Is it just me, or is the Instant selection at Netflix getting narrower all the time?

[FairProspects]

You know, I honestly wouldn't mind paying more for Netflix. I don't want cable -- ever. I like being able to choose what we watch and when. I don't want commercials. I still think Netflix is an amazing deal right now, and I've always been amazed that it's so cheap.

 

:iagree:I don't mind paying for it, but I want to stream what I want, when I want. Give me that option in a paid format and I will take it, but the days of forcing 50+ channels I don't want in a package deal are over. Get over it cable companies. You are already more unpopular than the IRS. :glare:

[melissel]

You know, I honestly wouldn't mind paying more for Netflix. I don't want cable -- ever. I like being able to choose what we watch and when. I don't want commercials. I still think Netflix is an amazing deal right now, and I've always been amazed that it's so cheap.

 

I feel the same way. I think only part of it is about the licensing costs though. The cable companies still wield far more power, and the programmers have to bow to them.

[Kelly1730]

We have very limited cable and the only reason we have it is so dh can watch baseball/football occasionally but even that is few and far between any more. I'd like to just ditch it altogether. On the bright side, we were able to watch the Olympic swim trials last night and that was very cool:) I heard a brief mention about being able to watch everything (Olympic-wise) online but don't know any specifics. Then we really would not need our cable.

[redsquirrel]

We are not a sports family, but the boys did enjoy watching some of the Olympics last time around. We were able to stream events of all sorts, many that weren't televised. It isn't live, but that is often the fact with seeing it on broadcast TV as well.

 

And yes, the cable companies are painfully aware that streaming is their death knell. None of my young adult relatives have cable or television. I don't have cable or any broadcast TV, only a laptop for viewing. Soon you will have to buy a cable package to stream to your house. The cable companies are the providers of the interwebs for most people so they get to be the gatekeepers.

[JFSinIL]

Might depend on what you want to watch. Here, we watch a lot of oldies and foreign films (old and new), even silents - so there is an abundance of stuff for us on instant-play. If you mostly want newer, Hollywood films, then I think instant-play is not for you.

 

The past few days I have watched a couple British films made during WWII (morale-boosters for the war-weary Brits), a couple Lon Chaney silents (Laugh, Clown,Laugh is GREAT!!!!) and some old Leave it to Beaver episodes ;-)

 

The first disc of the first season of Community came today (I have not seen that show yet and need SOMETHING funny while I wait for Parks and Rec. and Raising Hope to resume). Next up in my disc queue is the silent film Sunrise.

Edited June 26, 2012 by JFSinIL

[redheadmom]

Oh NO!!!!! How is this even possible? Not everyone has access to Comcast as a cable company! We don't, so we couldn't do it even if we wanted to! Oh, I'm very upset. Thanks for letting me know that though *sigh*

 

And I agree with you about the companies needing to adapt.

 

From what I have read when Comcast became a partner in Hulu, they are not allowed any management of the company. So, I don't think Comcast can do anything to limit or stop Hulu.

 

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/25/business/la-fi-ct-hulu-20110625

 

I would pay more for more Netflix options. For us, it is still a great deal since cable isn't an option where we live and Dish is just too expensive to get what we want.

[clearycrew]

Yes, and it wasn't fantastic to begin with.

 

exactly. I tried to find Sid the Science Kid for my preschooler-- used to be on there, but not anymore. :(

[Wheres Toto]

My husband bought a cable at Wal-Mart for about $15 that plugs our computer into our tv...works great! Well, it would be ideal if I could use the remote, but hey, I've got kids that can get up and press the pause button! LOL!

 

If you get a wireless mouse, you can pause it from your seat. :D

 

I haven't been too disappointed in Netflix. I mostly watch television shows that I get interested in late and want to watch from the beginning instead of just catching reruns. I was very pleasantly surprised when Thor showed up on there (and ended up watching it 3 times ;)). I have a few other movies on there (The Expendables is another newish one), old tv shows like Sliders, Buck Rogers and Dark Shadows, old movies like Flatliners, Grease 2, Annie. But honestly the kids watch it the most. Favorites right now are Sonic, Fishtronaut and a couple of the Leap Frog videos.

 

I would be willing to pay more if they had more newer movies. We have Dish and we end up get pay-per-view movies on there and it's $4.99 or $6.99 each rental. Their selection isn't all that great either and I would love a way to actually watch the specific movies I want to see without having to wait forever for it to hit Netflix (if it does at all) or PPV (like Bridesmaids - I really want to see that).

[VeritasMama]

Studios are trying to get more licensing fees because the box office has been down the last few years. Maybe if they would lower the ticket prices, and make something worth paying $10.00 to see....

 

We don't have cable anymore and will never have satellite again. We have Netflix, but we mostly watch the tv shows. I can't imagine watching commercials anymore, but without commercials, the costs have to go up!