That's funny, because most of their discs are.

It's the purest business model.

1. Offer one product, or variations of one thing (in this case, DVD rentals/option to purchase).

2. Sell your service well, with clear terms.

3. Offer exceptional customer service.

4. Don't gloat when you blow your competition out of the water.

Netflix has been an absolutely vital resource. Mr. pi and I stopped going to the movie theater as much because it was too much money to go. And then we were aggravated that Blockbuster was charging nearly $5 a DVD. Netflix has made things so much easier for us, and now we use Redbox even more than Netflix because we don't watch movies that often. We're more TV people.

makes sense. as the economy contracts further, and the recession deepens, I'm sure more people will save money by staying in with a movie.

I know people who have given up on cable, and rely on OTA networks plus netflix for their home entertainment.

@B: It's a good choice. Cable is way too expensive.

I use Netflix and download the other programming I want to watch, the only thing I require cable for is sporting events and I generally just go to a friends house to watch those.

I know netflix is very popular here. But I'm just not that impressed. I mean compared to blockbuster, I'm impressed. But I just get sick of them and their queue methods. If you're getting too many movies, you don't get the newest releases. And all that nonsense.

I also hate how they wont put the newest releases on their front page. If you check their newest releases, its like 4 month old movies.

@B: I am about to join that club. I rarely watch the cable I pay for. The only TV I enjoy is network TV during prime time hours.

DVDs can fill in the rest.

Also side note, it took several class action law suits to get netflix where it was today. It's not like they wanted to be a good company, they were sued into being a better company.

@B: I have.

$14.00 a month for 2 movies at a time on Netflix, plus commercial-free feeds as much as you want? Or Hulu, which has limited commercials for lots of TV shows and movies?

Damn straight I'm not getting cable. Why give Comcast more money for their Comcastic prices and service?

I wonder how much of that increase has to do with the inclusion of Watch Now functionality in the Xbox 360 NXE update. I know that I signed up only because of this option, I don't really care about the physical dvd shipping service, just give me my watch instantly.

@B: I love waiting until a TV season is finished, and then watching all the episodes over a few days on Hulu, or DVD. much less commercials, and none of that waiting a week to see what happens next!

@B: That's what I do. I have my 12ish channels from the HD Antenna and NetFlix everything else. I wish they would get with the PS3 and do a streaming service but until then my laptop with SVideo will do.

@B: That's what I do.

@kateblack: I've had Netflix for over a year and I've NEVER gotten a broken disc.

@Bladefist: There is a low probability that the "new release" you want is actually worth watching. Netflix is doing you a favor.

@kateblack: Eight years of membership and I've only gotten one cracked disc.

@pecan pi: I never understood how they justified charging so much for a rental. It's the reason why I stopped renting movies. Then along came netflix and blockbuster's self inflicted wounds became infected with an incurable disease.

@Bladefist: Another thing you can do is open up the /NewReleases page and type /AllNewReleases.

I actually got that tip from Netflix when I called in to voice my displeasure of the new release queue change. The All brings it back to how it was.

/not sure if that's what you're looking for, but it's a worthy tip, nonetheless!

@ogremustcrush: Same here. I was turned off of Netflix in the early days--was one of those customers screwed by throttling that Bladefist hints at in his class action comment. But Xbox 360 + Netflix = awesome upon awesome.

Now if only the studios will release more titles to stream.

@Bladefist: The ends justify the means I guess.

I dropped Netflix after I noticed my movies arriving at a slower and slower rate, no doubt due to their shady throttling practice.

Now I get movie rentals for free, courtesy of that place they call a library.

I tried Netflix for the free trial period, and gave up after I got one DVD, returned it the next day, and got nothing but several apology emails until the end of the trial period.

If I want email, I'll tell my mother to start sending warm fuzzy chain emails again.

Hulu, the library, and friends' houses on nights like election night, and I'm all set. Netflix and Comcast can get a room somewhere else for all I care.

@custommadescare: great tip. thx

@ogremustcrush: i think it's definitely made a difference. i signed up back when xbe first came out & the amount of watch it now titles has exploded. now i'm starting to have management problems - i have like 350 titles in my queue! =(

@Meiran: Lucky you.

I've had 9 cracked/scratched or otherwise physically damaged to the point of being unplayable discs in a 2-3 month period + a broken disc that they sent twice.

Netflix gets the bulb of my entertainment dollars. They are awesome. I've watched many more and a broader range of t.v. and movies than I would've otherwise. If you're just a new movie/blockbuster kind of person, then I don't know. But I like watching all sorts of things and get out of paying for the premium channels HBO and Showtime by just watching everything at once when it comes out on DVD. Not that it was on a premium channel, but I watched some 80 hours of Battlestar Galactica (some 5 calendar years' worth) in 4 months along with plenty of other things in that time too.

@kateblack: Might be an issue with your local distribution center. I've only had 1 problem in 2 years of membership and it wasn't even their fault. It was the right disc as evidenced by the printing on top, but something else (and something weird) was recorded onto it.

@kateblack: sounds like a local distribution or handling issue. i've had netflix 6 years w/o one broken disk.

We've had NetFlix now for 4 years and (knocks on wood) have never had a problem. Everytime we drive by the DVD store we just point and laugh at folks standing in line lol. For what they're spending there, they could be getting oodles more movies.

I was a Netflix subscriber for a week. Nothing would come in since I only like obscure silent films and OOP anime.

Canceled it and spent nothing. Too bad, I wanted to like it.

I've been using netflix for ~2 years now. I've never felt like my discs were being throttled, and the only problems I've had is that two discs were lost in the mail. Once I reported it, I got the replacement in the mail the next day- both discs. Add that up with watch instantly and it's pretty hard to complain about the company.

As long as my local library continues to provide free DVD rentals, I will never understand the appeal of Netflix.

@HooFoot: Of the last 2 places I've lived one library charged for dvd rentals and the one I currently borrow books from has a crappy DVD selection, makes Netflix appealing.

@B: I'm one of those as well. OTA, Netflix, and the internet take care of all my needs.

@Aaron Feibus: My household had a membership in another city, serviced by another distribution center. There we had all of our DVDs of a certain genre go "missing" after being returned. Probably stolen in the distribution center.

If Netflix didn't have the streaming movies, I would not keep the membership.