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Please Pay for a Year of Nothing

joe-steel.com

241–250 of 289 posts

Re: Please Pay for a Year of Nothing

#241
post #147
post #15

Basically there was a finite amount of content and a lot of it appeared on Netflix. Then 4+ services launched and a near fixed amount of content was divided by 4. Then they doubled the price. So now for a worse discovery experience you are effectively paying 8x the price.

The thing for me is that the media companies that thought they could just launch their own streaming services and keep all the money for themselves completely devalued the engineering of Netflix. It was "FAANG" for a reason. Viscerally, Netflix doesn't feel like it belongs alongside Google, but it did, because it was good. How does Disney fail to make money off Star Wars? Because they decided to build a shitty tech c…

As a Star Wars fan, Disney’s failure on this topic isn’t technical at all. The content is just mediocre; it doesn’t excite or motivate one to watch, it feels bland and commercial. What they’re doing to other franchises — and notably Pixar’s work — is quite similar.

Re: Please Pay for a Year of Nothing

#242
post #14

Yeah planning on cancelling Netflix too. The value proposition just isn’t there anymore and raising price in that context is insane

I gradually moved from netflix streaming to netflix dvd (consistently better movies). Then netflix closed my streaming account because I didn't use it.

And just now they closed my dvd account, because... they don't do dvds anymore.

sigh.

Re: Please Pay for a Year of Nothing

#243
post #177
post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The thing for me is that the media companies that thought they could just launch their own streaming services and keep all the money for themselves completely devalued the engineering of Netflix. It was "FAANG" for a reason. Viscerally, Netflix doesn't feel like it belongs alongside Google, but it did, because it was good. How does Disney fail to make money off Star Wars? Because they decided to build a shitty tech c…

I can’t square your comment with the fact that my experience of the other big name streaming services has been just as good as my experience with Netflix. They basically all just work almost all the time. If Netflix has more valuable technical excellence it should show in the customer experience of the product.

As an Apple TV user, I'd mostly agree with this, especially as everyone except Netflix is able to make their platform work with Up Next etc. on the Apple TV. The only streaming app I have that is worse than Netflix is Amazon's but that's mostly because the UI is completely unusable on an Apple TV. Their catalogue is also reminiscent of the 50p bargain basket at Blockbuster, just shit that nobody else wanted.

Re: Please Pay for a Year of Nothing

#244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some may claim that sonarr + jellyfin give them a better experience than the commercial service. Locally cached, all services combined, low fees for VPN. Password sharing with friends. There was a time when this was to much hazel to set up compared with a Netflix subscription.

It still is quite a hazel. I find new issues popping up at least once a year that requires technical know how to resolve. The average person isn't going anywhere near that beside a simple torrent setup.

That's nuts!

Re: Please Pay for a Year of Nothing

#245
post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can’t square your comment with the fact that my experience of the other big name streaming services has been just as good as my experience with Netflix. They basically all just work almost all the time. If Netflix has more valuable technical excellence it should show in the customer experience of the product.

As an Apple TV user, I'd mostly agree with this, especially as everyone except Netflix is able to make their platform work with Up Next etc. on the Apple TV. The only streaming app I have that is worse than Netflix is Amazon's but that's mostly because the UI is completely unusable on an Apple TV. Their catalogue is also reminiscent of the 50p bargain basket at Blockbuster, just shit that nobody else wanted.

Is this a case of can’t get it to work or won’t work on it yet?

With some businesses the drive for features may be driven by the number of users using that feature. I wish my Apple TV could add Netflix to the up next based on which profile we were using.

But it’s not a deal breaker, would be nice.

So I wonder if the work required to get it on there would take resources from areas that more customers are using?

Re: Please Pay for a Year of Nothing

#246
post #158
post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Once you see a detective show, you basically seen 80% of all detective shows. That's why it seems that there can be nothing to watch, because 80% is basically a rehash, just with different characters and slightly different plots.

There was a show I watched every episode of, not because I particularly liked it but it starred one particular actor that I really wanted to watch. I'm rather embarrassed to admit this, but there it is.

Was the show Gumby? Haha sorry, I had to!

Re: Please Pay for a Year of Nothing

#247
post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Once you see a detective show, you basically seen 80% of all detective shows. That's why it seems that there can be nothing to watch, because 80% is basically a rehash, just with different characters and slightly different plots.

Honestly detective fiction is perhaps the worst format you could give for your example, because the structure of the story allows you to essentially tell a different short story with different characters every time. Moody Twin Peaks has almost nothing in common with the goofball Psych (except the one tribute episode). Inspector Lewis plots are complex and intellectual, while Castle is fluffy and predictable. Recipes…

So you must like detective fiction, eh?

You’ve won me over and to your point you can have a Fr. Brown (1950s Catholic priest detective) and a Dexter (blood splatter analysis turned serial killer).

Now of course the basic premise is always the same good (but conflicted) guy sees bad thing done, investigates, finds bad guys and reconciles one small aspect of world and maybe one small aspect of self discovery.

Heck, most shows have this arc now that I think about it from Sherlock to dr house to those criminal lawyer/police shows.

Re: Please Pay for a Year of Nothing

#248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an Apple TV user, I'd mostly agree with this, especially as everyone except Netflix is able to make their platform work with Up Next etc. on the Apple TV. The only streaming app I have that is worse than Netflix is Amazon's but that's mostly because the UI is completely unusable on an Apple TV. Their catalogue is also reminiscent of the 50p bargain basket at Blockbuster, just shit that nobody else wanted.

Is this a case of can’t get it to work or won’t work on it yet? With some businesses the drive for features may be driven by the number of users using that feature. I wish my Apple TV could add Netflix to the up next based on which profile we were using. But it’s not a deal breaker, would be nice. So I wonder if the work required to get it on there would take resources from areas that more customers are using?

It previously worked till Netflix decided Apple shouldn't see Netflix library or usage and pulled it.

It sort of worked with the app..

https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/netflix-apple-tv-app/

Then with TV+ it didn't...

https://bgr.com/business/netflix-apple-tv-new-service/

Of course, now most smart TVs fingerprint what's on screen and sell that data so the data is out there.

Meanwhile, here's who plays (literally) nicely:

https://support.apple.com/en-nz/HT208083

The 'channel' subs are most seamless, but heads up Apple doesn't let 'channels' list some of their less family oriented content while apps can.

Re: Please Pay for a Year of Nothing

#249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this a case of can’t get it to work or won’t work on it yet? With some businesses the drive for features may be driven by the number of users using that feature. I wish my Apple TV could add Netflix to the up next based on which profile we were using. But it’s not a deal breaker, would be nice. So I wonder if the work required to get it on there would take resources from areas that more customers are using?

It previously worked till Netflix decided Apple shouldn't see Netflix library or usage and pulled it. It sort of worked with the app.. https://www.digitaltrends.com/movies/netflix-apple-tv-app/ Then with TV+ it didn't... https://bgr.com/business/netflix-apple-tv-new-service/ Of course, now most smart TVs fingerprint what's on screen and sell that data so the data is out there. Meanwhile, here's who plays (literally)…

Yeah, it's very much a case of Netflix thinking they're more important than Apple or the end users and deliberately not playing nice. The end result in this house is that we barely watch anything on Netflix because new episodes aren't tracked along with literally everything else that we're watching. Doesn't help that 99% of their output is lowest common denominator garbage; compare and contrast Dopesick on Disney+ and Painkiller on Netflix - the former being one of the best, most moving dramas I've watched in years, the latter one of the most superficial, turgid things I've watched.

Re: Please Pay for a Year of Nothing

#250
post #237
post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can’t square your comment with the fact that my experience of the other big name streaming services has been just as good as my experience with Netflix. They basically all just work almost all the time. If Netflix has more valuable technical excellence it should show in the customer experience of the product.

I disagree. Amazon Prime has an obnoxious UI, HBO until recently at least was even worse. Those other providers feel like these airplane interfaces for media, there is some flimsiness to it.

yeah, from the ones I a have used (Netflix, Disney+, Prime, Maxdome) only Prime is atrocious, all others are not perfect but usable.
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