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Netflix - General discussion & technical queries

  • 23-10-2011 10:15pm
    #1
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,667 CMod ✭✭✭✭Sad Professor




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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 20 Guru


    Netflix, the leading global Internet film subscription service, today announced it will expand to the United Kingdom and Ireland in early 2012, offering unlimited TV shows and films streaming instantly over the Internet to TVs and computers for one low monthly subscription price.
    Upon launch, Netflix members from the UK and Ireland will be able to instantly watch a wide array of TV shows and films right on their TVs via a range of consumer electronics devices capable of streaming from Netflix, as well as on PCs, Macs and mobile tablets and phones. Further details about the service, including pricing, content and supported devices, will be announced closer to launch.
    Netflix has been streaming to U.S. members since 2007, adding Canada in 2010 and 43 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean in September 2011. Netflix has revolutionised entertainment across the Americas by giving its members a huge selection of films and TV shows to enjoy when and where they want.
    People interested in becoming members of Netflix in the UK or Ireland can go to www.netflix.com to sign up to receive an email alert letting them know when Netflix has launched in their country.
    http://netflix.us.en.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=24309&item=73640


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,080 ✭✭✭marketty


    Good to see this coming here and bringing some much needed competition to the movie rental market, but what do you reckon the chances are we'll be asked to pay over the odds for a restricted selection? A bit cynical but we all know it happens, I'm looking at you iTunes...


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 5,318 ✭✭✭Fishooks12


    Netflix eh? Pay money to watch stuff on the internet you say......


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,489 ✭✭✭iMax


    Ok, we get it, you're excited about it. Now please stop spamming all over the place


  • Administrators, Computer Games Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 32,073 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Mickeroo


    Good news regards the streaming but with the Irish postal service this will be a waste of time, 2 movies a week max and thats if you occasionally watch and repost one the day you get it. That was what it was like with an post movies by mail anyway. Great when I was on the dole but not so great when I have to fit actual real life into my day :pac:


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  • Registered Users Posts: 231 ✭✭MC_G


    Looking forward to this and hopefully the pricing and available content are reasonable.

    I'm more worried about the ISP's than An Post, Netflix doesn't offer movies by post anymore.

    I feel sorry from the poor VPN/Proxy providers in the US!


  • Administrators, Computer Games Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 32,073 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Mickeroo


    MC_G wrote: »
    Looking forward to this and hopefully the pricing and available content are reasonable.

    I'm more worried about the ISP's than An Post, Netflix doesn't offer movies by post anymore.

    I feel sorry from the poor VPN/Proxy providers in the US!

    Really? Its just streaming now? It was quite annoying that only a few movies could be streamed before but if their whole catalogue is streamable now then I might be tempted.


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,667 CMod ✭✭✭✭Sad Professor


    I thought Netflix abandoned their plans to rename their rental division, no?


  • Registered Users Posts: 37,295 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    If they do a streaming service, it'll take off. Rental by post seem to tend to die in Ireland.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,983 ✭✭✭Tea_Bag


    fantastic news. I probably won't use the service but I can't wait to see the ISPs buckle under pressure because of the low usage caps. that or eircom is gonna end up taking a massive amount of people to court.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,683 ✭✭✭larchielads


    just back from the states a few days ago, my mate has this netflix thingy. he got a dvd in the post someone said in a previous post that they stopped posting dvds maybe in some places but not in boston .i dont know if net flix are set up outside of the usa or whatever but i for one will not be availing of this service. dont get me wrong the quality is perfect while streaming but in all fairness as someone said why pay for somethin when youve already got the web?? i only used my xtra vision card for the first time in 2 years to rent a game:pac:


  • Registered Users Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    dont get me wrong the quality is perfect while streaming but in all fairness as someone said why pay for somethin when youve already got the web??
    Because torrenting or using dodgy streaming sites isn't something that your run-of-the-mill person can do.

    And indeed most computers are still relegated to the back room on the desk desk. People still want to watch their movies in their front room on the big telly.

    If they can get the delivery right, it'll work. At the moment I stream from my machine to my TV over the internal network. I probably would pay a small fee to cut out the middle bit and access the stuff directly from my TV, if it was giving me movies and TV shows as soon as they're available elsewhere.

    You might as well ask why people download via iTunes when they can torrent it? Because it's easier to pay for it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,983 ✭✭✭Tea_Bag


    for the streaming part, do they supply a media box that would just hook up through HDMI and Ethernet or is it streaming to PC style?


  • Registered Users Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    It appears to be only streaming via computer or console. My Sony Bravia gets software upgrades that include "apps" from 3rd parties. I can watch 3 player directly on the TV, for example. Netflix works on Sony TVs in the US, so I'm hoping it'll be the same here.

    A small media box would be an absolute goldmine for netflix. 300GB hard drive, small OS and SCART/HDMI out, no more than €30 cost per customer really. I'd get one if my TV didn't support netflix.


  • Registered Users Posts: 33,378 ✭✭✭✭listermint


    Tea_Bag wrote: »
    for the streaming part, do they supply a media box that would just hook up through HDMI and Ethernet or is it streaming to PC style?

    Streaming to PC.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,674 ✭✭✭Faith+1


    The final nail in the coffin of Xtravision me thinks....


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,983 ✭✭✭Tea_Bag


    seamus wrote: »
    It appears to be only streaming via computer or console. My Sony Bravia gets software upgrades that include "apps" from 3rd parties. I can watch 3 player directly on the TV, for example. Netflix works on Sony TVs in the US, so I'm hoping it'll be the same here.

    A small media box would be an absolute goldmine for netflix. 300GB hard drive, small OS and SCART/HDMI out, no more than €30 cost per customer really. I'd get one if my TV didn't support netflix.
    it would be very do able with a cut down android OS. €30, and allow you to control it with your smart phone, along with all the apps android natively supports right on your tv. I'd buy it too. fortunately, it seems Netflix has an app on Xbox 360 so I'd actually be interested in this.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,933 ✭✭✭H8GHOTI


    Re: DVD mail service & Streaming

    The CEO of Netflix wrote a blog post saying that they were splitting the company in two. DVD by post will be called Qwikster & the streaming service will stay as Netflix.

    http://blog.netflix.com/2011/09/explanation-and-some-reflections.html


  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Entertainment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,667 CMod ✭✭✭✭Sad Professor


    H8GHOTI wrote: »
    Re: DVD mail service & Streaming

    The CEO of Netflix wrote a blog post saying that they were splitting the company in two. DVD by post will be called Qwikster & the streaming service will stay as Netflix.

    http://blog.netflix.com/2011/09/explanation-and-some-reflections.html

    Yeah, but they did a 180 on this following the negative reaction, so it's not happening anymore. See here:

    http://blog.netflix.com/2011/10/dvds-will-be-staying-at-netflixcom.html


  • Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 17,231 Mod ✭✭✭✭Das Kitty


    Having used the US version, I can say that it is a great service and well worth what they pay. I wonder what the pricing plans will be like over here?

    I found it brilliant for watching discontinued series. The only minor bugbear was that at high traffic times the resolution might not get up to speed for a good few minutes. It was pretty reliable though.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,706 ✭✭✭Voodu Child


    seamus wrote: »
    Because torrenting or using dodgy streaming sites isn't something that your run-of-the-mill person can do.

    And indeed most computers are still relegated to the back room on the desk desk. People still want to watch their movies in their front room on the big telly.

    I know people who havent a bean of computer knowledge and they are torrenting music or their favourite TV shows.

    Also most households already have something under the TV to watch their downloaded content. Be that a PS3, Xbox, or some kind of media player like WDTV. You only need to look at Bargain Alerts to see how many people have a media player or streamer.

    Its an out-of-date viewpoint to think that downloading films or TV shows is the preserve of geeks hunched over their computer in a dark room. I know a 50 year old technophobe who brings a thumbdrive into work and swaps things with colleagues, none of them IT types.

    I don't approve of any of this, but part of the problem is that this is too little too late. The internet has made the world a smaller place and if someone knows there's a new series of *whatever* on in the US, they don't want to wait 6 months to watch it. The average joe has gone off and learned how to download things because a legit service wasn't available.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,426 ✭✭✭Roar


    I use Netflix already via VPN, and it's brilliant. If the Irish version is priced similarly (it's $8 p/m in the states) and has a similar selection I'll be on board.

    I used to download almost everything I wanted to watch, but now I stream most of the time via netflix. I have it hooked up to my TV by HDMI and it looks great. And the suggestions it gives you based on your own tastes are more often than not spot on (I started watching breaking bad because it was one of my suggestions and now I'm hooked).

    Pro tip, once the movie starts streaming you can turn off your VPN and you'll get your full download speed. You'll have to reconnect your VPN once it's over to browse again afterwards though.


  • Registered Users Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    Its an out-of-date viewpoint to think that downloading films or TV shows is the preserve of geeks hunched over their computer in a dark room.
    Agreed, but at the same time I think it's jumping the gun to suggest that this kind of thing is mainstream. The vast majority of people that I know, of all ages, wouldn't have a clue where to go to even begin downloading anything, never mind figuring out how to get it to display on their TVs.

    I don't think it's too late for a "pay-for" service. Look at the headlines that Napster got more than 10 years ago. Afterwards hundreds of similar services popped up. Sharing and downloading went mainstream.

    Then Apple came along, apparently well after the party had gotten started, launched a service where you clicked, paid, downloaded, direct onto your device and walk off. Now they're the biggest music retailer on the planet. It was that simplicity that made people pay for it. Hell, I pay for it because I can get the music in a fraction of the time/effort it takes to torrent. Even if that's a fraction of five minutes, it's still easier :)

    That's the market NetFlix have to hit. It's not about free -v- not free. It's about easy -v- not as easy. Some people will drive around for 20 minutes looking for the parking space that's free. But most people will pay €5 for the parking space that's right in front of them.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 17,208 ✭✭✭✭aidan_walsh


    The problem at the moment is that Netflix is in a bit of a tailspin and its model is starting to look a little bit uncertain as networks and studios are trying to get themselves larger and larger pieces of the pie.

    I would also assume that they would be looking to to bid on content using the UK and Ireland as a single market, so it would be interesting to see what kind of influence Sky would have on the library size and what kind of delays we can expect to see on how long it takes content to make it to the library.


  • Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 12,013 Mod ✭✭✭✭jaykhunter


    i'm glad to hear Netflix are finally coming to Ireland. I suppose streaming is the big concern, bandwidth issues; and how soon they get new episodes of TV shows. It'd be cool if u could stream new eps of whatever on your iPad or laptop for a flat rate.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,400 ✭✭✭Nollog


    This is probably going to be a gimped service with very little licensed for us.


  • Registered Users Posts: 7,070 ✭✭✭the whole year inn


    how is it going to work with capped downloads?I dont think it will.


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,926 ✭✭✭✭titan18


    If it's the same as the US version, I'll pay for it. If we get a cut down version at a higher price, I won't. Interested to see how they do it


  • Registered Users Posts: 55 ✭✭fergisimo


    This news just made my day. Used to use it in the States, it's really a brilliant service. We were paying about $15 or $16 for unlimited rentals a month, which isn't bad at all. And the selection is phenomenal! I'll definitely be investing in this, anyway.


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