Netflix Is Now Available Around the World • Hacker News Board

Re: Netflix Is Now Available Around the World

#341

Post by fredliu » Thu, Jan 07, 2016, 12:39 AM UTC

jedberg wrote: post #258

fredliu wrote: post #170

Aws and Amazon Instant Video probably are very separate businesses. And right now, aws is obviously much more successful than Amazon Video. But is that enough reason for Netlfix to be not scared of being a full aws shop and not worrying the fact that their biggest - probably the only - competitor (Amazon Video) also shares the same parent company as Netflix's main tech provider (aws)?

Samsung makes phones that compete with Apple, yet is also one of their biggest suppliers. This happens in business all the time. AWS knows that if they did anything to harm Netflix's business, it would reflect very poorly on them (and be morally and ethically wrong). Also, while both offer streaming services, they don't really compete. Many people subscribe to both services.

What you said is true, but Samsung and Apple do have frictions, and I believe both of them do have contingency plans that hedge against the risk of a full out war between them. What amazes me is Netflix's seemingly "un-conditional trust" on Amazon, it seems putting them in a potentially very vulnerable position, even without considering Amazon Video being a potential competitor. Maybe they just don't have any other choice right now.

Re: Netflix Is Now Available Around the World

#342

Post by jsmeaton » Thu, Jan 07, 2016, 12:43 AM UTC

rsync wrote: post #203

wnevets wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

welcome to international content licensing and copyright laws.

No, it is I who welcome you to being a viewer of the "web" rather than being a peer on the Internet. It could have been different.

I see the point you're trying to make, but there are still "traditional" laws that need to change for the global internet to support all kinds of media. To be fair, Netflix are trying to drive the change that will lead to this idealistic global internet, no?

Re: Netflix Is Now Available Around the World

#343

Post by Radim » Thu, Jan 07, 2016, 12:50 AM UTC

rhaps0dy wrote: post #279

xg15 wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If "disrupting cinema" in this context means abandoning cinema altogether and switching the big screen with a regular HD TV, then I as a consumer hope this future won't happen. "Live showings" with restricted hours doesn't make sense to me either. This sounds like artificially replicating the limitiations of cinema but throwing away all its advantages.

What are all these advantages of cinema, pray tell? You do not really talk to the rest of the audience other than those you went to the cinema with, and that can perfectly be replicated at home. The surround sound is indeed better, but that can be replicated with headphones or, if you're dedicated, with speakers around the room.

Not the OP, but my guess is "nostalgia".

I'm sure there were people who insisted on using horse driven carriages, long after automobiles took over. "It's just the proper, cultured thing to do. And you can tip your hat to other passing carriages! The shared feeling!"

Although note that sentimental items can have a value of their own. Cinemas could perhaps even increase the ticket price dramatically in that world, making it a "luxury item" on purpose. "Tell her the depth of your feelings with a real cinema ticket". Remember diamonds?

Re: Netflix Is Now Available Around the World

#344

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Jan 07, 2016, 12:51 AM UTC

[deleted]

Re: Netflix Is Now Available Around the World

#345

Post by geoelectric » Thu, Jan 07, 2016, 12:55 AM UTC

imh wrote: post #277

svachalek wrote: post #270

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you comparing the DVD service to streaming? It's unfortunately apples and oranges; the licensing is completely different for DVD and streaming, and even different between unlimited streaming like Netflix vs. pay-per-view streaming you can get from multiple other sources.

No, I never had streaming. Maybe it's my shifting preferences, but I remember being able to say "I'll just wait for it to come out on netflix" for the majority of things I was interested in. Not everything, but still more often than not.

Oh, OK. I (and almost everyone else here) was talking in terms of streaming only. As mentioned elsewhere, the DVD service still works like it always did, and has a wide range of movies.

Re: Netflix Is Now Available Around the World

#346

Post by Brakenshire » Thu, Jan 07, 2016, 1:03 AM UTC

wjoe wrote: post #181

YogeeKnows wrote: post #102

Most people relate Netflix to 'movies'. I have been an on - off customer of Netflix and thoughts of leaving it often crosses my mind. But the only thing which keeps me on it are the TV shows, seasons and seasons of it. I'm currently watching Mad Men , that's 6+ seasons I want to watch. I love the luxury of just catching up on a 30-45 min TV show while I'm multitasking, eating, playing PS4 etc. I think Netflix or comp…

It depends where you are. In the UK, their selection of TV is much more limited than the US - for example we don't have your example of Mad Men. Their original shows are very good though, and they have a decent selection of British TV (ironically they have more BBC shows than BBC's own streaming service). Their selection of popular/well known movies has been decreasing over time though, as they've been losing some of…

> they have a decent selection of British TV (ironically they have more BBC shows than BBC's own streaming service).

> Their selection of popular/well known movies has been decreasing over time though, as they've been losing some of those licences. But there's enough of them that it's good enough for "I want to watch some movie, let's see what's on Netflix".

Not sure I agree with either. They have some old UK TV, but not that much. BBC offers almost no archive tv on iPlayer, so that's not much of a comparison! And I had to spend a significant amount of time trying to find any film I wanted to watch. My impression of the services was a bit like renting access to 10-15 box sets (Mad Men, Breaking Bad, some BBC Dickens adaptations, etc), and about 50 randomly selected, vaguely entertaining films. I had it for about 4 months before running out of anything I wanted to watch.

Re: Netflix Is Now Available Around the World

#347

Post by marcosdumay » Thu, Jan 07, 2016, 1:07 AM UTC

ponyous wrote: post #291

jmathai wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are 2 sides to the transaction and it comes down to margins. If the margins don't exist to pay Harrison Ford $40M then either he takes less $ or another actor is found.

Or the movie doesn't happen and we will see movies of lower quality because of that in coming years?

Well, I wouldn't jump so fast to the conclusion that those movies would be of lower quality.

Re: Netflix Is Now Available Around the World

#348

Post by icebraining » Thu, Jan 07, 2016, 1:17 AM UTC

megablast wrote: post #300

lazaroclapp wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Finland: 3380 (So high because they don't dub?) Why would you dub? I mean, why would you either have to dub everything or not include it? Just have at set up a screen that asks which languages you speak, whether you prefer dubs or subs and whether you will accept subs for everything that doesn't have a dub if you previously selected dub. Why is language so tied to location? Specially in Europe! (and I can imagine t…

Southern European countries like it dubbed, all there shows are dubbed.

Not here in Portugal (thankfully). Only shows for children are dubbed here.

Re: Netflix Is Now Available Around the World

#349

Post by nommm-nommm » Thu, Jan 07, 2016, 1:19 AM UTC

rhaps0dy wrote: post #279

xg15 wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If "disrupting cinema" in this context means abandoning cinema altogether and switching the big screen with a regular HD TV, then I as a consumer hope this future won't happen. "Live showings" with restricted hours doesn't make sense to me either. This sounds like artificially replicating the limitiations of cinema but throwing away all its advantages.

What are all these advantages of cinema, pray tell? You do not really talk to the rest of the audience other than those you went to the cinema with, and that can perfectly be replicated at home. The surround sound is indeed better, but that can be replicated with headphones or, if you're dedicated, with speakers around the room.

Part of the appeal for some people is just to get out of the house. You get to go somewhere and do something. Don't discount that.

I'm not big into movies and I don't care for the cinema "experience" at all but I do like to get out of the house once in a [great] while to see a movie with friends. The actual movie we go see isn't too important to me as long as it isn't terrible.

Re: Netflix Is Now Available Around the World

#350

Post by Brakenshire » Thu, Jan 07, 2016, 1:19 AM UTC

atonse wrote: post #5

This is awesome news. Now if only BBC's iPlayer would become global and allow us non-brits to pay for it (effectively subsidizing the TV license maybe?), that would be heaven.

They did have the Global iPlayer going for a while, but it had a lot less current content, with some archive material. It also was only available on the iPad, and only available in certain markets (not the US, due to pressure from networks threatening to drop BBC America). It limped along as a public beta before being killed off half way through last year. Although apparently they're going to launch something else soon:

http://www.rethinkresearch.biz/articles/bbc-reawakens-plans-...

They say a BBC streaming subscription service is going to launch in the US this year.

Unfortunately I'm not sure the BBC have the entrepreneurial spirit to throw in their current international contracts, and try to launch themselves as a global network. I suspect they'll wait until the VoD market is much larger, which will mean that their competition will be very strong.