Pale Musings

The truth behind Netflix

In January of 2005, I did not read the new Netflix. I would wager that most subscribers did not. As it turns out, the biggest change included a new algorithm to “throttle” high-usage accounts. The terms specify that users who are infrequent renters and new subscribers will have precedent of receiving movies, especially popular ones, over users who watch and return movies quickly.

A lot of people have been criticizing Netflix recently as this issue has come more to light in a recent MSNBC article. I have to disagree however.

I am probably in the high-usage category, although I do not know for certain. I have noticed that some of the movies in my queue tend to come a day or two later than they use to, but not all of them. That’s ok! I know for a fact that there are people out there trying to take advantage of the service Netflix provides. I’ve even heard rumours that people will get a movie in, rip it to their HD and send the movie back as quickly as possible. Later, after watching the movie in their own time, it is deleted to relieve space.

Look, I know that everybody wants to get as much out of “the system” that they can. In this case that system is an online rental service, but more importantly it is a business. They need to keep customer satisfaction in mind, but it must be balanced with company proffit, after all, that’s what businesses are here for, to make a proffit and that’s OK! That’s America for god’s sake!

I can understand that some people genuinely watch movies quickly and get them back fast. They may feel a bit cheated, however the studies show that they are probably receving 2 or 3 fewer movies a month. That’s not a terrible price to pay for the convenience and selection that a service like this provides. Indeed, it’s a small price to pay to make sure that a service like this can stay viable for a reasonable montly fee!

February 12, 2006 Posted by palehorse | Internet, Movies | Leave a Comment