Netflix just released this video talking about their changes, included more recent changes about splitting the company. Qwikster is the name of the DVD-by-mail service now. They've acknowledged the fact that their original communication of their changes was poor and apologized for that. I commend Netflix/Qwikster for putting this video up.

Netflix Pricing

Whether you're subscribed or considering a subscription to Netflix, you've probably heard about their recent price increases by now. Sorry Netflix, but let's turn off the marketing spin cycle and be real for a minute. If people stay with their existing plans, they'll end up paying more and as far as I know, there wasn't an uprising of people asking for streaming only and DVD only plans. There was, however, an uprising of people protesting your new price changes.

The price changes mean that my plan will increase by 60% come September. It has made me seriously reevaluate my subscription and what I could get for $7.99, $9.99 and $15.98 a month instead of keeping Netflix.

• $7.99 represents the new pricing for either a streaming or the lowest DVD plan.
• $9.99 represents my current plan and current rate which ends soon.
• $15.98 represents the new pricing for my current plan comes September.

Alternatives to Netflix

Blockbuster

Blockbuster by Mail is something a lot of people will immediately disregard. Despite Blockbuster's many changes over the years, some people are still sore at the company for late fee charges and payment collection practices. If you're still reading and haven't skipped this section, you'll be pleased to know that they offer pricing at $11.99, $16.99 and $19.99. While they don't have a streaming service yet, the extra cost for these plans could be overlooked for a few reasons.

• First, they claim that many new releases available 28 days before Netflix and Redbox.
• Second (to me this is the real bonus), game rentals are available with no extra fees.
• Third, they offer in-store exchanges.

I used to subscribe prior to their addition of games, but it seems like Blockbuster is doing a good job of serving this market. See http://www.blockbuster.com/gamesbymail for all the details. When I used to subscribe, I really felt like the exchanging in-store was a huge benefit. However, it did grow tiresome to actually have to go out to the store on occasion. Selection in the actual store is also an issue at times not to mention that they have fewer stores now as well.

Redbox

If you don't want to be tied to a monthly fee, Redbox could be a great alternative. While Redbox means driving to pick up and drop off a disc, it also means getting your content exactly when you plan on using it. It's not as convenient as simply getting a disc in the mail or streaming it on a large number of devices, but the price is right. I could rent between 7 and 15 DVDs a month via Redbox for less than the several Netflix options. Redbox also provides the option of Blu-ray's for $1.50 instead of the $1 DVD and game rentals for $2 all out of the same machine. Unfortunately, these are not DVDs, Blu-rays or games that you can keep all to yourself for any amount of time. You must return them promptly or get charged extra.

The Public Library

Many public libraries offer DVDs for rent. Much like Netflix streaming, you can find some real hidden gems that you missed when they were first released. Surprisingly, it's even possible to find newer releases at the library as well. Best of all, you're already paying for it as a tax payer. In other words, it's free!

Buying a Physical DVD/Blu-ray

Despite the fact that I rarely re-watch movies and love renting for this very reason, there's something to be said for how many DVDs I could buy for $15.98/month. I could easily do one a month. Maybe one Blu-ray every two months — maybe more. If it's a comedy, I might revisit the movie a few times a year. If it's a good movie, but it's not exactly something that stands up to repeated viewing, I might loan it out. If all else fails and I'd rather it not collect dust, I could sell it on Amazon, eBay or a garage sale and make some of my money back. I've really moved away from buying up my own collection due to low rental prices, but there is something special about having a collection and pride in ownership.

Digital Renting/Buying Options

Amazon and Apple iTunes both offer rental/purchasing options as well. As of this writing it seems that many rentals on both services are about $3.99 for a rental and $14.99 for a downloadable purchase. This really makes Amazon's Instant Video and iTunes a good option, but the ownership option isn't quite as good as a real tangible disc if you ask me. The price difference doesn't seem to be very significant either. The rental costs are still more than Redbox, but more affordable than several other alternatives including on-demand renting from Comcast or Dish Network. Unfortunately, it's not quite as easy to use in my opinion. This isn't a huge deal for a techie, but not exactly a solution that just works with most peoples average TV setup.

The Real Problem

At the end of the day, Netflix isn't really pricing their services that badly. They are still a good value for your money, but what's really disappointing is the sudden and dramatic change as well as the treatment of existing customers. It's really customer service 101 here. I've been a subscriber for a few years and this isn't the first time Netflix has randomly changed things. The Blu-ray access option used to be a free option when it was first introduced. Then they charged $1 a month extra regardless of your plan. At some point this was raised to $2.

I'm pretty sure that Netflix has done some research and is prepared to lose a percentage of their customers due to this change. Instead of feeling that any lost customer is a bad thing, they've decided to accept a certain amount of loss. The price hike will help them to pay for new licensing contracts and help the bottom line. However, I just feel like this lack of respect for their customer base could be a bigger problem for Netflix than they expect. This type of behavior places a stigma against Netflix similar to the type of stigma that Blockbuster has had for many years. Netflix has acted as a faceless corporate entity. A change to the execution of the price hikes and a change to the communication could have helped Netflix a great deal. Instead, they've come off as greedy and disrespectful.

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Bug fixes and Updates

If you create software and you release patches or updates, try to talk about the benefits. For example, if you have software and an update either fixes or adds to the functionality in a new and exciting way it's beneficial to share that information. You can not only blog about it on your own, but also touch base with bloggers and people that reviewed your product in the past to ask them to take a look again. This could even turn a negative review into a positive review; it's especially important to reply to reviews if the software was crashing due to a serious bug that's since been resolved. Depending on the reach of that blogger, an update to their post can start a whole new ramp up of word of mouth for your product. It may even help to improve previously negative reviews.

User Generated Content

Many products today allow for their users to generate content. Whether it's a game where they create levels or a video camera that allows quick sharing on YouTube, there will always be people creating and sharing their work. Even if you're a blogger, you can leverage the work of other bloggers talking about a similar subject to your focus. You can create posts that are just snippets directing people at another bloggers site and maybe they'll return the favor eventually. The point is that highlighting work your fans and people of similar interests have done will make sure people know you have a vested interest in the community and are not simply producing a product and then moving on to the next thing. Set up Google Alerts and subscribe to RSS feeds to stay on top of important content related to your subject matter. Check in on Digg.com and Reddit.com as well. This will make sure you're at the forefront when something breaks out (old or new) and you can get a bite of the pie.

What's old is new

Sometimes you can reinvigorate interest around old products, blogs, etc. when you release something new. You can highlight older items people that are similar to the newest item. This can help renew the old stuff without really cannibalizing your new release. Can you imagine watching season 5 of Dexter without having watched the previous seasons? I can't. If season 5 is announced and you sell DVD box sets of the prior seasons, take advantage of the urge people have to catch up on the previous seasons. If you run a TV blog, talk about what happened in season 4 and give your top 5 predictions for season 5... At the end of season 5, you can even review and see what you got right!

There's a lot of other ways to handle this. How do you keep content fresh? Post in the comments.

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1. iPad Case - During the initial announcement, I thought the iPad could be a great device to bring into interviews to show off your portfolio. This simple black case would be very presentable to carry into your next interview. When you open up the case, you can pass out your resume as usual and be able to present all of your work without skipping a beat. All this capability with something that probably weighs close to the same amount as a normal portfolio with a notepad inside.
2. iPad Keyboard Dock - If you have the deskspace next to your main computer and an iPad, why not have it charging while attached to a keyboard. Just use the iPad for all your incoming emails and switch over to this special keyboard dock for that very purpose.
3. iDisplay app - This app can extend your regular Mac desktop to your iPad so it acts like a second display. Again, this is a nice use for the iPad while it's in it's dock charging.
4. TweetDeck iPad app - If you're a heavy Twitter user, you're going to love using your iPad as a dedicated Twitter client with this app. You'll be able to manage all your accounts, columns, etc. all with simple gesture commands and typing on the virtual keyboard.
5. iBooks iPad app, Numbers, Keynote and Pages - An iPad without iBooks, Numbers, Keynote and Pages is like a computer without Office installed... These apps will turn your iPad into a much more useful device for just $30 more in total.

What apps and iPad accessories do you think go hand in hand with Apple iPad ownership? Share your thoughts below.

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SPECS

PC's can easily be higher-end systems than consoles. The drawback is that you just pay for it up front or as you go by upgrading your video card and adding in more hard drive space and RAM. The good news is that a good PC has historically still had more options in their games than the console counterparts. For example, you can run UT3 on a PS3 or XBOX 360, but it'll run at the native resolution of 720p. A PC version of the game gives you the controls to run at a much higher resolution if you have the hardware to support it. You'll also get access to user-created levels or complete mods on the PC without dealing with the censoring of that content on a console.

CONVENIENCE

However, I can respect the "console gaming > pc gaming" sentiment and I sit happily on the fence between both worlds. It's become harder and harder to justify the hundreds of dollars you can easily pour into building a good gaming PC vs. the prices of consoles for somewhat similar performance and features. The game selection and ease of use of the consoles has always been their appeal and it's just gotten better. The PC world (and especially the Apple world) have been unable to match the consoles in the ease of use for gaming department.

For quite a while now, there's been a new market evolving in both the console and PC worlds. It's a market where you can just download smaller titles at much lower prices. They typically have a little less flare, but pack in just as much fun. In the PC world, these are casual games that don't require any high-end systems. Most people at least have a low end PC. A PC of some sort is almost required for daily living in today's day and age, whether it's a necessary evil to the user or something they love. These casual games will usually work the same on the low end $500 laptops as they would on the $5000 gaming PC. There's even a market for completely free titles where you just pay for additional upgrades in game rather than paying for the gaming experience up front. These casual games that cost less than 10 bucks are perfect for people that don't want to build a high-end gaming rig or just want some new experiences. Facebook and other web-based games have become successful with this market as well. Since everyone has a computer, the convenience of these titles and the ease of paying for them and downloading instantly means there's no reason not to try it out.

PRICE

Overall though, I don't understand how you can complain about a games price if you're willing to buy a 2 hour movie on DVD or Blu-ray at $10-$30 that you may only watch once or twice. It seems like getting 10+ hours of game play should be worth paying a premium for depending on the production quality and enjoyability of those hours of game play. I'd pay $60 for a PC game. I'd pay $60 for a console game. I am ecstatic that there are companies also making games for under ten bucks, but games cost a lot to make and you're probably not going to get the same quality or lasting power with a $10 game vs. a $60 game. This is why the free and cheap games are really just a new segment and not a replacement for games with those higher prices and higher production costs. The price I'd be willing to pay only depends on the experience that's being offered and the quality of that experience.

I paid $80 for Street Fighter 2 the day it was released on the Super NES. It was the most expensive title ever and there was a lot of debate surrounding the price point. The price quickly dropped, but the few of us that rushed out to get the game despite the price got to enjoy playing many more hours and saved some quarters from playing in the arcades. The debate over the pricing or games and gaming on PC's vs. consoles will not end any time soon, but hopefully the markets won't just take the development of these for granted either.

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Initial Thoughts

CinemaTube and Remote Control

UI and Remote Control

CinemaTube Remote Control

However, the remote for the device is like gold. It makes interacting with the device simple and elegant. It's extremely responsive and even though the UI's presentation is lacking, the remote helps to cover up those imperfections.

Features

CinemaTube Back and Ports

Playing movies direct from ISO files was probably my favorite feature of having this device. If you have your DVD collection backed up to your computer or a USB hard-drive, you can use the CinemaTube BV-5005HD to navigate through the DVD menu just as if you had picked it off of your DVD shelf and put it in your DVD player. Everything was snappy and the remote is full featured so it never felt like I was using a computer. It felt just like using a DVD player.

One thing to note about the feature set is that while you can play videos from YouTube over the device, it's really reliant on streaming from a PC with proper software installed -- so honestly, it's probably not something you'll even bother with doing. I could care less about streaming from YouTube. I can always turn on the PS3, my iPhone or look on the laptop for that. It's not a big deal to have YouTube on the big screen for me.

Overall

CinemaTube Package Contents

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