The Silver Screen Oasis

I had the same problem, Chris, but found out it was my player. We bought a Bose system for dvd's and cd's about 10 years ago, and the thing is just horrible, very temperamental, I have other players and the discs all work fine in them, plus my computer.

I haven't had any problem so far with discs from Netflix, but maybe they need a heads up from you if the discs are bad. It makes me nervous hearing you say that, I love my Netflix, I know there's been controversy, but I love what they have done for me the classic movie fan.

DVDs are notoriously unreliable. One scratch and it's all over. I've had good luck with Netflix, but not perfect. The library's copies are terrible. The cheap ones you find at truck stops and the like...I'm thrilled when I find something in the five dollar bin at a major store. It's brand new!

Wendy:

These had visible cracks in them. One was so bad it wouldn't even load. Two others were only slightly cracked but looked as if a skin had torn. Those two started to play but froze after a bit. I tried them in two different players.

Much like RedRiver I have had very good luck through the years. There has been the occasional bad disc but the one, and I could make an argument for the others, should have never left the building. I can't imagine it would be that hard to take a quick look unless they are distributed mechanically.

I've no thoughts about leaving them as I've yet to find a similar system that would match its inventory but it's enough to wonder if they're getting sloppy.

MissGoddess wrote:It's worked out nicely in that what ClassicFlix doesn't have, Netflix often will, and vice-versa. I have a 9.99 a month plan at ClassicFlix, for one DVD at a time, unlimited.[/color]

Miss G, I hope you don't mind my asking, but how satisfied are you with ClassicFlix's delivery speed? I'm seriously considering switching from Netflix, but I'm a little concerned with some of the reviews I've read about their slow service. I recently tried Blockbuster for one month, and I wasn't impressed. I got exactly two DVD's in a one month period (neither DVD was kept more than a day), and because the last title I got took forever to be marked as "returned," I kept worrying they were going to bill me for it (gee, maybe I should have put this on the whiny thread? )

Mary-Kate,
If there is one negative to Classic-Flix, it is the slowness of delivery. I can't argue with that and it can be frustrating. Netflix has it all over the competition in that regard.

Right now I'm not spending as much time watching movies so I'm fine with the slow flow, but it's not for everyone.

MissGoddess wrote:Mary-Kate,
If there is one negative to Classic-Flix, it is the slowness of delivery. I can't argue with that and it can be frustrating. Netflix has it all over the competition in that regard.

Right now I'm not spending as much time watching movies so I'm fine with the slow flow, but it's not for everyone.

Thank you for your reply, Miss G. About how many titles does one average a month, in your estimation? (barring things like "long waits"). If it comes out to about four a month, I'd say it's worth it. Like I've said, Blockbuster managed only 2 for the whole month - at that point, it's almost a better deal to just buy used copies on Amazon or Ebay.

There's also Facets Multimedia, which is my provider. http://www.facets.org/

Turnaround time is quite good (about a week from my drop into the mailbox to receipt of a new movie). Of course, I live about 5 miles away. But factoring in Chicago mail service....

Besides, your money goes to a not-for-profit and indie film institution in our fair city.

i'd say more like 3-a-month is the average for ClassicFlix. Return processing (the time it takes to get that little email saying they received your rental return) seems to take a week after you drop it in the mail.

With Netflix, I sometimes got two a week. But I'm not in a hurry anymore.

I used to watch two movies a day from Netflix. This was before I got cable. Now I watch so much regular TV I cancelled the service. Facets Multimedia is where I saw FORBIDDEN PLANET for the first time. Also LADY FROM SHANGHAI. This was before video was an option!

Thank you all for your information. I think I may be giving ClassicFlix a try before too long. They have an incredible catalog of titles; I wish Netflix would start carrying MOD DVD's.

Netflix is not looking very attractive anymore. Not only have they recently eliminated many "older" titles from an already limited Archive catalog, now their website won't even let you browse to see what titles they DO offer unless you agree to be a member! That's crazy. One should at least be able to see what they might be getting. Just a couple of weeks ago I was able to do the search, now I can't, at least not with the Chrome browser.

Oh that's too bad. Why would anyone sign up for it when they can't see what's offered? I had that same problem with Hulu just a month or so ago. I had been able to go in and at least see what they offered but they now make you sign up for Hulu Plus before you can look at anything anymore. I immediately left and won't go back. It's a real shame these businesses don't seem to know how off putting that is. Maybe I'll write to Netflix about it since I'm a member. They actually do listen to suggestions.

Hulu, too? I can't understand it. It's like Barnes & Noble not letting anyone see the titles of their books. How in the world do they expect to function?

If you can't browse, what is there for them to sell? It mystifies me. Do people actually buy into something where they can't look at the product? Ridiculous.