Why I'm Sticking with Netflix

Since Netflix raised their prices yet again last week, their stock fell to its lowest point yet. While I watch Hulu more than Netflix, I decided not to give it up for several reasons. First of all, Netflix really isn't bad. Okay, so I was a little miffed at the price increase, but the truth is that I hardly ever watched the DVDs mailed to my home - one of them set here for damn near eight months! Limiting my choices to streaming only actually just saved me a little money each month.

Netflix also has a greater choice of flat-out movies than any other service out there. I watch a lot of TV series, and I watch my share of them on Netflix, but when I want to see a movie, Netflix is the first place I turn. Given my bizarre taste in B-raters, and the fact that I love documentaries, it's a really good fit for me personally.

Hulu crashes a lot. It wasn't until I was watching video on some other sites that I realized it is definitely on Hulu's end and not mine. It usually crashes when swapping-out to commercials, which means that a commercial or video did not load properly. I know I had some problems with Adobe Flash and getting it to load on the new Firefox, but I don't think that's the problem anymore. Clearing the cookie and reloading Hulu seems to fix the problem for a little while, so I know it's their problem.

While I have noticed an increase in the amount of lag on Netflix recently, it still performs better than Hulu, which buffers and skips at least a handful of times every session. It doesn't matter if I watch it for an hour or five, Hulu is going to skip and buffer at least once in that time - usually long enough for me to get up and reload it.

As for commercials, I don't mind them - I kind of enjoy them, actually. It's as close to watching actual TV as I've gotten in years and I guess I'm just used to them, having grown-up with them. In fact, Hulu could add even more commercials in the breaks and it wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

A Hulu+ subscription is in my near future, I simply can't afford it presently. I'm also afraid of falling into the habit of watching too much video with such a wide selection. I've spent the entire weekend on the couch catching-up with old TV shows. Mind you, I desperately needed the break, I just know I'm going to OD on old favorites the first month or so given my predilection for "marathon-viewing."

I also see Hulu's "hip" angle and even though I'm fine with it, I appreciate that Netflix is more laidback in its approach to content. Hulu+ is on my agenda, but I'm sticking with Netflix.

© C Harris Lynn, 2011