Netflix questions

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steve_k

CAGiversary!
I have Netflix questions, and really don't feel like calling the 1-800 number and being put on hold, so I thought I would ask here. If it helps assist in providing answers, I am thinking of using my internet-enabled television set.

1. Do you have to pay by credit card? Can you pay with Paypal?

2. Are high-definition movies offered, or are all downloads standard definition?

3. If high definition movies are offered, how much is the price increase?

4. Do you pay per download (like the PSN network), or do you have unlimited access?

5. If movies are streamed in real time as opposed to being downloaded and saved onto a hard drive, does this mean I will have to learn to tolerate buffering time throughout the movie? Nothing irratates me more than only being able to watch 5 seconds, followed by a freeze and ten to twenty seconds of buffering, and then repeating the cycle. I don't want to spend two hours watching a twenty minute clip. At the same time, I don't want to spend $80+ on an extra-high speed montly internet connection just so I can use Netflix.

Anwers and advice would be appreciated!!!
 
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1) Credit card or Paypal (You could also buy a gift card off Ebay which are usually 12 months of service w/ 1 DVD)
2) Yes, HD is offered for a decent amount of movies
3) No price increase
4) Unlimited access
5) Real time. I have my PS3 connected to my router (not wireless) and I can choose a new scene and it'll load start playing after a second or two and then it never buffers again. I also tried on my Wii which is connected through wireless and it didn't buffer either.
 
Unless you have AOL Dialup, you shouldn't have any trouble maintaining a constant stream. I have basic cable internet, and I never have a problem achieving HD quality.

If you're on the fence, go for it. I originally got it to save from buying DVDs, but now that it's on the Xbox, I stream so much stuff it's unreal.
 
1) I think you need a credit card....You can use netflix giftcards to pay the monthly fees but it sounds like the account still needs to be secured with a credit card (in case you decide to quit and not mail back the DVDs....this seems to be the case even with the streaming only plan). This is according to their FAQ page. They do take paypal, but it sounds like the account still needs to be secured with credit card.

2) Some streaming movies and shows are offered in HD...The system scales based on your connection speed/quality, so it might opt not to give you a HD stream if you had a dial up connection because it simply wouldn't work

3) Price is the same regardless of SD or HD for streaming...If you want blu rays by mail, you have to pay more for it.

4) Price doesn't change based usage

5) It depends on your connection...Maybe once or twice a month I might get hickup that requires rebuffering but 98% of the time it works fine with no extra waiting time beyond the initial buffering. If you jump forward or back more than a minute or two, it will likely rebuffer for a few seconds.

They offer a free trial, so feel free to give a try and if it isn't a great experience, quit before the trail period is over and it will cost you nothing.
 
I have a number (6) question to add to Steve list.

How recent are the movies available to view for the stream? For example if they're recently released on DVD (Tuesday new released), when will they be available on NetFlix stream? 1 week later, 2 weeks, 3 weeks or longer?
 
That's a good follow-up question. As a recent Netflix convert, I like the service but only because my wife and I are not terribly picky about our movies (we don't generally HAVE TO SEE whatever movie just released on DVD).

That being said, I will say that the library of movies available via streaming is painfully small. I figured since I'm not into uber-sleepers or niche movies I'd probably be able to find most of what I'm looking for, but was surprised that a lot of popular movies are not available. This is from memory, but I believe the following was not available when I went and looked for a nostalgic buzz the other day: Karate Kid 1, Ghostbusters 1, Smallville (any of the seasons), Gremlins 1, He-Man episodes, etc.

Regarding the "new" movies, I believe you have to wait on those as well. It's really a crapshoot. As many times as I'm disappointed this movie or that movie isn't available, I am pleasantly surprised that another movie actually IS available.

My Wii also had buffering issues ONCE, but my signal isn't the best in my house...
 
Every time I buy a blu-ray it seems netflix starts offering it for streaming, so provided I keep buying new releases when they come out, the new ones will keep becoming available right after.
 
[quote name='cagfansub']I have a number (6) question to add to Steve list.

How recent are the movies available to view for the stream? For example if they're recently released on DVD (Tuesday new released), when will they be available on NetFlix stream? 1 week later, 2 weeks, 3 weeks or longer?[/QUOTE]

It depends...maybe a few months, maybe a year, maybe never. Many of the fairly recent big studio (vs indy) movies available for streaming are a part of the Starz channel that Netflix has agreement with, and examples of starz play titles that have shown up on netflix streaming in the last few weeks there would be 'the other guys" , "grown ups", "salt" and "easy A". Some indy films might end up on streaming at roughly the same time as the DVD release (I believe the girl with the dragon tattoo was like that). Overall, movie streaming selection is more hit and miss with alot of it being more indy or older but there is fair bit of it... TV show streaming selection is currently fairly robust, although that may change over time as the networks/studios renegotiate with netflix.

Overall, you'll likely never be short of something to watch but you will probably not be able to watch streams of everything you might want to watch.
 
I'll add to the buffering question. The quality will be scaled to your bandwidth.. so while you won't often have the video pause to buffer, you may see the quality of the video fluctuate as network congestion increases, or poor quality always if you have a slow internet connection.
 
There's also a general variation in image quality between movies. District 9 from Starz Play looked horrible, like a fullscreen YouTube video from 2005. Other movies look fine. I believe the max HD resolution is 720p (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). I've been trying to find out about 5.1 sound but haven't read anything conclusive... supposedly PS3 started supporting it in limited titles and Xbox is supposed to follow at some point.

I've found myself using Netflix streaming less since I've started a blu-ray collection, but I still find it useful for TV shows.
 
Keep in mind that Netflix's "HD" picture quality is crap.

They use 3.6 Mbps 720p which is very bitrate-starved, but if that wasn't bad enough, they also use the VC-1 codec. If they used H.264 it might start to look decent, but VC-1 is only 1.5x as efficient as MPEG2. H.264/AVC is twice as efficient.

Netflix is too afraid to deliver higher bitrates and fight back against bandwidth capping ISPs so it's probably going to get worse. If you live in any civilized portion of the country where you can get 30+ Mbps speeds, Netflix's HD streams would only use about 10% of your connection's capacity which is absolutely pitiful. They could be delivering Blu-ray quality video by now.
 
[quote name='BustaUppa']There's also a general variation in image quality between movies. District 9 from Starz Play looked horrible, like a fullscreen YouTube video from 2005. Other movies look fine. I believe the max HD resolution is 720p (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). I've been trying to find out about 5.1 sound but haven't read anything conclusive... supposedly PS3 started supporting it in limited titles and Xbox is supposed to follow at some point.

I've found myself using Netflix streaming less since I've started a blu-ray collection, but I still find it useful for TV shows.[/QUOTE]

Starz play titles always look like ass, part of that deal is that they stream only in SD. Starz sees it as a way to see what they would get if they paid for the starz channel which gets you their on demand lineup which is what you basically get with netflix, but in SD instead of HD if you got the starz channel from your tv provider...

720p is the max resolution, and i thought both ps3 and 360 had 5.1 surround on certain titles, prolly wrong on that though.

If you want tv and movies, netflix is ok, but if you're in it mainly for tv, go with Hulu Plus, its pretty awesome on 360 so far and content looks great
 
[quote name='cagfansub']I have a number (6) question to add to Steve list.

How recent are the movies available to view for the stream? For example if they're recently released on DVD (Tuesday new released), when will they be available on NetFlix stream? 1 week later, 2 weeks, 3 weeks or longer?[/QUOTE]

No. Even a lot of DVDs and Blu Rays are now delayed 28 days after release (some studios due that now to try to get people to buy rather than netflix).

The short answer about streaming is that it's not worth it if you only want to watch new releases of hollywood movies. It very seldom gets any of those around release.

It's great for older movies (not just classics, just anything 2-3+ years old), indie films, tv series (especially older ones), documentaries, foreign films etc. I watch all kinds of things so I love it. But if one's only interested in new releases, then they'll be disappointed.

That said, there's really no reason not to get the 1 disc at a time plan since it's $2 more than the streaming only service and then you can just get discs for the new releases and use streaming for other stuff.



As for the HD quality, I think it looks fine. But I'm a movie fan and not a videophile type and also have no issues with the SD content and still watch plenty of DVDs along with Blu Rays. Netflix HD is no where near Blu Ray or even cable/satellite HD quality for sure. But it still looks better than SD and is fine if you're not a videophile type.
 
[quote name='BustaUppa']

I've found myself using Netflix streaming less since I've started a blu-ray collection, but I still find it useful for TV shows.[/QUOTE]

In case anyone is unaware a lot of the premium stations (showtime, starz, hbo) have already or are currently working on limiting the amount of tv shows that will be available on netflix. The general rule of thumb is that any tv show that is still on air (weeds, dexter, spartacus) won't be available for streaming.

Another thing to consider is who you have for internet and what their band usage limit is. Most people think they have unlimited usage but in the fine print it states a limit. I think AT&T has a 100GB monthly allowance and going over your "unlimited" allowance can net you a ton in charges. Most internet allowances are around 20HD movies a month and anything over that and you most likely will be going over. Look at it from their standpoint if your using netflix to watch movies and tv shows then your not paying them for all their add ons.
 
[quote name='tranceFusion']I'll add to the buffering question. The quality will be scaled to your bandwidth.. so while you won't often have the video pause to buffer, you may see the quality of the video fluctuate as network congestion increases, or poor quality always if you have a slow internet connection.[/QUOTE]

There's my answer... there's my Chippy.
 
1 disc at a time (which comes with streaming) I find is the best as you can use streaming for television shows and older titles then use your single disc for the recent releases or stuff which isn't available for streaming. If you've got a roommate or a family member in the same household they can create their own sub-account with their own queue. Then you can get 2 discs at a time (1 for you and one for them), and split the cost, that's what I do.
 
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena and The Pillars of the Earth both had episodes up the day after they premiered on TV. During their entire runs.
 
[quote name='ghlbtsk']Spartacus: Gods of the Arena and The Pillars of the Earth both had episodes up the day after they premiered on TV. During their entire runs.[/QUOTE]
Did, starting with Camelot, series will now have a 90 day delay (lame) and I believe that is also the way it will be with future seasons of Spartacus.
 
[quote name='Xizer']Keep in mind that Netflix's "HD" picture quality is crap.

They use 3.6 Mbps 720p which is very bitrate-starved, but if that wasn't bad enough, they also use the VC-1 codec. If they used H.264 it might start to look decent, but VC-1 is only 1.5x as efficient as MPEG2. H.264/AVC is twice as efficient.

Netflix is too afraid to deliver higher bitrates and fight back against bandwidth capping ISPs so it's probably going to get worse. If you live in any civilized portion of the country where you can get 30+ Mbps speeds, Netflix's HD streams would only use about 10% of your connection's capacity which is absolutely pitiful. They could be delivering Blu-ray quality video by now.[/QUOTE]

This, Shutter Island almost looks like dvd quality :whistle2:#
 
[quote name='guardian_owl']Did, starting with Camelot, series will now have a 90 day delay (lame) and I believe that is also the way it will be with future seasons of Spartacus.[/QUOTE]

Thats just the start of it. Like I said most studios have already given Netflix a set date to pull everything thats still on the air. Most studios I think negotiated for the start of this fall lineups before they had to pull it from the streaming.
 
I don't really mind the waits personally. I don't need to see a TV show or movie right away.

If it's a movie I was dying to see I'd have gone and saw it in the theater. TV shows I just don't get that excited for. I have DirecTV anyway since I need Sat/Cable for sports being a huge sports fan, so I just DVR any network or cable shows. Pay channel shows I just wait for the Blu Rays/DVDs to come out and Netflix those for things like Weeds and Dexter.
 
I don't mind the waits either. Netflix's picture quality is worse than HDTV channels or the HD episodes of new shows sold on the iTunes store so who gives a shit if an inferior version on Netflix isn't available? Just watch the better quality copy from the TV channel/iTunes.
 
I like some of the bullshit here. Shoshone pulled out of Netflix. Stupid move. Stars was smart and made a deal where you could watch their shows after 90 days I think it was.

Just use a free two week code and test it out.
 
[quote name='Xizer']I don't mind the waits either. Netflix's picture quality is worse than HDTV channels or the HD episodes of new shows sold on the iTunes store so who gives a shit if an inferior version on Netflix isn't available? Just watch the better quality copy from the TV channel/iTunes.[/QUOTE]

Or just be a movie/tv fan and not an A/V guy who cares as much or more about picture quality as they do content. ;)
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Or just be a movie/tv fan and not an A/V guy who cares as much or more about picture quality as they do content. ;)[/QUOTE]

however for people like me they go hand in hand. if the pQ/AQ isn't up to snuff than it detracts from experience
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Or just be a movie/tv fan and not an A/V guy who cares as much or more about picture quality as they do content. ;)[/QUOTE]

I don't see how you can call yourself a movie/tv fan if you don't care whether your eyeballs get molested for the next hour and a half or not.

You say you're a fan of a primarily VISUAL medium... yet you don't care about the VISUALS? You make no sense at all.
 
[quote name='Xizer']I don't see how you can call yourself a movie/tv fan if you don't care whether your eyeballs get molested for the next hour and a half or not.

You say you're a fan of a primarily VISUAL medium... yet you don't care about the VISUALS? You make no sense at all.[/QUOTE]
Cool story bro.
 
[quote name='Xizer']I don't see how you can call yourself a movie/tv fan if you don't care whether your eyeballs get molested for the next hour and a half or not.

You say you're a fan of a primarily VISUAL medium... yet you don't care about the VISUALS? You make no sense at all.[/QUOTE]

Don't get me wrong, I prefer things in HD. I'm just not anal about it and can still enjoy things in SD (still own around 200 DVDs and still watch them).

While movies and TV are a visual medium, but I watch primarily for the stories, acting etc. I'm not really into the visual art side of the medium and don't actively pay attention to cinematography etc.

Sound quality I really don't care about at all as long as it's clear (still on a 10+ year old Sony 5.1 home theater in a box set up).

In short, if I'm going to buy a movie or show I'll buy it on Blu-Ray if available. But I have no problems watching a DVD or an SD netflix stream etc. as I'll enjoy the story etc. just as much. If I'm owning, I want the best quality version available just to have the best available (if I don't already own it, I didn't upgrade all that many DVDs to Blu), but I'm not so anal about it that I refuse to watch an SD stream or a DVD from Netflix etc.

But to each their own. Some are more into the visual side of things, rather than mainly being a fan for the stories. Some are just A/V enthusiasts and are as much into the tech side of the hobby (building a top notch home theater set up etc.) as they are into movies or tv shows. Nothing wrong with that, but streaming video is clearly not for such people currently, and they should just stick with Blu-rays.
 
I really don't think Netflix's HD is all that bad... I've watched tons of HD shows on their and really haven't found them all that bad. Sure, they aren't blu-ray or HDTV quality, but they are still good enough. I mean come on, you are only paying as low as like $8/mo whereas your HDTV costs like 60-70/mo w/o a special and you don't have to pay for each show/episode individually like on itunes or something. Seems like a good tradeoff for me...
 
Exactly. It's so cheap and convenient and more than willing to make the a/v quality tradeoff.

If it was like $20 a month for streaming, then that would be a different story.

But since I've had a Netflix subscription for years, and the price didn't go up after they added streaming, it's just an awesome "free" bonus for me so I can't complain.
 
They are not "good enough." The paid product should NEVER be inferior to the pirated product. They cannot even come close to delivering at least the same quality that a pirated version of the same movie/tv show will offer. THAT is beyond pathetic.

Netflix's picture quality is also inferior to FREE, over-the-air broadcast HDTV channels... and they expect us to pay for this crap?
 
Well, I wouldn't recommend many people to pay solely for Netflix streaming personally, and would definitely tell audio/videophiles to steer clear.

But it's a nice free bonus for those who already had Netflix for DVDs/BRs, especially those of who aren't a/v enthusiasts. But most probably don't find it worth paying for on it's own due to quality and/or lack of new releases.
 
I am sure Netflix would love to offer higher streaming quality.

They are the biggest use of bandwidth in the US. Their delivery provider (L3) has been getting hassled by ISPs and other backbone providers to pay to handle the exorbitant amount of traffic. They would also love to be able to de-prioritize Netflix traffic to decrease their costs and to push their own on-demand networks. Netflix also has to contend with increasing number of bandwidth caps being instated by ISPs.

http://technologizer.com/2011/05/17/netflix-now-the-biggest-bandwidth-hog-in-us/
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/carroll/net-neutrality-will-netflix-destroy-the-internet/1976

I guess my point is, while I am always going to push for higher quality and advancing techology, I think Netflix has done a great job while facing pressure from both ends .. licensing content as well as delivering it..
 
[quote name='dmdragon']Every time I buy a blu-ray it seems netflix starts offering it for streaming, so provided I keep buying new releases when they come out, the new ones will keep becoming available right after.[/QUOTE]

lol. i feel you on that, its always my favorite to see a new series streaming when i just bought the boxed set.
 
[quote name='tranceFusion']I am sure Netflix would love to offer higher streaming quality.

They are the biggest use of bandwidth in the US. Their delivery provider (L3) has been getting hassled by ISPs and other backbone providers to pay to handle the exorbitant amount of traffic. They would also love to be able to de-prioritize Netflix traffic to decrease their costs and to push their own on-demand networks. Netflix also has to contend with increasing number of bandwidth caps being instated by ISPs.

http://technologizer.com/2011/05/17/netflix-now-the-biggest-bandwidth-hog-in-us/
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/carroll/net-neutrality-will-netflix-destroy-the-internet/1976

I guess my point is, while I am always going to push for higher quality and advancing techology, I think Netflix has done a great job while facing pressure from both ends .. licensing content as well as delivering it..[/QUOTE]

Netflix doesn't have to deal with whiny ISPs if they don't want to. They can simply ignore them and continue enhancing their service. It's the customers that will get fed up that their Internet service providers are ass-fucking them. They will blame their ISP, not Netflix.

Most Americans now have access to 20+ Mbps speeds... if Netflix would send out streams that could actually utilize those and push through monthly bandwidth limits in just a few hours, this whole bandwidth capping thing would be a non-issue as that would be the wake up call that would get the average subscriber to realize just how badly their ISP is ripping them off.
 
[quote name='Xizer']Netflix doesn't have to deal with whiny ISPs if they don't want to. They can simply ignore them and continue enhancing their service. It's the customers that will get fed up that their Internet service providers are ass-fucking them. They will blame their ISP, not Netflix.

Most Americans now have access to 20+ Mbps speeds... if Netflix would send out streams that could actually utilize those and push through monthly bandwidth limits in just a few hours, this whole bandwidth capping thing would be a non-issue as that would be the wake up call that would get the average subscriber to realize just how badly their ISP is ripping them off.[/QUOTE]

If you read the links I provided, you will clearly see that large ISPs (ie Comcast) are fighting Netflix over the amount of data they are pushing through their network.

You are right that the bandwidth cap isn't directly Netflix's concern, but a large percentage of the US is stuck with one high speed provider option. A business that doesn't consider whether their product is usable by their customer isn't going to last very long.

I also think that assuming ISPs are ripping people off is incorrect. The ISP wants to keep a good experience for a majority of customers. If a small percentage of those people are crippling the experience for the majority, then it makes business sense to cut them off. They can't roll out new infrastructure overnight, and even if they were ready to handle the materials and labor then they have local governments to deal with when running lines which don't do ANYTHING quickly.
 
[quote name='Xizer']They are not "good enough." The paid product should NEVER be inferior to the pirated product. They cannot even come close to delivering at least the same quality that a pirated version of the same movie/tv show will offer. THAT is beyond pathetic.

Netflix's picture quality is also inferior to FREE, over-the-air broadcast HDTV channels... and they expect us to pay for this crap?[/QUOTE]

I see, so I shouldn't have to pay for a Ford car because, you know, I can always steal a BMW car.

That OTA HD feed, the last time I checked, was filled with ads and wasn't that receptive to my wishes to watch, oh Top Gear season 6, episode 4, at 11:19PM....
 
[quote name='Xizer']
Most Americans now have access to 20+ Mbps speeds..[/QUOTE]

Not true. Just read something in the paper the other day that had average broadband speeds by state, I think only Washington State was at 20 or above. I think 15mbps is the max I can get currently, and I live in a major city. I have 10mbps as my internet is provided through condo fees so I'm kind of locked into it unless I want to pay for internet twice.

And then you have huge swaths of rural america that doesn't have any broadband options other than slow satellite internet, or DSL that's often still maxed at 1.5-3.0 mbps.

The US has really dropped the ball in spreading and upgrading broadband infrastructure relative to a lot of other countries. We ranked 9th in average broadband speeds/adoption per that article I read.
 
[quote name='paz9x']lol. i feel you on that, its always my favorite to see a new series streaming when i just bought the boxed set.[/QUOTE]

Not really much of a change since you could have rented the discs before. :D

I hardly buy anything these days. I have around 300 titles total across DVD and Bluray, but realized I almost never watch any of them as I'd rather just watch something new on Netflix rather than re-watching something I own.
 
[quote name='tranceFusion']If you read the links I provided, you will clearly see that large ISPs (ie Comcast) are fighting Netflix over the amount of data they are pushing through their network.

You are right that the bandwidth cap isn't directly Netflix's concern, but a large percentage of the US is stuck with one high speed provider option. A business that doesn't consider whether their product is usable by their customer isn't going to last very long.

I also think that assuming ISPs are ripping people off is incorrect. The ISP wants to keep a good experience for a majority of customers. If a small percentage of those people are crippling the experience for the majority, then it makes business sense to cut them off. They can't roll out new infrastructure overnight, and even if they were ready to handle the materials and labor then they have local governments to deal with when running lines which don't do ANYTHING quickly.[/QUOTE]

Quit lapping up the bullshit the ISPs are feeding you. Comcap and AT$T are attacking Netflix because it poses a threat to their TV business, not because of any legitimate bandwidth congestion. This is where the government should be stepping in, but as we all know the United States is far too corrupt to ever step in and protect its citizens from corporations stepping over the line.

[quote name='K_G']I see, so I shouldn't have to pay for a Ford car because, you know, I can always steal a BMW car.

That OTA HD feed, the last time I checked, was filled with ads and wasn't that receptive to my wishes to watch, oh Top Gear season 6, episode 4, at 11:19PM....[/QUOTE]

Get a capture card.

[quote name='dmaul1114']Not true. Just read something in the paper the other day that had average broadband speeds by state, I think only Washington State was at 20 or above. I think 15mbps is the max I can get currently, and I live in a major city. I have 10mbps as my internet is provided through condo fees so I'm kind of locked into it unless I want to pay for internet twice.

And then you have huge swaths of rural america that doesn't have any broadband options other than slow satellite internet, or DSL that's often still maxed at 1.5-3.0 mbps.

The US has really dropped the ball in spreading and upgrading broadband infrastructure relative to a lot of other countries. We ranked 9th in average broadband speeds/adoption per that article I read.[/QUOTE]

No. It's very true. All those hillbillies living out in the sticks don't count. Anywhere civilized in this country has access to fairly fast broadband.

Every large cable provider, including the largest, Comcap, now has 20+ Mbps speeds available. AT&T U-verse has a 24 Mbps package. Verizon FiOS... obviously has 20+ Mbps speeds. And fully uncapped.
 
[quote name='Xizer']Quit lapping up the bullshit the ISPs are feeding you.

...

Anywhere civilized in this country has access to fairly fast broadband.

Every large cable provider, including the largest, Comcap, now has 20+ Mbps speeds available. AT&T U-verse has a 24 Mbps package. Verizon FiOS... obviously has 20+ Mbps speeds. And fully uncapped.[/QUOTE]
Irony.
 
[quote name='Xizer']
No. It's very true. All those hillbillies living out in the sticks don't count. Anywhere civilized in this country has access to fairly fast broadband.
[/QUOTE]

Wow, what a stupendous jackass you are.
 
Hey any tips of using the keyboard in Netflix? I started to screw with it and learned some keys.
esc = square
arrows = d pad
enter = stop/play
are there any others?
 
Can u buy gift cards from eBay for the year for just streaming
 
[quote name='Xizer']Every large cable provider, including the largest, Comcap, now has 20+ Mbps speeds available. AT&T U-verse has a 24 Mbps package. Verizon FiOS... obviously has 20+ Mbps speeds. And fully uncapped.[/QUOTE]

Actual data suggests otherwise but... don't let that stop you.
 
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