MrKniceGuy.com

Tag: Netflix

  • To Digital or Not To Digital – Musings on Mediums

    The buzz around the internet today regarding Xbox One and PS4 has me thinking more about this new age of downloading. It’s quickly becoming the prefered medium to obtain entertainment and tools. Just last week I downloaded  several ebooks to read on my Nexus 7, my prefered reading platform. On Saturday I streamed 3 new albums to my Galaxy Nexus via Google Play Music All Access while I mowing the lawn (by the way, the new August Burns Red is awesome). And in the last week, I’ve watched a ton of new stuff via Amazon Prime, YouTube, and other options.

    The last time I bought a CD was sometime in 2009. The last time I bought a film on disc was a year before that. I still buy physical books, but only reference pieces that I want on the shelf. And many of those I have digital forms that are searchable, which I honestly use more often.

    Microwaved-DVDSo today I’m thinking about all this as it relates to video games. I love video games. I’ve been playing the for close to 30 years now. I’ve had floppies, carts, CDs, DVDs and now… digital downloads of games I’ve loved to play. So what does the future hold for video games in relation to the trends we’re seeing in music, movies and books?

    I believe the future of digital is download. Who likes going to the store to buy a piece of digital content stored on a disc, when you can download it while you make a sandwich? Especially if you can purchase it for less than the hard copy available at the retailer? The last time I was at my local Gamestop they were terribly understaffed and overstocked with junk games. It really wasn’t a very pleasant experience overall. Who wants to deal with that?

    And the trends of the digital age are easily tracked. Nearly 3 years ago CNet was commenting on the trend in regards to PC games. And it hasn’t slowed down.

    Just look at the promotional material after the PS4 reveal. How many clips show people going to the store to buy a game? None. They’re all using their devices to download.  And Xbox is offering all their titles with digital download options as well as some disc based options (both systems have chosen to go with Blu-ray as their physical media of choice). But they’re both touting the age of downloads. And that’s because it’s the way of the future.

    But some may ask, what about “ownership.” Disc ownership is something that Sony mentioned was a benefit to the new Playstation. The reality is that people don’t really care anymore. The trends of “ownership” to licensed content is obvious, especially in the age of Netflix and Spotify. Millennials especially don’t really care about the ownership of things, they just want the easy access. Apple sought to provide this with the introduction of iTunes Radio on Monday and to compete with Spotify and Google’s All Access. No ownership here, just convenient access… for a fee.

    I actually think Microsoft is seeing this trend. They’re making ways to actually share and trade digital content on the new Xbox One (if the publisher allows it), something you can’t do many other places and nowhere in video games. That’s actually a more liberal approach to digital content than we’ve ever seen on a console before. Trade and sell digital downloads? Amazing! While the method may not be perfect, I think they’ve thought about this a lot more than they’re getting credit for.

    Whether the next generation of consoles can keep up with the digital trends or not remains to be seen. Either way it appears that the medium shift is in full swing, and here to stay. Hopefully, the consumer comes out on top.

  • Netflix Backs Out, And So Do I

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    If you’ve read my blog for any amount of time, you’ll see that I am a big fan of Netflix. It’s DVD by mail service revolutionized the way we watch movies at home. As for me and my family, we’ve been with them for almost 10 years. But all that is about to change.

    No, they still deliver DVD by mail, but with broadband speeds they way they are, who wants to bother with that, right? I used to look forward to that red envelope in the box every few days. But when Netflix announced they would be offering streaming, I knew the time had come. I mean, we’re talking virtually no wait time here. It’s not that I’m impatient (although that could be up for debate) but with streaming media there are no DVDs to wait for or be broken, nothing getting lost in the mail and almost instant access to movies. The only way this works though is if the movies that are available are worth watching. This is why I was excited to hear Netflix was working toward focusing on streaming content and splitting the DVD by mail service out into a new company. But alas, they have chickened out of this approach due to those customers who complained.

    There is quite a bit of discussion going on regarding Reed Hastings and why in the world he’s still CEO of Netflix. I have a feeling it will either be him going or me going from the Netflix family. I’m already looking at alternatives to Netflix in terms of how to get the media I want via a streaming method. I suppose only time will tell. But I’ll keep you posted here with what direction I move.

    Bottom line, I’ve lost faith that Netflix has what it’s going to take to get streaming movies into the forefront and get some great content in their Watch Instantly service. If this changes and shakes the world with it’s amazingness, I’ll think about coming back.

    Oh, and if you haven’t seen this SNL sketch on Netflix, you need to. It’s hilarious.

     

  • Why I Think Reed Hastings Knows What He Is Doing – Netflix and Qwikster

    The internet is a-buzz with negative comments regarding the recent letter and price changes from Netflix (NFLX), of which I’ve commented on before.

    Reed Hastings, CEO and Co-Founder of Netflix recently wrote a letter, which was emailed to all customers as well as posted on the Netflix blog. In the letter, Mr. Hastings apologized (admirable and humble, a sign of a true leader) for the lack of communication regarding the price change as well as detailed a massive change (massive unless you paid attention to the details the first time around) to the Netflix corporate structure. This change comes in the form of the DVD portion of the Netflix company becoming it’s own organization (again, not a surprise if you paid attention during the price change) named Qwikster, with it’s own website and seperate name on your monthly credit card statement. The new service changes only in name but the function remains the same, shipping movies to your home. As a bonus, they also announced that video games for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii would be available through the service soon.

    So, two things from me. First, I think Reed did a great job handling this whole thing. While initially there seemed to be information missing (like what exactly did they mean by separating the streaming and DVD portions of the company) the follow-up sought to remedy that and announce further what they intended for the company. Secondly, I believe they see the two services as needing to grow at different paces, with streaming taking the lead. The move makes complete sense IF you understand the future of the business to be streaming, which I believe is the future and Reed and associates seem to agree with me. STARZ will be regretting the departure when Netflix moves to fight for streaming and picks up better distributors.

    So, what’s the bottom line, Netflix has communicated their commitment to the future of movies at home, and that future IS streaming. If the company restructeruing, a few more bucks a month (come on people, it’s waaaay cheaper than cable!) achieve this, then I’m all for it.

    For the record, my DVD plan ended September 1st. I now only subscribe to the streaming side of Netflix. If you’re a movie studio and you want a piece of the pie, it’s time to get on board.

    The future is streaming. Netflix, make it happen.