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- termal, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Netflix's throttling is annoying though...our turn-around is up to about 5 days. Also, the return envelopes rarely are addressed to the closest return center...one was to as far away as Nevada (I'm in NY).
- FreyrVanir, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Been using netflix for six months its well worth the money, with there three at a time service ($18)I get and watch over 24 movies a month. There turn around time is great and I don't see it getting any better at two days(Send it back Mon, get a new one Wed).
I stopped going to blockbuster when I started using netflix. There prices became nuts($8 for a game, WTF) and when they started that flat monthly fee a month in the store there was never anything worth renting because each store gets such a limited amount of stock and most people keep movies for a long time, it's even worse for game unless you want enter the matrix (They had 75+ copies of that game at a single store at one time ^.^).
Wish netflix would add games to there service even if took two movie rental per game to balance the prices. I tried gamefly but there turn around was horrible, in two months I only got 8 games with there two at a time service even tho I never kept a game for more then two days. - sole, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Trailing PE Ratio Comparison:
NetFlix: 191.24
BlockBuster: N/A (aka no profit)
Forward PE Ratio Comparison:
NetFlix: 34.66
BlockBuster: 15.39
You can't compare the trailing PE ratios of both companies, because BlockBuester doesn't have one. But what does NetFlix's whopping trailing PE of 191.24 tell you? People are throwing a ridiculous amount of money at this company relative to its earnings.
Looking at the forward PE ratios, we can see that shareholders pay twice as much for each doll er earned by Netflix than by Blockbuster. So the current value of NetFlix might be exaggerated just by the fact that it is a sexy internet stock. IMHO. - scutter, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3That is awesome. I couldn't be happier to see Blockbuster hit hard by competition. In my market, Blockbuster came in and bought up or ran out of business ALL competing video stores with thei 99 cent rentals. Then they quickly ramped prices up to $3, then $4, and onwards.
- SectorNation, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I haven't been to Blockbuster in about a year now, thanks to NetFlix. Their in-store selection is sooo sub-par to Netflix, it's not even funny. Die Blockbuster! Die!
- Panoctopi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2It's great to see that justice prevailed this time... specially in the often slimy business world. For so many years Blockbuster afforded itself to be arrogant and rude to its customers because there were limited options. Well, it appears now no matter what they do they will have a hard time recouping because they suffer from MS-like image issues.
Netflix is great though they seem to have become more inconsistent and slower on the turn around time over the past months. - adml_shake, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2after Blockbuster tried to screw me on a movie i never rented, i went to netflix and haven't been happier. I'm a huge Anime fan so it's nice to beable to have such a large selection
- CyBrShRk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Glad to see Blockbuster taking one in the tailpipe...they destroyed all the great 'Mom & Pop' rental stores way back. No competition has allowed them to raise their rental fees at a staggering rate. Trying to get any old movies was a pain too. However, since joining Netflix about a year ago, I can see their level of service going down the toilet too. They have been throttling me since September, with not ONE movie shipped on the same day they receive my returns since then. Also, about 40% of the movies from them are addressed to California and I'm in New Jersey. I thought something was up but didn't know what until I read the news story that Netflix admits throttling and will continue to do so. Looking at my rental history over the year my best month was 21 videos (1st month) to 12 videos in October and 10 in November (two videos they shipped were cracked, took extra week for them to make right on both). For me they're the same evil...monopolies almost in their field that dictates even to the studios how they will do business.
- cheese06, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1yeah, also Blockbuster got cozy with Enron when the company tried to roll out their "broadband" business. sucks to be blockbuster. two thumbs up for netflix.
- outz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2i hate blockbuster. i had a late fee of $5, which i was gonna pay when i went back to rent another movie - a month or so later i got a letter from their collection company. needless to say their corporate office got a nice email, they apologized and offered to refund the charges... no thanks, i just cancelled.
- schlagzeuger, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1***** Netflix. I was with them since the beginning and the service was great until last year when they decided to start throttling me. It got so bad that I gave up last month and switched to www.cafedvd.com. The selection is not as good as netflix and their website design sucks, but there is NO THROTTLING and the service has been great so far.
- Achra, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Cybrshrk: They throttle to the break-even point. 21 movies a month on a 3-out program should be just about impossible, unless you're sending all 3 back on the same day that you receive them.. (Shamelessly bootlegging). Basically, they figure out how often to send you a movie based on how many you rented last month.. 10 or so is the break-even point (Something like just under $2 per movie).. It's a tough break, but complaining that "Netflix won't let me steal fast enough!" won't get you very far.
- Nullifidian, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1H. Wayne Huizenga, founder of Blockbuster can rot in hell.
Long live Netflix!
I think I see some stock purchasing for this coming new year. - rolyatnad, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Netfix's word on throttling:
In determining priority for shipping and inventory allocation, we give priority to those members who receive the fewest DVDs through our service. As a result, those members who receive the most movies may experience next-day shipping and receive movies lower in their Queue more often than our other members. By prioritizing in this way, we help assure a balanced experience for all our members. Those that rent a lot of movies get a great value and those with lighter viewing habits are able to count on our service to meet their limited needs.
Read it here http://www.hackingnetflix.com/netflix/2005/02/netflix_custome.html - outz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1ive ordered a super-rare movie before and it had to ship from a shipping center that was semi-far away... so maybe hes just getting rare movies they don't normally stock in the shipping center near him.
- CyBrShRk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Here's en email from Netflix to a customer concerned about 'throttling':
http://www.hackingnetflix.com/netflix/2005/02/netflix_custome.html - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1All they do is make sure the first few movies of the month get to you faster. I get 5 at a time and have a 1 day turnaround from the shipping center across the state no matter how many movies I've gotten recently. Maybe NetFlix just hates you?
- cmptrnrd16, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Wow I kind-of feel left out. I have Blockbuster online and I love it. I get 3 movies at a time for the same price, plus two free in-store rentals (which I use to rent video games, that I can keep for nearly two weeks with the no late fee's). Plus it seems that every few months I get a coupon for a free used DVD. I think it is great value.
I live in a small college town, and turnover is somewhat slow, but Netflix isn't any faster (from talking to people who have it), so I can't complain. - FreyrVanir, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1achra (0)
If they are spending almost $2 per movie to send it to you and get it back, they are getting ripped off. They DVD and package weigh almost nothing and they have to be getting some so kind of discount for the amount they ship daily.
I get around 6 DVDs a week(Three at a time plan). I get one in the mail, watch it that night then mail it back the next day at work. By the time I get home there is another one in the mail.
So why is that If I go thru more then 20 movies a month I must be "Shamelessly bootlegging". I've even bought several tv show boxsets I watched thru netflix that I never saw on TV.
note:I don't even own a computer with a DVD drive. I have two laptop that share a plugin cdrom. - jumjum, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Netflix needs competition so it won't also go down the toilet. I'd recommend that Blockbuster sell out to Hollywood Video or someone, just so Netflix won't be ruined by human greed. Sorry Netflix, but it's for your own good. What's the best walk-in movie rental store?
- Charlotte_Web, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Debt is a good thing (believe it or not). Corporate debt is viewed very differently than personal debt.
Think of it this way... Blockbuster is making profits off of someone else's money. If they could do it, Blockbuster would probably finance their entire operation with debt. Debt is a cheaper source of funds than issuing stock.
Netflix's stock is most likely undervalued because they aren't using any debt.
In the 1980's and 1990's, corporate raiders used to raid companies that had too little debt, and they would finance the takeover by immediately issuing new debt, and then sell the stock at a higher priced than what they bought it for. - outz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Where did you read they admit to throttling?
- kindrobot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0achra, you really are way off there. I can prove it by comparing the films I make a available on shareazaa (many of which are japanes voyeurism which netflix doesn't even carry, so NYAHH!) to the film I recieve from netflix any time and you can see I clearly stagger the selection so as to not draw attention. So don't assume things about people it makes an ass of you and me, but mostly for me it makes a smartass, which is better.
- jakkyl, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Netflix ROCKS!
- mancat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"Will it work on FreeBSD?"
If you install the "linux-firefox" port, the Linux Flash player plugin will work without a problem. Still, I don't believe you can load the Linux plugin into a FreeBSD-native version of Firefox, Mozilla, Opera, etc. You need to use the Linux emulated versions.
That being said, it's time that Flash become an open standard. At the very least, open the interfaces that are required to read Flash files so that we can implement fully functional open-source viewers. - CyBrShRk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Achra, I think you're way out of line. We watch easily 7+ movies a week...that includes weekend viewing and not including what the kids can watch on their days off. Just because YOU don't watch movies like that doesn't mean WE can't. And finally if Netflix advertises 'UNLIMITED' then it should be UNLIMITED...otherwise they should advertise 'UNLIMITED**' and let me read the fine print. 10 movies a month that you claim is 'break even' is a joke and shows you're just an ***** with an opinion like the rest of us.
- theone3, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Well.. The company was offered NetFlix many times, but they thought it was a dead end.. So SCREW EM :D
- kindrobot, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Going near a blockbuster these days is like driving through a town in a zombie movie. I fully expect to see an employee run out with blood squirting from his neck.
- ekai, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Yeah Blockbuster is worse, but Netflix also sucks. Go Greencine!
http://www.greencine.com - slimbilly, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0you know, if blockbuster would just give you an envelope with your movies so that you could drop them in the mail and send them back to the store you got them from, they might be able to compete with netflix. i mean, i hate netflix because i have to wait for the movies to arrive and i don't watch that many a month; i hate blockbuster because i hate having to take the movies back to the store.
- bankabanka, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0hooray!
- n3tfury, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0"i hate blockbuster. i had a late fee of $5, which i was gonna pay when i went back to rent another movie - a month or so later i got a letter from their collection company. needless to say their corporate office got a nice email, they apologized and offered to refund the charges... no thanks, i just cancelled."
wait a minute. from what you're saying, you never paid the late fee because you said you "were gonna". a month later why WOULDN'T they send you a letter from collections? - sedgemonkey, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I've used both Netflix and Blockbuster's online rental services and I'd have to say they both have issues.
Blockbuster has a terrible website, a slow queue and none of the bells and whistles of Netflix, but at least I haven't noticed any throttling. Throttling is enough to make me never want to use Netflix again. - geeke, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0long live netflix!!!!! BTW send me my damn disc's lol :)
- cmptrnrd16, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Why are people complaining about the rental price of video games? NetFlix doesn't even rent video games, and thus the comparison really can't be made. If you hate a store for high prices, shop at their competitors, NetFlix is not a competitior in the video game rental industry.
Another thing, how many of those people who hate Blockbuster have tried Blockbuster Online? I used to not like Blockbuster (I worked for a small competitor that is now out of business) but I absolutely LOVE their online service. It is the same price for the 3 at a time unlimited rentals, but Blockbuster throws in two in-store rentals a month (up to a 16 dollar value) for free. - kidtone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Another good article on this...
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20051201/qa-hastings.html - phytonix, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I live in a small university town as well. Netflix is slower than Blockbuster online for me. Way too slow that I cannot use Netflix at all. Blockbuster do have less discs available it seems, but if I have a lot in queue it might just be OK. I have not used the free instore rental yet...Should give it a try to add value to my blockbuster plan.
- Achra, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0http://www.hackingnetflix.com/2005/04/netflix_shippin.html
Netflix throttles you according to their $2.00 per rental minimum. According to Netflix, any customer that pays less than $2.00 per rental eats into their profit margin thus that customer gets throttled.
http://www.manuelsweb.com/netflixcalculator.htm - diggik, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Thank the powers that be of us for this!
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Back in the early nineties, I returned several videos to Blockbuster at 11:30 pm (they close at midnight). The next time I tried to rent movies they charged me several big late fees-- obviously they were too lazy to check them in, conveniently.
Haven't been back since. Never will.
RIP Blockbuster. Your day is coming closer. - mancat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Oops. Logged in and posted to the wrong story.
- SODA8297, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0YEAAAAAAAAHHHHH netflix rockss
- Cygnus, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Blockbuster Online is MUCH better then Netflix. Haters
- roastedbagel, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Good ***** blockbuster online with their "never having any movies available now" *****. They NEVER have any movies that arent "new releases" available at that time, its always a s short or long wait. Thats exactly why i cancelled them and went to netflix which always had the movies available. Which is ironic because Netflix from what I understand has many more customers than blockbuster regarding online service.
- sabster, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0i hate blockbuster.. how you like them late fees you get me wit now jackass
- Aniz-Ansari, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Boom Headshot
- NeilSkoglund, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0id prefer to stick to blockbuster myself
LowLoad
[LowLoad.co.uk] - UK dedicated Servers - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0FreyrVanir: The word you're looking for is "their"
- GameCop, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0I can't wait until Blockbuster goes out of business. It's freaking $8.00 to rend one video game, they are out of their minds!!
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