Netflix Continues to Step Backwards and Forwards at the Same Time

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I don’t know what it is about Netflix. They’re a company I love and hate at the same time. I won’t get into it to much here (Jason and I have talked plenty about it on the Podcast), but they seem to do so many things right and at the same time screw up just enough to give me fits.

Now, they are raising prices for those of you who want Blu-ray discs, a “premium” HD fee they call it, because the discs cost them more. I understand that the discs do cost more, but that can be made up for in other ways. When Netflix is done renting most of their discs, they sell them anyway, we know they will charge more for a used Blu-ray then they will for a used  DVD, won’t that make up the difference for them? Also, by charging this premium, does it mean they will actually start to get enough of titles? It’s now almost 6 months after the fact and Blade Runner: The Final Cut is still very long wait, no matter what format you try and get it in. Maybe this is a legitimate concern for Netflix, but it just feels like price gouging to me.

At the same time this is all going on, they seem to be running full steam ahead with their streaming service (or as I like to call it, “The Future”). Originally they only announced a partnership with LG to put Netflix streaming into an upcoming Blu-ray, but now they have deals with other major manufactures (who they won’t name), to include Netflix in their devices. A good call, choice is always good, and I really didn’t want to buy an LG player to get my Netflix functionality, being pretty picky on my electronics manufactures, LG just isn’t a name that gets to the top of my list, no offense to them. The rumors that Netflix will appear in the PS3 and Xbox 360 would be great, as most people already own these devices (although I don’t see this happening on the Xbox, Netflix Streaming is a direct competitor to Microsoft’s Movie Marketplace, but Sony doesn’t have this kind of infrastructure set up, nor does it seem interested in getting one set up, but they need to and Netflix can get them where they need to be faster. Then again maybe they won’t be interested either, as it could be seen as competition for Blu-ray).

Movies, News, Television

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