Netflix increasing Bluray Charges - What will you do?

johnnypark

johnnypark

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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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I went down to one at a time, so I'm not bothered much by this. $10.99 isn't bad considering the amount of DVD's I get in a month.

Though I've gotta say, since I went from 3/month to 1/month, the streaming has gotten terrible. I don't know if it's just my connection or what, but it stops and downgrades the stream often. It's annoying.
 
My pain complaint with Netflix isn't the price. For a whole month's worth or unlimited rentals, even the higher BR price, is fine with me.

I would GLADLY pay it EXCEPT every fucking fucking fucking movie on my queue that is a new release is / has been on very long wait / long wait for 2 months now. I haven't even seen Pinapple Express yet. fuck Netflix in the fucking ass.

I will be downgrading my account to one-disc at a time. I originally had it from a movies class I was taking, but now I really don't need all the dvd's.

Are the blu-ray movies queues just as bad as the normal dvds? If not, I may add it for the asking price of a one dvd plan. I just cannot stand waiting for new releases. What is the point?
 
I really enjoy my Netflix subscription. It has saved a lot of money with rentals/blind buys and I rarely have issues getting the newer releases quickly. $4/month for bluray access is reasonable as far as I'm concerned, but in my 100+ video cue I've only got 6 blurays. It's getting nixed.

If I rent the DVD and enjoy the movie enough to own it, I'll buy it on bluray, but $4/month isn't worth the one or two blurays I'd get monthly.
 
I have friends at work who get new releases right away (they are on 3 at a time and regular dvd's) while all of my same choices (dvd or blu, I am on 1 at a time) are always long waits.
 
I've had Netflix ever since they started a distribution center like an hour away so I get my movies the next day. All I ever rent is Blu (2 at a time) but I was thinking of canceling my subscription last month, due to all the movies I actually own and have never watched. I guess this increase clinches it for me. While still not a bad deal, I have a feeling this increase will cause a lot of people thinking about canceling their accounts to actually do so.

Also, I never got the Pineapple Express BD either, I ended up having to buy it like a month after it came out.
 
[quote name='Dr.Zoidberg']I have friends at work who get new releases right away (they are on 3 at a time and regular dvd's) while all of my same choices (dvd or blu, I am on 1 at a time) are always long waits.[/quote]

I've got a distribution hub nearby, so there's a 2-day turnaround (day 1 - send back, day 2 - receive/ship new, day 3 - get new movie). All I do is time it such that I send back a movie on Friday or Saturday. It arrives Monday and Netflix ships out the new release for Tuesday. Works every time.
 
Any reason why they are increasing the price for blu-ray? Is it because of the cost of the title? Or is it just not enough interest?

It's just odd that blu-ray would cost more when they probably have insane amounts of one given dvd. But probably only a very few or so of the given blu-ray title.
 
If they use the money to actually buy MORE blu rays then I am ok with this. They really need to do something about the availability situation.

Also I should get a discount for not using the streaming service.
 
Charging extra for Blu-ray was lame in the first place, so I opted out a while ago.

FWIW, as instant-view becomes more popular, I'm betting they will charge extra for that.
 
Charging extra to your valued customers = FAIL

There is no way I'm paying an extra $4 a month for Blu-rays, especially since the selection is so shaky.
 
Here's how I see it:

Yes, it's often tremendously difficult to get a hold of a popular Blu-ray release, even after they added the first increase. You would think...we're paying more, so we'll get more. Nope. Still hard as balls to get a new release.

I don't think it's unfair to want $11 for the one-out, BD, and unlimited streaming package. Not at all. What I think is unfair is that I signed up for one price...then it was another price...now, it's a new price. Valued customers should get something. But no.
 
I'll probably drop it.. and maybe pick it back up when they add the streaming only accounts as that's all Ive been using NF for as of late.
 
[quote name='Dr.Zoidberg']I have friends at work who get new releases right away (they are on 3 at a time and regular dvd's) while all of my same choices (dvd or blu, I am on 1 at a time) are always long waits.[/quote]

When new releases are released on tuesday I have them at my house on wednesday. You just have to time it depending on your location. I make sure the mail man picks up my movies on saturday, and they're received by netflix on monday, and then they ship out on tuesday.

I have the 3 at a time, and all my new releases for today were shipped out, and will be here tommorow.
 
[quote name='Mud_BooDa']I'll probably drop it.. and maybe pick it back up when they add the streaming only accounts as that's all Ive been using NF for as of late.[/quote]

There is a stream only account, I think it's 8 bucks a month.
 
it's still a good overall deal per month... and usually I only target blu-rays...

My only gripe is, they didn't make people who rented TV seasons or Criterion DVDs pay more before... this seems to me like a way to just make some more cash.
 
seeing as how if you dont get the movie right away, all you see is very long wait, this price increase cant be justified. My subscription to Netflix will end when my billing date comes up. Stupid ass move Netflix. You're greed will cost you. I'll buy my blu rays and rent from redbox.
 
To me, it's tough to beat $9 a month for the unlimited streaming and whatever discs I rent. I don't know if I'll give the extra $2 a month just for the privilege of waiting 2 months to finally rent a fairly new BD, but I doubt I'm gonna drop their service.
 
I just removed Blu Ray access from my account. I'll put the $4 a month away, and buy the few Blu Ray movies that I really want to see.
 
I've been looking for an excuse to degrade, and I think this is it. I want to keep an unlimited plan (3-at-a-time now) so I can stream on my Xbox, so I'll probably knock it down to 2 or 1.
 
I just dropped the Blu-ray disc plan. Wasn't an option on the poll. I have an excellent Panny HDTV and a Bluray player and the picture quality with Bluray isn't that big a jump to me. DVD is fine.
 
I will keep the Blu-Ray around for a while, but I may just drop it and go back to DVD....I'm on 1 at a time, so it's basically $2/extra to get BD's a month...which just sucks.
 
[quote name='Viva Las Vegas']I just dropped the Blu-ray disc plan. Wasn't an option on the poll. I have an excellent Panny HDTV and a Bluray player and the picture quality with Bluray isn't that big a jump to me. DVD is fine.[/QUOTE]

Are you sure you're watching it on Blu Ray? These no difference arguments make no sense.
 
I have been considering getting a NF account for a while since I got my ps3 for playing blurays over the winter holiday. I haven't really gotten that many BRs or rented many...I guess since this has happened I'll stick to the occasional rental from our local video stores: I
 
[quote name='Viva Las Vegas']I just dropped the Blu-ray disc plan. Wasn't an option on the poll. I have an excellent Panny HDTV and a Bluray player and the picture quality with Bluray isn't that big a jump to me. DVD is fine.[/QUOTE]

In that case, send me your Bluray player and I'll send you my Apex DVD Player plus $25 so that way we'll both be happy with what we can appreciate; unless, of course, $25 isn't that big a jump for you.
 
I'm undecided. I pay the $9.99 already (8.99 + 1.00 for BR) $1.00 isn't going to break the bank but I am really only doing it for streaming on XBL. So BR may go by the wayside.
 
[quote name='Viva Las Vegas']I just dropped the Blu-ray disc plan. Wasn't an option on the poll. I have an excellent Panny HDTV and a Bluray player and the picture quality with Bluray isn't that big a jump to me. DVD is fine.[/quote]

The choice, "$12 a year is fine, but $36 a year is BS. I refuse to pay that much" kind of implies that you'd be dropping the Bluray option by refusing to pay the additional cost for Bluray. Sorry if that wasn't more clear.
 
If it means that i'll actually be able to get Blu-Ray movies on the release date without getting a "Long Wait" or "Very Long Wait" status all the time, i'll gladly pay the extra buck (i have a 1-unlimited plan)
 
[quote name='MrNEWZ']Are you sure you're watching it on Blu Ray? These no difference arguments make no sense.[/quote]

If you have a top notch upscaler like an oppo unit then the visual difference isn't huge, but the audio is another story. HD audio is a big jump from standard dvds assumining you have the audio equipment to fully utilize it.
 
Make sure you write to Netflix and tell them you are unhappy, they ended up keeping the profiles due the customers request. I've been slowing down on how quick I've been turning movies so it gives me a good excuse to cancel the membership. $218.28 saved for the year.
 
I have my account on hold for a while (until end of May) because I am tired of the long waits on blu-ray. I'm a 2 at a time member for the last 3 years, but I got a blu-ray player about a year ago. At first I'd get blu-rays in a timely manner, but now I think a lot more people have players. I had to wait over a month for Vantage Point. In fact I took everything off my cue and only had Vantage Point on and it still took an additional 2 and a half weeks to get it. Most of the new releases on Blu-ray seem to be that way. I'll get them on my cue long before they are released, but still long waits. DVD's on the other hand just take a day to get here. Our Netflix distributor is only 50 miles from where I live. So I'm probably going to use netflix over the summer and then put her back on hold.
 
I'm disappointed, of course. But on the other hand, it's just a $1 more and I'd rather pay that than drop full price on a disc I'm not necessarily ever going to watch again. It's still a good deal for those of us who like to sample out movies for PQ, etc., or view BR versions of titles they aren't willing to buy otherwise.

Plus, if this helps them pick up more stock so we don't have to wait as long for titles, then it's probably for the best. Anyway, I blame Sony...hehe, I mean I blame BR itself for being as yet unpopular with the masses (and subsequently no where as cheap as DVD).
 
The first $1 increase really didn't do much to decrease wait times for popular Blu-rays. I'll hold out hope that maybe service will improve, but their track record says otherwise.
 
It's still cheaper than going to the local rental and renting them individually. I have the 3 at a time plan. I'll still hold on to it. I use the streaming as well so that's a plus for me not to use the blockbuster plan.

Also, I'm not a thief so I won't be torrenting these or anything. Even if I did, torrent quality sucks.
 
im also amazed ppl throw out there the "no difference" excuse..

anyways i may downgrade to the 2 out plan...and maybe evven to the 1 out plan later on.


whats blockbuster charging nowadays? dont they have some unlimited rental plan + online?
 
As long as they don't start charging for instawatch/XBL streaming, then I don't give a fuck what they do to BluRay. I honestly don't really care for BluRray, and i have a PS3/laptop with BluRay capabilities. I only own a few BluRays, and don't care to pay more for movies when I can get them on DVD and with the selection on DVD. If they start chargin for Instawatch, then mark my words, I guarantee that I will cancel my subscription.
 
You were only paying an extra $1 for blu-ray rentals instead of DVD though, I mean, how long did you really think it'd last before they increased that price? They're probably having to buy a lot more blu-rays because they are being rented a lot more, and Netflix is smart enough to realize if you own a blu-ray player you can afford an extra $2-5 a month and you won't cancel the service because of this small increase in price.
 
An extra $2 a month is nothing. Hell, I may pay the extra $4 to upgrade to 3 out at-a-time.

Besides, and I'm sure someone already stated this, buying a blu-ray over a dvd will cost you $10 - $15 more, why shouldn't Netflix recoupe some of that extra expense?
 
I voted "I don't get Blurays from Netflix so this doesn't effect me", but more importantly, it doesn't affect me, either...
 
Gamefly charges me more money for cheaper games, gives me longer wait times, and has shitty customer service. Netflix is alright with me - their only mistake was not making this the deal since day one to avoid whiners like the ones posting about a $2 increase here...
 
Well, this move will backfire on them.... some people might cancel all-together, some only remove the blu-ray... they might take in less money per month now because of this move.
 
I would rather keep my $12 per year (1 out at a time plan), but it is still a whole lot less expensive than buying an extra movie or two a month. To those with the multi-DVD plan, you can always downgrade and play more games.
 
I've been subscribing to Blockbuster online mainly because it's cheaper. When I did the trial for both them and Netflix, I found them to identical as far as movie selection and speed of shipping. As far as I'm concerned, the only difference is the color of the envelope, so I just went with the lower price. They don't seem to charging any additional fee for Blu, so I'll just stick with them.
 
IMHO, cancelling your Netflix subscription in protest makes little sense. You would spend more in gas and on (1) B&M rental, than you would on the extra fee. Netflix has contracts with suppliers-they are not buying their BD's at Walmart and Amazon, and the cost is significantly higher. The release slate for Blu-Rays has increased significantly, over the last year, as has the adoption by customers, due to decreased prices on players/movies, overall. Their initial $1 fee may have offset initial costs to aquire more copies, but as more customers purchased players, and wanted to enable their queue's for BD, more copies were needed.

Like all of us here, I am a deal hunter, but aside from Blockbuster, there is no where else to "try" BD's out, before you buy, or rent those you wouldn't buy, on an unlimited basis. The plan is still cheaper than any other option, if you want to enjoy packaged media. If you download, you can't do this on an unlimited basis, and not at this price.

I agree that they could have announced it better, and in a more timely fashion, but for the cost of 2 coffees, or 2 sodas/month, you can still rent unlimited BD's, depending on the cost. Most of us spend more buying on impulse, lol. Netflix is one of the last CE companies standing in this dreadful economy, and thank god, otherwise we'd all be squawking, that we need to "pay per rental".
 
question.. i went to change my plan and this came up:

Your plan is no longer offered

You currently have Blu-ray access on your plan for $1.00 a month. Blu-ray access on this plan is now $4.00 a month. If you select a new plan, you will not be able to return to this price.

Does this mean that current subnscribers wont get the price hike?
 
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