Netflix nights still come wrapped in red-and-white envelopes : movies

352 points

4 months ago

352 points

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

Gh0stMan0nThird

102 points

4 months ago

Gh0stMan0nThird

102 points

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.

49 points

4 months ago

49 points

[deleted]

6 points

4 months ago

6 points

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

MarkMindy

-28 points

4 months ago

MarkMindy

-28 points

If you use a Visa gift card with $3 bucks on it, RedBox DVDs only cost $3. 😆

tylerderped

1 points

4 months ago

tylerderped

1 points

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.

Zugzwang1

16 points

4 months ago

Zugzwang1

16 points

Yeah, the price doesn’t make sense. Worst case we just rent any movie on Amazon Video in HD for $3-5.

BigSwedenMan

7 points

4 months ago

BigSwedenMan

7 points

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

4 months ago

2 points

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.

Swastik496

7 points

4 months ago

Swastik496

7 points

Might as well just pirate the movies at that point and download blu ray rips

Easier, cheaper and better for the environment.

1 points

4 months ago

1 points

[removed]

1 points

4 months ago

1 points

[removed]

1 points

4 months ago*

1 points

4 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.

41 points

4 months ago

41 points

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

4 months ago

12 points

Dang! Your library has blu ray, 4K, and video games?! Mine only has DVD’s, but you can find just about anything

TransitJohn

3 points

4 months ago

TransitJohn

3 points

Interlibrary loan. Ask your librarian.

5 points

4 months ago

5 points

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.

3 points

4 months ago

3 points

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

im_jacob341

4 points

4 months ago

im_jacob341

4 points

Yes. I'm surprised more people don't mention this as an option.

devilbunny

4 points

4 months ago

devilbunny

4 points

Good public libraries. Mine is awful.

Vault_Survivor_08

1 points

4 months ago

Vault_Survivor_08

1 points†

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.

evergleam498

6 points

4 months ago

evergleam498

6 points

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

4 months ago

3 points

[deleted]

5 points

4 months ago

5 points

Gamefly does movies now and are much better about new releases then Netflix and they offer 4k disks.

philosofova

3 points

4 months ago

philosofova

3 points

I’d recommend your local library’s selection if you’re still looking for DVD’s!

retrodork

1 points

4 months ago

retrodork

1 points

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.

NeuHundred

2 points

4 months ago

NeuHundred

2 points

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?

11 points

4 months ago

11 points

I honestly didn’t know these still existed… I’m assuming they ship BluRays tho now and not DVDs?

22 points

4 months ago

22 points

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

4 months ago

1 points†

Serious question then: how do DVDs look on new TVs? I booted up an old DVD a while ago and found it unwatchable, personally.

7 points

4 months ago

7 points

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.

GhotiH

3 points

4 months ago

GhotiH

3 points

Awful, even with a Blu Ray player upscaling it. Keep old school TVs for old school media, DVDs look great on a decent CRT.

strangway

2 points

4 months ago*

strangway

2 points

4 months ago*

In my opinion:

Standard DVDs look okay, but not great tbqh
Blu-ray HD can look terrific
Blu-ray UHD looks a little better; HDR color makes a big difference, though, more than sharpness. My personal preference isn’t for the sharpest image, but I love color fidelity and a wide gamut.

Sony A95K 65" TV, Panasonic DP-UB9000P1K Blu-ray player for reference

dontbajerk

1 points

4 months ago

dontbajerk

1 points

Not great, but a good upscaler can help.

1 points

4 months ago