Bored of Netflix constantly asking if you want to add things to your DVD queue instead of just knowing that, as a citizen of the 21st Century, you want to stream it instantly? Well, bore no more: Netflix is removing the “Add to DVD Queue” option from streaming devices.
According to director of product management Jamie Odell, the change is happening to improve functionality and so that the company can “concentrate on offering you the titles that are available to watch instantly,” but I think it may just be a way to hide the fact that Netflix Instant has a surprisingly poor selection when compared with what’s available on disc. As you might expect, customer responses to the official blog announcement weren’t exactly favorable, with hundreds of commenters expressing their displeasure:
Boo! Yet again, NetFlix doesn’t seem to get their audience. Please reconsider.
By freeing up resources, do you mean adding things people actually want to watch? I’ve stopped using the streaming because anything that can be streamed I’ve already seen enough times or have no interest in seeing.
Not smart. When the iPhone app first came out I was disappointed I couldn’t do more with my DVD queue. The instant-streaming title offerings are still greatly inferior to the DVD options, until that changes you should stop choking the DVD features. It’s an odd business decision to limit only the features that are useful to your highest paying customers.
The change will not affect the Netflix site, where members will continue to be able to manage their DVD queues.
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