Netflix subscribers were originally happy to hear the online rental service would begin to offer Blu-ray movie titles, but that happiness has now turned to dismay over the lengthy wait for Blu-ray titles.
An article posted on CNET indicates at least two editors on the site have had movies in their queue for long durations. According to Netflix spokespeople, Hollywood simply isn’t releasing enough Blu-ray copies of smash hit movies — which means Netflix has a harder time keeping a high quantity of movies in the pipeline.
"There is an expense to that," Swasey told CNET. "These things cost money. We deploy money where we think it’s going to be most efficient to keep subscribers and investors happy. It’s always check and balances."
If you’re a frequent renter, get ready to wait even longer for your movies, according to Netflix:
"What we’re doing is giving new releases to the person who hasn’t rented as much," Swasey told CNET. "We’ve been doing this for a couple of years and fully disclose this in our terms of agreement. If we have a shortage of titles we do what we think is equitable and give the title to the person who hasn’t rented as much or who hasn’t gotten as much enjoyment from the service."
Netflix Blu-ray subscribers must pay an additional $1 per month to rent Blu-ray titles, though movie queues are long and movies take longer to arrive. There are only about 500,000 out of almost 9 million subscribers currently renting Blu-ray movies.
TV Predictions is so upset about this issue that the site is urging current Netflix subscribers to dump the service as soon as possible.
"I urge everyone to dump Netflix ASAP and sign up with Blockbuster’s online service. Thus far, Blockbuster has been terrific, delivering almost every new release promptly."
4 Comments
Does cancelling and starting a new account still work?
The online places are really only good the the stuff you can't rent locally. With Redbox all over town, I usually rent there (their inventory is more than I have time to watch these days anyway). Sometimes I even end up ripping them to watch later. Sadly, there have been few releases in the last couple of years that I've had any desire to watch more than once (and some ended up being fast forwarded on the first watch).
Yes, I maintain 2 separate accounts and switch back and forth. Problem is that they consider all BD to be new releases so they are the first to show as unavailable. But when i re-start an account after a month or 2 of rest, all those titles are magically available for a short while.
Most popular headlines
Repeat UK file sharers to be banned (2)
- Wednesday 28 October 22:56 by Randomus
- Piracy
Internet users in the United Kingdom accused of illegally sharing copyrighted music and movie files will face stiff penalties, starting with warning letters that will lead to bandwidth restrictions, according to media reports from the UK.
Nintendo to launch larger screen DSi
- Wednesday 28 October 01:35 by Randomus
- Game Consoles
Nintendo is expected to launch a new DSi hand-held gaming device in Japan that has a larger screen, as the company tries to increase sales in the hand-held gaming market it once dominated.
T-Mobile offers no contract phone plan
- Tuesday 27 October 22:46 by Randomus
- Mobile Phones
In an effort to better compete with Verizon Wireless and AT&T, T-Mobile has introduced new no-contract wireless plans that include unlimited voice services.
2 new Roku boxes launched for Netflix & more
- Tuesday 27 October 21:50 by JaredNewman
- Online Video
Roku's streaming set-top set-top boxes now come in three flavors, adding new features as well.
