DVD Netflix Shutting Down

[jimimac71]

I used Netflix DVD before streaming started.
Discs were sent to me that couldn't play.
White liquid to repair the DVD applied to the data side.
I was gifted a free month and never renewed.
That's a good point, not wanting a DVD without a case.
I suppose all that plastic is going to end up in the belly of a whale.

[CinemaInternational]

Sad, but expected news. My own experience with the Netflix DVD delivery program was brief, and also a little bit embarrassing in retrospect, but it was a great service. I had been signed up for it for maybe about a year and a half (the late summer of 2015 to the halfway mark of 2017) in the main part, although I did take advantage of a free trial month or two after that, plus a very brief time with it last year. At the main point in time (2015-2017), I used it as a tool to try to stay "current". I was part of a film group that mostly talked about new releases and Oscar films, and not wanting to seem lax or amiss in the group (for the record, this is the group I was later kicked out from), those were mostly what I had concentrated on, although looking back, I wasted time, money, and those red envelopes on some films that ended up being quite poor or forgettable (the 2010s are hardly a period of cinematic excellence, despite a few good films, and some of the Oscar films were just not working for me), hense the embarassing point. But I loved the service for providing so many titles at the fingertips and for having such a fast turnover; I could sometimes plow through 6 mailed films a week.

By the last time though in 2022, it was clear Netflix was going to get rid of it; halfway through the period they closed the DVD mailing center in Columbus, Ohio (which is only about 2 and a half hours from where I live) and started sending the discs on a laborious, lengthy trip through New Jersey, which made it inconvenient. That said, I got to see the one season of Moonlighting that was too expensive to afford to buy that way at that time, so I will treasure that.
And speaking of treasure, there are a few films that I really loved that I must thank the Netflix DVD service for giving me the chance to see for the first time: Sunrise (1927), An Unmarried Woman (1978), All That Jazz (1979), Breaking Away (1979), Blue Velvet (1986), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), The Fisher King (1991), Heaven and Earth (1993), About Time (2013)
P.S. There was one film that was perennially in the queue, but I never got. It was 1970's Lovers and Other Strangers. Ultimately, I had had enough waiting and I just bought a copy.

P.P.S. There is still one DVD-by-mail service around, Chicago's Facets. It is a bit expensive: $28 a month for four films at a time, although I guess its worth it if you watch a lot very quickly, but they have a very good back catalog of classics and foreign language films.

[speedracer5]

I tried the Netflix DVD service briefly as well. My problem is that I took too long to watch my disk, as I was never in the mood to watch what was sent to me (even though obviously it was sent to me based on my queue). My other issue is that a lot of the movies I wanted to see was never available, and of the ones that were available, my local library and/or TCM itself would be showing it, so it was cheaper for me just to use those services instead.

[GaryCooper]

15 plus years had 'em delivered to my home. Some great movies. I'll find another alternative ...

G.C.

[GaryCooper]

As Netflix winds down its DVD service, diehards mourn: 'An entire swath of creative work will disappear from public consciousness'

"These streaming services can delete shows off of their servers whenever they want, but a disc is forever," says Michael Natale, 32, a New York-based writer and film podcaster whose latest red-envelope arrival is Robert Altman's 1979 post-apocalyptic Quintet. "In a sense, losing DVD Netflix is even more of a loss than when Blockbuster shut down … Because with this robust physical library gone, we lose one of the last vestiges of accessible, rentable physical media."

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/net ... 53787.html

Probably a long shot to see Warner Archive renew its business with new releases. Believe Amazon offers the movies already issued. Got some good ones from them like Bright Leaf and The Hanging Tree with Gary Cooper and others. All Quality.

G.C.

https://www.youtube.com/@warnerarchive/videos

[umop apisdn]

I re-upped and I am going through my queue. I am prioritizing hard to find titles that Netflix still has, even though their selection has declined from it's heyday. I just finished with newer films that are exclusive to Disney, Paramount, Showtime etc. which I won't subscribe to since I have too many services already. September 29th will sneak up on me.

[GaryCooper]

Netflix Offers Customers Extra Discs as DVD Rental Service Winds Down
Story by Ryan O'Rourke •
14h

It is another shame that the company is abandoning its DVD rental roots, however. The loss of another physical media rental outlet means less access to older and more obscure titles and all the extra joy that comes with having the disc and box along with all the extra features included.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/n ... r-AA1fmQ59

[laffite]

Two months ago I switched from three at a time ($20/mo.) to eight at a time ($58/mo.) to take advantage of the foreign film inventory. Two weeks after with any such film I put on the queue, I would check The Criterion Channel and/or my local library and found that many were available there. I have watched 47 films since the increase of at-home and have discovered a smashing 65 films available at Criterion or my library, all foreign, this latter number I have written down. It appears that I will get only one extra disc, therefore nine in total (unless they send any not listed on the at-home section but not expecting any more.) This last week I have maneuvered my queue to reflect favorites that I want to keep. I have seven all safe and in apparently decent shape in my eager hands and will receive the final two on Monday.

The end of an era. Netflix streaming has a quantity of foreign films but not nearly as rich as the DVD collection. I have downloaded my history (they make that easy) for consultation if needed, though it may serve best as a trophy download.

As I understand, they had still a reasonably good business, some 50 million subscribers, but ... not good enough. I recommend checking with your local library for whatever genre you like, you might be surprised, especially if you are a large metropolitan city.

Au revoir, Netflix, I mourn for the loss.

[txfilmfan]

So what happens with their "keep it as long as you like" policy, now that they are ending DVD delivery? How are they going to retrieve a DVD from a (former) subscriber that holds onto a disc?

I found my answer in Variety!

Apparently they are accepting returns until 27 October, but you will be allowed to keep your final discs.

https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/n ... 235739486/

[laffite]

For those of us who subscribe to Netlix and have been for awhile,it has been evident for a long time,"After September 29th...you will not be charged for any unreturned discs."

[GaryCooper]

I watched many a movie in my 15 years history with DVD Netflix. Presently, I have not found any other quality substitutes. Hope to see the 10 films I selected sent to me.

Netflix Has Mailed Its Last DVD
The streaming giant says it shipped its final DVD this morning, and releases a video commemorating "the era when Netflix came in the mail."


BY ALEX WEPRIN

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023 6:39AM

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/busin ... 235603936/

G.C.

[umop apisdn]

Two months ago I switched from three at a time ($20/mo.) to eight at a time ($58/mo.) to take advantage of the foreign film inventory. Two weeks after with any such film I put on the queue, I would check The Criterion Channel and/or my local library and found that many were available there. I have watched 47 films since the increase of at-home and have discovered a smashing 65 films available at Criterion or my library, all foreign, this latter number I have written down. It appears that I will get only one extra disc, therefore nine in total (unless they send any not listed on the at-home section but not expecting any more.) This last week I have maneuvered my queue to reflect favorites that I want to keep. I have seven all safe and in apparently decent shape in my eager hands and will receive the final two on Monday.

The end of an era. Netflix streaming has a quantity of foreign films but not nearly as rich as the DVD collection. I have downloaded my history (they make that easy) for consultation if needed, though it may serve best as a trophy download.

As I understand, they had still a reasonably good business, some 50 million subscribers, but ... not good enough. I recommend checking with your local library for whatever genre you like, you might be surprised, especially if you are a large metropolitan city.

Au revoir, Netflix, I mourn for the loss.

I had been doing the exact same thing since they announced they where closing. I've had access to Criterion's films on every service they have been on starting with Netflix, Hulu, the erstwhile Filmstruck , and now their own service. I prioritized Disney+ and Paramount movies, since I don't think I will ever subscribe to those services. I already have too many services and might drop Netflix and Hulu.

Sadly, I did not get any bonus movies. I really wanted to get Midnight with Claudette Colbert, John Barrymore, Don Ameche and Mary Astor. I had prioritized it for months and was hoping I'd finally get it before the end.

I deeply mourn the loss of Netflix DVD. It was great while it lasted. My first film rented from Netflix was Farewell My Concubine, which is coincidentally being screened for its 30th anniversary with a new restoration. I am going to a showing this weekend in at the Gene Siskel Film Center.

Like CinemaInternational, I used Netflix as a way to watch Oscar nominated films without having to resort to streaming service hopping or paying for premium cable. Basically the studios have made streaming the new cable and now they can edit movies and pull content whenever they like.

I've been looking at a possible replacement for Netflix and I might try Facets for things I cannot get at my library. They're based out of Chicago, so it might work for me, but not for others.

There is a Reddit community where they are discussing alternatives: https://www.reddit.com/r/NetflixDVDRevival/. I will wait and see how these new services pan out, but I don't think they will have things out of the mainstream for classic film.

Scarecrow based in Seattle looks like it has the largest selection and they launched a new site recently. They even have VHS and laser disc. However, it's $12 for 6 discs with a 14 day rental window with late fees. I guess I could wait until I have 6 obscure titles to watch and 2 weeks to watch them, and rent from them. If I lived in Seattle, I would definitely spring for it.

[HoldenIsHere]

I tried the Netflix DVD service briefly as well. My problem is that I took too long to watch my disk, as I was never in the mood to watch what was sent to me (even though obviously it was sent to me based on my queue). My other issue is that a lot of the movies I wanted to see was never available, and of the ones that were available, my local library and/or TCM itself would be showing it, so it was cheaper for me just to use those services instead.

We had DVD Netflix but awhile as well (only 1 disc at a time), but it seemed like the envelope sat on the coffee table for a very long time so we really weren't getting the value out of the service.
Some of the titles we wanted were in a special queue --- something like "we don't know when this disc will be available." I suspect these were discs that were not returned. At least once, though, one of the titles we had that special queue did move into the active queue.

We have an excellent regional library system (in the Chicago suburbs) so we could find most (but not all) of the movies we wanted to see by placing holds through our local library.

[txfilmfan]

The streaming service Kanopy is also available from many public libraries free of charge. It is not without its controversies, however, as some feel their charges to the libraries are exorbitant. My library limits you to 5 titles/month. An exception is made for educational series where there are multiple episodes. In this case, the entire series counts as 1 title, and not each episode.