Details of Netflix's Blu-ray premium emerges: $1.00 per month
[Image courtesy of Homotron, thanks Wesley]
Update: We're hearing that some folks are seeing a $2 per month charge. Selective pricing, hmm?
[Image courtesy of Homotron, thanks Wesley]
Update: We're hearing that some folks are seeing a $2 per month charge. Selective pricing, hmm?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Eric Sullivan @ Aug 1st 2008 8:21AM
After originally cancelling my membership when they dropped hd-dvd, I reactivated my account yesterday. I was charged $2 per month for the right to rent blu-rays. I hate netflix... why do I keep coming back?
John Eckart @ Aug 1st 2008 8:36AM
The question isn't why you came back, the questions is, why do you have a blu-ray player.
elbrando @ Aug 1st 2008 8:42AM
I really don't understand why so many people hate Netflix. I understand being bummed when HD-DVD got dropped, but that wasn't Netlix's fault and was inevitable. I think their pricing is reasonable. I get 4 at a time for $23 with my choice of any DVD. I don't know what blockbusters service is charging, but it's very similar, I'm sure. I rent about 20 movies a month. If I rented from a brick-and-mortar it would cost me $80 and I'd have a fraction of the choice. And I 98% of the time get my movies next day.
I'm not a Netflix fanboi, but I love their service. Is my experience so much different/better than the haters? I'm curious.
ed @ Aug 1st 2008 10:14AM
I knew this would happend if Blue Ray would've won. And they want Blu-ray to overtake DVD's?
Leonardo DiCrapio @ Aug 1st 2008 11:25AM
"I really don't understand why so many people hate Netflix. I understand being bummed when HD-DVD got dropped, but that wasn't Netlix's fault and was inevitable."
No, Netflix made a business decision to cut all spending on new HD DVD titles. They have lost me as a paying customer for over 5 months now. I have rented (on HD DVD) Beowulf, Michael Clayton, and Into the Wild. I had to buy and re-sell (for a small profit) the I Am Legend HD DVD. I bought the Atonement (non-Combo) HD DVD from Amazon.co.uk, which I still haven't watched {and could have gotten now with a (BOGO) "free" copy of the Juno Special Edition DVD for less from Columbia house now}. So Netflix lost me as a customer because they didn't buy 3 movies. Blockbuster lost me as a customer for a good part of that 5+ months, too, because they didn't buy 1-2 movies.
shawnmos @ Aug 1st 2008 12:29PM
Good thing I never canceled.I am still renting HD DVDs along with my Blu-rays and the price hasn't gone up (yet).
elbrando @ Aug 1st 2008 12:56PM
Hey, Leo,
I don't understand your point. Are you saying you had to buy those movies because Netflix didn't stock them in HD-DVD? and that is why they "lost you as a customer"? Does this all mean you are a Netflix "hater" or are sticking up for them? Just wondering, really.
My point is that many people hate (or profess to) Netflix because of problems with Blu-Ray availability or because they dropped HD-DVD or because they are "being charged for a service they don't use" i.e. streaming or profiles, or because those get removed/modified.
I don't understand those reasons for hating Netflix. I've always thought of them as an innovative, somewhat customer friendly company that provides a service that is vastly superior to what was available before them (brick-and-mortar locations with tiny inventories, ignorant employees, very high prices, etc.). I believe all the extras have been gratis, i.e. streaming, profiles, HD/Blu (gratis 'til now anyway).
Ah, well. To each his own, I suppose.
Leonardo DiCrapio @ Aug 1st 2008 1:18PM
Eric, I am not a Netflix "hater." I was a Netflix member from about 2002 straight through early 2008 without interruption.
I rented a total of 3 movies through Blockbuster that Netflix refused to buy. I cancelled my account because I wasn't going to have two accounts open at one time because Netflix thought they could save a few dollars. I rented the 3 movies I mentioned through Blockbuster over the last 5+ months. Blockbuster silently stopped buying HD DVD's shortly after Netflix, so I cancelled that account and bought 2 movies I wanted to watch that Blockbuster wouldn't buy.
I will watch what I want to watch when I want to watch (purchasing the movie if I have to), but I am not going to reward a company during this transitional period if they won't satisfy my needs at the time. I could have watched 2 of movies that I wanted to watch from Blockbuster in March and then re-joined Netflix, but I still wouldn't have seen every movie that I wanted to from Blockbuster (that Netflix didn't carry). And like I said, I am going to watch the movies I want to watch when I want to watch them. I am not going to hurry up, rent the movies from Blockbuster that Netflix refuses to buy, and then quick join back up from Netflix. I will do things on my schedule, not Netflix's.
I rejoined Blockbuster recently to see Michael Clayton on HD DVD (which either wasn't available when I quit Total Access or was made available just before I cancelled) and Into the Wild on HD DVD (which was available when I quit Total Access); I got the Beowulf HD DVD from Blockbuster back in March before I cancelled Total Access.
I am planning on re-joining Netflix this month with the extra DVD for one month that I am due from the Settlement. I am also a Netflix (and Blockbuster B shares) investor.
zerocalories @ Aug 1st 2008 5:17PM
$1 doesn't seem bad but what's with charging some people $2?
imonit @ Aug 1st 2008 8:34AM
This is actually genius on their part. Start with a small increase of a buck and get endgadget and everyone else to say "that's nothing". Then a couple/few months later, jack it another bone. You can see where this is going.
I actually think the increase is fine as long as they get more titles in. I might even switch from BB if word on the streets is that BD service has improved (even slightly).
Spiza @ Aug 1st 2008 8:47AM
Yes, I'll be trying blockbuster where it will only be $1 more a month to get an additional movie at a time. Why wouldn't I?
andyg8180 @ Aug 1st 2008 8:51AM
$1 extra a month is okay IF and ONLY IF they stock more and i get blu-rays faster than i am now... i have 14 blu in my queue and all are on "wait"
I just got Rambo... It came out May 27.... I got it July 31st.... thats, ummmm, 2 full months?? Paying an extra dollar for a 2 month wait is NOT worth it...
THizzle7XU @ Aug 1st 2008 11:06AM
Where do all you people live that you have long waits for Blu-ray?
I have 30+ Blu-rays in my queue and only 2 are listed as Short Wait, and I'll wager that if I put them at the top, I'd still get them next anyways as has been the case before.
I only have time for the 1 at a time plan, but for the people complaining about this with 6 or more at a time, maybe it's a sign to get off your ass and stop watching/copying movies all the time. The sun is nice, you know.
shawnmos @ Aug 1st 2008 12:30PM
I don't have long waits either. I've already seen Harold and Kumar 2 and that came out on Tuesday.
Mr_Fizzlepop @ Aug 1st 2008 3:58PM
Yeah, same here, I have been getting Blu-rays with little or no waits at all.
I'm on a 4 at a time plan and the only one on wait is Jumper, which based on reviews I'm not chomping at the bit to see anyways.
KraziJoe @ Aug 1st 2008 8:59AM
I am prompted for $2 a month if I switch to Blu.
Where did he get $1?
daaper @ Aug 1st 2008 9:08AM
That's it? This is what everyone's been B!tching about? A $1-2 charge? If it means more Blu-rays to rent, then it's fine with me. I've already noticed my queue not having so many "very long waits". I'll gladly pay this if it fixes things even more...
Dan Davis @ Aug 1st 2008 9:56AM
Totally agree... My queue did the same trick
Harold and Kumar go to GitMo and 21 both arrived yesterday (both on Blu)... a couple of days ago they were on "very long wait" status
I can handle 2 bucks. I can even handle 5 bucks, so long as they keep me in Blu!
Eric Sullivan @ Aug 1st 2008 11:06AM
As someone who has spent many thousands of $ on a home theatre to play these discs, the $2 isn't going to break the bank. It's more the point of how netflix has treated their HD customers.
andrewgreene @ Aug 1st 2008 3:15PM
Hmmm, my 5 movies a month plan came out to $32.09 this month, which should be the $29.99 + tax. Is it based on which plan you have?
squiggleslash @ Aug 1st 2008 9:12AM
While Blu-ray Discs themselves are more expensive than DVDs, it makes sense for Netflix to charge customers who use them a little more, otherwise DVD users are effectively subsidizing Blu-ray users.
I wonder if the forthcoming HD functionality for their downloads service will require the $1 premium? It would make sense, given the extra bandwidth required. They could then make it a generic "HD" charge.
clads01 @ Aug 1st 2008 10:38AM
Yes, tiered pricing depending on type of usage (in addition to frequency of usage) is defensible. But then Netflix should give me a discount for not wanting to use *any* type of video streaming. If not, then I am subsidizing all those people using the video streaming service ...
DavidB @ Aug 1st 2008 11:30AM
I suspect it WILL be a premium. Seems everyone else is charging a premium for HD vs. SD downloads. Playstation Network it is usually $2 to $4 more PER MOVIE. That people are whining about $1-$2 per MONTH increase (which could spread across dozens of movies if desired) is laughable.
DrXym @ Aug 1st 2008 11:11AM
Blu-Ray discs are more expensive but I expect Netflix is more concerned about the number of times a disk can be sent out before it needs replacing. Hypothetically, if a DVD can be sent out 30 times (factoring in a few regrinds) and costs $20. But a Blu Ray can be sent out 30 times (but can't be reground) and costs $30 then clearly DVD is a bit cheaper. But it may well be the figures are similar for each or not so different to even matter.
The number of times the disc can be resent is their bottom line. I would be very interested to know what impact if any the scratch proof coating has (if any) on that figure. It certainly must have had an impact when it came to choosing between HD DVD and Blu Ray. HD DVDs have no coating so a scratch is far more serious. But I wonder what the bottom line cost per mailing is of DVD vs Blu Ray.
Anyway a dollar sounds pretty low. IMO suspiciously low. I expect most people thought it would be a larger premium than that.
squiggleslash @ Aug 1st 2008 11:14AM
You're assuming it costs them more to provide the streaming service than it does to keep a collection of physical DVDs in stock, mail them out, and receive them back.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if it costs them less, especially for higher volume customers. If they can get some of the people on the higher rate plans to receive a significant amount of their content online and thus reduce the number of physical discs they receive, then Netflix almost certainly saves money.
DrXym @ Aug 1st 2008 12:27PM
I think the case for streaming is clear as is the reason that selection is so limited. If it costs (hypothetically $1) to mail out a DVD but only $.50 to stream it including the studio's cut, then Netflix are still themselves .50. Makes sense.
It's also obvious why Netflix restrict the service to the crappest lowest selling titles. Studios demand more royalties for their popular titles, eliminating any cost savings Netflix made for offering the service. So they don't. And if it ever does extend to more popular titles you can bet they'll hike the prices up for it, possibly even split it off into its own subscription.
Leonardo DiCrapio @ Aug 1st 2008 12:37PM
DrXym, Netflix doesn't get crappier (streaming which I believe you were implying) titles because they are cheaper. There are several digital rights windows which are owned cable/satellite companies for VOD first, then by HBO/Showtime second, etc. There are lots of contracts that have been in place for years. This is also why you can "buy" a movie from Amazon UnBox which you should supposedly be able to re-download at any time, but a few months down the road you find that Amazon Unbox cannot re-download the movie which you "bought" because Amazon no longer has the rights to the movie.
clads01 @ Aug 1st 2008 12:59PM
Ok, I would buy the streaming is cheaper argument if people stream movies *instead* of requesting physical discs. But I suspect that many stream movies *in addition to* receiving discs.
jboy @ Aug 1st 2008 9:18AM
As soon as I am charged that extra dollar I am going to blockbuster...I already planned to when they were going to get rid of profiles.
Will B @ Aug 1st 2008 9:21AM
I am willing to bet that the $1/$2 difference is correlated to the distance from a warehouse.
owen @ Aug 1st 2008 9:28AM
Just a thought, the 1-2 discrepancy might come from what plan you are on, i.e. 1-2 at a time is only 1$ and 3-4 at a time is 2$
bull3964 @ Aug 1st 2008 9:41AM
So, is it possible to selectively turn blu-ray on and off on your account?
I could see keeping blu-ray off an account, waiting till there's a bunch of stuff on blu-ray that you want to check out, add it for a month and watch all those items, and then remove it again.
I will echo the agreement that if they want to add this charge, there should be practically no wait times for blu-rays. If it takes two months to finally get a new release in your queue to arrive as hinted at by andyg8180, I would actually be tempted just to get the movie on VoD or XBLM for $6 where I can watch it on release day. You are really only paying $2 more at that point.
THizzle7XU @ Aug 1st 2008 11:01AM
I would believe it's as simple as unchecking the "I have a Blu-ray player" option in your account, as it's always been. Just now it probably charges the extra dollar if you enable it now. If you already have it enabled, I suggest NOT playing around with the setting as it seems if you already have it checked, you are not billed for it, at least yet. Turning it off and back on might trigger the charge. $1 is nearly nothing, but if you can avoid the extra charge, why not?
Paul Moon @ Aug 1st 2008 4:59PM
Just set up two profiles, one with a Blu-Ray only queue, and another with a DVD-only queue.
Mike @ Aug 1st 2008 9:44AM
@Will
Really? I have a feeling its how many Blu-ray titles people rent. I've only rented maybe 6 total and haven't gotten any notice about it. I have a feeling that the people who are getting charged $2 rent as many blu-ray titles as they can. The wait/selection isn't worth it for me, so i just rent DVDs. That and the quality my upsampling dvd player puts out is very acceptable (the PS3 does too) even when comparing to blu-ray. I'm going to wait this one out.
Randall Lind @ Aug 1st 2008 10:50AM
I cancle a while back I got everything my cable offers but, Starz so why pay to rent movies?
Only thing that is bad about Netflix and it goes for Starz as well is streaming movie service.
Netflix and Starz Vongo service never seem to update movies they stream. I had Vongo for 3 months and it seems they rather make new movies PPV then for the monthly fee.
So really Vongo streams the movies form their Starz Encorde channels. So why pay $9.99 a month when all 7 Encore channels cost $3.99 form my cable provider?
THizzle7XU @ Aug 1st 2008 10:57AM
My next billing period info is still listed at $8.99. I wonder if this is only for new customers signing up?
Either way, $1 will just put me back at what I originally signed up for. People seem to forget the price dropped almost a year ago.
Netflix is honestly the best service I've ever paid for. No complaints period. I've never had trouble getting a movie (Blu-rays included) and Netflix is the best deal around for movies.
David S @ Aug 1st 2008 10:55AM
Why charge people an extra $1 to have a blu ray movie IN YOUR QUEUE. It's not like you can actually get a new blu-ray release in a timely manner.
It's been said before but I'll say it again. If the price hike means they will supply Blu-Ray customers more Blu-Ray disc, then an extra buck isn't a big deal. If the price hike doesn't add up to more discs, then it's a raw deal.
I suspended my Netflix account when they dropped HD DVD. Went over to Blockbuster and got immediate shipment of my HD DVD queue. I dropped Blockbuster after I was done with HD DVD and have now moved back to Netflix and since went purple. I'm going to wait for the availability of blu-ray to rise before i start renting blu-rays. Rather raid ebay/craigslist for good deals on used blu-ray discs.
Leonardo DiCrapio @ Aug 1st 2008 11:26AM
Yes, I too cancelled my Netflix account in February. I have "survived" almost six months now while only paying Blockbuster for about two months of service. I have had movies to watch because I have purchased a few HD DVD's since February. I've also gotten about two months of service for every paid month service at Blockbuster because of the movies exchanged in-store that I have after cancelling Total Access and the 3-Out don't have to be returned for 30 days after cancelling. The "free" month more than make up for a few re-stocking fees I end up paying. I am planning on taking part in the Settlement now. Does this $1-$2 fee affect me? I should be Blue in about a month (my Pioneer BDP-05FD was supposed to be shipped next week but it looks like it will probably be a month or more away now -- I'm not really sore at all about this because I still need to watch my La Haine HD DVD before I sell it on EBay), but I am currently Red.
MadMike @ Aug 1st 2008 10:57AM
That's it? *phew* I though it was going to be something stupid high like $10 or so.
I feel better now.
andyg8180 @ Aug 1st 2008 11:16AM
@THizzle7XU... why are you so vocal on this topic? You said you have a one-out plan and we should get off our asses??
Well did it ever occur to you that not everyone goes to the movies... Also, I dont have cable. I get all my TV viewing off OTA and Netflix... I dont 3 movies a week is beyond possible...
So think before you speak... esp since you have the lowest plan at netflix... Thats like me going to a car show with a hyndai hatchback...
Ryan @ Aug 1st 2008 12:04PM
Well, to check your price premium, go to your account, remove blu-ray access and then re-add it.
I am on the bare minimum plan of 1 at a time unlmiited and I will get charged an extra $2 according to the website.
burndive @ Aug 1st 2008 2:56PM
Given that they're not yet charging this fee people who already have Blu-ray, this is a COLOSSALLY BAD IDEA!
It's even possible that those of us who already have the feature will get grandfathered in if we complain enough.
mntwister @ Aug 1st 2008 12:05PM
$2 a month is no big deal to me. The blu-rays are costing them more and I understand their reasoning. I just hope that they start buying more of the new releases, because if you miss it on release day, it turns into a "very long wait," and for an extra cost, that long wait should be gone.
I am a member of both Netflix and Blockbuster. I am on the two-at-a-time from each one. I find I get most of the movies I want when I want them that way. Blockbuster gets many more of the new "special editions" of movies that were already released on dvd previously. Netflix rarely has those.
I would expect Blockbuster to follow suit very soon so those switching over may get the same increases.
Ryan @ Aug 1st 2008 12:20PM
Well for me $2 equals a 22% increase in price. Kind of pricey just to be able to have the OPTION to rent blu-rays, whether or not I actually get them.
Granted, Ihave not had major availability issues, but the increase is kind of steep.
Ryan @ Aug 1st 2008 12:26PM
Called customer service, they told me:
$2 across the board for all plans
the $1 that some are seeing is for new accounts since they get a 2 week free trial, they get 50% off the blu-ray premium the 1st month
Ph4r @ Aug 1st 2008 12:29PM
I am the tipster and I am on the 2 Rentals a Month Plan, maybe there is a difference based on the Plan you choose?
Adam @ Aug 1st 2008 12:55PM
I don't mind the extra $1 or $2, I just wish there wasn't so many Blu-Ray movies with a long waiting time for them. I've had movies in my queue for over a month now!
Ph4r @ Aug 1st 2008 12:59PM
Sign up for a new account, every movie that I selected says it is available now... all Blu-Ray.
burndive @ Aug 1st 2008 1:37PM
Hello Blockbuster Online!
Seriously, $2 added on to an $8.99 plan? I think not.
As soon as I get the notification that my price is going up, I'm going to suspend my account indefinitely, and head over to their competition.
Access to streaming video is nice, but the selection is rather paltry.