Michael Three years ago, I had reported on the DVD rental service Netflix (Rundbrief 02/2007), which allows us to watch movies without paying exorbitant fees for terrible, advertisement-filled cable channels. Even back then, Netflix offered part of its DVD collection online, but you had to use a computer for that. Years ago, I predicted that this service would really take off if it ran directly on the TV and not on an extra computer, and lo and behold, Netflix listened to me and has been working for some time with various gadget manufacturers to bring Internet Netflix to the TV screen.
Recently, our old tube TV gave up the ghost, and based on a tip from our TV cabinet expert Roland, I immediately bought the latest LED screen (not LCD, you backward folks), which already has Internet-Netflix built in. Imagine that: A TV with a built-in computer that streams movies from the internet. What a time we live in!
As mentioned, Netflix has always run on computers, but only on Windows and Mac. Not on the Linux system, where I hammer out my world-shattering scripts and articles in the study. After some intense thinking, I realized that the screen there has a second input, so I bought a Roku Gizmo (technical term) for 70 dollars in the summer sale. That's one of the many devices on the market with built-in Netflix. I plugged it into the screen and also into my 5-channel sound system, which is also in the study (I like to listen to music while working). Since then, I no longer need to get up from my office chair to enjoy the excellent and completely ad-free movie program.
And the price for a Netflix subscription is impressive: For about $10 a month, you can watch as many online movies as you want, and Netflix sends you an actual DVD by mail, which you can return as often as you like, and after a few days, the next one is in your mailbox. This is important because many well-known and especially newer movies are only available on DVD and not yet on Internet-Netflix.
Currently, only Americans can enjoy this flood of films, and recently Canada was added to the list. You in Germany will probably have to wait a few more years for the Hollywood moguls to give Netflix the green light to open the floodgates. According to a article in the New York Times on Netflix, however, tough times lie ahead for the company: The cable conglomerates have realized that in 2008, through clever negotiation tactics, Netflix managed to snag Disney and Sony movies from the TV subscription channel "Starz" at astonishingly low prices. Now, Netflix suddenly appears to the movie studios as a price disruptor, as consumers no longer see the need to pay exorbitant cable fees. Netflix needs to brace itself for the next round.