This past Sunday, I bit the bullet and joined Netflix. I'd been considering it for a while now, but between Mariser's recent post about Netflix coming to the Nintendo Wii and my own restlessness about being laid up on the couch with nothing but crappy movies available on the television, I decided now was the time to join up. So I subscribed, set up an initial queue of about 50 movies I've been looking forward to seeing, and got There Will Be Blood in the mail on Tuesday. Dee and I finished it last night and I packaged it up and mailed it back today. Can't wait for the next movie to wing its way into my DVD player!
However, the part that really sold me on Netflix (over Redbox, which works out to just about the same price with no subscription commitment) is the Instant Viewing capability. Any computer with a broadband connection can be set up to stream a subset of the Netflix movies for viewing with absolutely no wait. This is where the service really shines – there are more than enough movies, miniseries, and television shows available for instant viewing that I've always wanted to see but never got around to watching when they came out. Currently, I'm watching a half-hour episode of the British miniseries of Gaiman's Neverwhere at lunch every day.
My wife isn't quite as excited about the service as I am, but I think once I have the capability to play Netflix movies from a Wii across to our TV, she'll become a convert – if for no other reason than it'll allow her to find novel new shows/movies for the kids to watch when she needs a break, and she won't be subjected to the same episode of Imagination Movers or Phineas and Ferb that's she's already seen about a billion-and-two times before.
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April 1st, 2010 on 1:21 PM
This is funny — I was just getting ready to write a post about how much I love our Netflix subscription. Between the streaming and getting TV shows on DVD, we've really been using ours.
April 1st, 2010 on 1:38 PM
Welcome to Netflix Junkiehood. I've been a member for almost 4 years I think now. I currently have about 270+ movies in my queue and well over 100 in my instant. It's depressing to think that my Netflix queue will outlive me since I can't seem to make a dent in it. I keep adding, adding, adding. And I send back 2 or 3 discs a week (I have the 2-at-a-time deal) so it's not like they sit around. I am currently in Season 5 of Homicide: Life On The Street. and was just convinced to add The Wire.I remember Mariser's article about the Wii/Netflix thing but didn't grasp the connection, is it for the instant movies?
April 1st, 2010 on 1:43 PM
Yep, folks with a Wii (once you get the disc that lets you authorize the device) will be able to view the instant movies the same way those with a computer or PS3 are able to do.I'm also afraid my queue will outlive me (or at least my subscription) but I'm trying not to get too anxious over it. I figure I'll just watch movies/shows when it suits. Hoping to keep my priorities straight and still spend time reading/writing/playing with my kids and not becoming a TV zombie.
April 1st, 2010 on 1:52 PM
cranky, yeah, the Wii (with disk) allows to watch instant movies/series in your TV instead of the computer. works pretty well, the streaming is smoother that in my PC.Ross, glad you've joined us! there are tons of kids and family friendly stuff for the girls to play a million times
April 1st, 2010 on 4:29 PM
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April 2nd, 2010 on 11:36 AM
I *love* Netflix. We stream them instantly over our TiVo to the television. Like your wife I'm not keen on watching movies on a computer.
April 11th, 2010 on 12:13 PM
I am on the three-dvd a month plan, but I might reduce it since returning DVD via the mail is kind of annoying (only because I forgot I had three DVDs for three weeks one time). Also, I end up streaming movies on the PS3… but the problem is they don't have all the content… especially brand new movies. Still netflix is pretty awesome, people in the UK are always jealous that we have this service.