Netflix Ships Last DVD • Hacker News Board

Re: Netflix Ships Last DVD

#71

Post by whartung » Fri, Sep 29, 2023, 11:58 PM UTC

Sad day honestly. Been a long time subscriber, almost sure since the beginning.

The variety is just larger than the streaming platforms. And to be honest while they tracked the DVDs you rented you never felt you had this bird on your back watching your every move.

On streaming you might try something, get through half way of it, give up, and next thing you know the platform thinks it’s your most favorite thing, and starts shoveling “things you may like” while thing you hated sits in the “continue watching” for the next two months.

So, anyway, happy customer. Sorry to see it go.

Re: Netflix Ships Last DVD

#72

Post by jb1991 » Sat, Sep 30, 2023, 3:59 AM UTC

sixstringtheory wrote: post #15

jb1991 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Soon many great films will be lost forever. Many already are.

Just look at the various films that have been lost to fire over time. Of course with the old ones piracy wasn’t really an option. Digitization has its own issues as well.

I’m referring specifically to great films that cannot be watched any more due to no access by audiences in any watchable form, even if the film still exists and is in tact.

Re: Netflix Ships Last DVD

#73

Post by pmarreck » Sat, Sep 30, 2023, 1:49 PM UTC

xahrepap wrote: post #70

pmarreck wrote: post #68

I am pretty sure I still have some dvd's and/or blu-rays somewhere that got included in a move and never unpacked... Now they will just become historical artifacts of a bygone physical-media era

I still buy everything I like and want to ever watch again on physical media. I try to get the DVD/Blu-ray combos. I think it’s worth it even if it’s available on D+ or whatever other platform. And I can rip them and stream them myself. Which I sometimes do for trips. I think while a little tedious sometimes, it’s worth it. I hate the Everything-For-Rent world we live in today.

I get that, but physical media is still a pain in the ass to manage.

I too have ripped physical media in the past for my own convenience. These days, I just use a third party torrenting service ;) (I do try to have legal access to the given media first)

If there was a way to purchase data outright (or the rights to it) that wasn't copyable (sort of like a bitcoin or ethereum token for a single copy of some data, stored on some kind of shared ledger... which I believe is what the "contracts" crypto idea was about, except hasn't really taken off yet), this advantage of physical media would go away. (It would still have other advantages, though, such as anonymity, make-your-own-tuned-rip, zero dependence on outside services such as contract authentication ledgers, etc.)

I am historically a data hoarder and old system emulation enthusiast, these are obviously legal gray areas

Re: Netflix Ships Last DVD

#74

Post by felixg3 » Sun, Oct 01, 2023, 3:09 AM UTC

kodt wrote: post #53

jedberg wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I hear the high seas calling... I found that the high seas are only good for popular films, and that obscure films are very hard to find. I've had better luck at the library.

You have to find the right communities.

Pass me the popcorn while we wait for them to find the right places.

Re: Netflix Ships Last DVD

#75

Post by gorkish » Tue, Oct 03, 2023, 5:44 PM UTC

LeonardoTolstoy wrote: post #28

gorkish wrote: post #12

I maintained my disc sub to the bitter end. Although I rarely used it, it was frequently the only way to view many older or more obscure films without an outright full-retail-price purchase, and even then, good luck on availability. I lament its passing and worry very much that it's function as a pseudo-film library for the average person is no longer available anywhere. I hear the high seas calling...

Genuinely curious whether there were films you found on the DVD service that were inaccessible via your local library loan system (if you are in the US that is, did Netflix ever do the DVD service outside the US though?) Good library systems have a good percentage of DVD released films readily available for free.

Yes the films are available through my local public library system, and yes they are "free" to borrow. However it is neither convenient nor reliable to borrow a film from my library. Would I pay the library $10/month to be as convenient and available as Netflix was? Yes.