Is NetFlix the future of movies and TV?

JustaServant · #1 Dec 3, '10, 11:59 am

Saw this article on the Big Hollywood site:
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jj...its-beautiful/
Thoughts?

Nanny PK · #2 Dec 3, '10, 12:06 pm

I think so. I don't know the last time I stepped into a movie rental store. I Netflix everything. I even bought a little device that allows me to watch the instant movies on my TV.

JustaServant · #3 Dec 3, '10, 1:04 pm

One of Nolte's points is that it will eventully replace DVDs, which I think is an over-reach. I've watched tv shows on Hulu, but there is something different about OWNING a show rather than renting it or relying on an outside source to offer it (whether free or not) which I do not control.

manualman · #4 Dec 3, '10, 1:14 pm

No, it's the PRESENT for me. I haven't rented an individual DVD in over a year now. And my 'flix streaming video time outnumbers regular TV use 10:1. And I don't bother with cable or a satellite dish. Plenty to choose from. Too much really, TV is mostly wasted time in any form.

Rascalking · #5 Dec 3, '10, 2:03 pm

It's defintely the present. I don't really watch movies, but everyone I know has Netflix, etc. Blockbuster and those other rental places are pretty much finished.

ConstantineTG · #6 Dec 3, '10, 2:08 pm

Not specifically NetFlix, but I hope so! I hate being a slave to TV. When we bought a PVR, our lives changed. No more worrying about favorite programming and making sure you cancel everything else in your life to conform to the TV schedule. Just PVR and watch at your convenience.

OnDemand digital distribution is definitely the future of home programming. I wish they would just stop offering TV programs at a set schedule and just offer them on a weekly release for OnDemand systems.

SummerSmiles · #7 Dec 3, '10, 3:24 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by ConstantineTG

Not specifically NetFlix, but I hope so! I hate being a slave to TV. When we bought a PVR, our lives changed. No more worrying about favorite programming and making sure you cancel everything else in your life to conform to the TV schedule. Just PVR and watch at your convenience.

OnDemand digital distribution is definitely the future of home programming. I wish they would just stop offering TV programs at a set schedule and just offer them on a weekly release for OnDemand systems.

We have a DVR and it has made things much more convenient for us as well!

I think that what you've said about OnDemand is a great idea. For the shows that I know will be offered OnDemand, I don't even bother setting the DVR for them anymore. I can't even remember the last time I sat down and watched a show the "old fashioned" way, with commercials and all that.

JugglingReferee · #8 Dec 5, '10, 3:16 pm

Be weary of Usage-Based Billing as well.

KarenElissa · #9 Dec 5, '10, 3:30 pm

I agree with what others have said, this isn't the future, it is the present. I don't even own a TV, and haven't for years, I watch everything online, hulu, or network specific sites, or netflix. Awhile back I worked in the evenings and it was either record everything or watch online and watch online took way less planning.

I can see DVDs maybe not totally disappearing, but becoming more of a collectors item. Most movies and shows I want to watch once and then I'm done. There is no reason to buy them. There are a few things, however, that I will watch over and over, those I'm willing to purchase. But the far majority of things fall into the first category.

GIR · #10 Dec 5, '10, 6:24 pm

Yes, and it's pretty much already here. In fact, I posted a thread about it here months ago, but the networks are dragging their heels. You have to plan which services or streaming devices to buy based on which networks make shows available on whatever service or device. In fact, that's why apple's airplay hasn't allowed 3rd party access yet, because the networks don't want you going on their sites using an ipad, and streaming their hd shows to your big tv. Of course, they'd be happy to provide the service... for a nominal fee...

I predict that 24 hour schedule based programming will go out the window with the exception of perhaps news, weather, and sports, but I'm sure even news and weather will go on demand soon, but this revolution will probably only be complete when the boomers age out. I was all set to get my parents an apple tv (I already have one myself), but they insisted they just want to plop down and press a button, no fuss. Us gen-Y folks, however, are much more comfortable with the new way of doing things. You get what you like more of the time, but you have to press a few more buttons. Of course, my parents weren't entirely truthful, they do watch on demand movies and I think recorded shows, and I think doing that is just about as much work as using an apple tv or other similar streaming device.

I wonder what the social/moral implications are. I can see this being both a good thing and a bad thing. It's good because you can now schedule a nice relaxing time when it's convenient and not worry about missing your favorite program. You can just pause it and sit down to a nice family dinner, but I'm sure there are drawbacks, too.

**edwest2** · #11 Dec 5, '10, 6:28 pm

I doubt this is the future. First, people are stealing movies and TV now, so why bother paying anybody for anything? Second, because of this, there will be a legal crackdown on pirates. If movies and TV can be streamed and studios lose big, they will pass laws to shut down the pirates.

There will be no future for Netflix or any other streaming service until piracy gets shut down.

Peace,
Ed

**Friar David, O.Carm** · #12 Dec 5, '10, 6:41 pm

Let us not forget these to little facts.

Streaming video takes a lot of bandwith.

75% of homes have internet access but only 45.2% have broadband access (which would be necessary for streaming of video).

There are also places out there still that have no internet access at all (which also means that they have no cable access).

milkbar · #13 Dec 5, '10, 8:13 pm

Not until digital on-demand can rival the quality of Blu-Ray will it replace discs. I'm happy to watch some things on instant Netflix, but for other things I'll happily wait for the Blu-Ray disc in the mail. The depth and quality are worth it. Perhaps digital on-demand cable is different; I haven't ever seen it. But my instant Netflix over my DSL connection is just "okay" quality-wise, and some days my connection gets bogged down and things have to stop and load every five minutes and it drives me bonkers. Discs don't do that. They're more consistent and reliable at this point.

Bataar · #14 Dec 6, '10, 9:41 am

I'm sure it will continue to grow, but until there's a more portable solution, it won't replace physical media. My dad has a DVD/Blu Ray player but does not have a Netflix account. It doesn't do any good for me to have a Netflix account when I want to bring a movie over to his place to watch it. Also, until the Nielson Ratings system is replaced, this actually hurts TV. The ratings system only tracks shows watched in their live timeslot. If 10 people watch it live and 100,000,000 people DVR it and watch it later, the show will be canceled because of low ratings.

**Joe 5859** · #15 Dec 7, '10, 8:36 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustaServant

One of Nolte's points is that it will eventully replace DVDs, which I think is an over-reach. I've watched tv shows on Hulu, but there is something different about OWNING a show rather than renting it or relying on an outside source to offer it (whether free or not) which I do not control.

I'm with you there. I like to have something in my hand that won't disappear if my computer crashes. Something I can lend to a friend. Something I feel I have more control over. Something I can watch (or listen to) in multiple places on multiple devices.

I guess I would be considered a "collector" rather than a "consumer". If I buy a DVD or a CD, it's because I want to have it for a long time, not simply because I want to watch it (or listen to it) a few times and then sell it on ebay. I guess it's the packrat in me. I have never sold off a single DVD, CD or video game that I have ever purchased.

I'm probably not the norm, though.

That said, I think that the media producers will strive to find ways to meet these sorts of customer needs in the future. When handheld media devices (like the iPod) get bigger and bigger (in terms of storage capacity), one could conceivably carry their entire collection of movies as well as music with them wherever they go. The more the companies work towards getting the myriads of devices to work together, the easier it will become.

As an aside, has anyone else noticed that it's perfectly okay to buy a CD and download it to your computer so that you can put it on a portable media device, but you can't do the same thing with a DVD? Instead, if you want to watch a movie or TV show on a portable media device, you have to pay for it again. I guess the movie studios learned from the "mistake" of the music industry (which the music industry is now stuck with because people are so accustomed to being able to do this). It still kind of irritates me, though.