I liked them better back when they were a DVD-rental service only.
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Netflix's Upcoming Ad-Supported Tier Won't Allow Downloads for Offline Viewing
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Ok, well I've been on the 1080p plan for a while and haven't used the 4K recently, so there's that.
Also - my setup isn't OLED, so if you're happy with the 4K with an OLED then it must be better these days - OLED would show up all the compression artifacts in the dark areas - more so than with my setup.
I have a really good antenna mounted in my attic. With it, I get something like 70 channels without paying dime. Unless it rains heavily, or there's serious cloud cover, they're almost always crystal-clear and in high definition. So again, remind me why Netflix, as opposed to television networks, needs to charge us when they're getting untold amounts from advertisers? And remember, although greed is an acceptable answer, it is not the one I want to hear.
I knew this would happen when subscriptions were introduced. Subscriptions are a gold mine, but that not enough for corporations, they want more and more, and they will keep pushing it, and people or accurately, the sheep, will keep on paying them, and still say subscriptions are wonderful.
What's the PR disaster? It sounds like ad-supported plans typically don't allow downloading. Besides, no one is being forced to go with an ad-supported plan. Other (ad-free) plans will still be available.
Has it been a PR disaster when Apple offered the iPhone SE with older tech and potentially less desirable features? No one has been forced to go with the SE. Other iPhones options were and are available.
I have not read about any issues with other streaming services that offer ad plans (HBO Max, Hulu, Paramount+, etc.) but I imagine Netflix will function similarity for "kid-friendly" content.
All of the tiers should offer 4k resolution if supported by the TV, with the lowest, ad-driven plan starting at $9.99 a month. 480p and 1080p for a streaming service is a joke... Especially with the lack of content Netflix has these days. Only stupid people would pay for this streaming service.
720p (or 1080p) resolution would be good enough for me (resolution is the least important metric to me re content enjoyment) if the Netflix shows were of a high calibre. This is provable if you look at the amazing documentary that is Hoop Dreams, that was recoded on a Sony Camcorder. Pre-HD. It remains one of there best documentaries ever made. Low budget; small team; home camera and amazing content.
In general they are not, however.
The vast majority of their docu-series are maybe ten episodes. Documentary film format is miles superior—respects the viewer’s time and forces the filmmakers to make better content, by them having cut all unnecessary scenes, intros and repetition. When they can only include the best stuff in a 1h 45m - 2h 15m documentary film this compels the filmmaker to trim down and refine the work. The viewing audience wins.
If Netflix cared about quality they would take note of this, but like many of these tech companies when they get bigger they begin to run their enterprise based on clicks, algorithms and manipulations. Forgetting about the human element almost entirely. They reap what they sow. Oh, and as they have over the years haemorrhaged much content to other platforms they overspent and replaced it with lesser content and doubled and tripled the price in that time. We un-subbed three or four years ago.
In general they are not, however.
The vast majority of their docu-series are maybe ten episodes. Documentary film format is miles superior—respects the viewer’s time and forces the filmmakers to make better content, by them having cut all unnecessary scenes, intros and repetition. When they can only include the best stuff in a 1h 45m - 2h 15m documentary film this compels the filmmaker to trim down and refine the work. The viewing audience wins.
If Netflix cared about quality they would take note of this, but like many of these tech companies when they get bigger they begin to run their enterprise based on clicks, algorithms and manipulations. Forgetting about the human element almost entirely. They reap what they sow. Oh, and as they have over the years haemorrhaged much content to other platforms they overspent and replaced it with lesser content and doubled and tripled the price in that time. We un-subbed three or four years ago.
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Heh... this is me, but with Amazon Prime. If I want to watch their stuff, they (supposedly) have their streaming only for $9 a month. No need to pay $15/mo when I haven't really bought much, nor use any of its other benefits!
I'm fine with that. Call me a "weirdo", but I don't have a 4K set up, so I don't want to pay for something I won't be using anyways.
I was going to try out Netflix or HBO Max, two of the services I have yet to get into. However, Hulu goes up in price on Oct. 10th, so I'll do that for a couple months while it's still cheaper, then switch to Disney+ since that will go up on Dec. 8th
I wondered about that. Back when I was doing my free trial of ATV+, I could DL stuff, but wasn't sure how long they'd last. Is it a timed thing where after a certain time, you need to "check in", least they become unusable? Somebody said you can still watch them if your sub ended, but that can't be true. The bigger issue is having a 64 GB iPad, that would get filled up fast (dunno how large the files are, but unless there's an option for 1080p, I'm guessing that wouldn't be feasible). To me, having 64 GB as a base storage is just wrong, more so than not making 4K standard
Can I ask which Netflix series have good 4K Dolby Vision streaming quality?
I have LG OLED also (calibrated with Calman), and the last few Netflix series that I watched, most notably Stranger Things (season 4) and The Umbrella Academy (season 3) looked pretty mediocre for 4K Dolby Vision. Darker scenes in particular have visible compression artifacts. And I don't know whether it's artistic choice or Netflix thing, but stuff that I would imagine would showcase Dolby Vision well just don't look particularly noteworthy (e.g., Lost In Space, The Witcher).
In my experience, Apple TV+ has by far the best streaming quality, followed by Disney+, then Paramount+ (ad-free tier only). As for HBO Max, 4K contents are mostly for movies, which is unfortunate but whatever I have seen looks better than Netflix's overpriced Premium tier.
IMO, if Netflix wants to keep raising the subscription price every 18 months, it must offer 4K Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos to both Standard and Premium tiers.
My guess is that the Ad-Supported Netflix plan will cost $8.99 per month. Maybe they'll run a 'special' promo at an introductory rate for 6 months...
The upcoming ad-supported Netflix tier that's in the works will not allow subscribers to download TV shows or movies to watch offline, reports Bloomberg. The restriction was found in code in the Netflix app for iOS devices, which reads "Downloads available on all plans except Netflix with ads."
Standard Netflix plans allow some Netflix content to be downloaded for offline viewing, and restricting that feature to the more expensive Netflix tiers will allow Netflix to differentiate between existing plans and the new ad-supported plan.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos confirmed in June that Netflix is planning for a more affordable Netflix tier that is aimed at those who do not mind ads and who do not want to pay for an ad-free Netflix subscription. "We've left a big customer segment off the table, which is people who say: 'Hey, Netflix is too expensive for me and I don't mind advertising,'" Sarandos said. "We are adding an ad tier; we're not adding ads to Netflix as you know it today. We're adding an ad tier for folks who say, 'Hey, I want a lower price and I'll watch ads.'"
Bloomberg says that Netflix also does not plan to allow customers to skip ads or access playback controls while ads are playing, and Netflix previously confirmed that some content would be limited to ad-free streaming. The ad-supported Netflix tier is not set to launch until early 2023, however, so there could be updates as Netflix finalizes its plans.
There is no word yet on what the ad-supported Netflix service will be priced at, but Netflix has raised its prices several times in recent years. The Basic Netflix plan is now priced at $9.99 and it offers 480p streaming, while the Standard plan is priced at $15.49 for 1080p resolution. Netflix's most expensive Premium plan, priced at $19.99 per month, is the sole tier that offers 4K HDR streaming. Netflix continues to be only streaming service that charges extra for improved streaming quality, and the ad-supported tier will likely offer streaming quality similar to the Basic plan.
Netflix is introducing an ad-supported tier because it has been losing customers and revenue. The company lost subscribers for the first time in 10 years in the first quarter of 2022, and blamed both "a large number of households sharing accounts" and "competition."
In addition to adding a cheaper plan, Netflix is also going to crack down on account sharing. Netflix says that approximately 222 million paying households are sharing with another 100 million households that are not being monetized, with the company planning to implement more effective monetization of multi-household sharing" in the future. Fees for multi-household account sharing are already being tested in some countries and could expand to additional countries in the future.
Article Link: Netflix's Upcoming Ad-Supported Tier Won't Allow Downloads for Offline Viewing
The prices for Basic would then increase by at least $2-3/month...something within reach of the ad-supported tier subscriber (budget-wise), so that people might be tempted to go ad-free, and spend just a little more.
Then, I think all of the higher tiers would implement a small increase ($1 - $1.50/month). Perhaps a little more for 4K Premium. Just because it's the highest tier!
My reasoning is that they won't want LESS revenue from those who are already subscribers to the Basic plan—some of whom would be tempted to save money and drop down to the ad-plan. So, the Ad plan should be priced near what is now the 'base' tier, and Netflix would (overall) preserve their total average revenue per user much more so than if they were to set the 'new' bottom ad-supported tier at a lower price.
Comparatively, $9.99 is what HBO Max's Ad-tier plan costs (I believe that's what it is, I don't subscribe to it). But the top tier is $14.99 per month. Due to their Discovery merger woes, I'm sure that pricing will be increasing, as well, in the next few months.
Hulu is very overpriced for the limited content it offers, and their ad-supported plan, though (currently) cheaper is FULL of ads. I tried it out in the beginning and it was intolerable. I subscribe to their ad-free tier, and that's what I'll be cancelling soon.
I want to like Netflix more than I do. But the simple fact is: they are way too expensive and 480 is a slap in the face. I didn't share password, and they are not the only fish in the see. I have Amazon Prime, HBOmax and Apple TV, and together they amount to about a Netflix subscription. They are good, but not that good.