Qwitster: The Death of Netflix?

In the news today was an "apology" from Netflix for their badly-managed price hike.

Mind you, I didn't care at all about their price hike. The wife and I were in the process of moving to a cheaper subscription package because we were using less DVDs because of streaming content ... so it made sense that Netflix was going to have to change the pricing of that model. They just managed it like Wizards-of-the-Coast/insert-your-favorite-big-company-bad-at-PR would: badly.

But in today's announcement, Netflix also announced that they were splitting their DVD and Streaming services totally into different companies. And this was something I do care about. As I told K., "Those idiots at Netflix don't understand that a lot of their value comes from the fact that they hold a ton of data for their customers: what we've seen, what we've rated, what we want to see." So, when this data is no longer connected for our Netflix and "Qwikster" accounts, I'm going to care a lot less (particularly if the data doesn't make it to one of the two web sites). Let alone the fact that going to two different web sites to manage what I as the customer see as the exact same thing (content!) is one of the stupidest things imaginable!

I told K. that it was all making me consider dropping the streaming, since their selection is so crap and it's going to lose many of its benefits. She said it'd made her think the same thing.

So, congrats Netflix: those customers that you didn't drive away with your badly bungled price increase are now thinking of leaving because of your even-worse bungled decision to separate the data that your company is built on into two parts. And that's why you're today's crappy company and the next company that we might (probably will, I suspect) be giving even less money to. And we'd been members since July '01. Good going.

Well, it's not like your web site has worked correctly since the "upgrade" earlier this year, which has left it so that we still can't search in subaccounts something like 3-6 months later (or queue instant content or ... a few more problems that slip my mind).

PS: Comcast sucks too. No particularly new reason. What is it with media distributors?

The End of Summer

So ironic, given the date, but Monday was our first real day of summer. After a mostly gray and cool several months, it was actually hot on Monday. Pretty hot today too. Yesterday K. and I celebrated by picking up some Top Dog and going to a little secluded spot on campus to eat and read.

Well, mostly secluded. Some students were studying at our usual table, but there was a perfectly fine bench overlooking Strawberry Creek. We also got to see bicyclists positively whiz by every few minutes.

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And late September also means that the new shows have started. By my count, after the massacre that was the 2009-2010 season, we only had one drama still standing, which was Glee, plus various reality crap. So we're going to be checking out some new shows this year. That'll begin on Thursday with Person of Interest and Prime Suspect (though the two that really interest me, and which won awards for best new shows, Alcatraz and Awake, both got delayed to mid-season).

However, we've already got a few of our returnees on the air.

Survivor is one of many guilty pleasures. I like it for the gameplay, the strategy, and the not-knowing-how-things-will-go. (Too often I can figure out TV and movie plots well in advance.) That premiered last Wednesday, and it was the general fun that I expect, though I was disappointed that they're doing the returning players thing again, as that particular twist really warped the last seasons of Survivor and Big Brother. I'm hoping that the returnees being less social players will limit the damage.

And tonight was Glee. K. was disappointed, but I thought it was mostly the same as last season. Which, you know, means not great. Starting with the back half of season 1, the show got onto this assignment-of-the-week kick which makes the show even more predictable than a procedural (and that's saying something). The integration of song and plot (mainly with having songs reflect plot) also went way downhill, and the show's never recovered from either. But I like the music, and this episode was no exception. I'd actually been waiting the whole show to hear a Go-Go's song and was pleased to see it here, though having to wait a third of the episode for that first song was a bit trying. I was also amused with the bookending of the show with "We Got the Beat" and "You Can't Stop the Beat".

We'll see if the new stuff is any better!

(For actual good shows, we're watching season 5 of MI-5/Spooks right now from "Netflix" streaming. It continues to impress with every episode.)