I completely agree that US flix's catalogue is being torn asunder by all the various content owners getting wise to streaming and just starting their own
cable channe... streaming services to get back the cash they lost when everyone said "
why the fudge are we paying for this inferior product?"
Will DM you (
no need for a response) on SmartDNS.
I would drop Netflix in a hot second if my account wasn't the family account and is (essentially) one of the few things that I do for my family. There's really nothing I can't get eventually elsewhere, or if I feel like it, by a physical copy for viewing later. It's tough because I'm a very big proponent of the 'vote with your wallet/feet/arse' mechanic in the modern world. I'm literally so boring about not giving WB cash/views/bums on seats for anything DCEU with a Snyder in the production credits.
Companies don't understand that they're failing until the bucks stop rolling in, and sometimes they're actively spitting in the faces of the users. Sometimes (see the digital film, book, and comics worlds) they'll not learn the lessons that music learned from piracy, and they'll actually put prices at a much higher premium than they were. I understand that a lot of stuff has got lost in the balance over the years, and that artists and crew may not be paid what they should be ... but consumers aren't either.
Speaking purely allegorically ... It wasn't that long ago that someone from Marvel or DC when they upped the prices on phyisical media almost literally said to tradesfolks that they could charge what they liked to these rubes. They're hooked on the product now, we've got 'em. (
mixed metaphor intended)
It's a rarity in this day and age to see a company go low for the long haul ... Netflix have gone low for a while, but the recent price hikes do not match the content delivered (in any country ... but the UK is a poor cousin to the states for big releases) and the manner it's delivered in.
Similarly, Amazon treat the UK like pidgeons in the garden ... occasionally they'll throw a few scraps our way ... but very, very, very, frequently, they literally don't enable UHD on their own Amazon Originals and Studios (
made and produced) products, and sometimes don't bring it over at all. On the *v.... OK I'll shut up ...
Suffice to say, it's not all a bed of roses ... and I'm not giving any company a pass because of a worldwide pandemic. The issues have just come to the surface. Limiting the bandwidth and catalogues (
not access to the content elsewhere) does not help us like you and want to continue to use the service.... No ...
Honestly, if I think about this further I remember a thought that I had from a couple of years back. It's clear that Netflix will become just another studio with barely anything else to offer ... so effectively ... why should it cost so much for so little? Every other studio's
cable channe streaming services are literally half the price or less with HDR, even dolby vision ... Netflix is fast becoming a very expensive hobby outside of the US for not that much actually decent content.
Tenner says that in ten to fifteen years time the internet streaming landscape will be the same as the cable TV landscape was. Not worth it.
In the end I first had to enter the smartdns settings on my router, start a US proxy session (PIA), and run smartdns itself. Totally NOT as easy as smartdns claims it is. I don't even bother using it now as I don't think theres anything I would watch on the US version which isn't on the UK version. Especially since all the Marvel and Star Wars material was taken off.