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I was just putting The Lincoln Lawyer back in its Netflix envelope when I suddenly became very concerned it wouldn’t make it back safely to the facility in light of this morning’s news.
(via popculturebrain)
Important News: Breaking Bad Seasons 1-3 are now streaming on Netflix.
If you’ve been waiting on seeing what the best show on TV looks like, now’s a good time to stop.
New on Netflix Watch Instantly: The Heartbreaker (L’arnacoeur)
Those who know me know I’m not big on the typical romantic comedies. Usually they’re very light on the comedy and far too heavy on the cliche and guessable plots. That being said, I saw The Heartbreaker while at a TCFF this summer and really enjoyed it. If you’re looking for something comedic but light, this is the movie you need to see. Sure it’s in French, but the English subtitles don’t lose any of the jokes and you’ll find yourself laughing throughout.
Also of note: they’re supposedly already doing an American remake of this because of how well received the movie has been all over the world. Whether it pans out or even compares to this version has yet to be seen.
I love Netflix as a service, but with news like this and the rumored price increases for people who get blu-ray discs from them, my happy-shiny affinity for their services is starting to become tarnished. At least their library of Watch Instantly titles will continue to grow, and the Watch Instantly aspect is part of their service that I absolutely adore.
I disagree that they’re tarnishing their image at all with this. They’re betting on two things with this. The first is that more people enjoy Netflix’s massive backlog and want them to have a larger streaming catalog (which they get by signing these agreements). The second thing is that the average consumer will probably just accept that whatever date Netflix gets the DVD is the actual release date (at least if they’re currently using Netflix to pick titles to rent). Most people queue up films they’d like far before the release and ignore the dates from there. So when it arrives is when it arrives.
Beyond all that, and this is more speculative, is that DVD sales are not likely to increase on release dates (or during the period before it hits Netflix), which is the entire goal on the studios end by pushing for these agreements. The studios are leveraging their ownership over the content to put Netflix and others (like Redbox) into these agreements. With Blockbuster (who has somewhat benefited from these as they’ve been able to sign agreements getting the films on release date) wobbling on the verge of bankruptcy, if sales don’t go up (or as many predict, if piracy does go up) during this window, the studios are losing out (Netflix would buy more copies of a DVD closer to its release than further down the line).
In short, this won’t affect most people. This probably won’t even affect most vocal people on this issue as Netflix (with the exception of Watch Instantly) has never been about immediate gratification. If you wanted a DVD as soon as it released you pick it up at Blockbuster, Redbox or a local chain.
Also, there’s something to be said about Netflix wanting to get more people used to the idea of using Watch Instantly, but that can be for later.
Umm, No. Netflix Isn’t Dumb When It Comes to Release Windows (via ericmortensen)
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This article puts to words everything I was thinking when I read that same Techcrunch piece. The TC article (like a lot of their’s lately) were just fluff where they didn’t delve into something, but instead just looked at it at face value alone. It’s the intellectual equivalent of “Netflix may not have new releases for 30 days????? OMG Fail”. Put some thought into why a company that’s changing (and has changed) the rental and film industry would make a change like this. They’re obviously not a bag of dummies when they see the shelf life on physical media is pretty short. The obvious next movement is more digital streaming and they’ll be one of the top companies ready and waiting for everyone to make transition.
The studios may believe they’re helping DVD sales, but the problem really is that they’re focusing on DVD sales as much as they are. I realize you can’t completely ignore it (since it’s still a huge bankable asset), but instead of acting like the typical MPAA (or everyone’s favorite coalition to hate, the RIAA), why not look forward to see how technology and the world are changing and try to move things there. Stop being reactionary and be a little proactive for once.
p.s. TC, get some new “writers”. Most of these new ones aren’t cutting it. You’re becoming the tech equivalent of a gossip rag.
