Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
It does seem rather odd to offer a plan only $1-2 cheaper a month that has the same 480p resolution and does not allow offline viewing as I don't see the incentive even if you're trying to save a buck (literally, in this case).
I agree. Definitely.

I win.
 
I actually prefer this model. Rather have the cheapest plan at 480 with no ads than how Hulu makes me watch the same exact ad every 10 minutes. When you put 4k beside 480, are the difference extreme? Yeah, pretty much. But now take away the 4K and leave me with 480 - is my experience or immersion affected in the least? Not at all. I like 4K for gaming and it’s nice for when people are over since so many care about it, but I’m just fine watching 480 Netflix on my 65 inch 4K TV (again, for gaming). And most people would consider me a tech guru. I’ve just never felt the need to pay extra for video quality despite drooling over the latest and greatest screens at Best Buy.

Your TV must have one heck of an up-scaler. :) Seriously, if 480p looks fine to you, cool.

I have an older mid-range 55" OLED and whenever I watch SD television (live or streamed) or even DVDs, it looks pretty soft to me so I, personally, could not handle Netflix's 480p feed (I pay for 4K since it's not much more than the 1080p plan).
 
It's clear to me that Netflix is in trouble. Content is king when there are multiple streaming services and Netflix is loosing their most popular content back to the original US networks (The US Office and Friends were the most watched series on Netflix). I doubt any streaming service is goign to be as popular as Netflix was back in the day just because noone will have all the content people want and people won't want to subscribe to every service. Ad-supported tiers may help, but I am very interested to see what services do when they no longer get the subscriber numbers they are hoping for. The only services I think will do well are Prime as so many people use Prime for other Amazon perks and Disney because surely that has the most desired content (Disney/Pixar for kids, Star Wars and Marvell for comic/fantasy fans, all the ABC and Fox/Touchstone content).
Netflix is not in trouble. It is called competition.
 
  • Like
Reactions: cyanite
It’s not that they don’t learn (even though they don’t) but at the end of the day the only thing that matters to these comanies are profit margin, period. They don’t care about our bills or budget until it affects enough people to hurt, kind of like this.
By not learning I mean that things like this typically follow the same pattern--one thing replaces another, which inevitably becomes as hated as the original that it replaced--and while most people are too busy complaining about whatever has changed, they don't even realise they're basically back to where they were in the first place (granted, with perhaps a few advantages). Not that the average person can do all that much about it of course, besides vote with their wallet I suppose, but the apparent surprise that it happens is kinda amusing.

As for these companies, well they are there to make money after all. They're not charities with the responsibility of keeping us all entertained. That's not to say price increases are "right" or that they should happen, it's just reality.
 
I refuse to see ads but if Netflix’s premium plan gets too far over $20 we’ll likely drop it. Been a subscriber since 2002. We have Amazon and never go to the movies. We watch stuff while working out in the basement every night.
 
I’ve always felt it insulting to content creators to limit resolution based on plan. Imagine the people who spend weeks mastering Netflix original shows and movies in 4k knowing that the majority of people will only ever see it in 480p since the cheapest plans are the most popular. Ditto for ads. If I was an actor/director/fx artist/etc. I’d hate for my project to be on Netflix (vs the streamers who don’t limit resolution).

This kind of content treatment only strengthens the theater exclusive release argument. (And I’d much rather watch in the comfort of my home on my superior system.)
I mastered a show for Netflix in 4K HDR and I'm not paying the extra at home to watch it in 4K. Mostly my kid watches Netflix and he couldn't care less what rez it's in. Still laughable that they're offering resolution based tiering. But they do pay extra to content creators to deliver in HDR.
 
  • Like
Reactions: compwiz1202
2022 and HD is still not standard. I'll just keep DLing them, thanks anyway.

It depends on how you look at it. The HD plan is actually called the "STANDARD" plan so one could consider the Basic plan a discounted plan (currently $5.50 off the Standard plan) for those who are fine with 480p and want to save a few bucks. Those that want HD or UHD can simply ignore that the Basic plan even exists and pretend only Standard or Premium plans are available. No one is being forced to go with 480p.

Same is true for the upcoming ad-supported plan. Those that don't want ads can simply ignore that an ad-supported plan is even being offered. Simply go with an ad-free plan.

By offering ad-free and ad-supported plans and offering 480p, HD and UHD, Netflix is giving subscribers MORE choices than other streaming services. The subscriber is free to pick whichever one they want, or they can choose to not subscribe to any of them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hans1972
Your TV must have one heck of an up-scaler. :) Seriously, if 480p looks fine to you, cool.

I have an older mid-range 55" OLED and whenever I watch SD television (live or streamed) or even DVDs, it looks pretty soft to me so I, personally, could not handle Netflix's 480p feed (I pay for 4K since it's not much more than the 1080p plan).

By not learning I mean that things like this typically follow the same pattern--one thing replaces another, which inevitably becomes as hated as the original that it replaced--and while most people are too busy complaining about whatever has changed, they don't even realise they're basically back to where they were in the first place (granted, with perhaps a few advantages). Not that the average person can do all that much about it of course, besides vote with their wallet I suppose, but the apparent surprise that it happens is kinda amusing.
m

And this is exactly why I don’t pay the few dollars more. When I ditched cable it was because the cost for channel surfing and nothing to watch was such a waste. So I went to 2-3 streaming services. But over time they go up and up in prices and here we are 40% of the way up to my cable bill that I ditched. So each time the prices have gone up recently I’ve downgraded to the lowest plan. I am offsetting specifically not to get back to where I started. But everyone has different desires/expectations. But I feel I get the same enjoyment out of shows as those who watch in 4K. And I get it for half the price. To me it’s a double win.
 
To only offer it in 480p is laughable.
Too expensive for ads. Wayyyyy too expensive for ads and 480p, oughta be paying people to watch that in 2022
No price other than free makes any sense at all for 480p streaming with ads.
It does seem rather odd to offer a plan only $1-2 cheaper a month that has the same 480p resolution and does not allow offline viewing as I don't see the incentive even if you're trying to save a buck (literally, in this case).
Surely noone will subscribe to this

1. Its barely cheaper than the ad free tier

2. Ads will kick you out of any immersion

3. 480p is a joke
480 p and they are monetizing the user 2x via subscription plus ads. AND giving you 480p…? SCAM.

Apparently no one read the Bloomberg article because nowhere does it say that this ad-supported and discounted plan will be in 480p. Nowhere. Yet people here are assuming that it will be.

My guess? $6.99 or $7.99 (same as the Disney+ with Ads plan) with ads, 1080p resolution, and limited to 1 stream at a time. Don't want ads? That'll be $9.99 for the basic plan (480p resolution and 1 stream at a time). Want no ads and a higher (1080p) resolution? That'll be $15.49 for the standard plan. Want even higher resolution and more than 2 streams? That'll be $19.99 for the premium plan.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Digitalguy
Overall, Netflix makes no sense. I hate ads. Netflix will continue to lose subscribers because of this.

The fact it’s 2022, and Netflix is offering 480p streaming is beyond embarrassing. No shame!
I agree with you, but the 480p is only there for the people who cannot afford the full four streams of 4K plan which is what they really want to sell. Figure it costs them less than 1/8th the bandwidth of 4K.
 
What do they plan to charge for "account sharing," i.e., "someone in your immediate family uses your account, but we don't recognize them as being your family member?"
 
Bad enough I got to deal with ads for the upcoming MKBHD YouTube video “I’ve been using the iPhone 14 Pro for the past year” …

But toss ads in the middle of episodes of “The Office” on Netflix Canada, then I’m done!
 
I began pirating again because of netflix honestly. I can't afford all these services
I mean, this is the reason why it was important to have one big, affordable player in the online industry. Why go through the trouble of pirating when you could have it all for ten bucks a month? It works for avid music fans.

They forget about piracy when they consider these prices and how much competition there is now. Everyone and their brother and their cat has a streaming service these days, and it all behaves differently or looks differently if you dare to travel abroad or share your account with your sibling.

I still buy my movies through iTunes (not that the last two year have been kind with the dearth of production). I know I won't have streaming services forever, but I will have those movies forever.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JM and alexhardaker
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.