the "locking-in" issue concerns whether you can extract the ratings data that youve generated while using netflix. but when manjoo asks about "pulling out" the ratings data, it sounds like he is talking about removing the data from the database, or asking that ones ratings no longer be used in the system. it is unclear which scenario the netflix spokesperson was addressing. if the latter, the reaction is quite understandable, while if its the former, im quite surprised and would be even more surprised if they stuck to that as official policy.

also, why would a company be obliged to invest in resources to allow a customer to more easily abandon its service, especially when a competitor fails to do the same? im far, far less concerned with netflix locking in my ratings than i am about yahoo locking in my email so i cant switch to gmail. farhad, are you listening? now *this* is some digital muck that needs raking.

Still edit its movies for content that might be offensive to a "family values" customer. And will they do it without telling their customers.

It's been well-documented that they do this. I'm sure it's an easy Google if you don't believe. And it's not only obscure foreign films. I noticed it on "Wonder Boys" which I thought was a fairly innocuous film.

While you're right about the other limitations, it is possible to watch those movies on your TV if your video card has a video out (every video card I saw at Best Buy came with one).

But for a dollar more, Blockbuster has one great advantage over Netflix -- instead of dropping your disc in the mail, you can take it to a Blockbuster store and get a new movie immediately in return. This, it turns out, is an enormous convenience -- great enough that it should prompt even die-hard Netflixers to look anew at Blockbuster.

Are you serious? You seem to have missed the whole purpose of Netflix -- to NOT trudge to a store to return a movie or get a movie. Going to a store is not "an enormous convenience". Avoiding that is precisely why I subscribed to Netflix in the first place.

But this reads like a paid advertisement.

I like Netflix because they have shown me, through action and innovation, that they are interested in meeting my needs as a film lover in a better way.

Blockbuster has, not surprisingly, shown itself willing to steal from the little guy to maintain it's dominance. I am convinced it will continue to do the margin-thin bare minimum to "satisfy" me.

yeah- I know which one I'll be picking.

If Blockbuster wants to entice users from Netflix it can make such a program itself.

I have a subscription to Netflix and I've tried Blockbuster three times. I've only received a few flawed discs from Netflix in three years. During my three trial subscriptions to Blockbuster (12 weeks total), I received a broken, badly scratched, or just plain incorrect disc at least once a week. At one point, I got a bad disc, reported it as damaged, sent it back, and got the exact same disc back again! When I called customer service, the Blockbuster rep. suggested that I report it damaged and then keep it until they sent a good copy! Which they did... a good copy of the next disc in the series mislabeled as the disc I wanted.

As for the videos at the Blockbuster store, make sure you check them for scratches before bringing them home. Some of those discs are scratched to all heck and the store staff just buff them up and put them back on the shelves.

I live so far from a Netflix warehouse that I never had less than a six-day turnaround on returns. The commercials that sucked me in--the ones that said that I'd be drowning in movies--failed to mention that, if you are in deeply rural America, you're not going to be getting the same service that your urban cousins get.

So I've switched to Blockbuster, which has a local outlet (which, in this case, means only a twenty-mile drive). I did not subscribe for the convenience of getting movies by mail. I subscribed to get all I can eat--and Netflix puts the brakes on.

Mr. Manjoo states, "I couldn't find a single DVD that was not in both catalogs". In about one minute I confirmed that Netflix stocks The Brown Bunny and Shortbus (both NC-17), while Blockbuster apparently refuses to carry these titles. Although I don't have a strong desire to see these particular titles, I prefer to make the decision myself. I'm sticking with Netflix.

As the earlier poster noted, Blockbuster forces studios to edit movies so as not to offend the family values customer. I think this usually happens with NC-17 or Unrated movies. I'm surprised that Farhad didn't list this as a possible reason why people wouldn't switch from Netflix to Blockbuster. It's the reason I haven't switched despite the lower price. As a matter of fact, one of my roommates was a Blockbuster user and when I told her about the editing, she was so offended she switched to Netflix!

That said, someone else also mentioned that one of the benefits of Netflix is not going to the store. I live in Brooklyn and there actually isn't a Blockbuster in my neighborhood. The closest one is a 20-minute walk. It wouldn't be worth the trouble in the long run.

C'mon. You knew when you wrote this that the drooling Netflix legions would respond in force, yes? However, the letters here do indicate that one size does not fit all (e.g., the poster who lives in a rural area and finds Netflix too slow). Maybe there is a market out there for both of these players.

But for my money, eliminating the rather dreary experience of browsing in a Blockbuster is the whole freakin' purpose of Netflix. I just don't have the stomach for it anymore.

To deal with mood swings, always have a variety of types on hand and manage your queue appropriately. In my house we cater to the needs and moods of two adults and two small kids and we do pretty well (though admittedly with a 6 disk limit).