Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: netflix, blu-ray, rental, prices, bluray | Themes: The Internet, Home Theater, Digital Entertainment
Netflix is set to raise prices considerably for renters of movies on Blu-ray Disc.
Last year Netflix implemented an additional charge of just $1 for those who rent Blu-ray movies from the service. If it seemed too good to be to be true (or last), that’s because it was. Netflix sent out an email to its customers informing them that prices will be increasing for those who opted for unlimited Blu-ray access.
Netflix wrote, “The number of Blu-ray titles has increased significantly and will continue to do so. As we buy more, you are able to choose from a rapidly expanding selection of Blu-ray titles. And as you’ve probably heard, Blu-ray discs are substantially more expensive than DVDs.”
Starting April 27, Netflix will charge a tiered premium that will range from the current $1 all the way to $9, depending on plan.
The 1-DVD plan with a maximum of two per month will stay with the $1 charge, while each consecutive service plan above it will be a dollar more than the one below it. The premium charge tops out at $9 with the 8-DVD unlimited plan going to $56.99.
While consumers never appreciate any sort of price increase, particularly for a similar service they were receiving before at a lower price, Blu-ray Discs are more expensive and do provide a greater value to customers. We wouldn’t complain, but there expectedly will be plenty who will.
In related news, Netflix shipped its 2 billionth movie, which was coincidentally the Blu-ray Disc version of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. The recipient of that movie received a lifetime subscription to the service for being part of the milestone.
Perhaps Blu-ray Discs will end up being a more cost effective solution someday for Netflix due to the format’s physical anti-scratch coating, meaning that discs can stay in circulation longer before replacement.
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B.S.!!!!
its been a month and I STILL have not recieved BOLT or MADAGASCAR 2 for my daughter....LACK OF BULERAY and a price HIKE on top of this is INSANE! it would only be worth it if new titles were not on LONG WAIT status the day released!
just complete B.S.!!!
lol that protective coating they have on the disc is because the thicnkness of the plastic is SOOO thin, that without the coating, dropping the disc ones on the ground has rendered it useless. Putting that coating on, really just makes a on par or less with standard dvd scratch retention.
and totally more proof that blu-ray is going the way of the laser disc... sorry blu-ray owners (or should i say ps3 owners, whatever)
and totally more proof that blu-ray is going the way of the laser disc... sorry blu-ray owners (or should i say ps3 owners, whatever)
Errr.... why exactly? New format costs more than old lower quality format. It didn't stop DVD over VHS now did it?
^ Isn't that what they said about DVD when they cost $25+ each in the early going? Give it time, as adoption increases price will decrease fueling increased adoption. Just look at DVDs. They're ~14 years old (from initial format finalization) and if you pay more than $12 on a DVD you're getting ripped off. This time next year I bet most BDs will be $20-25, instead of the $25-30 they are now. As soon as they hit the $15-20 range is when they'll start to be shipping in the DVD volume arena (especially considering the rate of adoption of 1080p LCDs).
I understand why they are raising the price as the media is more expensive. However, those of us that are on a budget then have to make decisions as to whether they wish to continue their plans with netflix. To stay within our budget we had to drop to 2 rentals out at a time. No big deal, it usually takes us a week to watch the three movies we get anyway. What is unpleasant and frustrating is that the queue for Blu-Ray discs that aren't older movies is inordinately long. I put Dirty Harry in my queue when it came out several months ago and moved it to #1 and I finally got it last week. Considering most people are paying an extra $4 a month for this 'benefit', they either need to 1) increase their purchasing of Blu-Ray discs, or 2) find a way to increase the protection on the discs. I haven't rented a lot of Blu-Ray from Netflix but of the discs I have rented 8 of the Blu-Ray discs I received were damaged and unplayable. This does not present a good image for Sony's protective coat as all but one of those discs were scratched. The other, which was the Terminator, was actually missing a piece of the edge of the disc! Because of my luck with rentals, I am very careful with the movies that I have bought. After all the problems with Blu-Ray so far including a new Samsung player that has been replaced 4 times because the HDMI output just stops working, I really wish HD-DVD had won, or something else better had come along.
This is going to be bad for Netflix... Glad I don't own stock in them.
If you are on facebook, there's a group to protest this move:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=61368024063
They wouldn't need to worry as much about costs if they shipped the disks in better more shock absorbant packaging. When you are shipping things through ground, scratches aren't as big and issue as getting the disk completely cracked in half.
I am surprised they didn't drop the fee all together considering Blu-ray is getting mainstream.
Blu-Ray is not going the way of Laser Disc. For god sakes Laser Disc back in the day had no real competition as far as quality goes and it still failed! Blu-Ray has already crushed it's competition and now has it's eyes set on DVD. The mention of the PS3 makes it seem like your an Xbox Fanboy...
Big deal for me...
I dont rent Blue-ray movies anyway. When they come out with a Blue-ray audio format, i'll think about it. by then mabye the players will be affordable.
Big deal for me...I dont rent Blue-ray movies anyway. When they come out with a Blue-ray audio format, i'll think about it. by then mabye the players will be affordable.
Is there even a lot of audio-only DVDs? Chances are, two new formats will be out before we have audio-only Blu-ray disks.
I didn't know Netflix had an 8-DVD unlimited plan - somebody tell me where I can find this on their site!
Why do you people use NetFlix at all? It sounds like NetFlops to me!
I use blockbuster, 10 dollars a month, I get to rent all blue-rays I want. 1 at a time and with no limit. On tope of that, when I return it to the store, I can pick up another one for free!
Blockbutser is the ONLY way to go!
I think the only reason Blu-ray will go the way of laser disc is because everything is going digital. Players like VUDU, Roku, and Apple TV are getting big.
The tech is only getting better in the streaming game and I think it will eventually take over the disc market.
Netflix is terrible with raising prices though.
I think the only reason Blu-ray will go the way of laser disc is because everything is going digital. Players like VUDU, Roku, and Apple TV are getting big.The tech is only getting better in the streaming game and I think it will eventually take over the disc market. Netflix is terrible with raising prices though.
+1 I agree.
Netflix raised their rates for blu ray $1 a few months ago, now its $3 more for a total of $4 more than 3 months ago. I just canceled my plan, Blockbuster doesn't charge extra for BR.