Why is Netflix so popular when there is hardly much selection on it?

This.

I've found my library to be an excellent resource and, as long as I return everything on time, it's totally free to use.

I do agree that Netflix's selection is not great (but then I find Amazon's selection of "Prime" videos to be very limited as well). I'm not the one that pays for the Netflix account I use, though, so I can't really complain. I do think though that if I were to lose access to the account, I would wait until the Orange is the New Black season premiere, resubscribe, binge watch it, and then cancel again until the next season. I rarely use the account and more often than not when I sign in, I end up scrolling in vain then giving up and finding something to watch elsewhere or just doing something else entirely.

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Like Miss Vicky said, try your library. Mine has a ton of movies. And consider adding on the Netflix DVD service. I have the DVD service only (no streaming) and I'm very happy with it and they have a lot of movies, (not all of course).

I also had both streaming and DVD, but dropped the streaming a while ago because a) I was frustrated when movies or TV shows would disappear from the streaming menu without notice; and b) I realized I hardly ever used streaming anyway. I've been perfectly happy with the DVD service alone. The service is good -- delivery is prompt, and the company is responsive to problems like damaged discs. A lot of movies on my queue remain in the "Saved" section, or promise "Very long waits", but I have plenty of other stuff on there to tide me over. No complaints overall.

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Okay thanks. Yes the library has much more for sure. I use that a lot. I only watch Netflix when at friend's houses, when they want to watch movies, but when I make suggestions, and they look for them, the movies are literally never on there almost.

I'm surprised to hear that Whiplash is a cinefile movie, since everyone I know has seen it it seems, so I thought it was quite popular.

I haven't used the Netflix DVD service, and not sure how that works.

You pay for a monthly plan, depending on how many discs you want to have out at a time (up to four). You list the movies you want to see on your queue (which you can always modify), and they send you the first (1-4) available discs on your queue. You basically keep the discs for as long as you want, and as you return each disc they replace it with the next on your queue. Delivery is generally 2-3 days, depending on where you live, and they're quite responsive if you report a problem (damaged disc, lost mailer, etc.). If you have a new Netflix account, you get a one-month free trial.

That's an argument that they're worth less than they were, which is of course different than saying they're not worth what they cost.

Exactly. Kinda ruins the critique of the product to have, underneath it, the unstated assumption that you can just steal what they're selling.

Man, I don't think this is even close to true, unless you're counting things that require an extra charge, which obviously wouldn't be comparable.

Hulu costs more, unless you want to sit through ads.

I'm not sure how much better their selection is, either. Since everyone else is cherry-picking: they don't have Better Call Saul or Breaking Bad (both on Netflix). They're better for things on TV right now, but a big part of that edge goes away if you want to see completed shows. And that's just TV, so if you want TV and movies, you'd actually have to pair Hulu with a second service, in which case you're basically paying double what Netflix costs.

Anyway, there's little point in going back and forth on selection when everyone's opinion on it is just "I search now and then and it kinda seems like they have less/more/the same." If that's how you wanna make decisions, go for it, but that can't be extrapolated into a declaration about which actually has better selection. It's too subject to idiosyncrasies in taste.

Kinda muddies those waters to say it's "obsolete." But as I said, I'm chalking this up to the fact that, on the Internet, seemingly everyone has learned to phrase their opinions as if they were objective facts.

Well, my guess is most people who really like movies have friends who disproportionately like them, too.

I adore Whiplash and most of the people I know have heard of it, but I recognize I'm not in the cultural median on this particular point, and most people would rather be able to stream Deadpool.

People don't watch Netflix primarily for the movies, they're watching it for the TV shows. The movies on there are just an added bonus. Used to be it did specialize in them but when they realized how many people indulged their service for binge watching shows more they switched directions. There are still a lot of decent movies on it though and it seems like they are getting better at getting newer ones on it much faster than they used to.

Okay thanks. This makes sense cause my friends watch the shows on there a lot more. But how is it that Netflix is putting HMV out of business, when Netflix doesn't have the movie range that HMV has?

Why compare Netflix to HMV? I asked the same thing in my initial reply:

If HMV is just a store, and not a flat subscription service, then it's more a competitor with with those other stores I mentioned, or one of the half dozen other places where you can purchase media. In which case the question should be why it didn't go out of business sooner, unless it has some hidden advantages over those huge entities I'm unaware of.

Also, as several people have explained, there's a whole DVD rental side to the site, and the selection there is much larger.

Because there is a huge selection. Just because you can't find a select few doesn't mean there isn't an abundance of films and shows there. I'm constantly watching stuff on Netflix streaming, despite it not having all of my favorites. They're constantly shuffling what's there, so you shouldn't run out of stuff that quickly. You're just being picky.

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Thanks again, Mr Portridge.

As far as that goes, there are movies I never would have seen if not for surfing through Netflix's menu.

Yep, same here. So, another bonus for Netflix. But I guess you can't please everyone.

They got in the market first, and they already had a subscription base from their mail order model. They have tons of capital to snatch up content as well as produce their own. The only competition I've tried is Amazon, but they don't have anything on Netflix's television selection unless you want to spend $15 extra on HBO. They're available on all platforms. They don't have a tiered billing format that walls off specific content. You can share it between an entire family.

I think your problem with selection is from thinking about Netflix the wrong way. I don't get on it and expect it to have something. I flip through the catalog until I find something interesting. I've still got a massive queue there, and I found several movies I love on there. Bertolucci's The Conformist comes to mind first.

Oh, and finally the average person really doesn't have high standards when it comes to movies and television. The majority of Netflix users even. They'll gobble up the garbage without blinking. There's a reason they signed Adam Sandler to a multi-picture deal.

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I only signed up to use the free month, and yeah, I don't care for it much, even though my #1 movie is on there... I only paid $10 for one month (I need to cancel in a day or two) to see some stand-up, which is cheaper than ordering it on TV... I can cancel, and when Chappelle does his third special, I'll watch that, and hopefully something else.

There are thousands of movies for free online.. Youtube, openculture, etc etc..

My reason: Narcos, Stranger Things and korean films!

Great tv series, but I find they have a decent selection of movies for the most part. Combined w HBO it's pretty good, although HBO doesnt seem to add movies as often

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Mostly because of documentaries

What Korean movies are available?

When Netflix first caught on as a DVD-by-mail rental service and then moved to a streaming service, they were the biggest game in town. Because they were way ahead of the curve in the marketplace, originally they had lots of movies to choose from on their streaming platform. As more companies and even studios themselves got into the streaming marketplace, it cut more and more into their library. Why would Warner Bothers give them rights to their titles when they have their own online service they are trying to get people to use and subscribe to?

So while the amount and variety of titles has continued to evaporate from Netflix for streaming, they wisely were way ahead on another angle: original content. It started with the critical acclaim and binge-watching success of shows like "House of Cards" and "Orange is the New Black" and on to "Making a Murderer", the four Marvel series ("Daredevil", "Jessica Jones", "Luke Cage", Iron Fist"), to now "Stranger Things" and on and on.

So while you may not find the specific classic movie or new release you were hoping for, their brand is a reliable and beloved one for millions, and as long as they continue to make quality original programming they should continue to be a force.


But the impermanence of streaming libraries in general, Netflix and any of the others, as well as your ability to view them being dependent on things like how good an internet connection you have at that moment, is why I still collect DVDs/BluRays. Your favorite movie may be available on Netflix in 2012, then it moves to Hulu for a while, then it is only available through Warners.....but I don't give a ***** where it currently is or isn't available to stream because I have a hard copy that I can watch anytime I want.

Plus I just have a crazy/creepy/wonderful collecting gene.

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