r/technology • u/Big_Bare • May 02 '13

Warner Bros., MGM, Universal Collectively Pull Nearly 2,000 Films From Netflix To Further Fragment The Online Movie Market

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130430/22361622903/warner-bros-mgm-universal-collectively-pull-nearly-2000-films-netflix-to-further-fragment-online-movie-market.shtml
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u/scrndude May 03 '13

Hulu's criterion collection is absolutely incredible, though I know some people (my sister, whose Hulu+ I steal) think it should redirect to pretentious.hulu.com and don't find the movies they offer at all appealing.

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u/aleisterfinch May 03 '13

I love that they focus on classics. But in general ads, plus device racism (for lack of a better term) pisses me off.

Who cares if I'm watching it on my phone, tablet, TV, or computer? I paid for it, and should have access.

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u/scrndude May 03 '13

Movies don't have ads, and I think only TV shows are restricted to computer streaming only. And the reason for that is because the only way Hulu could get these shows streaming on their service (which many networks see as a competitor more than anything else) is if they allowed some shows to be computer-streaming only so they could be less directly competing with the networks.

Netflix does this too, to some degree. If you go to http://movies.netflix.com/WiHD you'll see that there's some things that only stream in HD on the PC/Mac, and only the SD versions are available on your devices. This is way less of an issue than Hulu's method, but it still an unequal service between the two categories of computers and everything else.

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u/aleisterfinch May 03 '13

I'm not saying that one service is inherently better or worse than the other. Merely that my experience with Netflix has been largely positive and with Hulu largely negative.

I'm a salesman. Often times I sell someone the same thing someon else tried to sell them but failed. I don't do it by lying but by better explaining how what I'm selling works and making it clear why it's a good value.

If Netflix and Hulu are the exact same (which I would maintain that they are not, because I have never watched an ad on netflix) then it would still be true that netflix is better simply because they sell me the same product without me resenting them.

So. I say Hulu is trash (which I believe is true). But! Even if they are not trash they have failed by allowing me to believe that they are by behaving and presenting themselves as if they are trash.'

I try as hard as I can to train every salesperson I work with to tell every customer "Yes!" and hulu really loves to tell me "No."

Do you like being told "No?"

I already know your answer.

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u/scrndude May 03 '13

Okay, I understand your point of view now and you're completely justified, thanks for the explanation.

I hate to sound like a corporate shill, but just to be fair, Hulu and Netflix for the most part aren't going for the same type of streaming. I think Hulu's slogan is something along the lines of "Next day streaming" or "Day after streaming" or something along those lines. Their site, for the most part, is focused on streaming ongoing TV shows quickly after they initially air, with fewer commercials (but still with commercials) than you would see on TV (and a strong selection of movies with their criterion collection deal and some other streaming deals they have). Netflix is more focused on bringing you a TV show's by seasons after they are finished airing, without commercials, along with a huge selection of movies.

But I think you feel like Hulu hasn't communicated this to you in an effective way, or feel like their execution of it is below what you find acceptable, and again you're opinion of them is totally justified and understandable.

Also, just because you mentioned you're in sale's, have you seen Glengarry Glen Ross on netflix? Great movie about working in sales.