Netflix increasing Bluray Charges - What will you do?

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Just received this email from Netflix, as I'm sure many others have:

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 2 DVDs at-a-time (Unlimited) plan will increase from $1 a month to $3 a month. The price of your 2 DVDs at-a-time (Unlimited) plan is not changing and remains at $13.99 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 $3 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
Click to expand...

I can't decide if I'm going to drop it or not. Thoughts?

EDIT: Courtesy of Dmaul1114 and Gizmodo, here's a chart of the Bluray price increase:

[quote name='dmaul1114']Chart from Gizmondo that has the price per plan after increase:
netflix-blu-ray-price-increase.jpg
[/quote]

As Shrike has pointed out, it appears that it's $1 extra per the number of movies you have on your plan the original $1 base fee.
 
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From what I read, it's not $2 additional on top of the $1 additional previously. It's a 10% increase in the price, so if you're on some of the higher number of discs out at a time, it could be as much as $4 or $5 more additional on top of the $1.

For the 2 out at a time plan, yes, it's $2 additional.
 
then dont rent them.... local video stores charge anywhere from 1 to 2 bucks more per rental..

dont these movies cost almost doubled then the normal DVD.... I be happy they are not charging twice as much to rent them


is there really that big of a difference between the two
 
Interesting, Shrike. Thanks for the info... I was wondering why I saw some people saying it was $4. Any chance the poll could be edited to more general terms?
 
I'm keeping mine, it's annoying but I watch a lot of movies and it's much cheaper than renting locally.

[quote name='VipFREAK']I don't have a Netflix account. Why bother?[/QUOTE]

Because I watch a lot of movies and renting locally is more expensive and a hassle as it requires leaving the house. Movies are my top hobby, I hardly even play games anymore.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']From what I read, it's not $2 additional on top of the $1 additional previously. It's a 10% increase in the price, so if you're on some of the higher number of discs out at a time, it could be as much as $4 or $5 more additional on top of the $1.

For the 2 out at a time plan, yes, it's $2 additional.[/quote]

I was on the 4 at a time unlimited and they bumped it up to 5$. I switched to a lower plan.
 
Yeah, Shrike is right... I have the 8.99 plan plus 1.00 for bluray. And now it's going up to 10.99 for my plan, so a total of 2.00 for bluray disks.
 
To be honest I was amazed at how cheap it was to begin with. I hardly think the additional charge is a big deal considering the added cost on their end. If you don't like Blu Ray enough to justify paying up to another $5 a month than maybe you really didn't need it in the first place. Netflix is still a hell of a deal at that price, considering I get unlimited blu rays a month for less than I'd get a single rental at a local store.
 
I'm dropping it. I was on the fence about keeping netflix anyways after seeing the choices they had on their stream instantly anyways and now with this I'm just done.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Because I watch a lot of movies and renting locally is more expensive and a hassle as it requires leaving the house.[/quote]

Oh, yeah. I watch a lot of movies too. I don't rent period.
 
[quote name='VipFREAK']Oh, yeah. I watch a lot of movies too. I don't rent period.[/QUOTE]

Cheaper than buying too, and doesn't fill up my DVD racks (which are getting full with 300+ mostly bought 2+ years ago) of movies I'll seldom rewatch. So I prefer renting (along with going to the theater) and just buying the couple of movies a year that I will rewatch often enough to justify purchasing.

And I don't do torrents/pirating if that's what you're referring to.
 
[quote name='bmachine']$21 a month is still better than any other alternative that I can think of. I'm staying.[/QUOTE]

Same here. I'm definitely not happy about it but I use Netflix way too much to drop it over $4. I think the BD is worth it because I can rent it first and see if it's worth getting the BD or just getting the DVD if I decide to purchase the movie later.
 
Welp... I don't deal with discs period either so. I guess so. I ain't payin prices for digital stuff either til they actually have sane prices and don't have the drm crap to limit you where you can watch them.
 
Option F: Keeping it for the streaming content, the blurays are a plus for me. Oh and I'll make the girlfriend pay for it, wait she already does.

This doesn't affect me much but it is still pretty crappy of them to push this. I wonder what the reasoning is behind all of this.
 
[quote name='slidecage']is there really that big of a difference between the two[/quote]

If you have to ask then you don't need to add blu-ray to your netfilx account.
 
I have been a loyal Netflix subscriber for over 6 years now and their rate increases have just gone too far with this latest Blu-Ray upcharge. They upped the price an extra buck like 3-5 months ago which I thought was crummy but could kind of understand. Now with an additional four bucks for the three at a time plan is just plain fucking ridiculous. Netflix does not pay any more loot for the Blu Ray titles from the studios than standard dvd costs to justify this type of rapeage. The studios may at best charge a small additional percentage but Netflix is straight up price gouging the consumer with this type of rate hike. We are afterall in a fucking recession! fucking corporate scumbags! What are they gonna do when standard dvds totally fall by the wayside? Still keep charging us these extra astronomical fees? Anybody still watching standard dvds clearly has their head in their ass anyway and they should pass on the hike to those people without the Blu-Ray access and not the Blu Ray using Elite. Up the price of the cheap ass one at a time standard dvd plan to offset the costs if they need extra cash from somewhere!
 
[quote name='VipFREAK']Welp... I don't deal with discs period either so. I guess so. I ain't payin prices for digital stuff either til they actually have sane prices and don't have the drm crap to limit you where you can watch them.[/QUOTE]

Then you just shouldn't watch at all rather than breaking the law.

I'm happy to support films by renting and buying ones I like, same with music (buy CDs not mp3s though) and games.

If I don't think something is worth the money, then I simply don't watch it.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Chart from Gizmondo that has the price per plan after increase:[/quote]Damn, that makes it even worse, as it looks like they're dinging you an additional $1/disc out-at-a-time. Gets really ugly for the 8 out-at-a-time users, as that's almost a 20% increase.
 
I replied with "You suck." Not that anyone will read it, but still...they do. Can't decide if I should go back to Blockbuster. The price is now the same for 1 at a time.
 
Continue to enjoy my grandfathered Blockbuster Online account which has 3 at-a-time unlimited mailings, unlimited in-store movie exchanges and +2 FREE bonus Movie or Game Rental E-Coupon / Month for $19.99 a month :cool:
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Then you just shouldn't watch at all rather than breaking the law.

I'm happy to support films by renting and buying ones I like, same with music (buy CDs not mp3s though) and games.

If I don't think something is worth the money, then I simply don't watch it.[/quote]

Why should I have to suffer and miss out when protesting is not going to do squat because others cave and just pay for overpriced stuff. My beef is not with the movies or kind of movies it's the distribution and sale of them. When they start doing reasonable stuff I'll be happy to pay. It's like trying to end EA's crap, will it happen? no... Or how we had Bush for two terms... :roll:
 
[quote name='VipFREAK']Why should I have to suffer and miss out when protesting is not going to do squat because others cave and just pay for overpriced stuff. When they start doing reasonable stuff I'll be happy to pay. It's like trying to end EA's crap, will it happen? no... Or how we had Bush for two terms... :roll:[/QUOTE]

Because downloading it won't do squat either?

If everybody took your stance, studios wouldn't be willing to take chances with niche titles (hope you enjoy shitty action/comedies) and they would just take away the lube from everybody else when they see their sales slipping (like what's currently happening, multiple places are using the recession as an excuse to raise prices)

Also is not watching movies really "suffering"?

If you want to take stuff, just do it. Don't come up with some phony excuse to justify your actions.
 
I finally let them go last month. Never got new releases with the empty monday queue trick the last eight months and rumors of the post office going down to 5 day delivery soon.
 
I signed up about a month ago and I'm now canceling it. It's not worth the increase to me and I'm not paying for just regular dvds. I think they chose a horrible time to do this considering the economy and it only being a few months since the first price increase.
 
[quote name='slidecage']then dont rent them.... local video stores charge anywhere from 1 to 2 bucks more per rental..

dont these movies cost almost doubled then the normal DVD.... I be happy they are not charging twice as much to rent them


is there really that big of a difference between the two
iy.gif
[/quote]
Yea you are right, this is still a better deal, even netflix has to survive and make money somewhere.
 
[quote name='Sporadic']Because downloading it won't do squat either?

If everybody took your stance, studios wouldn't be willing to take chances with niche titles (hope you enjoy shitty action/comedies) and they would just take away the lube from everybody else when they see their sales slipping (like what's currently happening, multiple places are using the recession as an excuse to raise prices)

Also is not watching movies really "suffering"?

If you want to take stuff, just do it. Don't come up with some phony excuse to justify your actions.[/QUOTE]



Exactly. Breaking the law is breaking the law. regardless of what lame justifications you put forth.

And movies (Blu Rays aside) are reasonably priced. You can find most anything on DVD for $5-10 if you wait a few months after it comes out. Blu Ray prices do need to come down as hardly anything worthwhile is ever on sell for less than $15--but I don't mind much since I cut back purchasing drastically a couple years ago and mainly just rent now.

And if movies aren't worth $5-10, or a the cheap prices of a Netflix or Blockbuster subscription then you're either broke (which sucks but doesn't justify piracy) or not all that into movies in which case missing some wouldn't be much "suffering" for you.
 
If everyone would have canceled in protest the first time, I guarantee you they would have dropped the $1 charge. Now they are just seeing how much they can get away with.
I bet Blockbuster is enjoying the extra business. I switched to Blockbuster and have been enjoying my free Blu-Rays (Still paying $10 a month for unlimited 3 at a time, 5 free in store exchanges) + I got 6 coupons for free previously viewed dvds already. Netflix never treated me as well as Blockbuster has already done.
 
[quote name='VipFREAK']Why should I have to suffer and miss out when protesting is not going to do squat because others cave and just pay for overpriced stuff. My beef is not with the movies or kind of movies it's the distribution and sale of them. When they start doing reasonable stuff I'll be happy to pay. It's like trying to end EA's crap, will it happen? no... Or how we had Bush for two terms... [/quote]

I don't think the "personal suffering" argument is going to get you anywhere when it comes to taking things that aren't paid for. Take that into the general gaming section and make it an argument in favor of game piracy and see how far you get.
 
This new fee just solidifies my choice of not opting for Blu-rays with my account. So thanks for making that decision that much easier for me Netflix
 
[quote name='Moffman82']I have been a loyal Netflix subscriber for over 6 years now and their rate increases have just gone too far with this latest Blu-Ray upcharge. They upped the price an extra buck like 3-5 months ago which I thought was crummy but could kind of understand. Now with an additional four bucks for the three at a time plan is just plain fucking ridiculous. Netflix does not pay any more loot for the Blu Ray titles from the studios than standard dvd costs to justify this type of rapeage. The studios may at best charge a small additional percentage but Netflix is straight up price gouging the consumer with this type of rate hike. We are afterall in a fucking recession! fucking corporate scumbags! What are they gonna do when standard dvds totally fall by the wayside? Still keep charging us these extra astronomical fees? Anybody still watching standard dvds clearly has their head in their ass anyway and they should pass on the hike to those people without the Blu-Ray access and not the Blu Ray using Elite. Up the price of the cheap ass one at a time standard dvd plan to offset the costs if they need extra cash from somewhere![/quote]

Do you want some cheese with your whine?

Do you work for netflix? Do you know how much they pay per disc from the studios? No? Then you have no ground to stand on in regards to their costs. You simply don't know any of the facts here.

If you can't afford the extra $4 during this recession, then what are you doing renting movies anyway, and blu-rays none the less? You're complaining about them raising the price of a premium offering? Somehow everyone else should have to bear the brunt of the costs because you want to watch blu-rays? Get real. DVD's aren't going to "fall by the wayside" anytime soon, no matter how hard you want them to. Anyone with their "head in their ass" can see that.

Those "fucking corporate scumbags" are in this business to make money. They are already doing you a favor by catering to a niche market. Get over it or go elsewhere.
 
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You know if most of the newer BR releases weren't always on "Long Wait" status I could see the justification some of you have made. Paying an extra $4 a month when I'm not likely to see more than 1 or 2 new releases a month...forget about it. The account has been on hold since November and it's getting cancelled as soon as this is posted.
 
I would gladly give up the useless streaming stuff (which I never use) to not have to pay the extra $4 for my blu-ray discs. If they want to charge that much extra, then the 10 blu-rays that have been at the top of my queue for months should be available "now" and not "xxx wait"!
 
[quote name='msajeff']You know if most of the newer BR releases weren't always on "Long Wait" status I could see the justification some of you have made. Paying an extra $4 a month when I'm not likely to see more than 1 or 2 new releases a month...forget about it. The account has been on hold since November and it's getting cancelled as soon as this is posted.[/QUOTE]

That's the one gripe I have, but even that doesn't bother me all that much. I always have around 100 DVDs/BRs on my queue and 50-60 things on my instant watch so it's no big deal if I have to wait a couple weeks after something comes out to get the Blu Ray.

Plus anything I was dying to see I usually caught in the theater anyway.

But yea, Netflix for Blu Rays isn't worth it for people who mainly care about seeing the new releases in a timely manner. Probably better off with Red Box for that.

I'll stick with them for their incredible selection, with a lot of foreign films, indie films, documentaries etc. that are hard to find from other rental services. The streaming service in particular is very good for that, but not so much for hollywood movies--especially recent ones.
 
I knew this would happen. I remember when a lot of people said that $1 a month extra for blu-ray was not significant and that everyone should just suck it up that wanted it. But now look where we are :)
 
[quote name='Moffman82']I have been a loyal Netflix subscriber for over 6 years now and their rate increases have just gone too far with this latest Blu-Ray upcharge. They upped the price an extra buck like 3-5 months ago which I thought was crummy but could kind of understand. Now with an additional four bucks for the three at a time plan is just plain fucking ridiculous. Netflix does not pay any more loot for the Blu Ray titles from the studios than standard dvd costs to justify this type of rapeage. The studios may at best charge a small additional percentage but Netflix is straight up price gouging the consumer with this type of rate hike. We are afterall in a fucking recession! fucking corporate scumbags! What are they gonna do when standard dvds totally fall by the wayside? Still keep charging us these extra astronomical fees? Anybody still watching standard dvds clearly has their head in their ass anyway and they should pass on the hike to those people without the Blu-Ray access and not the Blu Ray using Elite. Up the price of the cheap ass one at a time standard dvd plan to offset the costs if they need extra cash from somewhere![/QUOTE]

lol at Blue Ray - digital download FTW

Sticking with DVD and Digital Download. Netflicks rules, those of you who are so bitter- please do just quit.
 
[quote name='bzchanboy'] Oh and I'll make the girlfriend pay for it, wait she already does.

.[/QUOTE]

high five on the gf paying for it!
 
I think I will be keeping Netflix, but dropping the Blu-ray rentals. The unlimited streaming for less than $10 a month is still a great deal, in my opinion. Of course, I'm sure they will soon jack up their base rates all together and justify it by the unlimited streaming. Can't wait.
 
I think i will be keeping it, but tripling the charge is a little lame. If they were going from 1$ to 2$, then i guess it would have gone over a little more quietly...
 
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I have been a sad Netflix member: Too busy with other things in my life, like looking for a job!, to relax long enough to enjoy a dvd of any type. I've got dvds, HD DVDs and Blu-rays that I own that I've never opened to view once. I'm so bad that I still have a HD DVD rental ("Bubble") from Netflix on my shelve that has gone unviewed. To be honest, the price increase really isn't that bad and the it's really just a sign of the times. But for me, it's a reminder that I've been avoiding something that I should have done months ago: cancel my membership.

When things change in my life, I'll be back to being a member because I think Netflix is a deserving company.
 
I just signed up again yesterday. fuck this. I guess I will just go to one at a time. I mainly wanted it for the streaming anyways.
 
[quote name='VipFREAK']I don't have a Netflix account. Why bother?[/quote]

So why post in the thread then? :roll:.

But yeah,Netflix raising the prices i'll just cancel blue ray .I hardly rent blue ray movies anyways.
 
I have to admit, I have only been doing the $8.99 (plus $1 for blu) for a couple of months (busy at work) and with this price change, I will probably go back to BB. I was doing the 3 at a time for probably a year before that. I have seen most of the Netflix/xbox live movies that I want to see and with a BB so close to my house, I will use the in-store returns as well.
 
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