Netflix vs Blockbuster

[Goblinmonger]

I am thinking of moving from Netflix to Blockbuster. The move comes as a result of Netflix' decision to stop having the option for multiple lists within your subscription. Without that, there seems to be little difference. I am wondering if my perception of little difference is right. It is attractive to be able to return the movies to the store and hence start shipment of the next movie more quickly. Plus you get 5 times you can return the movie to the store each month and get a new movie from the store for free. We have a Blockbuster about a half mile from our house.

Just wondering if anyone has used Blockbuster and has a review to offer.

[SharonRB]

1. My daughter has Blockbuster and I've shared it with her in the past

I never had Netflix, so can't compare, but we've been happy with it. And, yes, the store option is nice to have.

[katmondoo]

2. Then you have to drive to the store

drive back and what are you saving. Netflix does have great selections, not sure about Blockbusters.

[Goblinmonger]

6. I would walk or bike.

I am worried that Blockbuster would not keep up with the selection of Netflix. I think it would be fine for the wife and kids, but I like to watch some obscure shit.

[still_one]

3. I left Blockbuster for Netflix. Big problem with Blockbuster is that

if the item on the top of the queue is not available, they do not go to the next item, it just sits there. It is up to the customer to manually move the items available on the queue to the top. Unless that has changed, that is bull.

[democraticinsurgent]

4. i thought they reversed that decision on multiple lists

...might be worth checking. i thought i read that somewhere.

[beam me up scottie]

5. Blockbuster is great.

Especially if you have a store near your house.
I receive my movies by mail in 1-2 days, they have most titles, no waiting on new releases, and you can keep them as long as you want.

I've never been a huge fan of Blockbuster in general, but being able to return dvds to local stores in exchange for another free movie sold me.

[Goblinmonger]

7. Well if you like it

then I must do what my superior in the EAC does.

Did you read the "not available" comment above? Does Blockbuster move down the list if a movie is not available?

Do they have enough Jesus movies?

[beam me up scottie]

10. Not true. If it's a short wait, they send you the next title on your list.

If a title is going to be unavailable for a period of time (like a new film still being shown in theaters that won't be available for a few months), they put it in another category so that it doesn't affect your queue. When the title becomes available, it jumps to #1.

Not only do they have plenty of Jesus movies, they have the best one ever filmed Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter .

:evilgrin:



Before I get attacked by the 'liberals can't shop here' posse, Blockbuster is the only video store in my town that stocks movies like "Saved" and "Brokeback Mountain" along with a decent horror selection. The other two (in addition to censoring anything the local vocal baptists didn't like) were family owned and management refused to answer my questions when I quizzed them about their censorship policies.

I haven't ordered anything from BB lately and am canceling my account this month because I don't have time to watch movies when I can be hiking, camping, swimming, etc.

[CrispyQ]

15. The only problem I've found with the way Blockbuster manages our queue

is when we put in a series -- like an entire season of a TV show, for example. So if "Weeds" is 5 discs for the first season & the first disc isn't available, they'll send you the second disc - or whichever disc is the next available. And if the entire first season isn't available & you have the second season in your queue, they'll start shipping you the second season. That doesn't happen too often, but it has happened.

I really like the feature to drop off your movies at the local store & get a few free movies per month. We get five free movies a month & after the five, movies are $1.99. This is only when you turn in a warehouse movie. If you don't have a warehouse movie to turn in, your movies are the regular price. They also have a computer at the store where you can manage your queue if you want.

I don't know about the Jesus movie selection, ;) but I've found their selection to be pretty good. I think there's only been one movie & one documentary that I wanted that they didn't have.

[Goblinmonger]

16. Thanks for the info

Netflix is the same way with a series. Never had it happen but it would be frustrating.

It's really the drop off thing that is drawing me in. If I drop off a movie at the store, does my new one usually ship the next day (the website inferred as much)?

[CrispyQ]

17. As soon as the store checks the movie in, your queue is updated.

Sometimes I'll come home after dropping off a movie & I already have an email notice that "Blockbuster has received movie X." The next day, the next movie in my queue ships. We have seen an occasional glitch on 3-day weekends. But overall, we've been really happy with our Blockbuster service. Have had it for over a year now.

My favorite thing is the TV series on DVD. I don't get cable so I would never see Dexter, Weeds or Sopranos if it weren't for Blockbuster. I can hardly stand to watch TV shows with commercials anymore! ;)

:hi:

[kstewart33]

9. No, Netflix has more titles.

I've been a member since 1999. I've stayed because of the fast mailing and they've NEVER made a mistake with me. Superior customer service.

[beam me up scottie]

12. Blockbuster has stocked every dvd I've wanted except for one.

They've never made a mistake on my account and the extra free movies from the store put it ahead of Netflix, imho.

[aspergris]

13. Blockbuster and UFC

At least the 3 I have checked is not stocking ANY of the new UFC's since UFC 70 despite what they claim on their website

This is my major beef with them

[beam me up scottie]

14. Hey, if that's the case, I agree with you.

The only reason I joined was because I gave up tv for 4 years and missed a lot of movies.
I belonged to GreenCine first but their selection was very limited (although their selection of horror flicks was fantastic) and Netflix was not a competitor because at the time they had about half as many titles as BB.
BB simply gave me the most for my money.

[liberalcanuck]

23. I'm with ya kstewart - I've been a member with Netflix for years and

love the service. I like adding my friends who also have Netflix. We see what's in each other's queue and there's also a note section to write recommendations, observations etc.

I'll never pay a late fee to Blockbuster again.

And in the fall I'll be able to stream from Netflix's 10,000+ "Watch Instantly" titles directly to my xbox 360. :) The main complaint about these titles is that most of them are not mainstream but since I also like to watch obscure documentaries and a lot of indies that suits me just fine!

[MessiahRp]

8. The one thing that bothers me is that Blockbuster is censoring certain horror movies

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/11994

[swimmernsecretsea]

11. Netflix rescinded the decision to delete multiple lists

They did this before the deadline to end it, and at the request of their membership.

Blockbuster I've boycotted and never gone back ever since the CEO said he would make it his duty to put Mom-and-Pop video stores out of business. They often opened stores close to independent video stores specifically to do this. Le Video, one of the best known video rental servies in San Francisco and one with one of the greatest content selections including foreign and independent films, was in danger of losing business to Blockbuster until a neighborhood coalition intervened and kept Blockbuster from opening a store there.

The company has also indicated its desire to direct the content of entertainment media by screening content from its stores. Their decision not to stock the NC-17 film "Henry and June" primarily for the same-sex love scenes effectively removed NC-17 from becoming a guide for filmgoers for a movie having adult content that was not violent but too graphic for an R. They continued to stock other films of extreme violent content. They are known as a company that backs and funds conservative causes.

As an addenda: Netflix makes available a wide selection of independent and foreign films, many of which have a difficult time getting US distribution, and especially now that independently owned video stores are gone from the landscape. Many of these films never see a theatrical release and need Netflix to get a chance to be viewed. Some of creators of these films, such as "Outfoxed" have found themselves stonewalled in their attempts to release the movies to the public due to their controversial content.

[Tab]

18. I've used both

I was with Netflix since nearly the beginning, but tried Blockbuster about 2 years ago.

My main complaint was that titles either simply didn't exist or had "short wait", "medium wait", or "long wait". Many of what I ordered got tagged with a wait.

Netflix, on the other hand, has a larger inventory and it's very rare that I get a wait on anything.

I don't mean that Blockbuster did a few and Netflix did none - Blockbuster had so many of my selections on "wait" that we finally just said "screw this" and went back to Netflix.

I don't regret it one bit.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

19. I don't need to get movies so fast that I'd need to drop them off at

Blockbuster and pick up a new one.

Netflix sends me as many disks as I have time to watch--and their selection is utterly fantastic. I've library of foreign films, independent films, documentaries, and old TV shows is hard to beat. I found old shows that I remember from my childhood that I never imagined would be on DVD.

It also has a large selection of movies that you can watch online, including some of the oldies.

I just checked my queue, which has over 300 disks in it. Only two are listed as having a short wait or a long wait.

[nightrain]

20. Blockbuster is a red company, and apparently Netflix is a blue company.

Something to consider when making purchases--who are you supporting--like Verizon? Comcast? At&T? Wal-Mart? etc etc

[Kire]

21. I've used both services.

I just wanted to say that when I used Blockbuster's service, almost every other disc was scratched or unplayable, wasting my time.

Also, can you watch whole movies online at blockbuster's web site? I didn't see anything about that.

I live by myself, so it doesn't bother me that I can't have multiple queues, but I realize that is a problem for some people. So, if that's what the problem is for you, then I wish you all the best. I just think Netflix is far superior in almost every other way.

good luck

[Karl_Bonner_1982]

22. Netflix has its definite advantage: SELECTION

Unless the Blockbuster in your neighborhood is VERY large, its selection will probably not come anywhere close to what you can find on Netflix.

But Netflix has its own shortcomings. First of all, movies on multiple discs are sent one disc at a time, which means if the movie is on two discs you need at least a two-disc plan to watch it in one sitting. This also means that multi-disc movies will fill up multiple slots on your queue and your out list.

In addition, you have to watch movies quite heavily for Netflix to be a real economic bargain. My plan is two at a time, and it's $13.99 per month. But it takes at least two, usually three postal days for the old discs to get back to the shipping center and the new ones out to me. Plus one day to watch them and put them back in the mail That means I only get about six to eight shipping cycles in a month with 25 postal days. An excellent deal if you're used to ALWAYS watching the movie, or both movies, or all three, in time to send them back in the next day's mail. But most of us either don't have enough time or motivation to diligently finish up our movies and send them back immediately, even if we are staggering the viewing and shipment schedules.

I'd say that I watch about 8-10 discs per month on the two-disc plan, which comes out to about $1.60 per movie. Not fabulously cheap, but not bad. And well worth it considering that many of the movies, TV shows and documentaries I watch are ones I'd never find at Blockbuster.

Blockbuster is, of course, very fast unless all copies of the movie you want are out. Non-new releases are usually fairly cheap and are yours for several days. And access to less-mainstream movies may not be as much of a concern for you as it is for me.

Summary: If you watch home-video movies erratically, or are fairly satisfied with mostly popular and mainstream titles, Blockbuster should be fine. If you watch a LOT of films you'll save money with Netflix regardless of the kind of movies you prefer. If your tastes are a little gauche, or you find yourself constantly hearing "We don't carry that title" when you go to Blockbuster, Netflix is probably your only choice unless you have a good alternative video store in your town OR you buy used copies on the Net and resell them later on.

==========
I've received word from reading the above posts that Blockbuster has a mailing service similar to Netflix. If so, please take my comments above with a grain of salt. I was assuming by Blockbuster you meant the local video store.