Jamie writes, "I have been a longtime netflix subscriber going on 3 years. I decided to invest in a Blu Ray Player about a year ago, and then I decided to upgrade my Netflix membership to Blu-Ray before they increased the fee. Today I switched to Blockbuster online. The facts of the matter is I pay roughly $4 more per month for Blu Ray access. Blockbuster has more titles, especially catalog titles available on Blu Ray. Blockbuster charges no extra fee for Blu Ray. There is something wrong with this.
The straw that made me decide to switch was Friday the 13th Part III 3D. I am currently watching slasher films in release date order with my girlfriend. Netflix has the first two parts of Friday the 13th on Blu Ray.
I looked about about Part III and realized Part III was released in its anaglyph 3D version on BD for the first time, so I bought 3D glasses from Amazon (knowing Netflix never includes extras like that with a rental, rendering their calibration DVDs useless). This weekend was set to be the weekend, no wait on the BD, it was at the top of the queue, only be sent Friday the 13th part IV. I double checked, and yes there no wait, oh well I figure, maybe I moved it and forgot and Netflix picked up Part IV at the top spot. I send that movie back in immediately, as I want to watch Part III first. They receive it this morning, and they send Part V. What the hell! So I call Netflix to find out what going on. The representative tells me they don't actually have Part III on Blu-Ray. The Netflix website lists it as though they do, though, even the drop box on the queue that says DVD, or Blu Ray. He apologizes and immediately sends out a DVD copy, which although appreciated, is not what I want.
Like I said this was the last straw. This is the last on a ever growing list of BD titles Netflix does not have. Alien Anthology, Back to the Future all three parts, It's a Wonderful Life, Psycho (original), The Exorcist, Scream 1-3, Natural Born Killers, A Beautiful Mind, Metropolis, Austin Powers Trilogy, Pleasantville, Family Guy: Its a Trap!, Fantasia, Fantasia 2000.
Blockbuster Online has most of these. Its becoming more and more clear that Netflix does not care about their optical media anymore. There have been a few DVD's that Netflix lacks that have been an issue for me too. Alien Anthology (except 3), Night of the Living Dead (90s version). Netflix was built in part by the availability of catalog titles over Blockbuster stores, they have apparently forgotten this, in their attempt to provide streaming at the cost of everything else.
If there were no surcharge I would not complain. However, paying more money for less service is unacceptable."
Are you a Netflix Blu-ray subscriber? How would you rate Blu-ray title selection and availability?
Reading comprehension is obviously not your strong suit. I think you probably understand most of the individual words, but when they're put together you seem to get easily confused. When multiple sentences are put together into paragraph form to make a complete thought you seem to become completely lost and just focus on the few words that make sense to you.
Ad hominen attacks are not valid arguments.
Posted by: Michel John | May 11, 2011 at 01:28 AM
and if this were a truly serious issue that webpage would already exist.
1) I didn't say it was "truly serious."
2) A webpage is not a necessary nor sufficient precondition of "seriousness."
Posted by: Michel John | May 11, 2011 at 01:45 AM
Not at all. I'm suggesting you don't understand English. Or logic, for that matter.
Ironic.
Posted by: Michel John | May 11, 2011 at 02:01 AM
You are seriously deranged, MJ. The way you parsed:
"how about Psycho or something equally good."
into this:
"'About' equally good."
sums up how this conversation has gone. Seriously now, you're not a native English speaker are you? In what language does grammar and syntax work the way you think it does?
I would reason with you if it were possible, but at this point it's clear that would be a pointless endeavor. Mocking you is still mildly amusing, but that's wearing thin too as you're such an easy target.
Posted by: Hank | May 11, 2011 at 02:47 AM
So congratulations, you've won! Since I agree (and always have) that the missing titles do matter and that movies are not interchangeable.
A Pyrrhic victory. You said it was "a phantom issue." You now claim that they do matter? But you said they were equally good. And not just equally good but possibly better. (Possibly worse. This is itself contradicts you.)
You maintain this is not contradiction by saying, "'equally good' doesn't really mean 'equally good,'" but that was my position, that they're not equally good.
You skip past this to say what, "look at the big picture," but you keep forgetting what I responded to originally was you saying, "What's so special about those titles?" That was the dispute: that there was something special about them (I don't mean Mortal Kombat, but the directors I listed.)
You:
The list you present is trivial compared to what Netflix does carry.
Trivial? But you said "missing titles do matter" and "movies are not interchangeable." Or does "trivial" not really mean trivial?
(although if those titles were available it would be unlikely that they would ever get around to watching them).
"Missing titles do matter and movies are not interchangeable," yet any missing titles are unlikely to ever be watched if made available?
While the new selection is smaller it has everything I care to see.
You must write commercials.
and I'd wager that's true for the vast majority of Netflix users
Again you "trivialize" it, i.e.: it doesn't matter because you don't care, you don't care because the titles are interchangeable.
(although our individual preferences will vary).
Those that care are of trivial size. A trivial size is not important. (Individual preferences among those that don't care are irrelevant. They have what they want.)
you characterize them as only providing recent BD releases
Six months of only new-releases is what I figured. I could be wrong, but you attack me and others for apparently factual information.
What is special about those titles (other than that they are missing and it makes you want them that much more). Are they better than the hundreds (thousands) of other older BD titles that are available?
In other words: there is nothing special about those discs. (They don't matter.) They're no better than so many others. They're interchangeable)
Netflix does carry the vast majority of the other films on BD from those directors (where they're available), not to mention thousands of other discs on BD which are equally good or better than many on the list.
In other words: those director's films are individually interchangeable, but there are probably better films you could be watching anyway (or at so many that are good enough you shouldn't care).
But have you seen every other good movie that has been released on BD? If you look at the complete list of titles available the relatively few that they don't have will not entice you so.
In other words: stop talking about missing titles until you've seen every other good movie. The few they don't have don't matter, and if only you look at those they do you'll stop to care. (They're interchangeable.)
How many examples do you want me to provide for you? I've shown your statement to be factually incorrect, Netflix is still buying BDs for catalogue titles.
I say the last title I'm aware of is from last October, you show one for May. You say you've proved something factually incorrect? This is the problem. You do dispute facts. I told my knowledge, you provided new information (but drew the false conclusion: "still" buying), I acknowledge but clarify the change, you ignore the clarification.
I'm suggesting that you watch the many other good movies on BD that you've seen (on DVD) rather than focus on the handful you can't get.
In other words: shut up and watch, this isn't important. (However these things are not mutually exclusive. Caring about one thing doesn't mean I can't do the other.
I am stating that many movies are of around the same quality, however.
Here you walk back your previous statements, after being challenged. However this statement is a truism (IMO), and uncontroversial. This would be where (finally) a conclusion drawn from presuppositions (like this one) can become important.
If you go in looking for "Psycho" and they only have "North by Northwest" and "The Manchurian Candidate", why not watch those equally good (IMO) films instead?
While you're now careful to add "IMO," you're opinion is back to "they're interchangeable." (And you directly contradict your opinion here by later saying you prefer watching North by Northwest.)
You prefer North by Northwest, but (let's) say Netflix doesn't have it. You don't have to cancel your account, you can still care about North by Northwest and in the meantime watch other movies. You can do both! This is my point. You can comment on blogs about (the missing) North by Northwest without contradiction.
You are seriously deranged, MJ. The way you parsed:
"how about Psycho or something equally good."
into this:
"'About' equally good."
You're saying you meant "about equal" not "interchangeably equal."
You could have wrote:
"Bob: Hank, I'm going to the video store - what should I get?
Hank: Psycho or something equally good."
"How about" weakens it, but this is irrelevant anyway. (The individual scenario can't be generalized.)
Posted by: Michel John | May 11, 2011 at 05:39 AM
Your tortured little mind is a wonder to behold, MJ.
I suppose I could imagine someone normal misunderstanding the first time I suggested that there were many great movies on Netflix that just about anyone could watch instead of focusing on those they don't have. But after the second, third and tenth time I've explained it to you?
No, the way your anal peabrain works is to narrow in on the word "equal". Hey, you know what "equal" means, right? It's a mathematical term that leaves no uncertainty. 1 = 1.0000001 is NOT a true statement. So you ignore the common use of the term, you ignore when I say "or better" RIGHT AFTER IT, you ignore every reasonable explanation I've given and keep coming back to that one little mathematical truth that you can wrap your head around. All to prove that what you misunderstood me to say is really, absolutely, 100% not the truth. Fascinating.
A little English homework for you, MJ:
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/what_about
I guess I'll have to agree with you when you said to me "Hank, I'm just a moron."
The fact is that you did use all of those words or letters in your posts. I just edited them as you have done to my quotes.
Posted by: Hank | May 11, 2011 at 11:58 AM
I said "interchangeably equal" not "mathematically equal" or "literally indistinguishable."
"How about," a suggestion, is weaker.
Posted by: Michel John | May 11, 2011 at 12:51 PM
My goodness, have you actually learned something from this thread? Don't get my hopes up.
Yes, you've discovered that "how about" is common in English when somebody is making a suggestion. As in "How about we go to the movies?"
Now if only you could understand that that is not equivalent to saying "We go to the about movies?" you might be almost intelligible.
Or if you could understand how the "how about" makes no difference in the little dialogs I mocked you with. Feel free to take the "how about" out of those dialogs if you like and it still makes you look like an ass.
My very first response to you included this phrase:
"Netflix does carry ... other discs on BD which are equally good or better than many on the list."
How is it possible you could go from that to the position you are so uncomfortably clinging to now? Strike that, I really don't want to know, it's just too bizarre.
Posted by: Hank | May 11, 2011 at 01:19 PM
My position is movies (in general) are not equal, this is important, we should talk about it.
Your position is because one person at one instance can have no preference between any two movies, movies in general "are equal or better."
Your position is basically propaganda and doublethink. It omits "or worse," so is propaganda. It says one person at one instance is the same as all people in all instances, so is doublethink.
Posted by: Michel John | May 11, 2011 at 03:02 PM
This is all very entertaining. Feel free to keep it up.
Suffice it to say that regardless of why, Netflix does not offer the same quality/quantity of disc-based product they once did. They used to make available a high percentage of released Blu-Rays, catalog or new.
They have apparently since changed strategies and no longer desire to provide the same types and percent of releases as before, including catalog titles, many TV shows, and certain streaming titles.
While this is certainly their right, regardless the reason, it is also my right as a consumer (who once gave Netflix great praise) to be unhappy with and express dissatisfaction with the policy changes and the decision to no longer provide said titles.
I'm not going to make a list of every title I specifically want to see that they don't carry (there are many and the "list" is quickly growing), but when I do decide watch a release, if it is released on Blu-Ray I'm not going to waste my viewing dollars watching a subpar DVD or stream.
If I have to buy/resell to see what I want, I will do so, but in the past Netflix met my needs. Now it doesn't for whatever reason. Therefore, I am no longer a satisfied customer.
Posted by: Jacob Neff | May 11, 2011 at 03:55 PM