Category: Television

The Netflix Apocalypse

Netflix, Television

As you all probably have heard, Netflix recently announced some new plans and pricing changes.  While, in the past, you could buy a DVD plan and get streaming bundled together, or opt to go streaming-only, now you need to purchase a streaming plan (the only one is Unlimited Streaming) and a DVD plan separately.  The reason for this, according to Netflix is to separate “unlimited DVDs by mail and unlimited streaming into separate plans to better reflect the costs of each and to give our members a choice: a streaming only plan, a DVD only plan or the option to subscribe to both.”

Netflix is claiming that this is to help customers out and save them money.  Let’s look at the old pricing structure.

old-Netflix-pricegrid

Right now, we’re on the 2 DVD at a time plan so we pay $15 a month.  (Well, it reflects on our bill as $16 and change.  That’s probably due to taxes or something.  I’ll let this slide for now.)  To get a similar plan under Netflix’s new pricing structure, I’ll need to buy the $7.99 Unlimited Streaming plan and the 2-DVDs-At-A-Time plan for $11.99.  Total monthly bill: $19.98.  That’s a 33% price hike.

Do I get anything extra for this hike?  More movies than I’m currently getting?  Newer releases?  Quicker DVD mailings?  Anything at all?  Nope.  I get the privilege of paying them 33% more for the same service they’re providing me now.

My first thought was maybe we should reduce our plan level.  We could go with 1 DVD at a time and streaming for $15.98.  This would be a 6.5% price hike for reduced services.  Or maybe I could go streaming only for $7.99 a month.  This would save us $7 a month.  Sure we wouldn’t have access to Netflix’s impressive DVD selection, but there are ways of replacing that.

Bye Bye DVDs, Hello Streaming Only?

But is Streaming Only a real option?  While doing some reading, I came upon a question on Twitter that asked whether the Streaming Only plan limited the number of streams.  The answer was: “All streaming plans will be limited to one stream.”

NetflixHelps-Tweet

Now I was confused.  So I called Netflix and asked them.  I was told that going Streaming Only would indeed limit the user to only one stream at a time.  So if B was in the bedroom watching Netflix on our Roku and the boys wanted to watch a cartoon in the living room, they couldn’t.  Or if the boys were watching their cartoon and I wanted to catch up with a show on my laptop, I’d be locked out.  So much for the “unlimited" in Unlimited Streaming!

Increase The Streams, Just Don’t Cross Them

Still, I wondered, how does one increase one’s available streams.  Surely, Netflix wouldn’t doom everyone to a single stream.  Not with Netflix on Roku boxes, built into TVs, Blu-Ray players, iPads, etc.  It turns out there is a way to get more streams: Buy the DVD plans.  If you buy the 2 DVD At A Time plan, you get 2 streams.  The 3 DVD plan gets you 3 streams and so on.

But wait.  Netflix’s “justification” for this price increase plan change was that they were separating out the DVD and Streaming portions.  Let’s reread their blog statement again to be sure:

We are separating unlimited DVDs by mail and unlimited streaming into separate plans to better reflect the costs of each and to give our members a choice: a streaming only plan, a DVD only plan or the option to subscribe to both.

It certainly sounds like they are making the two (DVD and Streaming) completely separate entities.  Doesn’t tying the number of streams available to the DVD plan purchased contradict this statement?  I called back and asked and was told that they would forward this question to a supervisor higher up in the chain.

I’ve heard some reports from people that they have Streaming Only now and can do 2 or more streams at the same time.  This might be a quirk in the system or an upcoming change.  Either way, I’ve got to look at Netflix company policy and not “what you can get away with now.”  Even if they don’t come down on people and enforce the 1 Stream At A Time rule on September 1st, they could in the future.  And that would vastly undermine the value of their Streaming plan.

The Real Reason For The Price Increase

I’ve actually been anticipating this price increase for awhile.  Back when most of the content providers inked deals with Netflix, they saw the company as a “last stop” for content.  They figured that a show/movie would come out on TV/theatres and then go to pay-TV (for movies), then to DVD, then to rental DVD and then finally to streaming.  Along the way, the content providers figured, people would pay each time to view their content.  People would pay for premium cable channels and then buy the DVD/Blu-Rays and then pay to have it streamed.

Instead, people saved their money.  They cancelled their subscriptions to HBO, Cinemax and other premium stations.  They didn’t buy the DVDs.  They waited for the shows/movies to appear in the Netflix DVD and Streaming queues.

In addition, more and more people noticed the value of Netflix and joined up.  Many of the deals specified a limit to the number of people who would be signed up to Netflix and able to view the streams.  Netflix blew by those numbers.

Now, the content providers are seeing red.  Or green.  Or a mixture of both.  (“Seeing grey?”)  They are angry that so many people are streaming videos and want more money.  A lot more.  Some estimates figure that Netflix will need to pay ten times as much just to keep their same streaming content.

Hey Netflix, Here’s What You Should Do

Still, a 33%+ price increase all at once doesn’t sit well with most folks.  There has been a great uproar on Twitter, Facebook, Netflix’s blog, individuals’ blogs and pretty much anywhere else Netflix users can be found.  They don’t like this and many are willing to go without Netflix or downgrade their plan.

This is the Netflix Apocalypse in the title.  People fleeing en masse will mean fewer subscribers to shoulder Netflix’s additional content fees.  This can only result in more steep price increases which would drive more people away.  Netflix is at the cusp of a downward spiral into oblivion.  There is hope though.  If Netflix did five things, I think they could defuse this situation to a great degree.

First of all, Netflix should admit they blundered.  Admit that this new pricing scheme was a mistake and that, while rates will need to increase thanks to upcoming content price increases, this scheme was poorly thought out.  They need to do this quickly while they still have a shred of sympathy left.

Secondly, increase prices gradually.  Don’t make the increase 33% all at once.  I know you need to raise more money but the way to do this isn’t by slicing your customers’ jugular.  Announce a series of 5% price increases that will ease everyone into the new pricing scheme.

Third, grandfather in all existing users.  Get rid of that September 1st date for existing users and let us keep our plans as is for now.  It’s ok to say that switching plans will get you a new pricing arrangement, but give us loyal users at least six months on our existing plans before we see any pricing shift.  Maybe require existing users to pay for a certain number of months up front to lock in the old rates.  This would get you more money up front, keep people from jumping ship as quickly and would help keep people happier (as they’d perceive that they were getting a bargain).

Fourth, fully untangle the Streaming and DVD plans.  Give us at least 2 or 3 streams at a time on the Unlimited Streaming plan.  Make additional streams something you add onto your streaming plan, not something you obtain by buying a DVD plan.

Fifth, give us bundle discounts.  Learn from the cable companies.  If you buy Internet, TV, and phone service from the cable company, they charge you less than the price of each of those service separately.  This encourages people to sign up for more services.  Similarly, when I sign up for Streaming and DVD plans, my final price should be less than the price of the Streaming plan + the price of the DVD plan.  This will encourage people to buy multiple plans which will get you more money.

If Netflix doesn’t take some, more or all of these steps, I think they’ll be facing a mass user exodus.  If they delay too long, people might leave even if the September 1st deadline* is changed or even if the new plan structure is scrapped entirely.  Sadly, I think we’ll be one of those leaving/downgrading.  We might stick with Netflix Streaming Only for awhile, but if we bump up against that one-stream rule too much then we’ll need to rethink even that.

Please, Netflix, recover from this major blunder.  All of us who are leaving don’t really want to go.  We love your service and want to stick around.  We just can’t justify it with the changes you are making.

* Although the plans change on September 1st, you might see a price increase early.  When your plan renews itself, you’ll get the new rate.  In my case, I was informed that this will take place on August 7th.  So instead of 6 1/2 weeks to consider what we’re going to do, we have a mere 3 weeks.

Field of Vision: A Story of Bullying and Magic Cameras

Bullies, Review, Television

As a victim of bullying myself, I was quite interested in the synopsis of the upcoming P&G and Wal-Mart Family Movie Night collaboration Field of Vision.

Through mysterious footage captured on an old malfunctioning video camera, Sinclair High School’s star quarterback, Tyler McFarland, learns that some of his teammates have been bullying Cory Walker, a troubled new transfer student.  Aware that sharing this information with the coach might get his friends kicked off the team and ultimately cost the school the state championship, Tyler must choose what’s more important: winning or doing what’s right.

Here is the trailer:

The story opens to introduce Tyler, his family and community.  Tyler plays for his high school’s football team.  His sister is a bit of a bookworm, devouring any books she comes across from a small shop owner.  The shop owner shows her an old, temperamental video camera.  It works, but only when it wants to.  More than that, it begins to show her footage of horses and other things.

Meanwhile, Cory Walker starts his first day at the high school.  He’s a foster child, having lost his mother years ago and never having known his father.  He is a quiet individual who hides a keen mind.  It is this keen mind that winds up getting him into trouble with a couple of players on the football team who bullies him for “making him look bad in front of his friends.”  Cory’s crime?  Answering a teacher’s question when asked to after one of the players couldn’t.

Tyler, the team captain, asks the football players who deny any involvement, but then finds out his teammates were lying when the video camera shows him just what went down.  Yes, this camera seems to have a bit of magic in its old circuitry!

Tyler’s then faced with the prospect of just how to respond.  A big game is coming up and the football players involved are needed to win.  Should he do the right thing and doom his team to losing (thus making himself an outcast as well)?  Should he turn them in only after the big game is over?  Or should he ignore the whole thing because this kind of thing has always gone on?

As a victim of bullying, I identified with much of Cory’s character.  At one point, he obviously knows the answer to a question in class and blurts out an answer without thinking.  When the teacher asks him for clarification, he hems and haws, uncomfortable with the spotlight that will likely lead to another bullying confrontation.  After the incidents, he is close to tears over the entire situation.

During high school, I felt that way many times.  There were many times that I wished that I could just shrink myself down until I’d disappear or hide myself somewhere to cry without giving my bullies more ammunition to use against me.

The bullies in the movie also use a tactic I’ve seen real-life bullies use: Framing the situation to their benefit.  They will attempt to dictate what the appropriate responses the bullied individual (or bystanders) can take to their actions.  Of course, these “bully approved” actions either solely benefit the bully or come at great cost to the bullied/bystander.  This can leave the bullied feeling like they have no choice and no options.  Isolation is a bully’s best friend.

Without spoiling the movie, I will say that I found the ending a tad unrealistic, but this is, after all, a family movie and not a hard-hitting expose on bullying.  I didn’t really expect plot threads that lingered for years or decades and issues that went unresolved for the rest of the characters’ lives.  In a movie like this, everything is tied up into a neat little bow by the closing credits.  Expecting that, it was quite entertaining and I would definitely recommend for people to tune in.

The premiere of Field of Vision is on Saturday, June 11 on NBC at 8pm ET/7pm CT.  More information is available from their website and Facebook page.

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Dad Central Consulting on behalf of P&G and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

TV Dad vs TV Dad: Who Is The World’s Greatest?

Fatherhood, Television

wgd-billboard-general_02Over at ManOfTheHouse.com, they’re running an interesting elimination bracket.  Giants are facing off against each other to see who is the best of their group.  No, I’m not talking about sports teams going head to head.  I’m talking about such giants as Keaton, Seaver, Winslow, Micelli, Huxtable, and Foreman.  Yes, they have pit 32 TV dads in head to head competition.

You can head on over to the “World’s Greatest TV Dad” contest and vote for your favorite in each of the two dad matchups.  Each week, one dad will triumph over the other and half of the competitors will be eliminated.  The remaining dads will face each other again and again until only one is left.

Already some dads have been eliminated, including one of my favorites.  Before this contest, if you asked me who was the best TV dad to use as a role model, I’d have said Cliff Huxtable.  It’s clear that Cliff, for all the goofy things he says and sarcasm he tosses out about his ever-growing household, loves his kids.  He works hard to provide the best for them and wants to see them be the best they can possibly be.

However, for all of Cliff’s benefits, there’s another TV dad that I might hold in higher esteem.  This dad was very ahead of the curve when it comes to dad trends.  Of course, I’m talking of Tony Micelli from “Who’s The Boss.”  Tony was a single dad of modest means.  He took a job as a live-in housekeeper to give his daughter a better environment to grow and learn.  His job entailed cooking and cleaning; jobs that were not widely considered “things dads do” in the early 80’s.

To me, Micelli’s dedication to provide the best possible life for his daughter, coupled with his bending of cultural and gender stereotypes makes him a great TV dad role model in my book.

Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Dad Central Consulting on behalf of P&G and received promotional items to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Ameba Review and Giveaway: Fun and Educational Kids TV

Giveaway, Review, Roku, Television

I’ll admit it.  As much as I thought I’d be the parent who wouldn’t let their child watch too much television, my kids love the TV.  They have a dozen favorite shows that they absolutely *must* see and are constantly asking us to DVR something else.  In addition, they’ve fallen in love with Netflix on our Roku player.  NHL, in particular, enjoys picking just which episode of which show he is going to watch next.  Of course, we prefer it when their television watching habits are educational in nature.  So when I heard about Ameba, I was intrigued.

Ameba is one of the many new channels that Roku provides.  Unlike others that show old movies or anime, though, Ameba shows educational programming geared towards children.  When we first browsed the selection of shows, I’ll admit that I began to get a little nervous.  Nowhere was Dora the Explorer, The Wonder Pets or any of the other “big name” shows that my boys are used to watching.  Would they take to these new shows or would they turn their noses up at them?

We looked through the Ages 2 – 5 section for a good program for JSL.  After awhile, we found Rainbow Fish.  This was a pleasant surprise because they love the Rainbow Fish book.  We watched an episode where Rainbow Fish and his friends need to welcome a new girl to their school.  A girl who doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of the gang.  They both enjoyed this show.

After this, we switched over to the Age 6 – 10 section to find a good program for NHL.  I noticed Einsteinabot, a program which appeared to be about numbers and math.  NHL loves math so we tried this.  Once again, I began to get nervous.  The program had a fun song, but the look of the show wasn’t as polished as some shows on Nick Jr or Disney Junior.  I needn’t have worried, though.  NHL began singing along while JSL danced in his seat.  When the episode was over, NHL asked to watch the next one and the one after that.

It just goes to show that kids like fun shows.  They don’t care if the show uses the latest animation techniques or expensive computer generated imagery.  The shows on Ameba might not have big toy lines behind them like Dora or the Disney shows do, but they are fun and educational.  (Of course, the lack of a big toy line might be seen as another plus.)

Ameba costs $9.99 per month (though, for the month of April, they’re dropping the price to $3.99) and you can either get a set top box from them or purchase a Roku box for $60 to play it on.  I didn’t test Ameba’s box so I can’t say anything good or bad about it, but I highly recommend the Roku box for ease of use and availability of content.

Giveaway:

Thanks to Ameba, not one, not two, but three lucky winners will receive an Ameba set top box and a 3 month subscription to Ameba. To enter, simply leave a comment below answering this question: What education programs do your children watch or did you watch growing up?

You can also earn bonus entries by doing any (or all) of the following items. Just be sure to leave a separate comment for each item that you complete.  (Don’t just leave one comment listing everything you did.)

  • Follow @TechyDad on Twitter. (1 bonus entry)
  • Follow @AmebaTV on Twitter. (1 bonus entry)
  • Tweet about the giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include @TechyDad, @AmebaTV and a link to this post in the Tweet. (1 bonus entry per day) For example: Stream educational children’s shows from the web to your TV. Win 1 of 3 @AmebaTV set top boxes from @TechyDad http://bit.ly/gMRdRH #Giveaway
  • Subscribe to my RSS feed or let me know if you already are. (1 bonus entry)
  • Leave a comment on any of my non-giveaway posts from March/April. Leave a comment here letting me know which post you commented on. (1 bonus entry per comment, maximum 3 entries)
  • Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway. Leave 3 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra entries. (3 bonus entries)

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. Contest starts today, March 31st and ends at Noon EST on April 14th, 2010. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to U.S. and Canada residents only.

Disclaimer: I was provided two month’s free Ameba service to review.  No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed above are my own. Ameba is also providing the giveaway item to my readers.

An Evening With A Mythbuster

Mythbusters, Television

Early this week, via a local blog, I heard that Grant Imahara would be making an appearance.  He would speak for a bit and then have a question and answer session.  I went back and forth about attending considering the time it would be (8PM which would mean B would be putting the kids to bed by herself instead of with my help).  Finally, I decided that it was too good of a chance to pass up.

So on Thursday night, I went home, made a quick dinner for everyone and then got ready.  Just before going, NHL was upset that JSL was playing on his LeapFrog ClickStart computer.  He wanted to play but JSL wasn’t sharing.  To be fair, though, the ClickStart is JSL’s and isn’t really designed for kids NHL’s age.  So I started my computer and let him play some Math Rider (a review of that is coming soon).  Then, I left my computer and math geek-in-training to see a myth-busting geek.

P1350962 The talk itself was interesting.  He spoke about his movie work and being invited to join Mythbusters.  At the time, he had just finished filming another reality show, Junkyard Wars, and didn’t want to do that again.  Plus, Star Wars 3 was coming up and he really wanted to work on that.  So he turned down the invite and completed working on the Star Wars Prequels.

A few years later, though, he found his movie special effects skills being performed more and more by computers (instead of robotics and models).  Another Mythbusters invite came at just the right time and he hopped aboard.

I learned things about him that I didn’t know (he wore the C3PO suit for all public appearances and it was really uncomfortable!), things about the Mythbusters that I didn’t know (Jamie has a disguise for airport trips. He takes off his beret and puts on a baseball cap.) and heard plenty of stories about him and his colleagues.

As I mentioned before, this was going to have a Q & A portion.  I knew that I wanted to ask a question, but didn’t know just what.  I figured he has heard “What’s your favorite myth?” at every talk.  NHL, remembering the duct tape episode, said I should ask “How strong is duct tape?”  (Note to self: This Spring, NHL and I really need to work on a Duct Tape Swing project.)  Finally, I decided and walked up to the mike.

I told him that, as the father of a 7 year old, I use Mythbusters to encourage a love of science in my child.  I mentioned NHL’s duct tape question and Grant mentioned seeing my tweet.  (I suppressed the urge to exclaim “Grant Imahara read my tweet! SQEEEEE!”)  Given how every episode is prefaced with “Don’t Try This At Home” (for obvious safety reasons), I asked if they had ever considered doing a Do Try This At Home special.  Busting some myths or performing some experiments in manners that parents and kids could duplicate in their house.

The first reaction was from the audience.  Everyone applauded.  Then Grant complimented me on the question and said he’s never heard that one before.  He mentioned Kari Byron’s show on the Science Channel, Head Rush, which does feature some “Try It At Home” segments.  (I had set this to DVR but it initially filled up my DVR so I had to remove the recordings.  I’ve reset it to record now that more space was cleared off.)  He said that it was a very good idea, but probably not too likely given that the Mythbusters episodes thrive on things (explosions, gunfire, crashes, etc) that really can’t be done at home.

P1350969After the Q & A was over, we were given the opportunity to get our picture taken with him and get autographs.  I had him sign my copy of the Mythbusters book: “Don’t Try This At Home.”  (Ironically, this book was published just after he joined the Mythbusters and there’s not a single photo of Grant in it!)  He complimented me on the question and we got our photo taken.

Then it was time to pack up and head back home.  My computer-and-math geek-in-training and my little geek-ling were fast asleep.  I showed B the autograph and the photo of us together.

Thanks, Grant for such an entertaining and informative session.  Here’s hoping that I get to meet Adam, Jamie, Tory and Kari sometime soon!

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