nrslam | 477 Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 Time marches on. Netflix has informed us DVD-by-mail subscribers that the service is shutting down with last shipments on Sept 29, with another month just for returns after that. I give the company props for giving us 5+ months notice to get things we want most or can't find elsewhere. Their streaming service is unaffected by this shutdown. Probably time for it to go, what with reduced service, slower mail, some new movies not even getting DVD releases, and the ever-widening availability of streaming. Still, it's been damn convenient and they have a fair number of older movies that streaming services don't carry. RIP red envelopes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RH | 5,058 Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 Wow, I'm just impressed they kept it going this long. Had you asked me before this post, I would have guessed it was discontinued by 2020, at the latest. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a3quit4s | 4,157 Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 (edited) Man I remember having the DVD service in like 2010ish. It was awesome, you could have like 3 out at a time and they just had everything you could think of. I never went to blockbuster again! Edited April 19, 2023 by a3quit4s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RH | 5,058 Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDIRunner | 2,809 Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 I'm surprised that they are making you return those movies in the final months. You would think that they would allow people who have had the service for a number of years to get to keep some movies or something. I mean, they are just scratched up, disc only copies. What could they possibly be worth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrslam | 477 Posted April 19, 2023 Author Share Posted April 19, 2023 I just checked and every one of the 30 movies in my queue is available thru the local library system, though some have monstrous wait times. Maybe I've overestimated their exclusivity. It is a little hard to believe that it makes financial sense to pay for those last returns and the staff to process them, but maybe they've got some bulk buyout deal lined up that relies on the inventory being (mostly) intact. Either way, I've got no need to hold onto the final discs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulpa | 3,582 Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, RH said: Wow, I'm just impressed they kept it going this long. Had you asked me before this post, I would have guessed it was discontinued by 2020, at the latest. Yeah, I thought they stopped like years ago, like several years ago. Shows how little that was promoted in the past decade. A friend of mine used to work for them and said that from the beginning they were creating themselves to be a streaming service, and the DVD mailings were just to earn revenue to eventually build the tech to stream, and for broadband to advance enough to make it happen. (They also were trying everything to entice Blockbuster to buy them outright, as they thought that would be the logical endgame. Oops!) Remember when they tried to spin off the DVD part into Qwickster or some shit, and got roasted for it? Or when the streaming was on computers only? Edited April 19, 2023 by Tulpa 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phart010 | 1,718 Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 I thought they stopped doing this at least like ten years ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeatherRebel5150 | 1,067 Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 Im actually more surprised its ending. Ive always known they were still doing it. Pretty much every mention of “remember when Netflix sent dvds!” on any nostalgia or “dam im old” posts across the internet is followed by “they still do dvds!” So I thought it was more widely known Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloves | 11,997 Administrator · Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 I never experienced the dvd in the mail revolution, so it's kinda whatever to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulpa | 3,582 Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 5 minutes ago, Gloves said: I never experienced the dvd in the mail revolution, so it's kinda whatever to me. That explains your lack of movie watching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RH | 5,058 Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 I remember when Netflix streaming sucked. In the early days, they had Arrested Development and… … …a bunch of obscure documentaries. My wife and I enjoyed that phase, but we’re weird that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AirVillain | 505 Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 Like many others, I was surprised to learn they were still doing it this long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fox | 1,708 Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 It was pretty good for awhile. They had a big collection of stuff and it was exciting to find a disc in the mail. You could keep them as long as you wanted, so you never felt rushed to return them like at a rental store. The streaming service was actually a free bonus. It was actually really cool when they first launched on 360, ment you could stream movies/TVs shows on a game console. It wasn’t a bad deal since you got both for only like $8 or $10 a month. But at some point they split the plans and you were spending $8 or $10 a month for each, on top of upgrades for blu ray discs. And the streaming plan just kept creeping up in price as they started making original content. It didn’t make sense to pay for both when you got much more out of the streaming side. I still use GameFly so I still get the same excitement of getting discs/carts in the mail. So I can try out a bunch of games and keep them until I beat them or just send them back for something else if it’s not my bag. They have movies too, so occasionally I even rent a new 4k disc if I want to see Top Gun Maverick or something. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrWunderful | 2,927 Posted April 19, 2023 Share Posted April 19, 2023 Takes me back, and makes me feel old. It’s weird how we’ve gone through so many software iterations in this generation. First, we used to have to go down to the video store to rent a nintendertape, or VHS. second, we could online order physical discs to our house. Now, currently everything is almost instantly streamable , either at home on your big screen TV, or on the subway from the computer that you keep in your pocket. Next stop is right into your damn brain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoctorEncore | 3,691 Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 (edited) I'm one of the remaining few who still use this service. It was a fantastic way to get new releases before they hit streaming or rent more obscure titles that just aren't available to stream. Super sad to see this service shut down. Edited April 20, 2023 by DoctorEncore 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiztor | 858 Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 sad to see, even if i stopped using Netflix dvd by mail 4 or 5 years ago. it was a hell of a good deal for a long time, and i thought it (and it's later streaming service) were the best thing ever. finally found myself holding onto those discs for over a month at a time, then forcing myself to watch the movies just so i could send them back. now i live by the "one streaming service at a time" house rule. And since Disney+ has Marvel and Star Wars, it wins for the time being. On 4/19/2023 at 10:48 AM, Tulpa said: Remember when they tried to spin off the DVD part into Qwickster or some shit, and got roasted for it? Or when the streaming was on computers only? Qwikster. lasted less than a month IIRC. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/qwikster-netflix-mistake_n_1003367 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
final fight cd | 198 Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 I remember when this first started thinking to myself, “you’re telling me they are just giving you a dvd and they expect you to willingly send it back!?!” But what is stopping you from just keeping it?!” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDIRunner | 2,809 Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 19 minutes ago, final fight cd said: I remember when this first started thinking to myself, “you’re telling me they are just giving you a dvd and they expect you to willingly send it back!?!” But what is stopping you from just keeping it?!” Probably the fact that you will eventually want another one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammerfestus | 3,974 Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 Who knew this was still a thing. For me owning a DVD player is akin to owning a VCR at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Tank | 991 Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 4 minutes ago, Hammerfestus said: Who knew this was still a thing. For me owning a DVD player is akin to owning a VCR at this point. Why? There's still plenty of people checking out DVDs/Blu Rays from libraries. I picked up a cheap XBOX at a yard sale when I saw how expensive DVD players are these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Link | 2,817 Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 32 minutes ago, Mega Tank said: when I saw how expensive DVD players are these days. Where are you looking? Best Buy has 2 under $40 right now. There are several new on eBay under 40, even under 30. I got one at the thrift store for probably $10 a couple years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Tank | 991 Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 18 minutes ago, Link said: Where are you looking? Best Buy has 2 under $40 right now. There are several new on eBay under 40, even under 30. I got one at the thrift store for probably $10 a couple years ago. Sorry I meant BluRay. I still call them DVD player for whatever reason. I ended up buying an XB1 for like $30 at a yard sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrslam | 477 Posted April 20, 2023 Author Share Posted April 20, 2023 $30 for an XB1 sounds like a deal. I see name brand BluRay players for under $10 at thrifts all the time, though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammerfestus | 3,974 Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 1 hour ago, Mega Tank said: Why? There's still plenty of people checking out DVDs/Blu Rays from libraries. I picked up a cheap XBOX at a yard sale when I saw how expensive DVD players are these days. Nope I’m all digital. Have been for a long time. Really not a movie guy though. I guess I do have a PS2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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