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Image Credit: Roku
While Blockbuster continues to tweak its pricing structure, Netflix has been looking for ways to add value without adding to its bottom line. At the beginning of the year, Netflix began offering unlimited streaming videos to subscribers on select plans, which today includes anyone paying $8.99 and up. And as of last month, subscribers have the option of purchasing a $99 set-top player to watch streaming content on their living room television. Video quality leaves much to be desired and the catalog of streaming content remains limited, but aside from the player itself, there's no additional fee to kick back on your couch and have movies streamed to your TV. It's like getting a free Filet-O-Fish thrown in with your Quarter Pounder meal - not the tastiest item on the menu, but you'll probably eat it because it's there.
So what's the big change that has some subscribers ready to shun Netflix altogether? The soon to be absence of user profiles! Starting September 1, moms and dads will no longer be able to configure a separate profile with parental controls for little Johnny. And if you share an account with a roommate, you'll also have to share a queue, so you may want to quiz potential roomies on their movie preferences before renting out that spare bedroom.
With more and more customers abandoning Blockbuster over rising costs and reduced features, it's curious that Netflix would nuke an arbitrary feature and risk riling its customer base. On its blog, Netflix claims "too many members found the feature difficult to understand and cumbersome." It also hinted of a revamped profile feature sometime in the future, but made no mention of what or when. The blog has garnered over 700 reader comments so far, many of them voicing strong opposition to the change. If you find yourself among them, head over to SaveNetflixProfiles.com and sign the petition. In the meantime, start weaning family and friends off of your account.
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