Netflix - is it worth getting?

[crossy]

Quick, and hopefully easily answered, question about Netflix.

When you have a NF subscription is that the only outlay per month?

Here's an explanation of what I mean. At the moment I've got Virgin's VOD service and also Amazon Prime. Both of these have a selection of content included in the subscription, but you're expected to pay-on-demand for premium content, like newly arrived films. I've had a look around NF's site and it looks like it's a "free buffet" of content once you've paid for you monthly subscription. The Prime version of Instant Video looked like it could have been like that too - but it turns out to be pretty limited unless you stump up extra for the newer content (and Amazon's prices are a lot more than Virgin's).

Yes, I know, the best/easiest way to find out would be to take the NF free trial, but there's some articles around the net about problems getting that free trial cancelled.

Kids are pressing me to get NF, but I'm only going to do that if it's a "better" service than what I've already got.

[kalniel]

We've never paid anything other than the regular subscription. Completely sold on it now.

[Smudger]

The subscription gets you the lot. Which is kind of how LoveFilm Instant used to be, before they sold out to Amazon.

You don't get the absolute latest content, but there is a lot there, plus there's the Netflix-commissioned series, like House of Cards, although Amazon are also starting to do these...

Plus if you've got Virgin already, you can stream Netflix through the app on your Tivo, and it doesn't count towards any quotas.

[DanceswithUnix]

I get some grief from the kids that the content isn't up to date enough, like Adventure Time is only series 1.

I just purchased the last series of Warehouse 13 on DVD because we watched the rest and those last 6 episodes haven't turned up yet.

But overall there is always something on there to watch and in decent quality with surround sound if you have that, so it seems good value. You are allowed to stream to 2 devices at the same time, which we do fairly regularly. Not accidentally hit three streams yet, I'm sure it will happen

[TheAnimus]

yeah it's great, I much prefer the US/Canada selection for a lot of things however.

[Bluecube]

Netflix is excellent. One price and you get access to everything they have available. Like Animus I use US Netflix though partly for the wider selection but mainly due to every programme having subtitles unlike the UK version. I think you can get a trial to see how you get on with it.

[wasabi]

I tired them and thought the quality was horribly washed out on my 60 meg Virgin connection. Colours flat, everything blurry. It may be theoretically 'HD' but the compression was too much. Might have been watchable on a phone - on a TV, yuk.

[HSK]

I had it for a while, never used it - but that was my fault, time etc - now I do watch it often and there's things on there I like.

I'm hooked on breaking bad alone!!! jessie makes me so angry :@

[Saracen]

The subscription gets you the lot. Which is kind of how LoveFilm Instant used to be, before they sold out to Amazon.

....

Well, in theory, that was how Lovefilm worked.

I had one of the badged versions of Lovefilm, and while that was the theory, in practice, the newer and more desirable premium content simply never arrived. I had it for about 18 months, and some of the stuff on my very first list was still on it when I got fed up and cancelled. In large part, I dumped it because I got a constant stream of 'list-fillers' that I really wasn't bothered about, and very little of the stuff I particularly wanted.

Crossy, I'm not saying Netflix does this sort of thing, and I am talking about 'DVD's in the post' days, with my Lovefilm experience.

I would just advise a little caution, because many services aren't necessarily quite what the marketing suggests. For instance, buying a virtual server to host a website, with "unlimited" bandwidth. So sure, it's unlimited .... you can suck all the bandwidth you want down the bit of damp string they connect their server to the net with, and that you share with 50 billion other users. Okay, so that's a tad hyperbolic, but my point is with 'unlimited' this, 'free' that, and 'up to' something else .... read between the lines.

Back to Netflix -I don't know, have never used it, and don't really plan on it. These days, I just buy films or TV series I want, on DVD (and no, not Bluray). I know it's terribly old-fashioned in this online, on-demand, streaming, content-protected IP rights world, but it suits me. I don't buy vast amounts, but I do get what I really want.

[george1979]

I've been using Netflix for a while now and, for £7, a month its really good. I can use it on my phone, Chromecast, PC (obviously) and PS4. The only quality issues I've noticed was when I was using wifi. As soon as I used a wired connection to my PS4 it was a lot better.

The UK content is a bit limited but, as others have said, you can use the US site as well.

For the price of a McDs or Burger King it's hard to fault.

[HSK]

how do u get access to the US version, dns / vpn tricks?

[crossy]

First off, thanks all who took the time out to reply.

Plus if you've got Virgin already, you can stream Netflix through the app on your Tivo, and it doesn't count towards any quotas.

Hmm, Tivo, yes. Invariably when I go searching for something it comes up as available on YouTube or Netflix. But, I've got the XL broadband from Virgin, so no quotas. Good thought on the Tivo though - means we can use the big TV rather than having to stream via tablet etc.
Just moved to 4G AYCE on Three, so being able to watch something (on my large screen G3 phone) while waiting for one the kids to come out of one of their clubs would be a major plus.

how do u get access to the US version, dns / vpn tricks?

My question too - I'm curious.
(BTW, like your sig block, I'll have to get the old A1500 out of the loft sometime)

[DanceswithUnix]

Okay, so that's a tad hyperbolic, but my point is with 'unlimited' this, 'free' that, and 'up to' something else .... read between the lines.

I think they are pretty transparent about their offering tbh. It isn't free, it isn't that expensive, you don't get the latest premium content.

Kind of a "good enough" service. So I think it is down to how you look at it, for me although it isn't generally the latest films there is usually *something* on that I want to watch.

Contrast that with NowTV, where you pay through the nose for the latest films, but I pretty much drained them of everything I thought was worth watching in the free month and it doesn't update that often. Compared to that, Netflix get my money.

[DanceswithUnix]

I tired them and thought the quality was horribly washed out on my 60 meg Virgin connection. Colours flat, everything blurry. It may be theoretically 'HD' but the compression was too much. Might have been watchable on a phone - on a TV, yuk.

I find that very odd. If you leave the service on automatic then the first few seconds are quite low resolution while it makes sure you can take higher bitrates.

I have a very small study in my house. It has a 2 seater sofa on one wall, the opposite wall is pretty much filled with a 47" TV So we are sat pretty close to the screen, artifacting is really obvious, and I don't have a problem with Netflix.

OFC it could be that Virgin were throttling the speed from Netflix for their own political purposes, apparently that happens a lot.

[wasabi]

I find that very odd. If you leave the service on automatic then the first few seconds are quite low resolution while it makes sure you can take higher bitrates.

I have a very small study in my house. It has a 2 seater sofa on one wall, the opposite wall is pretty much filled with a 47" TV So we are sat pretty close to the screen, artifacting is really obvious, and I don't have a problem with Netflix.

OFC it could be that Virgin were throttling the speed from Netflix for their own political purposes, apparently that happens a lot.

Tried it with several devices including the Tivo, not just the main TV either. All sucky and washed out. Tweaked it to supposedly force highest quality in the menus. Still unacceptably sucky. I can stream iplayer HD easily at the same time as the wife doing the same. Really wanted to like it, but it was pants. Really could do with a cached download option like iplayer has too. Never mind the needing to find a trick to get the full US range of shows - the UK range is dire.

[pp05]

They seem better for TV drama than new movies.