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Netflix offers streaming-only plan, physical world one step closer to disappearing
By Ben ReiningaNovember 22nd, 2010, 2:30 pmComments (7)
Netflix has struck another blow to the world of material objects, offering a DVD-rental plan in the US that only includes online-video streaming, and no mailed DVDs. The plan will cost $7.99 per month, two dollars less than the cheapest one-DVD-a-month plan.
This comes from the company that revolutionized the movie rental process by pretty much literally killing the video store, and then did so again by becoming the first company to popularize (legal) online video-watching. As of present, "Watch Instantly" already out-performs regular old brick-and-mortar DVD-watching on Netflix, a trend that will only increase.
The move also represents a switch in international power dynamics, since for the longest time, "Watch Instantly-only" plans were one of the few things that Canadians had and we didn't. Of course, that's probably less because Canadians are so internet-savvy and plugged-in, and more because it's inconvenient to deliver DVDs -- for free -- when you have to do it via snow helicopter.
Commentarium (7 Comments)
Snow helicopter? Seriously?!?!? You stupid Americans and your stereotypes about Canadians.
For Christ's sake, we use dogsleds to get around. Honestly.
I actually had written dogsleds on the first draft! Then I changed it -- I wanted to give Canada credit for at least being a technologically sophisticated ice-fortress.
Snow Helicopter made me chuckle. Clarification on why you put Snow Helicopter and not dog-sleds made me laugh. But, srsly, moving to the intangible digital world is kinda frightening but the inevitable. Interesting.
Great, I'll switch over when they get better titles than Air Bud 2
Is Air Bud 2 about smoking pot in snow helicopters?
Gosh, I wish I would have had that informaiton earlier!
Shoot, so that's that one spusopes.