Netflicks?

[monkey44]

Tried to get info from NetFlicks help/chat ... must be talking in Martian tho as I can't seem to phrase my questions properly.

We're thinking of dumping the cable again - What a waste of a good TV screen - such boring junk!!

So, we have 5G hotspot - I imagine it's too small to do well with streaming videos ... Can anyone estimate how much bandwidth ONE average movie takes to watch, operate, whatever it is we do to see it?

And, as an option, we might go with a hard-line ISP at home, when we're here. But the option is DVD thru the mail (or is it UPS) ...

How is DVD mailed and returned? Is it fast or slow delivery and return. Seems like mail procedure would severely limit the number of DVDs you could watch.

Can anyone give me an overview of NetFlicks - success or failure of the experience - both streaming or DVD mail.

I tried also to find an info page, and the movie title list, but it won't let me look at anything unless I open an account - it has a free month, but don't want to waste any free days 'investigating the service' ...

Found one page, but when I ask it about movie titles, each time, it only shows ONE title,then I have to ask it again. Instead of providing a list -- time-consuming and a PITA.

[rav]

We dumped Direct about a year ago. We went with a TIVO, Netflix the plan without DVD’s and Amazon Prime (we use the shipping feature a lot) we have 2 ROKU's and very little problems with streaming video's. Give Netflix a try with the one month free trial. I don't watch sports or reality shows so I don't miss Direct at all, I actually watch little TV but what we do watch now is much better- there are some great old shows out there and maybe we are a season or two behind on Madmen but that’s OK too.
Our bill went from 100.00 a month to 16.00 ( TIVO had a lifetime subscription for 499.00 so that was paid for the first 5-6 months of no direct)
JMHO

[sandtsherman]

I've been a customer of Netflix for 13 years. Started with the 3DVD plan and moved to the 2DVD plan when streaming came of age. Last year we moved back to the 3 plan so we could take more movies with us.

I also buy movies with the digital copy option so I can hook up our laptop to the TV and watch our favorites.

Time flies by when camping without network or satellite/cable stuff. But if you're full time, I'd look for a place with good wifi and stream what you want.

[docnascar]

No cable for me. Only netflix and crackle (free) using my PS3. Roku and other's give you more free options without the blue ray player that the PS3 has.

Estimated BW usage:
https://support.netflix.com/en/node/87

I keep considering adding Amazon Prime as well, since I've been shopping there more and you can get free shipping plus movies if you sign up. I hear Netflix and Amazon are very comparable.

[mdamerell]

We have Netflix with 2 DVD plan ($21.38 a month, I think streaming only is $8). Normally for us its a 3 day turn around. They send you the DVD in a mailer and when done I put it back in the envelope and put it out on the mail box.

Streaming: Not all movies are on demand. New releases tend to be DVD only Hence, I also have the DVD option. We have Comcast cable at the house and stream to the TV but at peak times (Friday 8 pm type thing) we have experienced buffer issues from Netflix.

My smart phone has a Netflix app so I can stream to my Droid Razor anywhere. I have a mini HDMI cable ($20? at Verizon) and can stream Netflix from my phone (4G Verizon) to my 32" flat screen in the camper using the HDMI input. I have a 8 GB shared plan and we normally average around 4-5 GB a month. We watch a couple movies a month this way and just keep an eye on my data usage.

[mustangglp]

Dvd turnaround is very fast one or two days. This may depend on area?

[MrWizard]

Watching a movie is one thing but if you wanted to watch HDTV there would need to be some action between each show.

on netflix with a TV series the 'next' episode of that series will auto play
you want a different show you will have to return ''your list'' or browse the selections

[MrWizard]

i use netflix by web
the mail service uses 'post office'
going on memory, its about 3 days to get or return a movie
how many movies you can have at a time depends on the level of service you are subscribing to
if your service level is '1' movie then , it must be returned before the next one in your cue is sent out

If you make a cue list
the next movie in your cue is automatically sent out when a movie is returned/received
with a '1' movie service level, you could expect a new movie approx every six days

with a higher service level you could have 3 movies 'maybe more' at a time
as you as you watch one , drop the return in the mail , by the time you got to number '3' , new ones from your cuee would already be arriving

[SteveB]

Streaming video takes a lot of bandwidth. One movie could go over 2 Gigs and then if the data is slow the movie will stop to reload often. As far as selection, they have a lot of movies and TV shows but nothing brand new. Amazon has a lot of newer programing. When a new movie goes to DVD they might have it available for only a couple of weeks then its gone.
I recently considered dumping SAT but I am having difficulty finding any service that is continuous like regular TV. Amazon, Hulu, Netflix play a show then it ends and you select a different one. Part of the cost of cable and SAT is paying for someone to take the time to set up all the programs to play continuously. Watching a movie is one thing but if you wanted to watch HDTV there would need to be some action between each show. I've heard about Slingbox but that is also a bandwidth hog so I don't know if it is feasible with a MiFi device.

[powderman426]

I can't say how much bandwidth it takes, as I have wired internet. However if you have a tv with hdmi, the chromecast media streamer for $35 is a good way to go.

[Iraqvet05]

The DW and I had Netflix for a few years just getting DVDs via the postal service. Netflix has a distribution center in Kansas City so usually we received a DVD with 1-2 working days after we requested one. You can pay more than the basic rate to have more than one DVD out at a time but we never did. We dropped the DVD mail service after they raised the rates (and later lowered after massive customer complaints). We now stream Netflix at home on a Roku. I'd say you need at least a 3 mb download to stream a movie without glitching. Streaming via a hotspot may work but I'm sure it would eat up your data quota.