Anyone downgrade their subscriptions and gone to NETFLIX for the movies?

[Mojo Jojo]

Or block those channels.

That would work as well.

 

[TheKrell]

I am the only one disappointed in the quality of Netflix streaming. I don't know if it's my internet speed but I think it is less than dvd quality

I too have issues. The SD stuff is so blurry on my HDTVs that it's unwatchable. I started watching Star Trek in HD on my LG networked Bluray player, and it was very impressive for the 5 minutes I watched. But the very next time I was trying to demo Netflix streaming for a friend, the same movie looked like heck with blockiness all over the place. So I built a HTPC and had DRM problems that prevented me from seeing anything at all on Netflix streaming. Now that I deleted the bum file and got past that hurdle, I again see something that is a tad blocky and almost certainly less than DVD quality. Can PCs get the HD stream? At one time they couldn't.

 

[cditty]

My viewing is always at full speed on the Netflix 'signal' meter. I do not notice blockiness. HD movies are close to what I have on Dish. SD stuff for me looks better than Dish.

 

[empiretc]

you guys are having network issues. netflix streaming quality is great, but you need the bandwidth (3mb +) and solid connectivity.

i laugh at the people who complain, but they have a slower connection and are streaming via wireless. not saying this is you, but your symptoms are definitely a network issue of some sort.

 

[cfunk]

Yes you're right I am doing Netflix wireless thru my Samsung tv but Vudu looks great bluray quality. Why does Vudu look hd and not Netflix?

 

[TheKrell]

you guys are having network issues. netflix streaming quality is great, but you need the bandwidth (3mb +) and solid connectivity.

The network is not the problem here. I have Cox and get a solid 30Mbps down, 5Mbps up on a business account with a fixed IP. The bandwidth is there; the PQ is not! GigE throughout the house. I have wireless too, but I prefer to hardwire everything but our mobile stuff just to eliminate that as a bottleneck.

My LG BD player apparently has a gnarly Netflix application, because I never know what it's going to do. Usually it screws up and shows me something blocky and sub-DVD resolution. The HTPC client may be stuck at SD resolution. At one time, Netflix only allowed external STBs to get HD streams; is this still the case? If so, that would explain the problems I see on a PC. I do not own a Roku, which seems to be the gold standard for Netflix streaming. Just saying, some folks seem to have their issues ironed out, but others do not. I still keep my Netflix account for the DVD rentals. No issues there.

 

[empiretc]

My LG BD player apparently has a gnarly Netflix application, because I never know what it's going to do.

This is also a factor. I noticed the quality of nextlix was better on my PS3 and TivoHD then some cheapo blu-ray player my friend has. I bet that's because of the processing power, but it was still very watchable and not choppy.

The only way I was able to get netflix to look good on the tv using a HTPC was to install the MediaCenter add-in. When watching through the browser, it looked great on the monitor, but was cruddy when connected to the tv. The MC add-in took care of that. I have since retired the HTPC.

 

[samalex]

We have the Top 250 plan, and via our Sony BluRay player and Wii we can watch Netflix on either TV in our house. We're on contract with Dish to get HD 4 Life, so maybe when that's up another 18 months or so) i'll see what options are out there and look at dropping or canceling. I still like the options of Live TV though which Netflix nor Hulu offers.

 

[TheKrell]

The only way I was able to get netflix to look good on the tv using a HTPC was to install the MediaCenter add-in.

Interesting comment. I get the exact same picture on IE8 as I do in Media Center, including the DRM error (when that was stopping me). Are you absolutely positive that you were getting a HD picture under Media Center?

 

[hometheaterman]

Yep, I also dropped all of my premium channels and added Netflix. I found myself watching Netflix more and more and Dish less and less. So I ended up calling and downgrading my package to the AT120 package also and disconnected my second receiver as I just wasn't watching it. I do watch several channels, but I get most of them still in the 120 package. I miss Speed channel, and one other channel, but other than that, I don't really miss anything. I have the Netflix package where you can get 1 movie at a time and I've mostly been doing that, with some streaming.

I saw the comments about Redbox and for a while I used that and fought Netflix. I don't know that I watch 10 movies a month, so I think I could come out cheaper with Redbox. That being said, I found that Netflix has soo many movies and TV shows on DVD that I want to see that Redbox doesn't. For example the final season of 24. I have bought all of the other seasons on DVD, but for this final one I think I'm just going to rent it. I can't do that on Redbox. There are also several older movies I've gotten that aren't available on Redbox. So if I want to see them and don't have Netflix I either have to buy them or go rent them from Blockbuster for an outrageous price. I'm in no way bashing Redbox, and infact I think it's a great invention, and I still use it occasionally and it's great for newer movies, but I think Netflix caters to a whole different crowd. That being said, I could see myself eventually doing away with Netflix and going back to just using Redbox once I watch several of the TV shows on Netflix that I want to catch up on.

 

[SQUEEZON]

One thing to keep in mind. Netflix has contracts with the studios that they cannot show a new release after its theater run for 30 days. So maybe if you are in a hurry to see one, you can use Amazon instant watch for $1.99
Also Netflix will keep at least 50% of their newer movies as a DVD mailer. Other than that there are thousands of older movies to watch!

 

[Jim5506]

Still paying $29.99 per month for HD Absolute - third year in a row, well actually it went down $5 last year.

With 4 receivers (722K+3 211's) Dish bill is less than $60/month plus tax.

HD ABSOLUTE FOREVER!!!

 

[llzel]

dropped from AEP to 250 a year or so ago and never looked back. Signed up for Netflix $8/month 6 months ago and love it. get DVD and stream, both work great. I also use my 1st gen apple TV with Boxee and Navi-x installed. This weekend I caught up on HBO's Boardwalk Empire, 12 episodes (2 were corrupted) (used Navi-X) and watched 1/2 of the season 6 Lost episodes with Netflix stream. I was so entrenched with TV Friday that I didn't know an EF3 tornado struck 1/4 mile from my house. Heard the sirens but like always, ignored it.
Google tornado in Sunset Hills, MO

 

[brgmgb]

Yes. We downgraded from the 200 to 120 package and added Netflix. We do not have Dish HD (they want $300 to upgrade), so Netflix picture quality isn't an issue because we watch SD on Dish all the time anyway.

We receive more DVDs than we stream. As was said, we try to watch the movie/show the day it was received. If we mail it back Tuesday, they receive it and mail the next one Wednesday, and we'll receive the new one on Thursday. Most of what we get on DVD are tv show series.

Netflix streaming is OK. We have a 720p tv and Netflix on the Wii. Our Internet speed is about 1 Mbps (fastest we can get). Some days we have no problem. Other days the movie buffers every 10 minutes, but that is usually Saturday afternoons. We love being able to select a movie at the last minute and watch immediately. My daughter watches quite a bit on the computer and has not complained about any problems.

We still use the video store and RedBox, but we are using them less and less. We rented two movies the day before New Years Eve (Dec 30th). We still have not watched the one (it's due tomorrow), but we have watched all five episodes of Castle season 2 disk 3 from Netflix.

If I could get a DVR with 7+ day guide that worked off the over-the-air antenna channels, I would drop Dish and upgrade my antenna. We get our local channels via Dish, but do have an old antenna that we can get them on too. We live about 50 miles out, so sometimes OTA is hit or miss. Over Christmas, I kept track of what we watched. Besides the local channels, we watched 105 (USA), 106 (TV land), 110 (Food Network), 120 (History Channel), 122 (Sci-Fi/SyFi), 139 (TBS), 140 (ESPN), 170-179 (Disney & Nickelodeon), 180 (ABC family), 182 (Discover), 183 (TLC), 202 (HLN), and 205 (FoxNews). With the exception of the news channels, we can watch everything else via the Internet (but it would require hooking a computer up to the tv). I also noticed how much time we wasted watching tv.

So yes, Netflix has prompted us to downgrade our subscription and may eventually cause us to drop Dish altogether.

 

[empiretc]

The you should get a DTVPal or TivoHD. We did the TivoHD thing for a while, it is was good. I liked having the local HD channels and Netflix at the push of a button. Upgrade your antenna and install an amp if you are serious.

 

[Lord_Vader]

The network is not the problem here. I have Cox and get a solid 30Mbps down, 5Mbps up on a business account with a fixed IP. The bandwidth is there; the PQ is not! GigE throughout the house. I have wireless too, but I prefer to hardwire everything but our mobile stuff just to eliminate that as a bottleneck.

My LG BD player apparently has a gnarly Netflix application, because I never know what it's going to do. Usually it screws up and shows me something blocky and sub-DVD resolution. The HTPC client may be stuck at SD resolution. At one time, Netflix only allowed external STBs to get HD streams; is this still the case? If so, that would explain the problems I see on a PC. I do not own a Roku, which seems to be the gold standard for Netflix streaming. Just saying, some folks seem to have their issues ironed out, but others do not. I still keep my Netflix account for the DVD rentals. No issues there.

HD is available on the PC (browser). I didn't look specifically in Media Center, but I am pretty sure it it there also. I think that it was available when they switched to silverlight, but that's just a guess.

I mostly use my samsung blu-ray players now and they both look fine. ( one older, and one newer mid level models )

It might be your provider too. Some cable cos are rumored to intentionally slow Netflix. That might also explain the Hulu versus Netflix quality issues. Just a thought.

Edit: Found this out of curiosity... http://www.bensbrowning.com/2009/02/11/cox-cable-speedboost-irritations/

 

[Tyralak]

I use an XBox 360 for Netflix along with a Comcast 12/3 connection. However for some reason I've always gotten 20/5 with it. My Netflix looks great.

 

[TheKrell]

HD is available on the PC (browser). I didn't look specifically in Media Center, but I am pretty sure it it there also. I think that it was available when they switched to silverlight, but that's just a guess.

I think you are right. I finally Googled the right phrase and discovered that Netflix enabled PC HD streams c. May 2010. Silverlight problems might explain my crappy HTPC PQ as well. I am definitely having "fun" with the 64-bit Silverlight installation. A Netflix CSR tried to tell me my version was out of date. While discovering that this was untrue, I did manage to hang my dang Windows Explorer so badly I had to pull the plug. I hope this will resolve itself when Microsoft releases Silverlight 5.

 

[Lord_Vader]

I think you are right. I finally Googled the right phrase and discovered that Netflix enabled PC HD streams c. May 2010. Silverlight problems might explain my crappy HTPC PQ as well. I am definitely having "fun" with the 64-bit Silverlight installation. A Netflix CSR tried to tell me my version was out of date. While discovering that this was untrue, I did manage to hang my dang Windows Explorer so badly I had to pull the plug. I hope this will resolve itself when Microsoft releases Silverlight 5.

You might want to rebuild. That helps microsoft sometimes.

 

[Anony55]

I've had NetFlix longer than I've had Dish Network. So I didn't actually "downgrade" because of NetFlix... I just never bought the premiums in the first place because of NetFlix.

I don't even have broadband to use the streaming. I do the disc by mail (3 at a time). With the help of an HTPC, that's good enough . Everyone kept telling us that we needed to check out 24 (the show). Boy, they we're right! That show is great!!

NetFlix = 24, some other old favorites, and some movies.

Dish Network = Some basic channels, and whatever channel my favorite team is playing on.

Cheers