A LONG time ago back when Netflix first started its rating system was its major speak. I recall articles saying that even if you did not pay for the service, you should make an account just simply to use its rating system to decide your next watch (and then go get them at Blockbuster or something:-P). My, how things have changed in the meantime…
I remember finding a list of the top 100 movies of all time - stuff like Schindler’s List - and perhaps other lists of like most popular in a given year, and only 2 of those were offered via their streaming service at the time (the others only available from their DVD mailing service). Hancock was one, to give you an idea of what that looked like. There is a reason people started calling it “Shitflix”. 🤣
That seems counter-productive, since Netflix was far cheaper than paying per movie at Blockbuster. I used to use Blockbuster the opposite way, going there to browse for movies to order from Netflix. I do miss being able to browse at a physical store.
But, before Blockbuster started its own mailing service, you would have to wait several days for your video choice to arrive. Plus there’s the convenience of having it mailed directly to you, especially if you lived further away from a Blockbuster store I guess. Back when Netflix had virtually nothing to watch (as opposed to later when it merely has nothing WORTH watching, hehe🤪), it wasn’t so bad to have like one season of an old Star Trek mailed to you, even if you went to Blockbuster for actual movie titles.
More realistically, the article I am half recalling was probably trying to drum up subscriber numbers when Netflix was young and first starting out.
Anyway the point was that at one point in time their ratings system was actually considered quite GOOD, back before they got into pushing crap that they would rather you watch instead of stuff that you might actually enjoy.
The real ones had blockbuster deliver by mail, then returned those discs in store same day so to prompt the next delivery. I think it was a buck cheaper than Netflix at the time, too. Yargh
A LONG time ago back when Netflix first started its rating system was its major speak. I recall articles saying that even if you did not pay for the service, you should make an account just simply to use its rating system to decide your next watch (and then go get them at Blockbuster or something:-P). My, how things have changed in the meantime…
Back when Netflix had anything you wanted to watch instead of the same 100 movies listed in 5 different categories each.
I remember finding a list of the top 100 movies of all time - stuff like Schindler’s List - and perhaps other lists of like most popular in a given year, and only 2 of those were offered via their streaming service at the time (the others only available from their DVD mailing service). Hancock was one, to give you an idea of what that looked like. There is a reason people started calling it “Shitflix”. 🤣
That seems counter-productive, since Netflix was far cheaper than paying per movie at Blockbuster. I used to use Blockbuster the opposite way, going there to browse for movies to order from Netflix. I do miss being able to browse at a physical store.
But, before Blockbuster started its own mailing service, you would have to wait several days for your video choice to arrive. Plus there’s the convenience of having it mailed directly to you, especially if you lived further away from a Blockbuster store I guess. Back when Netflix had virtually nothing to watch (as opposed to later when it merely has nothing WORTH watching, hehe🤪), it wasn’t so bad to have like one season of an old Star Trek mailed to you, even if you went to Blockbuster for actual movie titles.
More realistically, the article I am half recalling was probably trying to drum up subscriber numbers when Netflix was young and first starting out.
Anyway the point was that at one point in time their ratings system was actually considered quite GOOD, back before they got into pushing crap that they would rather you watch instead of stuff that you might actually enjoy.
The real ones had blockbuster deliver by mail, then returned those discs in store same day so to prompt the next delivery. I think it was a buck cheaper than Netflix at the time, too. Yargh
I did the same. There was a point when Blockbuster was the better deal if you had a store close by.