I may never darken the door of Blockbuster again.
Written: May 02 '11 (Updated May 05 '11)
| Ease of Ordering: |
 |
|
| Customer Service: |
 |
|
| Selection: |
|
|
| On-Time Delivery: |
 |
|
|
| Full Review |
When I first heard about Netflix, I was skeptical. It sounded like one of those too good to be true things. I wasn't even sure how it could be legal and still be so inexpensive. But now that it's been around for a while, I decided to give it a try.
I think the main thing that convinced me to try it, was the advent of being able to stream video on my Nintendo Wii. I chose doing it on my Wii instead of my Xbox 360 because my Wii runs quieter (don't have to listen to those whirring fans while watching a quiet movie) and if you use the 360, you have to also pay to maintain your Xbox Live Gold membership, it it would have actually cost more on the Xbox.
I also thought about the new Zune/Hulu Plus feature on my Xbox which also lets you watch movies, music videos etc., but again, I'd have to put up with the noisy fans unless I cranked the volume on my TV like I usually do while playing video games. Also, when I checked into Hulu Plus on the Xbox 360, I found that it also costs $7.99 a month with a whole week (only a week?) free to decide if you like it. Then there was another one that seemed almost the same, but called Zune where you have to buy each show separately or could 'subscribe' to a whole series (in the case of TV shows) with Xbox Live points. For example, each episode of Marvel Knights cost 240 Points and the Season Pass was 960 Points (one Point costs $1.25, so 240 points costs $3.00). Either way, that means going through the rigamarole of typing in codes and credit card info into my Xbox with the controller every time I run out of points. It looked like Hulu might have a few more of the very latest TV shows on it than Netflix does, but that's not a big deal for me since there are very few new shows that I like. Plus, if I want to see them, I have relatives who have cable TV (I don't) who can DVR for me an episode that I've heard about and want to see. I'd rather watch older TV shows from the 70's, 80's and 90's anyway. The movies range from all the way back to the 40's up through movies that came out last year. So, I still think Netflix is the better deal for me.
Now, if I didn't have regular access to the family computer and didn't have a credit card, I'd probably go with Netflix on my Xbox 360 since you can buy Xbox Live Points Cards at stores with cash.
With Netflix, the Wii is now the entertainment centerpiece that I remember Nintendo saying it would be when it first came out. When you download the Netflix Channel from the Nintendo Wii Shopping Channel, it is actually free to do so. You don't pay anything for the first month. If you don't cancel your subscription, it starts charging your card every month. When you get it downloaded, it shows up as a little Red box that says "Netflix" in your list of channels on the Wii desktop. The Wii Remote makes a pretty handy wireless remote control. You can navigate through the menus with the D pad and select things with the A button. While watching something, you can also hit the A button to pause. If you pause, you can then fast forward or rewind what you are watching by using the D pad to select a different "chapter" of the show. Kind of like chapter select on some DVD players.
The system works great! I can browse or search through hundreds of TV shows and movies right on my Wii. I've been watching some of my favorite TV shows like Cheers, Doctor Who and X-Files. I've also watched many favorite movies as well as ones that I hadn't even heard of before. I like that there are different plans to choose from and that in each plan, there is a flat rate. That is better than having to pay for each movie or show you watch like some programs do. Paying for each one sounds great, until you realize how many movies or TV shows you want to see, then you realize that it could really add up if you actually 'rented' each one of them. With the flat rate, you can watch as much as you want and not pay any extra.
So, what's it cost you say? I pay $7.99 per month for unlimited movies and TV shows on my Wii and Computer. It's $2.99 extra if I want to also get one movie at a time via mail. I think it was $4.99 a month to get the movies just by mail with no movies on the Wii. I was spending over $10 a month renting movies from Blockbuster before I decided to go with Netflix. And that would only get me two new movies or five old ones. With Netflix, I can have a movie marathon party and watch five movies in one night.
As far as selection goes, it changes on a fairly regular basis and it is also based on what you type into the website. You answer some questions like what your favorite genres, movies, tv shows etc are. If you have kids, and other non specific demographic stuff. You can also rate movies you've already seen. Then, they stream movies and tv shows in categories to your computer and other internet connected devices (like my Wii) based on your answers. So, your list of movies etc. would be different from mine.
They have pretty much everything as far as variety goes. Old TV shows from the 70's through the 90's; horror movies, anime, sci-fi, comedies, stand-up comedy, documentaries, chick flicks, you name it. They even have some British TV shows and sit-coms. They may have even more stuff that I haven't seen since someone else might answer their questions differently.
The only caveats I have that keep me from declaring Netflix the best thing since sliced bread, are having to sign up on my computer first and that there are quite a few listings on the Wii that say "not available". It seemed odd that I couldn't just sign up right on my Wii. Why do the unavailable shows even appear on the screen? Are they ones that you can only get if you pay the extra money to get DVDs mailed to your house? There should be a button I could click on with my Wii Remote to order the 'unavailable' ones in some way. However, signing up and paying via my computer is still much more simple than the process of buying points on the Xbox 360.
Otherwise, I love Netflix! I hear that someday, they will make Netflix available on the Nintendo 3DS. That will be awesome if it works well. If it works, it will remove the final bragging right that Sony fanboys have when they claim the PSP is better than the DS.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Netflix
|
|
|
|
About the Author
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Reviews written: 125
Trusted by: 10 members
About Me: A Certified Computer Tech. Studying ornamental horticulture. Christian, bookworm, gamer & movie buff.
|
