iconoclasm

I joined netflix a few months ago, and like it a lot. They have good turnaround time on the dvds. I never understood about the "watch instantly" on the computer until last week. I always figured they would charge me extra, but it does say "unlimited watch instantly". So why would they make it available or more specifically, why would anyone ever request those through the mail when they can watch those on the watch instant?

I mean, shouldnt it be a no brainer to only have them mail the dvds for the movies that are not available on the "watch instantly"?

Or do some of the cheaper plans only have a limited number of watch instantly?

and also, i mean fuck if i watched unlimited movies on watched instantly, i would be sitting on the computer watching movies on ALL of my free time. do any of you actually do that? i could easily become an addict.

bluetoast

No, its definitely not a no brainer. I'd rather watch a movie on as big a screen as possible, and in my case that screen is not my computer. Image and sound quality also come into play, as well as access to bonus features.

Chad

For starters, you only get the movie itself without the supplemental material. And then there's the little matter of picture and sound quality: everyone's connection doesn't allow for the "Best" quality setting. Trust me, if you've ever viewed it under the "Basic" video quality (and sometimes "Good") you'll realize it's the equivalent of VHS quality...sometimes less than. And currently the service doesn't off anything in HD.

You do realize that everyone doesn't have a high speed internet connection, don't you? Or that most people prefer watching on their televisions as opposed to a smaller computer screen? And don't forget the whole HD and bonus material arguments. Plus I'm sure most would rather avoid the hassle of hooking up their computers to a TV through an S-Video or VGA cable...providing their TV's even allow for it.

The cheapest plan only allows for two hours of instant viewing per month. I believe everything else is unlimited.

I might if I had the time. Then again, the limited selection might deter others from doing so.

mhg83

Most Tvs nowadays have the cables to be able to hook your computer up on the tv. I do it all the time when I'm watching a movie on my laptop.

iconoclasm

Good points all around. high end computers are getting so cheap- i got a very solid dell computer a few months ago for a little under $400 after stackable coupons and since it was on sale. the monitor is extremely high quality, about as good as the trinitron monitor that i have for my TV.

I can understand wanting to get the best special effects for the blockbuster movies, but for dialogue driven films, the sound and video isnt as paramount as the writing- at least to me.

crabbit

No closed-captions or subtitles on "watch instantly" make it unusable for me.

mzupeman2

I have a high speed internet connection but yeah, even in the best stream it's still not really DVD quality. Besides, I have no desire to somehow connect my computer to my TV.

Mr. Salty

I'll agree with the OP's own observation that his point is a stupid question.

I don't have a laptop, so I'm not going to string 75 feet of DVI cable from the office where my computer is to the living room where my HDTV is, just so I can watch subpar video.

Netflix can keep mailing me those Blu-rays.

mndtrp

Watch Instantly doesn't have every movie in their library. That alone is a good enough reason to have the movies mailed to my door.

If the service was guaranteed dvd quality, and every movie was available, I most certainly would stop having movies mailed to me. In the meantime, I'll use both features.

Mopower

I have 1.5mbps download speed and it's still horrible quality. Like watching a low bit rate VCD. Why Netflix why? Youtube is better for godsakes.

Tarantino

I have a Mac. Which instantly means I can't access that feature at all.

= J

mndtrp

The movies look good on my computer, but I haven't hooked it up to my big screen yet. I plan to in the next couple of months. I don't have cable or satellite, so Netflix will allow me to watch tv shows and documentaries with decent quality. Classic movies look pretty good, too. I imagine a big blockbuster, if they ever show up on Netflix, won't look very good.

Gerry P.

The quality is a lot better than YouTube.

RonG617

Unless you like watching movies alone, it is better to put it up on the television rather than huddle around a computer screen.

atlantamoi

I own a 50'' plasma for watching DVDs, but my wife and I sat on the couch in our computer room and watched a couple of documentaries on our computer monitor. I was very pleased with the quality offered. If I had more time I'm sure I'd go nuts using it exlusively to catch up on documentaries.