Hacking NetFlix

CNN Money Says "Stop Blaming Netflix"

CNN Money has an article that says that bad movies are the reason for low attendance at movies, not Netflix.

A recent survey of blogs and chat rooms and e-mails from moviegoers done by market research firm Brandimensions showed that better technology is not the number one reason why people are not venturing out to the theater.

How do we put this delicately? Movie fans are staying at home because they think that most new movies STINK!

Heheh. I agree with him. Who wants to pay money (or burn gas) to see movies like Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo.

Sent Back the Wrong Disc

Stu writes:

Last month I mistakenly sent back a personal copy of "The Shield Season 2, Disc 4" in the envelope of a different movie. The reason why I am pointing out the specific movie to you, is because when I contacted NetFlix, the customer service rep. basically explained to me that there was very little that they could do about it. Now if this was a standard movie, than I would eat the $10 and I would purchase a new disc. However, where in the world am I supposed to find the 4th disc in a TV set?

My question (this email is not entirely for venting purposes) is, have you ever come across this situation before and if so what would you recommend. A friend of mine suggested that I re-rent the disc and than claim that I misplaced it. I would therefore be able to reimburse NetFlix for the disc and my set would be complete once again!

Does anyone have a suggestion for Stu? Has anyone received Stu's Disc?

Netflix Has Exclusive Sneak Peek of Family Guy Movie

Netflix has an exclusive sneak peek of the Family Guy movie, which will be released on September 27th.

via the Netflix Fan Blog.

Bizarre Video Store Battle in Boulder

Dave Taylor has the story about the bizarre video store battle in Boulder, "While local video stores fight over inventory, the industry moves on...." It seems that a local video store (Video Station) has 55,000 different movies and Hollywood Video opened an "experimental store" with 58,000 titles to compete.

I find it interesting that the battle's being played out in the local media, suggesting that it's yet another retread of the Biblical David and Goliath battle that retailers face every day when they compete with larger conglomerates (the most common of which is the Walmart Syndrome, of course). But unlike the wonderful and inspiring story from the Bible, there's a significant missing element in this epic battle: does anyone really care?

Can you imagine walking into a video store with 58,000 movies?

Hurricane Katrina

My wife and I have been watching the news and we're stunned by the extent of the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.

If you're looking for a way to help, one way is to donate to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. They are already in the region and providing food and shelter to those displaced by the hurricane.

Sony PlayStation Portable (UMD) Movies Taking Off

Slate is running a story (The Sin City UMD: Why Games are Watching Movies Instead) about the surprising success of the Sony PlayStation Portable UMD format movies.

To the surprise of tech pundits everywhere, UMD movies have been selling splendidly since the first discs came out in April—American consumers have purchased more than 500,000 so far, according to one industry estimate. The DVD, by comparison, took a full year to ship half a million units in the United States after its 1997 debut. There's not yet a formal list of UMD best-sellers, but the current chart-topper at Amazon is Sin City.

Does anyone that reads this site buy UMD movies? Isn't there a way to move your legally-purchased DVD movies to a memory stick? Would you be interested in renting UMD movies?

Netflix Hiring Product Managers

I found two job postings on craigslist for product management positions at Netflix:

Director, Product Management - Previously Viewed Films.

Director, Product Management - Ratings and Recommendations.

This one sounded interesting, so I took a look at the job description:

The Director of Product Management for Ratings and Recommendations will lead a strategically important business area for Netflix. The ideal candidate will:

• Clearly package and communicate Netflix’s recommendations and ratings system, encouraging users to rate more movies and genres, in order for them to get more accurate, highly personalized recommendations, and consequently provide more movie enjoyment for these customers.
• Work with engineers to explore and define new algorithmic approaches to enable increasingly personalized and relevant recommendations for Netflix members.
• Explore alternative UI approaches to the underlying “Cinematch” technology in order to present Netflix’s members with a suite of highly personalized selection tools.

Looks like Netflix is planning to enhance and update the "Cinematch" recommendation engine, and possibly add some new features.

If you're looking for work, Netflix and Blockbuster are hiring.

Forecasting DVD Demand using Amazon & Netflix

The LA Times is running a story about how the studios are using Amazon pre-orders and Netflix to forecast demand for movies:

Netflix' subscribers, however, are older than the theatrical audience. "Million Dollar Baby" and "The Aviator" were much bigger on DVD than in theaters, rented by adults who don't go to the theater anymore, Sarandos explains. And the Clint Eastwood drama "Mystic River" is the company's all-time top-renting film. Netflix adds a title to its database when a movie plays in a film festival or opens in a major city. A month or so before its release, subscribers can add it to their queue, asking for recommendations of others they might like based on their preferences and reactions to past rentals.

Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix, also notes:

"With 3 million subscribers, we're interesting to the studios," he said. "With 5 million, we'd be meaningful, with more bottom-line impact. With 10 million, we could reshape distribution. If we put a spotlight on less mainstream films, maybe studios would be emboldened to release product that's more 'challenging,' shall we say. Our numbers could affect not only marketing plans but the kind of movies that get made."

Netflix Shipping & Receiving Delays?

I've noticed several complaints about Netflix taking an extra day to receive movies or ship them ("Shipping Tomorrow"), and I'm wondering if it's limited to high-volume renters.

If you've experienced these delays, can you post the plan you're on and how many movies you rent on a monthly basis?

Peerflix 100 Movie Promotion

Peerflix is running a promotion that enables you to get 100 free DVD trades for signing up. Peerflix is a service that enables you to trade your movies instead of renting them. The 100 free trades expire on December 31st.