NETFLIX – for all those that might have spent the last couple of years underground 😉 – is a U.S. video streaming service which was launched in Switzerland last year. Same day it was launched I decided to purchase a subscription. It was 30-day free trial and although I had some doubts I did not terminate the subscription and actually I have been using Netflix since back then.
How does it actually work, what are pros and cons?
WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?
Simply said – NETFLIX allows you to watch movies and tv series on your laptops, computers, televisions, tablets or smartphones for a monthly subscription fee. All those are directly streamed from the internet, you do not need to download any files. Once subscription has been cancelled, all access is lost.
HOW MUCH IS IT, SIR?
Monthly fee depends on the number of devices/screens used at the same time and also the viewing quality. For standard quality and 1 screen you pay 11.90 CHF a month, next plan offers HD-Quality and viewing on two screens at a time for 12.90 CHF a month, third option is 17.90 CHF a month for 4 screens and HD-Quality. You can cancel your subscription any time you want. Payment is done with credit cards or via PayPal. Those fees may not be scary for Swiss market, however they are slightly more expensive than in Germany, where the monthly basic plan costs 7.99 EUR.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR US?
Much but also a bit too little in my opinion. NETFLIX offer may seem rich at first but after a while it does not go unnoticed that the movie selection is rather weak, certainly much worse than what Netflix US has to offer. Plus there is a lot of recent movies missing there. On the other hand, the TV series selection is impressive – you get all the classics like Breaking Bad, House or Dexter and recent series, also – no wonder here – recent series produced by Netflix itself – House of Cards, Daredevil or Bloodline.
IS THERE ANYTHING FOR KIDS OUR THERE?
Well, it’s a kind of parental blog so the Netflix selection for kids needs to be mentioned. Netflix is certainly a very good choice for parents that do not pretend their kids do not watch any cartoons and at the same time they expect certain quality, not random shows from the TV or YouTube. Well, on Zuzanna’s behalf I can tell she certainly enjoys Netflix. Her favourites Max And Ruby, classic Disney movies and animated movie Coraline have been watched several times already. You can also set up a separate kid profile which will prevent access to any adult movies. All in all, we like it and Zuzanna uses it a lot.
WHAT ARE THE PROS?
For me it’s basically a video-on-demand flat rate offer with a relatively decent movie- and a very good tv series library. Until last year the only available legal video streaming services were Video-On-Demand where rental or purchase of a movie might cost pretty much the same you now pay for monthly Netflix subscription. Recently some alternative offers appeared on the marked, I am mentioning them a bit further down.
WHAT ARE THE CONS?
First of all, I don’t like the way you search for and browse movies. You are not able to explore the entire library at once, but you need to search for specific titles or browse through a built-in personalised suggestion system. This might be quite irritating especially as you learn you are being offered same titles over and over again. There are websites that provide information on new releases and current Netflix libraries in different countries but that is not the point.
Another downside that might be crucial to the to be or not to be for Netflix at your home are subtitles. Most of the movies and tv series are available in original versions, movies are also available as dubbed in German or French (rarely Italian) – that is good but for some strange reason not all movies do include subtitles in all three languages. Some movies might be available in German audio version with French subtitles only, some lack any English subtitles at all.
IS THERE ANY OTHER WAY TO WATCH MOVIES ONLINE IN SWITZERLAND?
UPC Cablecom and Swisscom introduced two alternative services – My Prime by UPC Cablecom and Teleclub by Swisscom. A big disadvantage is that both offers are limited to the customers of those providers and paid on top of the products you already have purchased from them. Some product bundles offer the video streaming services free of charge (or rather integrated in the bundle price) but still it might not be worth the money if you add up everything you have to purchase before you get access to what you actually need.
SUMMARY:
NETFLIX is a quite reasonable offer for those that look for easy, legal access to movies and tv series online and do not necessarily wish to pay for every movie separately. The major advantage of Netflix is its simple requirements: you only need to have internet access and a credit card. In few minutes your subscription is active. This is something neither UPC Cablecom nor Swisscom can guarantee.
Further information:
What’s new on NETFLIX:
http://www.whatsnewonnetflix.tv
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