A new survey by market research firm Nielsen examines the viewing habits of both Netflix and Hulu users, and there's a definite disparity in how each one is accessed. When it comes to watching Netflix content via streaming, half of all viewers tap into the service's online catalog through their Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii consoles, whereas nearly nine out of 10 (89 percent) of Hulu users watch videos directly on their computer.

Netflix acknowledged in its Q2 earnings report that its recent price hike will likely cause revenue to fall in the third quarter before rebounding in the fourth. Investors responded by feeding the hybrid DVD-by-mail/streaming movie service a heaping slice of humble pie in after hours trading, sending the company's sky-high stock price down more than 10 percent.

From a semi-conspiracy theorist standpoint, it seems pretty obvious that Netflix wants to phase out its DVD business entirely by  weaning all of its subscribers over to its streaming-only plan. If Netflix truly wants to go all-in with its streaming service -- and it should be noted that company CEO Reed Hastings has never been bashful about Netflix being primarily a streaming service going forward -- it will have to overcome certain challenges, one of those being the persistent outages that so vex its subscribers, like the one that took place over the weekend.