What is Netflix missing?

I like Netflix I have had Netflix for several years. I started my Netflix account after using it for a month on a free trial offer. I just went to their website and saw that they still offer a free 30 day trial.

I have subscribed to Netflix instant streaming for several years now, and I am generally quite pleased with their service & offerings. It does look like HBO & Showtime are missing from their offerings, and some TV programs are only partially available. Overall, however, their TV program collection is quite varied, and includes a number of older programs from the ‘70s & before that are difficult to impossible to find on cable.

Their movie collection is impressive and far flung. In terms of year of release, their movie collection spans more than a century, with 1913 as the earliest release date. At the same time they are collecting a surprisingly far flung collection of foreign movies as well, including fairly recent movies from South Korea (quite good, actually.)

Whether Netflix is for you or not really comes down to: what do you enjoy watching?

Then there is the other factor to consider: switching from cable to Netflix can save a LOT of money every month. (With my cable company, Netflix is about $62 a month less expensive than basic + basic digital cable.)

It does not have Jurassic Park, for once thing.
And if you go in with a German IP, it has almost nothing of worth. So you need to use a proxy.

I love it. It’s loaded with good movies and plenty of awful ones as well, but if you like movies like I do, you’ll enjoy stumbling onto older gems you never heard of or once loved but have long forgotten. A cheap monthly price to pay, too, and cancel-able anytime.

@sahID So, when they do have a series, only part of it might be available? How common is that, versus their having the entire series?

To all: I’m not trying to bash Netflix, and I realize that it has lots of good stuff. I don’t need the sales pitch. However, it’s impossible for me to assess the gaps in their collection without signing up for an account, so that is what I’m asking about. And yes, I know that they have a 30-day trial, but if I do opt for that, it will be at a time when I can maximize viewing, so that I can make the most of it.

Netflix does have at least some Showtime programs. I’ve watched The Tudors and Queer As Folk on Netflix. I’ve been a Netflix subscriber for several years now. It’s well worth the price and, in my view, keeps getting better as more and more stuff is added. There’s also some pretty great Netflix original/exclusive shows (House of Cards is a personal favorite of mine).

My subscription, I have all the sky movie channels (11) plus (3) independent film channels.
All the movie watching choices anyone could ever need.

@dappled_leaves Generally they have all of a series but sometimes not. I watched the first two seasons of “Lark Rise at Candleford” but couldn’t find the rest. (Although that was on DVD come to think of it.) I’m now watching all 7 seasons of “Gilmore Girls”, streaming. I don’t think there’s a particular way to generalize about what’s there and what’s not there.

I watched the 1st season of “Agents of Shield” on NF.
They do not have the 2nd season (which is still running)
So naturally, I pirated it.

I don’t know whether this applies to you or not, but I get wonderful series on DVD’s from my library on Interlibrary Loan. I have watched seasons 1 and 2 of House of Cards (will have to wait a while for season 3); 6.5 seasons of Mad Men, all of The Sopranos, seasons 1–5 of the Wire and many lesser known but terrific movies.

—@gailcalled Any luck with “I Know Where I’m Going”?

Not yet. My list is enormous…like that of Nanki Poo. And I still have 32 episodes of Commisaire Maigret waiting.

My list is little but deadly.

I tried them for 4 months early last year, Dropped them. I like older films (60s-90s) and I was regularly disappointed with how poor their selection was.

I think it’s value to you is based on your viewing tastes. Netflix did not meet my needs.

And then there is the issue of censorship.
Anime on netflix is invariably censored. there is no other choice but torrenting.

One good thing to remember is that more than one account/computer can share the same subscription. That can help offset the cost. I think you are allowed up to 5. There are currently 3 people sharing one of my relative’s accounts. It keeps track of each person’s profile, wish list etc.

I heard Amazon Prime has a bigger selection. I am a Prime member but have not yet used their streaming.

Exploration on netflix really sucks. You can’t really just browse something and let serendipity find you. Aside from the reccomendations engine and browsing the top movies you kinda have to know what you’re looking for either by name, or by similar movies. Other websites used to help out with this but Netflix shut down their access a while back.

@jca : Sadly netflix reduced it to 2 screens at once, you have to pay for more screens now.
Amazon prime’s exploration sucks as badly as Netflix, but the really lame thing is that they intertwine with their rentals/purchases so there’s a lot of let downs when you find something you like and realize you can’t watch it. Or you’ll queue a movie to watch later and then find out what was free on Prime one week, is now purchase only the next.

Eh, it’s cheaper to get a VPN and go ham on the bay. I thought Netflix was ok, but I hated waiting for DVDs and their streaming doesn’t have everything.

@sinscriven: I bet because the two relatives that I have hardly use it, and I hardly use it, there’s not been a conflict yet with the 3 of us using the same account.

Live streaming for some games perhaps?