In the last year many of my friends have started using Netflix, which really makes me happy because one of the best features of Netflix is their website and the friends features that it offers. I have always had a big problem with them, though, because a lone friend of mine started using the similar Blockbuster online rental service and began boasting about the volume of movies she could enjoy being equal to ours PLUS the use of free in-store rentals that were provided.
Finally, Netflix is fighting back! Announcement:
Netflix… today introduced a new feature that allows people to immediately watch movies and television series on their personal computers and said it will make the new feature available to its subscribers in a phased roll-out over the next six months.
Subscribers will continue to receive DVDs by mail from the company’s market-leading catalog of over 70,000 titles and will have the additional option of instantly watching about 1,000 movies and TV series on their PCs.
(Source: Netflix MediaCenter)
This really gives their service the much needed kick-in-the-service! Now, finally, they have upped their ante to allow Netflix to compete on even ground with Blockbuster, something that I feel makes it much easier for them to suceed as a company. No more guilt ridden nights of secretly lusting over Blockbuster’s service, now we can rest easy.
Some of the details of the service:
Netflix said it expects to make the new feature available to all Netflix subscribers by the end of June. The hours available for instant watching will vary based on subscribers’ monthly plans. For example, subscribers on the entry-level $5.99 plan will have six hours of online movie watching per month and subscribers on Netflix’s most popular plan, $17.99 for unlimited DVD rental and three discs out at a time, will have 18 hours of online movie watching per month.
Thanks to Ryan Esaki’s blog for the initial links, and you can read more at Tech Crunch including an older post about quitting Netflix, and today’s retraction of such harsh words.
what’s more, less, umm reason to consider the possibility of ever using bittorrent.
I don’t think I understand?
I was having the Blockbuster vs. Netflix argument the other day. I use Netflix and love it, and especially enjoy the “Friend” feature, which last I heard Blockbuster doesn’t have. The appeal of being able to return movies to a Blockbuster store doesn’t exist for me since they keep shutting them down, including the one in my area. However, I am told that Blockbuster also allows you to rent games, which is great and makes a lot of sense. I’m certainly sticking with Netflix for the time being, especially to see the new download service, but I am always considering switching for the games. It just makes sense.
The question is, can you rent games through blockbuster’s online service, or are they just for the in-store coupons you get?