Netflix: An Objective Evaluation

By: Kevin Nelson, Senior Editor

I am an avid movie watcher. On average, I watch movies more frequently than I watch TV which, I suppose, makes me partially responsible for Conan O’Brien losing The Tonight Show. I realize that I and I alone, cannot shoulder the blame, after all, one person doesn’t even register on the Nielsen ratings, or at least not to my knowledge. My research on the topic was limited to Season 6 of King of the Hill which offered no insights on how these ratings are obtained, though I did learn a little about what it means to be a family and love despite our differences, and in the end, isn’t that more profound?

But movies aren’t cheap. As one with a limited income, I can’t afford to see all the latest blockbusters in theaters, and Best Buy stopped taking plasma as a form of payment recently. So what am I to do? I could turn to one of the internet’s many download sites, but I like having physical media in my possession. That is literally the only reason. In fact, I have a message to any film industry professionals reading this right now: if you want us to keep buying your movies, you’re going to have to give us more bang for our buck. A lot of movies are terrible, and if I spend $45.00 on a Blu-Ray copy of Dunston Checks In, not only am I certifiably insane, but I demand better incentive than ‘crew recommendations’. Those are already on the DVD; they’re called trailers and I can no longer skip them. Not only am I paying for a bad movie, but now I’m also paying to watch three agonizing minutes of some Michael Bay movie. In most countries, this is an open act of torture.

This combination of pickiness and practicality are what make Netflix ideal for me. Well, those and my inability to return a movie on time. For those of you who have been living in a shelter deep below the Earth for the past decade, welcome to the surface world. The war never happened, Baseball is marred with drug scandals, and we can now get any movie on the planet sent to our mailbox in (ABOUT) one business day.

Do you have an overwhelming desire to see The Garbage Pail Kids? Me neither, but if you did, Netflix could get it to you tomorrow. That’s a great feeling of empowerment, and the knowledge that, if by tomorrow I have decided I don’t want to see the copy of The Devil Wears Prada I requested, I can leave it sitting on top of my computer for four months until I have one of my infrequent Meryl Streep attacks and not have to worry about a late fee.

One of my favorite features of Netflix is the Instant Queue. This handy fellow exists for those of us whom feel that one business day is NOT FAST ENOUGH. We’re busy (or more frequently, friendless) people and we need entertainment RIGHT NOW. The Battlestar Galactica marathon isn’t on for another two hours and I’m not walking all the way out to my mailbox without pants on again –a note, putting on pants is NOT an option.
Thanks to the good people at Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony, I no longer have to. Hell, I don’t even have to walk to my computer anymore. With any of these online enabled consoles, I can now browse and stream as many movies as I want every month. But how do the services stack up? If you have all three consoles in your house, how do you decide which one to turn into your own personal video store? Well, I compared two of these services (because my PS3 streaming disk hasn’t yet arrived) in an effort to inform you, the consumer. Don’t say I never gave you anything.

Xbox 360
Requirements: Netflix subscription, Xbox Live subscription, HDD, Cable Internet or better

The 360 delivers a great Netflix experience. The interface is great for anyone who is used to using the dashboard, and you can browse for new movies and rate what you’ve seen right on the screen. The Xbox also supports full HD streaming now, which is nice if you have one of those newfangled HD TV’s and insists the movie is better when you can see the imperfections on Nicholas Cages’ face.
The major downside here is that there’s no search or sort functionality. You basically just have to wade through all the movies to find something new to watch. It would also be nice to see what a movie’s star rating is or a description without having to load a separate panel.
The other turn off here is that you need to pay for the Xbox Live service to use the Netflix streaming. While this isn’t a problem for most 360 users who already use Live, it does add an additional $50 price tag to your year of Netflix.

Nintendo Wii
Requirements: Netflix Subscription, Netflix Wii disk, wireless internet

The major advantage of the Wii version of Netflix is the remote browsing interface. Like everything else menu related on the Wii, the remote pointer is very natural. I was very surprised when I got my disk for the Wii how well the service actually works, and though I was expecting a dumbed down version of the 360’s interface, was pleasantly surprised how well it all fell together. Also, the load times in general for the movies seemed to be less when browsing on the Wii.

Of course, the usual Wii issue is relevant here, the lack of HD. This was, however, another unexpected surprise for me, as I fully expected the videos to look like a low-rez YouTube clip. The quality, though not HD is certainly broadcast level with a decent internet connection with no significant slowdown. Fans of HD though, are going to be less than impressed by this.

If you have a Wii, you’re certainly not losing out by getting the disk. The Wii is free online and the disk is free from Netflix. You don’t have to send it back so it’s ready anytime and you still get the full range of Instant services. They also sent me a 10% discount coupon for using my Wii for Netflix, so it’s great to have as a backup option.

Of course, I’ll be adding my PS3 streaming review to this list as soon as the disk is available.

In the end, no matter what option you chose, the only real way to lose is by not using the service at all. Of course, if you have a TiVo or –God forbid- a library card, well aren’t you special? But if you have Netflix already and are ready to throw out those uncomfortable pants, then this service is right for you.