Skip to Content

Find your next home with Luxist's "Estate of the Day"
AOL Tech

Posts with tag subscription

Poll: Will Netflix's new Blu-ray rates cause a change in your subscription?

by Richard Lawler Apr 1st 2009 @ 12:00PM


One only has to look at Netflix's recent growth to see how successful it's been while branching out onto new disc formats and digital delivery. Still, the news that the $1 Blu-ray surcharge is kicking upwards next month based on how many discs you can have out at once is making many previously happy (or not-so-happy) customers rethink their status. Still, Blu-ray discs are more expensive and if you've been happy with Netflix's service so far, maybe it remains a good deal. After a couple days to let the news settle in pick one, and let us know why in the comments.

How will Netflix's new Blu-ray surcharges affect you?

Movie Gallery fires up in-store PowerPlay subscription plan

by Darren Murph Mar 20th 2009 @ 11:27PM


At this point, Movie Gallery and Hollywood Video are just children in the grown-up world of video rentals, but even we can't help but appreciate its latest, um, attempt. After finding that people don't actually enjoy waiting for DVDs to arrive by mail, it has concocted its very own in-store subscription service, dubbed PowerPlay. In theory, at least, it's a fantastic plan; users are able to pop in, check out a DVD or Blu-ray for an unlimited window of time (or video game for five days), and then return it at their leisure. The problem? The unlimited service is a staggering $39.99 per month, and so far as we can tell, you can only have one flick at a time checked out. Other plans are certainly available, but none of 'em come close to the awesomeness of Blockbuster / Netflix. Sorry, but it's true.

[Via VideoBusiness, image courtesy of CPDothan]

Netflix streaming-only subscriptions coming 'in the future'

by Laura June Feb 25th 2009 @ 8:38PM

This news may not be a surprise, given the huge success of Netflix's Watch Instantly streaming service, which had been activated over 1 million times on Xbox Live the last time we checked -- accounting for about 10 percent of its subscriptions. Regardless, word has come from Netflix's CFO Barry McCarthy that the company plans to offer a streaming-only service "in the near future." The Watch Instantly service currently offers about 12,000 movies (around 100,000 titles are available if you order the physical discs), on a variety of devices, including Xbox Live and Roku boxes, so it seems like a smart move, though we don't know the timeline or pricing of the stream-only service. Here's to hoping they expand their offering a little before then... maybe Final Destination? Just a suggestion.

[Via Joystiq]

SlySoft moving to subscription-based upgrade model

by Darren Murph Dec 12th 2008 @ 10:32AM

It was nice to purchase SlySoft's AnyDVD HD once and let the gurus in Antigua continually re-break whatever DRM Hollywood chose to throw out, wasn't it? After this year, you can kiss that luxury goodbye -- that is, if you continue to sit on the sidelines. SlySoft has just announced that starting on January 1, 2009, it will "change its update policy from free lifetime updates to an annual subscription fee." The good news? Anyone who buys a SlySoft product before that day will not be affected by the change. In other words, you've still got a few weeks to decide whether or not you want to join the Blu-ray backup crowd, and to make your decision easier, the outfit is offering a 20% discount on all software products (save for upgrades) through December 31st.

Cablevision launches Bollywood Hits On Demand

by Darren Murph Nov 22nd 2008 @ 10:55AM


Rather than, you know, giving loyal customers a few extra high-def channels, Cablevision has decided to instead exhaust resources on pushing Bollywood Hits On Demand out to iO TV subscribers. Bollywood. Hits. On. Demand. Personally, we've no qualms with Bollywood flicks, but we can't help but scratch our heads on this one, particularly since it's an SD VOD service. Nevertheless, it still marks the company's very first international subscription video on demand service, and those interested will have to pony up $9.95 per month in order to indulge.

[Via Multichannel]

Netflix CEO says Blu-ray premiums coming "very soon"

by Darren Murph Jul 26th 2008 @ 4:56PM

Netflix taketh away, and Netflix giveth. Netflix is about to taketh once more (this time from your wallet), with CEO Reed Hastings noting on a recent conference call that the promised Blu-ray premium would be instituted "very shortly." Specifics weren't mentioned, but we are hearing that the new pricing will be applied across its entire subscriber base "based on how the tests go." Hastings did note that BD rentals still make up a "very low" percentage of rentals, but of course, that will obviously change as time progresses. Any guesses as to how much said "premium" will be?

[Image courtesy of WorkItMom, thanks Dan]

TiVo brings back $399 Lifetime Service plan

by Darren Murph May 15th 2008 @ 11:10AM


Hard to say if this is just another fling that will expire as soon as some TiVo exec feels that it should, but for whatever it's worth, interested users can now purchase a Lifetime Service plan for their TiVo. Those operating sans a TiVo HD DVR can actually still take advantage of the Blue Moon special, but for everyone else, you can snag the Lifetime package for $399 (or $299 if adding it to your second, third, fourth or twentieth TiVo box). Remember, however, that the "Lifetime" subscription only applies to whatever deck you currently have, and with all this talk of tru2way, we might suggest holding off and letting the dust settle before pulling the trigger.

[Via Zatz Not Funny, thanks MegaZone]

DirecTV enjoys fruitful Q1, demand for HD / DVRs to thank

by Darren Murph May 7th 2008 @ 1:59PM

Nah, Comcast wasn't shedding any tears after announcing its Q1 2008 earnings, but DirecTV must be grinning from ear-to-ear. Aside from seeing its earnings rise 10-percent and revenues climb 17-percent, the satcaster also managed to grab 275,000 net subscriber additions. Analysts were quite pleased with the exceptionally low churn rate, as many of its subscribers seem to be staying put. And with close to a hundred HD channels on tap, who can blame them? It was also noted that average revenue per subscriber crept up from $73.40 to $79.70, and an increasing demand for high-definition programming and DVRs were largely to thank. Is making the switch from cable to satellite worth it? Seems that quite a few folks said yes with their wallets this past quarter.

[Via BloggingStocks]

Netflix to charge "premium" for renting Blu-ray Discs

by Darren Murph Apr 21st 2008 @ 10:24PM


Whoa boy, we can't imagine this going over well with the Blu-ray junkies in attendance. On a conference call held earlier today, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings made mention that it planned on instituting a "modest monthly premium" to its normal subscription rate for folks who rented BDs. Of course, the move only makes perfect sense -- after all, the discs do cost more, and according to Mr. Hastings, "consumers are used to paying more for high-definition content." Unfortunately, we're not sure if the price hike (exactly how much has yet to be disclosed) will apply flatly to every single Blu-ray renter or if the premium will be applied in a tiered fashion based on how heavily you rent HD media versus traditional DVDs. With the change slated to occur "later this year," though, we won't be wondering for long.

[Via CNET, image courtesy of WorkItMom]




    Weblogs, Inc. Network

    AOL News

    Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

    Joystiq
    Download Squad
    The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
    BloggingStocks
    Joystiq Xbox
    Autoblog
    Big Download
    Fanhouse NFL Blog