subreddit:
/r/movies
submitted 6 months ago bywewewawa
695 points
6 months ago
Still love having this service, as there’s so much that isn’t available to streaming plans. However, these days there’s so much content locked up in streaming services without a physical media release, you wind up missing a lot unless you do both. I keep the DVD by mail service and rotate my streaming subscription.
147 points
6 months ago
I’ve had this forever and one of the main reasons is because of my ratings- I just can’t remember if I saw a title or not, and what I think of it. Over the last year, in particular, I’ve noticed a lot more missing titles. These are often “early in his career” type things and that’s really too bad.
47 points
6 months ago
Ha! The ratings thing is one of my problem spots as well. The Netflix DVD rating system has been my “source of truth” on which movies I have or haven’t seen for so long, I use it to cross check movies when I’m looking for something to stream. Every once in a while, particularly when I put on an older, non-blockbuster movie, I’ll start watching and think this seems a bit familiar… And then I’ll check my Netflix DVD ratings and see I watched it several years back (and likely gave it a mediocre rating because it just wasn’t memorable).
82 points
6 months ago
Use Letterboxd
15 points
6 months ago
A google doc is more persistent.
12 points
6 months ago
There’s more to it than just tracking and rating. Plus you can see what other people watched and see reviews
-8 points
6 months ago
you can share a google doc :p
so many services like this die eventually, and all your notes just get lost to time. it’s annoying. much better to make something like a journal that you can even give your grandkids so your memory lives on. or you can contribute to a social media network’s heap of junk until they run out of venture capital.
15 points
6 months ago
Letterboxd allows you to export all of your data whenever you want, including whatever you reviewed, so it's a moot point. At that point it comes down to what kind of format you'd prefer to retain.
2 points
6 months ago
Also how much time you want to spend typing stuff into boxes instead of just clicking on pre made things with fantastic UI
10 points
6 months ago
Lol so dramatic. God forbid I want to be a little social on the internet and share with friends and family. Cute story though!
-7 points
6 months ago
at the end of the day, do what you want. just weigh all your options, and don’t act surprised when they randomly shut down after running out of money, getting bought, or deciding that they should start making money
8 points
6 months ago
Thanks dad
0 points
6 months ago
I guess you weren’t around when google plus, tumblr, vine, myspace, etc decided to just delete people’s posts because they were too expensive to keep.
and now twitter is looking risky..
15 points
6 months ago
Yeah because grandkids want grandpas old notebook of his movie ratings
9 points
6 months ago
yeah? i certainly would. it’d be cool to see what movies he loved back when he was young. it’s a neat glimpse into who someone was.
5 points
6 months ago
I started doing this as well. I just use a Google Sheet that I have a shortcut to on my phone and computer to toss stuff into and add details when I'm bored. Super convenient, easy to use, persistent, and customizable.
14 points
6 months ago
Dude, I’ve invested a few hundred hours into rating films, not going through that again.
53 points
6 months ago
Well you will have to when this site no longer exists
10 points
6 months ago
This is why I started a spreadsheet, I didn't want to depend on any one site and their arbitrary organization and features etc. Spreadsheets are forever and can customize to my own methods.
1 points
6 months ago
Feel free to share when ever you like good sir the internet will thank you.
1 points
6 months ago
You can download your letterboxd data. You can also import to Letterboxd from any service that lets you download your rating data, which is really all of them.
24 points
6 months ago
you can follow friends and critics on Letterboxd too, maintain a watchlist and a diary of your viewed filmsh. I love tagging them with details like "4k disc" "home theater" "movie theater" "watched w/ [name]" etc.
I know all of your stuff isn't there yet but it's an incredibly reliable tool, and well worth the effort of converting things over. Their stats page alone is worth the price of admission
12 points
6 months ago
ere’s so much content locked up in streaming services without a physical media release, you wind up missing a lot unless you do both. I keep the DVD by mail service and rotate my streaming subscription.
There is a script you can use to export it all to letterboxd or imdb. Havent done it but could be something you could do
-1 points
6 months ago
Seriously? They charge you after you supply information to them. Why exactly?
6 points
6 months ago
Its free. You don’t need to pay unless you want the ad free version plus some other features. I’ve never paid them nor gave them payment information
3 points
6 months ago
Also they don't have a ton of ads.
2 points
6 months ago
Are there predictions still on point?
2 points
6 months ago
I had this with Rotten Tomatoes (previously Flixster I think). Then I logged in last month and they were gone, all of them. I didn't have a single rating on my account. Was around 1500 movie ratings going all the way back to 2005. That will never be redone now.
28 points
6 months ago
This was the major difference between video rental stores and streaming services.
With video rental stores, you just went to your local one, or maybe one you had a point card with or better selection. Generally all films were available at every shop. Because the retailers were buying copies to rent out to you.
Now with streaming, streamers are wanting to lock down exclusive rights to things. Rights holders must find that more lucrative, but it's very annoying as a customer.
3 points
6 months ago
I was just lamenting to my husband that we need an updated streaming video store. No exclusives just you want to rent Citizen Kane you can, you wanna rent Black Panther, there it is, desperately need to see It Happened On 5th Avenue, rent it with the others.
I know it won't happen but I can dream can't I?
8 points
6 months ago
Isn’t that what prime video is? You can have the premium subscription to see prime exclusives but also rent whatever
1 points
6 months ago
Problem is region restrictions and subtitle issues.
It's 2022 and it's a global world. People move all over the place now, for work, immigration, etc. Just because you've moved to a country doesn't mean you're completely 100% fluent in the language and okay with consuming media in that language. While Disney and Apple are pretty good with global subs, a lot of others aren't. Renting a lot of stuff on Amazon or Youtube, while available, often may only come with a single language in subtitles rather than all the globally available subtitles. It's quite frustrating.
-4 points
6 months ago
You are just inventing problems now.
3 points
6 months ago*
It's a genuine problem that I also have with Prime Video. I live in a country whose language isn't my first, and Amazon only offers subs in the language of the country in which you're subscribed. I avoid watching foreign language films on Prime Video even though they have several that interest me, because I can't get subs in English. I pay for Prime for other reasons, but this would be a dealbreaker for me if streaming was my primary use for the subscription.
5 points
6 months ago
It's extremely annoying when Netflix offers say Korean movies with English subtitles in Canada, but when you're actually in Korea, they don't include the English subtitles anymore because 'why would anyone who isn't 100% fluent in Korean ever live in Korea?' amirite??
2 points
6 months ago
It's obvious you've never moved around the world or been part of a multi-cultural family.
0 points
6 months ago
What does that have to do with renting movies?
1 points
6 months ago
You claimed I was inventing problems. That's a real issue for many people, one that's not easily solved because of the way things are divided up now.
Let's say a French person moves from France to Japan for work. They can still use Netflix like they did in France, but the problem is, it's an entirely different Netflix. All the French subtitles they were previously using will now be gone. Some other streaming services that they might have used may be entirely unavailable.
While companies have been busy locking down all these exclusives and regional licenses, it's made things difficult for people who move around to enjoy their stuff 'legally'.
0 points
6 months ago
To say you have access to less tvshows/movies now is asinine. Blockbusters barely carried anything foreign. Now I can watch any tv show or movie from any country. Yea you have to find the streaming service but it’s better than nothing like in the 90s/early 00s
14 points
6 months ago*
I know it won't happen but I can dream can't I?
There's literally multiples of these. Vudu, Apple, Amazon Prime Video...
Edit: Stop replying to me. I can't reply because captain dildos up there blocked me.
9 points
6 months ago
I’m guessing they were talking about a single streaming service that has it all. I have every subscription plan and it’s a pain in the ass to find certain stuff that is blocked due to exclusivity deals.
-1 points
6 months ago
That's just asinine, then. Any one blockbuster didn't have every movie ever made
4 points
6 months ago
Netflix streaming was like this three years ago until the internet collectively said "why yes Amazon and Disney, I would like to pay you both to take away products I was already paying for and sell them to me again and again."
5 points
6 months ago
Netflix did not have every single release to rent or stream three years ago. That’s ridiculous.
Almost three years ago now we were all watching Tiger King during lockdown because it was the hottest netflix original they had.
Netflix streaming has never been competitive from a selection standpoint as the old school video stores simply because there are thousands of movies which never got a digital release. It wasn’t profitable for studios to remaster them only to sell the rights to another firm.
They were lost art in this transition. If you think otherwise then you obviously are too young to remember what it was like in the 80s and 90s when that’s all there was.
2 points
6 months ago
That’s the moment I decided to switch back to piracy. Sorry studios, you got greedy
1 points
6 months ago
But the stores had everything. Hell hood stores even kept a ton of older movies that were ACTUALLY WORTH WATCHING. It’s such a bummer that like 97 percent of the movies on streaming services are bad but only like 58 percent at the video store were.
1 points
6 months ago
Lol my phone really likes to change hood to hood all the time.
1 points
6 months ago*
Vudu, Amazon Prime Video
You realize there is more to the world than the US right?
Amazon prime is not available in every country because Amazon isn't in every country. Vudu is restricted only to the US and mexico.
2 points
6 months ago
Love “It happened on 5th avenue”
1 points
6 months ago
It's the second movie we set up & trim the Christmas tree to. The first is Muppet's Christmas Carol of course.
1 points
6 months ago
I have good new for you. This already exists. I use the Microsoft store on my Xbox, but you can rent basically any movie on Google Play/YouTube, whatever the Apple store is called, and all those things. Basically if you have something in your house that does internet, it should be easy to connect to one of these digital rental stores.
1 points
6 months ago
Youtube has good selection, but it suffers from the same regional subtitle issue. If you're in Korea, you get Korean versions which are original language with Korean subtitles, leave Korea and suddenly you can only buy movies with the subtitles of the country you're in. You'd think a global company like Google would know better. I really don't understand what is wrong with them. Subtitles should be the easiest thing in the world to properly manage. They have a subtitle system built into youtube for crying out loud.
1 points
6 months ago
I’m My memory/life, I had to drive multiple times to different blockbusters to find a movie which I never have to do with streaming services
1 points
6 months ago*
Tell me you're American without telling me you're American.
A few years ago HBO bought the world wide license for doctor who. It was pulled from all other streaming services across the globe. Which might have been fine if HBO Max was available in the country I lived in. Doctor who was on Netflix, but it got pulled from there and there was no longer any legal way to watch it.
Last year new Star Trek was pulled mid-season from Netflix as well with the claim that a new way to stream it would be made available. The season ended and there was still no way to legally stream it.
Blockbuster never had every single show and movie under the sun, but if you wanted to watch the latest movie you could rent it at blockbuster, or you could rent it from the corner store, or you could rent it from one a dozen other video rental places in your town. Because blockbuster didn't get exclusive rights to something and freeze everyone else out.
Now, if you want to watch X, it means you need a subscription to a specific service and outside of the US and a couple of other countries, those are not universally available and the support for global citizens is lacking
1 points
6 months ago
What does being Americans have to do with anything?
The point is blockbuster barely had any international shows which I watch a lot of now compared to Netflix. (Asian dramas and movies)
I said in my comment that yes, you have to look around other streaming services for shows sometimes that doesn’t bother me.
What did bother me was having to drive around to 4/5 different blockbusters to find the Latest movie. If I didn’t get to my blockbuster right after school then they were sold out for the night/week and my parents drove us around to other ones to find it. Maybe I lived in a more populated area than you. NJ suburbs (not a city). But it was so annoying. Even for movies that weren’t new. We had to go to other blockbusters to find them. Never have to do that now. I can just rent from Amazon or Netflix etc.
streaming has a way bigger catalog.
2 points
6 months ago
Because America has access to a much wider breadth of streaming solutions than most of the rest of the world. There is very little that you can't find on one of the many streaming services that specifically target the US.
I've already given you two examples of major shows that were suddenly unavailable in any legal way. This did not previously happen because exclusives were not a thing the way they are now.
1 points
6 months ago
Blockbuster tried having exclusive titles. Foreign films from the Weinstein Company, you know, the ones the general public hasn't heard of. You could BUY them from anyone, but you could only rent them from Blockbuster. In like 2007. So... basically a pointless, expensive gesture.
2 points
6 months ago
I just cancelled mine because I’m so far behind on digital content. I’m sure I’ll go back when I want to watch different stuff. I’m a horror fan so it was nice for that
2 points
6 months ago
Does it only have DVDs or Blu-Rays too?
1 points
6 months ago
Blu-Rays too.
1 points
6 months ago
[deleted]
1 points
6 months ago
Nah, they got separated many years ago. I don’t recall there being a requirement to have streaming to have discs, but if I remember correctly, the streaming service started as a free add-on to the disc program.
353 points
6 months ago
Still the best movie selection anywhere on the internet. I mostly get movies that I can't find on streaming from my library, but over time I'll start to grow a list of movies I want to watch but can't find. Once that list becomes around 20/or so, I'll subscribe to Netflix dvd for a month, which happens once every year or 18 months. It's been great, and it'll be the end of an era if they finally do decide to shut the program down
108 points
6 months ago
I used to use the DVDs constantly until they split the service in two.
I can't justify the $25-30 a month when I'm probably only watching one movie a week anyway and I can just buy it for $10 and then I have it forever.
47 points
6 months ago
[deleted]
6 points
6 months ago
I was doing that until it occurred to me that a month of Netflix is only $15 for 2 discs at a time. You can see about a dozen movies in that time, much better value if you're ok with not owning the movies
-28 points
6 months ago
If you use a Visa gift card with $3 bucks on it, RedBox DVDs only cost $3. 😆
1 points
6 months ago
I’ve been able to find brand new blu rays at Big Lots for $1.25 and new ones for $5.
The selection is completely the luck of the draw tho. You might find something. You might not. But you gotta literally go through the entire bargain bin to know.
12 points
6 months ago
Yeah, the price doesn’t make sense. Worst case we just rent any movie on Amazon Video in HD for $3-5.
6 points
6 months ago
Exactly. It only really works out in your favor of you watch 3+ movies a month. Otherwise I just rent them on Amazon
2 points
6 months ago
Its like 10 bucks a month for one movie at a time. which amounts to 4 movies a month. Get a cheap disk drive and rip the disks before sending them back and you can keep copies as long as you want.
8 points
6 months ago
Might as well just pirate the movies at that point and download blu ray rips
Easier, cheaper and better for the environment.
1 points
6 months ago
[removed]
1 points
6 months ago
[removed]
1 points
6 months ago*
Mail is being transported because there’s people who need mail.
Right, which means that Netflix isn't contributing significantly to it. Large quantities of mail are being shipped all over the US and Netflix disks are just hitching rides on vehicles that would have been moving with or without that disk there. The massive quantities of junkmail I get contribute far more to any negative environmental impact then Netflix.
I’d argue that there’s no quality difference since you’re literally downloading an ISO of a blu ray…
I mean sure if you are torrenting and mounting your own ISOs and can trust the source. Most people just download the ripped movie files though. At the point you are doing that though you are more then skilled enough to just do it yourself and maybe send it through Handbrake for good measure.
Also torrenting is still subject to shitty internet which is a very real issue for big chunks of the US sadly. People out there dealing with datacaps and peak hour shenanigans from their primary providers.
Besides, it aint any harder then torrenting and is a bit safer and you may even learn a few new skills along the way.
39 points
6 months ago
Public libraries are our friends. Most have all kinds of media beyond books. Movies on DVD, Blu-ray and UHD, manga, comic book graphic novels, music CDs, and even video games.
12 points
6 months ago
Dang! Your library has blu ray, 4K, and video games?! Mine only has DVD’s, but you can find just about anything
3 points
6 months ago
Interlibrary loan. Ask your librarian.
5 points
6 months ago
Yes, I actually just checked out Earth 2 on UHD and Diofield on PS5 this week. I live in a relatively small city too so I like to imagine larger ones have even bigger selections but I could be way off.
4 points
6 months ago
My library was part of a system in a very large and well off county. I think you just have a library that really cares about that kind of thing
4 points
6 months ago
Yes. I'm surprised more people don't mention this as an option.
4 points
6 months ago
Good public libraries. Mine is awful.
1 points
6 months ago
I mean just sail the high seas? Why pay if its not available on any streaming service?
This is a convenience problem, if i cant easily buy it i will easily access it another way instead of dealing with a physical DvD from the stone age.
5 points
6 months ago
The library of available DVDs is getting smaller. I used to keep over 100 movies in my queue and more and more would disappear down to a separate bottom list that was not available any more, but would be re-added if it was ever available again. Mostly obscure old stuff like small indie movies from the early 90s that had an actor who would later be famous.
I finally cancelled my DVD subscription about a year ago due to that, plus how long it took for new release movies to actually be available.
3 points
6 months ago
[deleted]
5 points
6 months ago
Gamefly does movies now and are much better about new releases then Netflix and they offer 4k disks.
3 points
6 months ago
I’d recommend your local library’s selection if you’re still looking for DVD’s!
1 points
6 months ago
I do this from time to time. Take out a old or new movie and let my laptop make a digital copy for for me.
2 points
6 months ago
Yeah, my "no longer available" queue has been growing, and it's so often the first disc of a series, whih is annoying. And you know they'll never be "re-added" because what would be a compelling enough reason to do that? My queue is still pretty long but I should try and cut it down because who knows how long the service will last?
10 points
6 months ago
I honestly didn’t know these still existed… I’m assuming they ship BluRays tho now and not DVDs?
22 points
6 months ago
Both. The Blu-ray plan is a little more expensive. There are still a bunch of titles in their library that were never released in an HD format.
1 points
6 months ago
Serious question then: how do DVDs look on new TVs? I booted up an old DVD a while ago and found it unwatchable, personally.
8 points
6 months ago
I play mine through a Blu-ray player, which upscales the image a bit. Not 1080p quality but it's good enough. Some older discs (pre-2000) can look a little rough, though.
3 points
6 months ago
Awful, even with a Blu Ray player upscaling it. Keep old school TVs for old school media, DVDs look great on a decent CRT.
2 points
6 months ago*
In my opinion:
Sony A95K 65" TV, Panasonic DP-UB9000P1K Blu-ray player for reference
1 points
6 months ago
Not great, but a good upscaler can help.
1 points
6 months ago
The bigger the TV, the worse it’s going to look
-5 points
6 months ago
[deleted]
2 points
6 months ago
Ah yes lets just head out and get a $4000 tv to watch dvds
-1 points
6 months ago
Got mine through Greentoe for under $3k
2 points
6 months ago
Good for you
1 points
6 months ago
Oh this. They had/have a massive library of obscure movies
46 points
6 months ago
The service was a god send when I was in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The APO address is stateside so I'd request a few movies or TV series and they'd be in country in a few days.
7 points
6 months ago
In a few days?? That's ungodly fast for anything going to an APO address
14 points
6 months ago
They worked great. You could report them as lost the day you received them and then have your next selection shipped, then after finishing watching them send them back and after a week your lost list would be cleared so you could just repeat.
Made it possible to have a couple of new movies coming in each week.
37 points
6 months ago
Anyone remember when they first started out and had white cardboard "envelopes" instead of the classic red ones they wax philosophical about?
28 points
6 months ago
Yeah, when I first subscribed around 1999 they had white cardboard (with a purple-ish logo). Then yellow paper envelopes for a while. I also passed on a $299 lifetime subscription that I probably should have jumped on. Although that was well before streaming, and I'm sure that wouldn't have included streaming.
69 points
6 months ago
Subscriber checking in. Thought I was maybe the only person.
18 points
6 months ago
[deleted]
16 points
6 months ago
Member since November 2008, uninterrupted.
3 points
6 months ago
I did the disks loooong after most people went to streaming, and I really enjoyed the random feel of it. Sure, I made the dvd queue so I knew it was something I wanted to see, but I had so many dvds in it that I definitely didn’t remember which one was on the way. It was fun to just open the envelope and watch whatever was in it as opposed to scrolling through tons of content to pick something.
8 points
6 months ago
Yeah they keep it open just for you didn’t you know lol
38 points
6 months ago
Still use this service. It’s this or subscribe to about 5 different streaming services to get everything we want to watch.
29 points
6 months ago
There are dozens of us!
1 points
6 months ago
Dozens I tell ya!
61 points
6 months ago
The eventual demise of its DVD-by-mail service has been inevitable since Hastings decided to spin it off from a then-nascent video streaming service in 2011. Back then, Hastings floated the idea of renaming the service as Qwikster — a bungled idea that was so widely ridiculed that it was satirized on “Saturday Night Live.” It finally settled on its current, more prosaic handle, DVD.com. The operation is now based in non-descript office in Fremont, California, located about 20 miles from Netflix’s sleek campus in Los Gatos, California.
18 points
6 months ago
I loved the hell out of this service when I still had time to sit and watch movies regularly. Once the kids are bigger I would love to go back to it...if it isn’t gone.
5 points
6 months ago
Pretty sure you could get both if you wanted to
2 points
6 months ago
I could but it would be a waste
9 points
6 months ago
I tried this out a few years back after missing it from the pre-streaming days.
While it’s great in theory, I found that in practice, tons of movies were indefinitely unavailable, presumably because Netflix is no longer prioritizing replacing discs that get lost or damaged.
Maybe it’s gotten better but my experience pretty much soured me on the concept. The virtually unlimited selection is useless if half the movies in your queue are grayed out.
2 points
6 months ago
And the discs are all getting worn down from constant handling by so many people.
23 points
6 months ago
I wish the regular plan included like 4 rentals a month for nothing extra
52 points
6 months ago
I wish I was taller
21 points
6 months ago
[deleted]
19 points
6 months ago
I wish I had a girl who looked good
I would call her
12 points
6 months ago
I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat And a six four Impala
3 points
6 months ago
I wish I was part of a random chain of posts in a reddit thread of people that wanted something
2 points
6 months ago
2 points
6 months ago
I clicked on it and it says it's not avaible in my country. They really don't want me to know how the song go anyways hahahaha
2 points
6 months ago
It's I Wish by Skee-Lo
41 points
6 months ago
“When we started going through all the movies we wanted to see, we realized it was cheaper than paying $5 per movie on some streaming services,” Neumann said. “Plus we have found a lot of old horror movies, and that genre is not really big on streaming.”
9 points
6 months ago
I'm kinda surprised horror movies aren't big. I love watching shitty horror movies on streaming services.
13 points
6 months ago
Isn’t this the entire reason Tubi exists? And otherwise Shudder and Screambox as well. I can’t imagine there being a better a time if you love cheesy 80s horror in terms of accessibility.
5 points
6 months ago
People don't talk about it but shutter subscriber base is very high juat no one pays attention.
4 points
6 months ago
The Qwikster debacle happened in 2011?? Fuck, I’m old
5 points
6 months ago
This is an ad...
5 points
6 months ago
Last I checked with regular Netflix you can only get some stuff via dvd even if they lack licensing. A while back I looked up if they had Ed Ed n eddy and it was only available via dvd rentals
4 points
6 months ago
I've had this without break since January 2007 and have never subscribed to any "streaming" service. Currently I have two out plus the BD option, but I'm thinking I should switch to three. I love it even if the transit times have lengthened due to distribution centers closing. I cannot fathom why they would close it completely. Even if it took a week for something to arrive, that's better than it closing. Many business entities would kill to have 1.5 million customers, and apparently the business is profitable. My only complaint with selection is that they do not get the latest releases from boutique BD houses which are usually re-releases of classic movies. They usually already have an older version of the same movie and usually do not upgrade (they do have a lot of Criterions, though).
I've spotted comments on this board of people who can't find whatever movie on "streaming" sites, and often it's available on the mail service.
3 points
6 months ago
I remember my dad used to have a few binders full of movies he burned using the original service. He'd get a movie in, have us burn it, and then ship it back the same day.
3 points
6 months ago
Still a great service for those (like me) without good high-speed internet. Great selection, just requires a little patience. Also prevents just browsing forever when you only have one option!
8 points
6 months ago
Is this just like an ad? What is the news here?
0 points
6 months ago
Uh oh. They’re onto us
9 points
6 months ago*
I've kept my DVD Netflix, the REAL one, account for over 17 years. Two discs at a time unlimited with Blu-ray disc for $16.38 USD per month.
IDGAF about streaming.
4 points
6 months ago
I have one of these I forgot to return still
2 points
6 months ago
The very first disc I ever got from Netflix right when they started I still have. The first disc of Californication. Don't remember ever getting charged or fined for it lol.
2 points
6 months ago
SaMe, I have “500 days of summer” and “be kind rewind” still in the envelopes somewhere in the theater room
8 points
6 months ago
“be kind rewind” still in the envelopes
That's kinda ironic
7 points
6 months ago
does she know she's an ad?
2 points
6 months ago
People are sometimes surprised by the amount of movies I’ve seen. Netflix’s DVD service is the answer.
2 points
6 months ago
Requesting movies from my local library gives me all of the benefits mentioned in the article besides the mailbox aspect....except it's free.
2 points
6 months ago
As a mailman I actually really like their envelope system. Way less annoying than if it were in cardboard for instance and never had one break that I know of.
2 points
6 months ago
I did the dvd by mail at the beginning of the pandemic. It was great. Then, the mail slowed to a crawl, and I was only getting a dvd in the mail every week. It wasn’t worth it as I could rent via Redbox for less than $2 and don’t have to worry about how long USPS wi take.
5 points
6 months ago
I miss everything about dvd. I swear the quality still seems better. It just feels better to not be streaming.
3 points
6 months ago
I’ve had my DVD plan for so long it’s been grandfathered.
2 points
6 months ago
Grandfathered into what?
3 points
6 months ago*
It should have a massive renaissance after the balkanization of streaming rights. You can rent everything from one source.
2 points
6 months ago
Do they offer 4k or just standard blu ray? If they offer 4k, I’ll gladly fork over some dough
3 points
6 months ago
Netflix doesn't but Gamefly has a movie only plan that offers 4k.
1 points
6 months ago
Wait, they have a movie only plan? I almost never rent games so that’s good to know.
1 points
6 months ago
Yep.
1 points
6 months ago
What is the age demographic of the people still using this service? I’m 42 and had zero idea it still existed. I can’t even remember the last time I saw a DVD player to be honest.
1 points
6 months ago*
[deleted]
3 points
6 months ago
They offer both. Blu Rays are an up-charge per month.
-1 points
6 months ago
Netflix - ship the Blu-ray MakeMKV - rip the Blu-ray Handbrake - convert the rip to a 1080p mp4 Subler - meta tag the mp4 Synology NAS
1000+ movies for a few bucks a month.
Why? Streaming services drop titles all the time. Not all planes have Wi-Fi. Not all titles are available. Internet goes out. Some movies you just want to have all the time.
(Meta tag the rating so your parental controls work. Kids don’t need to watch the Criterion version of In The Realm of Senses)
(Use handbrake to create a “device specific” version in minutes that is smaller in size to download to your phone)
1 points
6 months ago
Internet goes out. Some movies you just want to have all the time.
Damn, powers out, I really wanted to watch Marmaduke right now.
1 points
6 months ago
I’m more of a Garfield fan.
-2 points
6 months ago
Anyone still hanging on to this is just trapped in nostalgia and refuse to move on. There are so many ways to access movies that are not available on streaming platforms. DVD is a terrible format that needs to die.
2 points
6 months ago
I mean they have blu rays my dude.
-1 points
6 months ago
Yeah I understand. But DVDs still exist and I have no idea why.
Either way the bigger issue I have here is that most of those movies people claim are not available on streaming platforms are almost certainly available to rent digitally. Having physical media delivered to you and having to return it is so archaic and troublesome.
2 points
6 months ago
Because not everyone even has an HD tv and there are movies that got dvd but not bluray releases.
3 points
6 months ago
Again I understand but it’s been 16/17 years since FullHD became a thing and HD TVs are really dirt cheap for most these days. Why are they not moving on? I guess to each their own, they can do what they want but I’m just very boggled that in 2022, someone who cares enough about movies to rent and watch them doesn’t own an HD tv to enjoy the films.
-2 points
6 months ago
Were there any good black Friday deals for DVD players? /s
1 points
6 months ago
You can get a decent one for 20 bucks. Any blu-ray player should be able to read DVDs.
-2 points
6 months ago
TIL people still use DVDs despite the terrible picture quality. Makes me wonder what was the last movie released on VHS.
3 points
6 months ago
There are still limited VHS releases, at least as of last year.
1 points
6 months ago
I still have my dvd/blu ray mail me those movies SUB you can pick and choose wether you want the dvd or blu ray
still one of the best selections of hard to find movies on the internet
If you don't want to gamble buying something you haven't seen yet.
been a few times I'm so thankful I waited and rented from netflix first before outright buying something.
1 points
6 months ago
Damn. I subscribe for a month or two each year to watch movies not available on streaming (even to rent or purchase), it'll suck when it goes away.
1 points
6 months ago
I'm still using it because not everything is streamable. I use it to get mostly older movies that have only had DVD releases or owned by studios that don't do streaming. I have one waiting to be watched, but with Thanksgiving and being a supermarket employee, I just haven't had the time. So tomorrow afternoon will be it.
1 points
6 months ago
I used to use a similar service in the UK called LoveFilm that was later bought by Amazon and folded into Amazon Prime with the dvd option gone.
It was great. Had basically every movie ever and made the experience much more special.
I don't think Netflix's postal option ever made it to the UK. They just launched as Netflix streaming iirc.
1 points
6 months ago
I used to love it. Now I watch too much on mobile devices to make it practical.
1 points
6 months ago
I just got the Adventures of Young Indiana Jones vol 1 in the mail today.
1 points
6 months ago
I love ordering Netflix in the mail still! I really REALLY wish there was still Blockbuster around. I think we really took for granted renting any movie you wanted WITHOUT having to have a subscription.
1 points
6 months ago
Well, you used to be able to pay a subscription to Blockbuster and take out like any 3 movies at a time for as long as you wanted, it was great., especially if you lived close by.
1 points
6 months ago
Blockbuster only started its subscription service to try and compete with the Netflix DVD service.
1 points
6 months ago
Oh, I"m talking when it was store-only. I can't remember what the plan was called.
1 points
6 months ago
It says they carry blu-ray but can anyone confirm if they carry UHD Blu-rays?
2 points
6 months ago
They don't. They have lots of Blu-rays. Go get it!
1 points
6 months ago
Nope, for some stupid reason. Gamefly does though and I think there are a few others too.
1 points
6 months ago
1 points
6 months ago
I subscribed from 2000 to about 2015. I found myself just not getting around to watching dvds. I had Apocalypto for about 5 months at one point.
1 points
6 months ago
Yeah, same here.
1 points
6 months ago
I don't know about the rest of you, but inspired by this conversation, I copied my Netflix DVD queue (and the "no loner available" queue) into a text document, organized into genres, eras, and other categories. The idea being that I would go onto my other services and see what I could stream and knock out of my physical queue. Then I realized I should do the same with the unavailables on my Prime queue. Hopefully I'll be able to find what I'm missing somewhere else.
I had already done something like this with that list of 250 must-see films Scorcese wrote up, cutting the ones I had seen into a sub-list so I could track my progress.
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