got about 100 movies in my queue, and i'd be rather pissed off if they went away. Maybe because at Netflix, you can't get a movie that is in theatres right now and would have to wait for it to go to DVD first. If I wanted to see The new Incredible Hulk, or Wanted or Ironman, I would have to go to the theatre or wait like 6 months for it to go to DVD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_fan Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 If I wanted to see The new Incredible Hulk, or Wanted or Ironman, I would have to go to the theatre or wait like 6 months for it to go to DVD Or buy it from the guy on the street corner outside my office for 10 bucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted July 2, 2008 Author Share Posted July 2, 2008 Maybe because at Netflix, you can't get a movie that is in theatres right now and would have to wait for it to go to DVD first. If I wanted to see The new Incredible Hulk, or Wanted or Ironman, I would have to go to the theatre or wait like 6 months for it to go to DVD It doesn't take anywhere near 6 months anymore -- more like 3-4. The cost of going to the theater is ridiculous. When I visited Niagara Falls, I went to see Iron Man with my wife and sister. With drinks, popcorn, and some pretzel things, the cost was $52! Insane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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