September is going to be an extremely busy month and at this rate we aren't going to get through season 3 until mid October. Still, I am going to pay for the discs until we finish that off, then I am done.
Why cancel discs you might ask. Why not cancel streaming? I've been getting discs from Netflix since 2005. I've loved the service, but it has gotten worse over time and I use it less and less. New releases are held a month before they are even available on Netflix, and when they do become available they seem really difficult to get lately. There have been several movies I've really wanted to watch. By the time I get it on Netflix it is months old, and I've lost my excitement to see it. I would get a movie that was number 4 or 5 on my list and I had no desire to watch it. I'd keep it for 2 or 3 weeks before forcing myself to pop it in so I could get something else that I wanted to watch more.
A lot of people might argue that the selection on the instant streaming service is pretty lame. I could disagree with that, but there really is no point. If your goal is to watch brand new releases, then yes, it isn't going to have much for you. However, there are tons of great smaller indie films, foreign films, and documentaries available that I am just as happy to see. Those, along with all the television series they offer, make me definitely want to keep it. There is also a huge selection of children's movies. As my daughter gets older it is going to be great to fire up a movie for her on the iPad, and hopefully keep us from purchasing a ton of kids' movies. I haven't seen any Mad Men and I am looking forward to getting started on that when we finish Breaking Bad.
Redbox can pretty easily replace what I had been using my disc subscription for. It doesn't have near the selection, but for the most part I will be fine. I can use Amazon video or some other paid streaming service to watch something that I absolutely have to see that isn't available at Redbox. There isn't anything that can replace the streaming service for me... at least not yet.
I will keep track of how much I am spending to rent discs from Redbox, and if it is cheaper to start up Netflix again then I might do that. However, I don't see that happening. Netflix, it has been a good run with the discs. I've loved it for years, but I am going to pull the plug. Hopefully your streaming selection continues to improve. If so, I will be a loyal customer for years to come.
Filed Under: Breaking Bad, Disc Subscription, Netflix, Streaming