So I got in to the beta a few days ago, and I am completely underwhelmed. Which saddens me. I'm not really interested in the 4 DVD rentals a month, but I am interested in someone giving Netflix a run for their money... especially since they've been throttling quality as of late. http://www.redboxinstant.com I get streaming currently from Netflix and Amazon Prime (which I buy for the shipping, the videos are a perk). I also have HBO Go and ShowTime Anytime. I travel for work so I love to stream, and quality is pretty important. The past few weeks streaming on Netflix has been very poor quality, so I've opted for Amazon who has nearly identical selections. Currently Red Box's selection is horrible, with most genres having only one page of movies. I have yet to see a TV show on there at all. I'd be happy with Amazon Video, but searching/navigating the free videos sucks and the apps leave a lot to be desired. I really hope RedBox can get their number of titles up and challenge Netflix.
i upgraded my free 6 month trial of amazon to the paid one..and the prime video section sucks. i haven't watched a single video on it. the lack of selection plus the fact the fact that i can't watch HD on the computer sucks even more. i found out about showtime anytime yesterday and started watching Homeland. Hulu plus removes videos too quickly.
Umm, you can view in HD on your computer on Amazon Prime. In fact, I am watching a series now in HD because the quality was terrible on Netflix. Not all videos on Amazon are available in HD, but that's the case with Netflix too. The Amazon collection of videos is nearly identical to Netflix, the problem is you can't easily filter and browse the free videos only, as far as I know. You have to search, and then make sure it has the ✔ (check mark) that it is free. Hulu Plus sucks, I'm not paying a premium and then watching commercials.
I got it this week also, the selection is suppose to suck since they are just starting out. Same thing happened when both Netflix and Amazon Prime started. The Epix deal is a good start for Redbox Instant since it took more than a year for Amazon Prime to get it. I'm canceling my trial service once my free month is up. Hopefully they can strike deals to get more movies and have more devices that are supported via BluRay players, Rokus, game consoles. I am wondering if Starz Play is going to strike a deal with any of the 3, since the Blockbuster @Home bombed. Netflix was awesome when they carried Starz Play since they had a pretty solid Studio backing. I don't get the people bickering who want these services to have "newer" movies, its not going to happen. Most studios already have a 28 Day window for movies to be available for rental via Redbox vendors and Netflix by mail after they are released for sale on DVD/BluRay. Go buy a Moviepass is you want to watch newer movies.
Yeah, I'm not really interested in new movies. I much prefer documentaries and TV shows than movies on Netflix anyway.
I got in a couple weeks ago and I couldn't get anything to stream, it was just erroring out and I haven't touched it since.
I've had pretty good luck with Redbox instant. There is not a great selection of free movies yet, but it should get better after the beta test. You can still get the newer releases at the kiosk with the four credits. We shall see....
Agree, Netflix is the reason why I started following How I Met Your Mother and actually caught up to the current season just this week I've also enjoyed the Random WWE DVDs they have avaliable just a few months after their street date.
I got the beta code a week ago as well. Found out that their android app doesn't work with rooted phones, so didn't bother finishing the sign up.
I'm confused what this thread means. You mention RedBoxInstant but say you're disappointed. Is this just a rag on Netflix streaming quality? I have no issues with Netflix or their streaming service and am quite happy with all the content. Although Netflix's library isn't recent, it still has something for everyone.
He was criticizing Netflix's video quality of late because of throttling. Not sure how much you watch, but I went through 2 seasons of How I Met Your Mother, around 48 episodes within 2-3 days, and haven't noticed any quality decrease since.
It's funny you mention that because I just started season 3 of How I met Your Mother last night too (after watching the first two seasons within last week). Did not experience any lag nor decrease in video quality.
here's a list of what is "featured" on their streaming service http://www.redboxinstant.com/category.html#/movies/instant/sp=Featured I say it's worth it if you get 4 rentals a month, since that ads up to less than $5, so your just paying about $4 for the streaming service, but if you have Amazon Prime/Netflix already, not really a good value