Engadget: "Netflix shipping HD titles cross-country to clear backlog?"

[SpaceDog]

I've only had this happen once, with Paprika BD.
However, when I returned a non-functioning Planet Earth disc 1, they indicated they didn't have any others to replace it with AT ALL.

[elwaylite]

I think Netflix and BB are taking their time with HDM, if you want to see it fast, many should consider other avenues.

[jkwest]

Blockbuster is no better..trust me.

Plus, Blockbuster doubled the price of their plans in the 4 months...completely ridiculous...

[elwaylite]

Originally Posted by jkwest

Blockbuster is no better..trust me.

Plus, Blockbuster doubled the price of their plans in the 4 months...completely ridiculous...

I agree, Im using both right not and they stink. The BB in store offering is not very good either.

[Chocolatejas]

Originally Posted by phlydude

I've rec'd 1 disk from Netflix last year from one of their sites in Massachusetts (my home site is Easton, MD)
It was a little bit of a pain on the delay in getting it and sending it back (I didn't send it local, I sent it back to MA)
But it only happened once and it was for a movie that was in my queue for a while with "Very Long Wait" on it.
I was a couple months new to my account when it happened.

When I watch stuff over the weekend I will put two disks in the same sleeve. When I get a disk from a non local center I will send back to the local center to save shipping time. I've got a few saved up for when this happens.

[etercion]

As someone mentioned earlier, Netflix has admitted (and been sued) for "throttling" in the past, and are continuing to do it to this very day. If you've been a member for awhile and are renting a bunch of movies a month they automatically drop you down the list and it takes MUCH longer to get the titles you signed up for (this will automatically change many of your titles to long and short wait). I've heard from several people who went from getting 30 discs a month to 8-10.

Granted, I'm biased (I'm a store manager of Blockbuster) but a certain OTHER online company (*cough* Blockbuster Total Access *cough*) has been on record several times that they do NOT throttle. And I can tell you from personal experience that that is the truth.

That said, both companies suck at blu ray. I've gone on at length about the why's and how's, so I won't get into it again other than to say that the online companies don't have the same studio restrictions that brick and mortar stores have...so there's really no reason (other than not wanting to invest to early) that they couldn't have more blu ray titles.

Best thing to do is just keep ordering them and send nasty notes when you fail to receive the disc in a timely fashion.

[xwingsct]

I would get this message once in a blue moon and it usually take a day or two longer. But they have been pretty good at shipping their movies though.
You gotta remember that BD is still new, with the format war going on they don't want to carry too many HD movies. Now that Blu is leading we might be seeing more and more BD titles on their sites.

I used Blockbuster two weeks trial period and ended up cancelling it before the trail ends. It sucks big time. The web page was really unorganized. Not too many good selection at the store either (BD) plus it's 3 dollars more than Netflix.

[ranma]

Originally Posted by elwaylite

Here's another thing, why is RH3 still not on BD at Netflix?

I put RH3 BD in queue 2 weeks ago.
However, it is still very long wait, just as all other new releases BD titles.
The only new release title that I got w/o wait was pirates the world's end.

The good thing is I have patience, I can wait

[york weir]

Originally Posted by ranma

I put RH3 BD in queue 2 weeks ago.
However, it is still very long wait, just as all other new releases BD titles.
The only new release title that I got w/o wait was pirates the world's end.

The good thing is I have patience, I can wait

I ended up renting the DVD because I wanted to see it and didn't want to wait.

[ranma]

Originally Posted by elwaylite

I agree, Im using both right not and they stink. The BB in store offering is not very good either.

I don't know why, maybe it's studios don't want to sent HDM copies to rental companies.

I barely find anything new released in my BB localstore. DVD new releases are everywhere, but no BDs. Altought they are expanding BD shelves, but with only cateloged releases.

[greekjgg]

Originally Posted by ranma

I don't know why, maybe it's studios don't want to sent HDM copies to rental companies.

No, Netflix and BLockbuster just aren't updating their inventories to the increased demand. THink about it, SOny sold 700k ps3's during xmas. That is a huge potential for new subscribers looking for blu. On top of the huge strides in standalones during the same period as well.

[york weir]

Originally Posted by greekjgg

No, Netflix and BLockbuster just aren't updating their inventories to the increased demand. THink about it, SOny sold 700k ps3's during xmas. That is a huge potential for new subscribers looking for blu. On top of the huge strides in standalones during the same period as well.

I had read that netflix was limited to 2000 units of HDM. This came from the avs insiders thread.

[ranma]

But blockbuster has at least 50 copies of a new released DVD version, but not single one BD copies, given they do plenty of catelog BD copies

[ranma]

official response
http://www.tvpredictions.com/netflixhd012408.htm

Washington, D.C. (January 24, 2008) -- Have you had problems lately renting Blu-ray and HD DVD movies from NetFlix?

Well, you're not alone.

The popular by-mail DVD rental service acknowledges that it's experiencing a "slowdown" in distributing new Blu-ray and HD DVD releases to its customers.

Consequently, subscribers trying to rent recent Blu-ray and HD DVD releases such as 3:10 to Yuma and The Bourne Ultimatum are getting messages at NetFlix's web site saying it will be a "very long wait" before they are mailed out.

"The studios are not replicating (discs) as fast and that's causing the slowdown," Steve Swasey, a NetFlix spokesman, told TVPredictions.com today.

However, Swasey said he expects the studios to pick up the pace shortly.

"This is short term. It should be fixed in the next couple of weeks," he said.

[upnorthsox]

Well they could always order them off Amazon, they don't seem to have any stocking issues(not even Paramount Blu-Ray movies).

[spam.curitiba]

Originally Posted by gr3y

I'm with you on that one.
in the last week i only received one blu-ray... and the new releases on Tuesdays go immediately to "long wait" or "very long wait". unacceptable

https://forum.blu-ray.com/images/smi...orted/whip.gif


Back when netflix first start it was like this with DVD's and was for at least a year or two...just give it some time and it will get worked out.

[emk4ou]

does anybody know what the deal is with Blade Runner on Netflix? I've never seen it and wanted to rent it first. I added right when it came out both the Final Cut and the Director's Cut (since they were both very long wait I didn't care which shipped first I just wanted to see it). They removed the Director's Cut completely from my Queue (and I think from the entire system as well) because the "demand was too high" and although The Final Cut is still in my Queue, it's very long wait and Blu-ray doesn't show up as a rental option when you click on it. Then I went to my local Blockbuster today (which had a surprisingly big Blu-ray section and a flat screen advertising the PS3 bundle) and they didn't have it either...maybe I should just buy it blind...?

[Flomaster]

Originally Posted by emk4ou

does anybody know what the deal is with Blade Runner on Netflix? I've never seen it and wanted to rent it first. I added right when it came out both the Final Cut and the Director's Cut (since they were both very long wait I didn't care which shipped first I just wanted to see it). They removed the Director's Cut completely from my Queue (and I think from the entire system as well) because the "demand was too high" and although The Final Cut is still in my Queue, it's very long wait and Blu-ray doesn't show up as a rental option when you click on it. Then I went to my local Blockbuster today (which had a surprisingly big Blu-ray section and a flat screen advertising the PS3 bundle) and they didn't have it either...maybe I should just buy it blind...?

Netflix is NOT offering Blade Runner on BD the supply is far shorter than the demand so the have pulled this title from being rented. I too had it in my que and had noticed a message or some thing about it I clicked on it read it and upon returning to my que the title had been removed.

[EricJ]

Originally Posted by Flomaster

Netflix is NOT offering Blade Runner on BD the supply is far shorter than the demand so the have pulled this title from being rented. I too had it in my que and had noticed a message or some thing about it I clicked on it read it and upon returning to my que the title had been removed.

It's the same problem with trying to rent the limited Disney Treasures tins on Netflix:
As the titles are "Limited edition", the studio doesn't want Netflix snapping up a couple hundred copies out of fan-collectors' retail hands, and so never makes the disks available to the online rentals...
The only DT tins you can rent from Netflix coincidentally happen to be Wave 4(?), due to the WWII set being unusually overproduced outside of "limited" status for wider sales.

Since the Blade Runner Briefcase was also a "limited" item, one may suspect it won't be on Netflix.

[jsteinhauer]

I've been a Netflix customer for 5 years and rent 6 atatime, and I have the same problem described above. Can not for the life of me get a BD shipped. I have complained and threatened, and if after this week I do not get some of my top ten choices, I will reduce my subscription with an explanation and keep on bashing them every chance I get. If they are having a problem getting copies, they are certainly not communicating this to customers. I will bet that new customers are not waiting (in attempts to retain, since they are having lots of new subscribers). When longtimers start dropping out, though, they may change their practice.

IMO, they are positioning themselves to push downloads.