Back in the day, I was able to get all a but a very few of Roger Ebert's Greatest Films of All Time on DVD through Netflix. It was an amazing "course" on the history of film and film techniques, in addition to enjoyable viewing. Good luck on finding even a handful of those on Netflix streaming where you find "movies" not "films."
I think that says something interesting about streaming versus checking out a DVD. I it seems to me that there are two ways to watch media content: browsing until you find something you like, versus going in search of a specific movie/show. Streaming works very well for the former, but it can be a nightmare for the latter(as finding out whether a specific movie/show is even available, let alone on what streaming service and for how long, is difficult). But if all you want to do is browse until you find something you would enjoy watching right now, streaming is very convenient. Even the worst streaming service probably has one or two things available you would not mind watching tonight.
So if you are someone whose primary way of consuming contact is browsing, you probably wonder what all the fuss about the loss of the Netflix DVD service is all about. But if you are someone who generally plans your media viewing in advance (in the old days you actually used TV Guide to figure out what you would be watching each evening) not being able to locate the specific content you want to watch is very problematic.
This is separate from concerns about the general decrease in the amount of film and television content which will remain available, and the starving of the public domain due to excessive copyright length. I am mostly concerned about Netflix shutting down its DVD service because of this, and because the reality is that a lot of people living in rural areas do not have the bandwidth to be able to stream anything. But even without the Netflix DVD service, I know there is already so much quality content out there that I cannot possibly stream all of it no matter how hard I try.
Quantity Vs quality. Now we can have (processed) turkey sandwiches every day of the year, not just the day after thanksgiving or by going to a deli that fresh roasts turkeys every day.
Because I have an old television with only two HDMI slots I am using my Blu-ray player to stream, and I only have been streaming Netflix (although I could also stream Amazon Prime if I wished to). Netflix getting rid of its DVD by mail service is prompting me to rethink cutting the cord and putting a Roku in that second HDMI slot. Then I could subscribe to PBS Passport, Kanopy, the Criterion Channel, and maybe MUBI, Curiosity, and Max (if they keep the Turner Classic Movies content available) in addition to Netflix and Amazon Prime. I could also sign up for the rent by mail service that Scarecrow Video offers. Together, that would give me far more fresh turkey every day than I could possibly eat!
I just worry that people who cannot stream are being left behind and (far more important) many works are going to die ahead of their natural lifespan because media companies are squatting on their copyright rather than releasing material they never intend to stream or reissue on disc into public domain. So many artistic works (such as тАЬThe Night of the HunterтАЭ) are only rediscovered and appreciated years or even decades after they were originally created. But for that to happen, the public have to actually be able to SEE them!
Back in the day, I was able to get all a but a very few of Roger Ebert's Greatest Films of All Time on DVD through Netflix. It was an amazing "course" on the history of film and film techniques, in addition to enjoyable viewing. Good luck on finding even a handful of those on Netflix streaming where you find "movies" not "films."
I think that says something interesting about streaming versus checking out a DVD. I it seems to me that there are two ways to watch media content: browsing until you find something you like, versus going in search of a specific movie/show. Streaming works very well for the former, but it can be a nightmare for the latter(as finding out whether a specific movie/show is even available, let alone on what streaming service and for how long, is difficult). But if all you want to do is browse until you find something you would enjoy watching right now, streaming is very convenient. Even the worst streaming service probably has one or two things available you would not mind watching tonight.
So if you are someone whose primary way of consuming contact is browsing, you probably wonder what all the fuss about the loss of the Netflix DVD service is all about. But if you are someone who generally plans your media viewing in advance (in the old days you actually used TV Guide to figure out what you would be watching each evening) not being able to locate the specific content you want to watch is very problematic.
This is separate from concerns about the general decrease in the amount of film and television content which will remain available, and the starving of the public domain due to excessive copyright length. I am mostly concerned about Netflix shutting down its DVD service because of this, and because the reality is that a lot of people living in rural areas do not have the bandwidth to be able to stream anything. But even without the Netflix DVD service, I know there is already so much quality content out there that I cannot possibly stream all of it no matter how hard I try.
Quantity Vs quality. Now we can have (processed) turkey sandwiches every day of the year, not just the day after thanksgiving or by going to a deli that fresh roasts turkeys every day.
Because I have an old television with only two HDMI slots I am using my Blu-ray player to stream, and I only have been streaming Netflix (although I could also stream Amazon Prime if I wished to). Netflix getting rid of its DVD by mail service is prompting me to rethink cutting the cord and putting a Roku in that second HDMI slot. Then I could subscribe to PBS Passport, Kanopy, the Criterion Channel, and maybe MUBI, Curiosity, and Max (if they keep the Turner Classic Movies content available) in addition to Netflix and Amazon Prime. I could also sign up for the rent by mail service that Scarecrow Video offers. Together, that would give me far more fresh turkey every day than I could possibly eat!
I just worry that people who cannot stream are being left behind and (far more important) many works are going to die ahead of their natural lifespan because media companies are squatting on their copyright rather than releasing material they never intend to stream or reissue on disc into public domain. So many artistic works (such as тАЬThe Night of the HunterтАЭ) are only rediscovered and appreciated years or even decades after they were originally created. But for that to happen, the public have to actually be able to SEE them!