Netflix and the Napoleon Dynamite Problem (2008)
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Re: Netflix and the Napoleon Dynamite Problem (2008)
#2From what I understand, they never implemented any of the algorithms, because their existing one was good enough, and the premise has changed. It used to be, you'd make suggestions so people could get DVDs sent to them, and you'd know they would enjoy it. Now with streaming, the cost to send something you don't like is cheap. So the recommendation engine just has to come up with something you'd try to watch and perhaps enjoy. If you start watching something, it's not your taste, you switch streams. So there's not a lot to gain from improving recommendations 10% unless they were pretty low quality ratings to begin with.
Re: Netflix and the Napoleon Dynamite Problem (2008)
#3I've been getting increasingly frustrated at Netflix, because it keeps recommended things I have already seen, or definitely do not want to see. Having to keep scrolling through unwanted content like that really reinforces just how dumb it is, despite all these claims about their intelligence.
Eventually I did figure out that on the website you can say you aren't interested in particular items, but Android/Roku etc do not have that option. Of course those Netflix employees who work on this stuff deal with the PC/web based interface all the time, but apparently don't realise that not everyone does that.
Android/Roku etc do let you set ratings on items, but to me there is a big difference between "I am not interested in this item" and "I have watched it and give it one star".
Re: Netflix and the Napoleon Dynamite Problem (2008)
#4I've been getting increasingly frustrated at Netflix, because it keeps recommended things I have already seen, or definitely do not want to see. Having to keep scrolling through unwanted content like that really reinforces just how dumb it is, despite all these claims about their intelligence. Eventually I did figure out that on the website you can say you aren't interested in particular items, but Android/Roku etc d…
> Eventually I did figure out that on the website you can say you aren't interested in particular items
I didn't know you could do this. Looking forward to telling Netflix that no, I do not want to watch The Interview.
Re: Netflix and the Napoleon Dynamite Problem (2008)
#5From what I understand, they never implemented any of the algorithms, because their existing one was good enough, and the premise has changed. It used to be, you'd make suggestions so people could get DVDs sent to them, and you'd know they would enjoy it. Now with streaming, the cost to send something you don't like is cheap. So the recommendation engine just has to come up with something you'd try to watch and perha…
I think the cost of postage/fulfillment/bandwidth should be a secondary concern to how many users can Netflix attract by providing content they actually enjoy. A bad recommendation for streaming or DVD both waste n minutes of viewing time. A bad DVD recommendation additionally wastes 2-6 days of waiting on USPS.
They already have the recommendation engine built and they need every differentiation they can get to compete with the crowd of streaming providers.
Re: Netflix and the Napoleon Dynamite Problem (2008)
#6From what I understand, they never implemented any of the algorithms, because their existing one was good enough, and the premise has changed. It used to be, you'd make suggestions so people could get DVDs sent to them, and you'd know they would enjoy it. Now with streaming, the cost to send something you don't like is cheap. So the recommendation engine just has to come up with something you'd try to watch and perha…
I think the cost of postage/fulfillment/bandwidth should be a secondary concern to how many users can Netflix attract by providing content they actually enjoy. A bad recommendation for streaming or DVD both waste n minutes of viewing time. A bad DVD recommendation additionally wastes 2-6 days of waiting on USPS. They already have the recommendation engine built and they need every differentiation they can get to comp…
I completely agree. Real hype is generated when Netflix consistently nails recommendation. Content is still king, but curation of that content is the engine that drives the whole thing
Re: Netflix and the Napoleon Dynamite Problem (2008)
#7I've been getting increasingly frustrated at Netflix, because it keeps recommended things I have already seen, or definitely do not want to see. Having to keep scrolling through unwanted content like that really reinforces just how dumb it is, despite all these claims about their intelligence. Eventually I did figure out that on the website you can say you aren't interested in particular items, but Android/Roku etc d…
> Eventually I did figure out that on the website you can say you aren't interested in particular items I didn't know you could do this. Looking forward to telling Netflix that no, I do not want to watch The Interview.
I haven't looked into in a while, but from what I remember it lets you say whether you are interested in categories of content and not specific content.
Re: Netflix and the Napoleon Dynamite Problem (2008)
#8All those hours and millions of dollars into perfecting their recommendation system, and Popcorn Time still has a better UI for viewing movies than Netflix does. Just show me all the top movies and let me pick one, why partition them into drama/comedy and filter out the one's you don't think I'll like? it makes the experience worse.
Re: Netflix and the Napoleon Dynamite Problem (2008)
#9From what I understand, they never implemented any of the algorithms, because their existing one was good enough, and the premise has changed. It used to be, you'd make suggestions so people could get DVDs sent to them, and you'd know they would enjoy it. Now with streaming, the cost to send something you don't like is cheap. So the recommendation engine just has to come up with something you'd try to watch and perha…
There was a parsimonious model that got to 8% improvement. We know this as it was posted publicly by "Simon Funk" [0] after he decided to give up halfway through the competition.
This simple but more accurate model would have been a useful foundation for Netflix to build its own internal models on, and highlight the flaws in the assumption of the Cinermark algo.
Re: Netflix and the Napoleon Dynamite Problem (2008)
#10I've been getting increasingly frustrated at Netflix, because it keeps recommended things I have already seen, or definitely do not want to see. Having to keep scrolling through unwanted content like that really reinforces just how dumb it is, despite all these claims about their intelligence. Eventually I did figure out that on the website you can say you aren't interested in particular items, but Android/Roku etc d…
Netflix: "I see you liked a couple scifi anime movies. Perhaps you'd like to watch our entire catalog of big breast anime aimed at a completely different audience."