Apple

[Slamz]

Ironic comparison, since I'd say Amazon is the grocery store to Netflix's orchard. Netflix gives just streaming, while Amazon Prime gives you a whole lot more.

Netflix has about 2X the selection of Amazon prime, which is significant, but hardly overwhelming. I notice they have a lot of the same big ticket items. Netflix has a lot of absolute unadulterated crap that I'm sure is just there to spike the numbers. I suspect Prime will eventually have more choice than Netflix.

I dunno. If you compare streaming to streaming and count Amazon's pay-per-view section they do have a good selection...Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty, The Hobbit, etc. But it's $5 for an HD rental. Netflix has these same movies on Blu-ray. For $10/month you can have 1 Blu-ray disc out at a time. If you watch more than 1 movie per month you might as well just get the Netflix disc plan.

And you can watch the Netflix disc 10 times over a one week period if you want. Or more. Amazon's rentals are for 24 hours.

I just don't think the DRM or price demands of streaming movie rentals are where they need to be to compete with a service like Netflix. Company to company, all services included, Netflix is still a better deal with a better selection than any of their competitors, by a long shot. I really only use Amazon as a last resort. And I don't use iTunes at all because I don't like their interface. (Come to think of it, I don't think I have a way to play iTunes movies on my TV even if I bought them. I'm certainly not going to buy a piece of Apple crap just to play iTunes stuff. I'll keep using Amazon and Netflix.)

Amazon Prime selection is almost entirely crap. If you look at the movies you're into old James Bond movies and The Adventures of Tin-Tin by page 2. Amazon Prime is kinda like Redbox: check it once a month and see what hot new titles they picked up for the month. After that it's a lot of old crap. I still mainly keep it for the free 2-day shipping.


I think the bottom line is that if you cancel cable, you get Netflix first, fill in with Amazon and Hulu where needed and only use iTunes if you're already so infested by proprietary Apple stuff that you're trapped.

And really, Netflix is the reason I canceled cable. If anyone should worry about Netflix, it's cable companies.

I disagree - trying to change would be a big mistake. Just because Hyundai sells more cars than Mercedes, does that mean Mercedes should change?

Ask Oldsmobile.