Is Netflix worth it? Let’s look at reasons to get Netflix and reasons to not get Netflix, including price, selection and cancellation policy. Also we’ll cover Netflix Bandwidth usage requirements in detail below.
If you are considering Netflix and haven’t signed up yet, there are a few possible things troubling you.
- Netflix is too expensive.
- The selection of Movies or TV Shows on Netflix is not good enough.
- Other problems with Netflix, for example access to movies, is your device compatible with Netflix streaming and what are the Netflix Bandwidth requirements.
Is Netflix worth it?
The current US Netflix price to watch as many TV episodes and movies as you want is $7.99 a month with a one month free trial online.
The selection was huge before Netflix were forced to drop the Starz Play distribution channel. Starz had many of the great TV Shows and Movies. With the loss of Starz Netflix lost what felt like half the collection of decent content. Netflix still has many great movies, just not as many as before. Don’t sign up to Netflix from outside the US, the outside US Netflix selection is terrible.
The TV Shows you get on Netflix will not be the latest TV shows available. For those, the old methods you already know are best to get them. On the other hand, if you missed the TV shows last year or want to re-watch your favorites from days gone by, then Netflix still has those. Just don’t expect last weeks episode of Breaking Bad to be on there for a while.
If price is an issue, can you split the cost with other members of your abode? Friends or family can be useful in difficult time like this.
Netflix Streaming
Access to Netflix streaming. You can now stream Netflix movies and TV shows on Xbox 360 (and later 720), PS3, PC, Mac and Apple devices like iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Consider which will be your main streaming device for Netflix, is that device capable of HD content?
Can your Internet connection handle the Netflix streaming HD service? Netflix streaming is a very heavy load on a typical home connection and bandwidth caps can be an issue (Comcast 250GB usage caps for example). Most home wifi routers can handle the load, but check if yours is 802.11g or 802.11n (newer).
Netflix Streaming Bandwidth Requirement
US Netflix bandwidth usage requirements are:
- Netflix Movies streaming in HD – These require 3.8Mbit, which results in approximately 4GB for a 2 hour movie.
- Netflix Movies (SD) – SD movies are about DVD disk size. 700Mb.
- Netflix TV Shows in beautiful HD – A typical 30 minute feature comes in at 1.5GB.
- Netflix TV Shows (SD) – Like a download, SD TV shows are about 300-400Mb.
Should I get Netflix?
Before signing up to Netflix I recommend that you:
- Look at the selection of movies and TV shows on the Netflix website. How well does the Netflix selection fit your exact requirements?
- Check out the Netflix cancellation process. How easy is it to cancel?
- Ask friends who already have Netflix, are they happy with the service? thinking of cancelling Netflix?
- Look for discount coupons and discount vouchers for Netflix on promo websites. Netflix regularly have promotional codes for first time users. A 1 month free trial deal on Netflix is the minimum you should go for.
- All that time you’ll be wasting watching useless movies and TV shows. Think of something more useful. How about studying a foreign language or cleaning your basement? Is it worth the time you will waste? YOLO.
That should be enough information to conclude if you want to get Netflix or not. I had a 6 month Netflix sub over summer when in college and regretted it. I should have played outside and having the Netflix subscription affected my studies at the start of the year. Having said that, Netflix was good for relaxing after a hard day. The decision on Netflix is yours to make.