Amazon Prime vs Hulu Plus vs. the new Netflix options

[clarityat3am]

In light of the changes about to occur with Netflix pricing and plans, I was hoping to get some feedback from anyone here who might be using Amazon Prime or Hulu Plus. I'm trying to sort out what exactly I want to do and which service to use but I've got no reference point for AP or HP. Thanks in advance!

 

[bono_212]

I'm so beyond pissed off at Netflix right at the moment. I'm seriously considering canceling.

 

[LMP]

Hulu Plus is certainly worth it if you're a fan of the Criterion Collection. NBC's comedy block is best enjoyed from there as well.

I do 2-at-a-time Blu Ray access with streaming so the pricing change doesn't affect me too much. I may scale back to one-at-a-time, not sure yet.

 

[bono_212]

A $5 increase on top of a price increase once already this year is what's really got me so angry.

 

[LMP]

Are you paying for cable as well? Do you have anyone else splitting the cost?

 

[clarityat3am]

Are you paying for cable as well? Do you have anyone else splitting the cost?

I don't even own a tv and my dvd drive is iffy, so I'd probably go for the streaming option if I stay with Netflix. I really did love the combo and have a LOT of dvds in my queue right now.

I probably sound petty and cheap saying it, but I just don't want to pay double the price for what I'm getting now. I may give in later, but I'm checking out my options.

 

[bono_212]

Are you paying for cable as well? Do you have anyone else splitting the cost?

Me? It's just me and Travis and we just have Netflix, no cable. That's why it's a one or the other for me, and if I'm paying this close to what I'd be paying for cable, I'd be tempted to go the other route so I can start watching sports again.

 

[LMP]

That's a totally fair statement. The way I see it, you should at least be getting one disc for each dollar that you pay for the service. Compared to the cost of renting from a local store, Netflix still rocks in my estimation.

 

[bono_212]

I do an e-survey thing, and they're offering me Blockbuster Kiosk rentals now, and my local video store is only a $1 per rental as well. Netflix is, of course, far more expansive than either of those options, but what I'm getting at is, I could manage without them.

 

[LMP]

Roll with that then. There's always the local library as well.

 

[bono_212]

Yeah, exactly.

But, at the end of the day, I know I talk a big game, but am unlikely to do anything about it.

 

[corianderstem]

I'm an old fogey luddite and am not upset about losing the streaming option (although I guess I'll just keep it until I see what my total bill is after tax and whatnot. I don't think it's going to be much more than I already pay).

 

[u2popmofo]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one shocked to see yet another price hike with Netflix, especially such a huge amount. My bill is getting a 50% hike, and this is after I already massively downgraded my service to counter their other recent price increase. I'm assuming many did that, and that's why they're having to raise the rates again, as they likely didn't get anywhere near the increase in revenue they were expecting. Their bad for being idiots on the first price schedule. You think any bozo there with any remote sort of business sense would realize that raising your rates significantly this often is going to push business away. I'd be fine with a basic "postage / fuel surcharge" type increase, which is fairly close to what the first was. This on the other hand seems pretty excessive.

I'm sure I'll bitch and moan, and still stay with the same plan. That said, I'll go out of my way to actually make it worth the money now though, so they'll have fun paying postage on countless movies I send to my house and immediately return, just to spite them.

Amazon Prime is an absolutely fantastic service....if you buy a lot of things off of Amazon. I don't recommend it at all as an option for stream-able content, as they have next to nothing worthwhile in that regard. That said, I love Amazon Prime for what it was created for.

 

[powerhour24]

While I understand that now that the popularity of their streaming is actually relevant the license fees are skyrocketing on their end, this is going to piss off a lot of their subscribers. For loyalty's sake those of us who already subscribe should be grandfathered in with our existing plans. Hell, even the evil grip-tightening cell carriers have allowed previous rates to carry over for existing customers.

I have the 3 discs at a time plan, so it won't be a huge change, but the simplicity of the service charges in the public's eye is ruined this way. I'm not giving up either service, there is a lot of content streaming that's worthwhile, but there's also hundreds of discs I have in my queue that aren't on Instant. I do not and will not pirate, and those who keep bringing up kiosks have to recognize that those things have like 50 recent and straight to video titles available, not a comparison.

I thought about just using Amazon Prime (it's free since I still have a .edu address), they do have a decent library for video, but the built-in streaming ability with consumer electronics that Netflix has is missing. I use streaming content from NF on my TV and on my iPad when I'm traveling or on the elliptical at the gym. Hulu Plus is worthless.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

I do an e-survey thing, and they're offering me Blockbuster Kiosk rentals now, and my local video store is only a $1 per rental as well. Netflix is, of course, far more expansive than either of those options, but what I'm getting at is, I could manage without them.

haha, i got that offer as well. it's totally useless to me, but yeah. i got an email about the price hike from the news station in memphis i watch, funnily enough. i subscribe to netflix (haven't paid a dime in over a year obviously, i just keep pushing back the hold date) and haven't heard a peep from them. i can't believe they're increasing their prices and aren't even contacting their customers about it. wow.

You think any bozo there with any remote sort of business sense would realize that raising your rates significantly this often is going to push business away. I'd be fine with a basic "postage / fuel surcharge" type increase, which is fairly close to what the first was. This on the other hand seems pretty excessive.

bingo. especially since they're no longer the only player in the game. five years ago there was just netflix, now we've got amazon, hulu, and even stuff like redbox if you don't want to make a commitment or whatever. it's not quite the same as what happened with blockbuster, but if they get too greedy and keep trying to increase their profit (in an unrealistic fashion, obvs) they're going to find themselves the next video company to file for bankruptcy protection. no one's going to pay $50/month for three dvds and ten streamed videos or something.

 

[bono_212]

I got an e-mail this morning, Khan. Maybe it's cause your account's on hold

 

[clarityat3am]

I still have 83 discs in my queue. Maybe I'll just keep on with it til they really change the prices so I can get through as many of those as possible. I know I'm having a 1st world problem here with having to decide if I want to keep Netflix as it is or change to streaming or dvd only (because I don't want to pay for both), but geez. :whine:

 

[bono_212]

Oh no, not T-Mobile too!

As you know, T-Mobile, like many other wireless carriers, charges its customers a regulatory cost recovery fee. T-Mobile's Regulatory Programs Fee (RPF) is not a tax but is a fee we collect and retain to help us recover the costs associated with funding and complying with a variety of government mandates, programs, and obligations, such as enhanced 911 programs, number portability, and governmental requirements concerning the construction and operation of our network. These programs and the costs of compliance vary over time, as do the costs that T-Mobile includes in the RPF. Starting with bills after August 15, 2011, the RPF is increasing from $1.41 to $1.61 per line per bill cycle. Additional information about the RPF can be found in the Terms and Conditions for your account. T-Mobile's Terms and Conditions are available at www.tmobile.com.

Thank you for being a T-Mobile customer. We'll continue to provide our customers with the best services, features and benefits available in wireless.

 

[clarityat3am]

Oh no, not T-Mobile too!

The world's gone mad!