After 25 years, Netflix will be shutting down its DVD rental service this September

u/lukmly013 💾 (lemmy.sdf.org)@lemmy.sdf.org to Technology@lemmy.world – 359 points –
dvd.netflix.com

The last disc will be shipped on September 29th 2023 after 25 years of service.

After an incredible 25 year run, we've made the difficult decision to wind down at the end of September. Our goal has always been to provide the best service for our members, but as the DVD business continues to shrink, that's going to become increasingly difficult. Making 2023 our Final Season allows us to maintain our quality of service through the last day and go out on a high note.

63

You are viewing a single comment

What're they gonna do with all those dvds?

People have been asking this since they announced the end of DVDs and Netflix is yet to address it so it feels like they're probably gonna go to waste, fingers crossed that Netflix can get a bigger write off by donating them than burning them though lol

They will possibly be sold off. In the UK we had postal rental service called LoveFilm, and when it eventually shut down many of the DVDs started appearing in second hand stores. For a whole there were bulk boxes of 100 random discs that were being sold very cheaply.

I don't find it very likely. All those current Netflix DVD users are also potential customers for the digital subscription. Suddenly all those DVDs floating around for pennies would reduce that number of potential customers, which I believe Netflix doesn't want.

When Blockbuster shut down, they never made any attempt to collect DVDs that customers had out. That's how I scored my sweet, sweet copy of the classic Seth Green movie Without a Paddle.

Oh, the timeless classic also featuring Dax Shepard and Matthew Lillard? I'd call that a score, my friend.

Is that culture club?

If this is a quote from the movie, I have to apologize because I'm honestly not sure if I've seen it.

It's a fun romp. Not the worst background noise. Surprisingly good cast, it almost becomes a touching story before zipping straight back to its roots of stoner humor. 6/10 would recommend it over quite a bit of other movies.

You rented it, then haven't gotten around to watching it in the 20+years you've had it? XD amazing blockbuster couldn't stay in business with your late fees alone

In my defense, who even has a DVD player these days?

True that. I'd have to dig out the usb2.0 dvd player that I bought 10 years ago when I realized I didn't have a dvd player. Bought it, used it once, haven't seen it since.

Lmao that just reminded me that I have one of those in a box sitting a few feet away from me, covered in dust. I think I bought it when I built my lastest PC 5 years ago since I didn't add a built in drive. I think I've used it once since then.

I actually have one, but it's been stuffed away in the back of a closet for a few years. I have a portable USB optical drive I use to rip them to mp4 and keep in a library on network storage, but it's not set up to actually play them.

Anyway the library is a hot tip, best place to find DVDs and sometimes ones you can't find anywhere else. If you have an optical drive you can rip them and keep a copy for posterity.

I thought of that too and I realized they must already have a channel to get rid of discs since they would need to dwindle down numbers after a new release is no longer in huge demand, it sounds like they also cull some old releases entirely based on the comments here.

I know GameFly sells their used games directly to consumers, but Netflix must be selling them in bulk to someone since they never do that. Unless they are getting like for rental only discs and have some sort of deal with studios where they have to return/discard them or something.

1 more...