Netflix changed the world.
I could write pages of profound gratitude to them, but that would be boring.
I will note that with streaming (I use a Roku) the signal strength varies widely depending on your regional network. I’m normally a tad less than DVD quality, my father is much less, and a friend in Redwood City California gets stunning Blueray quality HD. So if your expectations are high for quality, you may want to check with a neighbor first to see what kind of strength you can receive in your area.
I will add that it would be an even better world if all their movies were available via streaming. I find only 1 in 10 (that I want to watch) are available instantly. Netflix could save so much money if they were all instantly available, but they have contractual relationships with the studios that limit severely what can and cannot be streamed. This may change in a few years.
If I receive a DVD on Monday, I can watch it, put it back in the mail on Monday (my post office is a half block away, and closes at 7pm) it is ALWAYS received the next day Tuesday (actually sometimes the website shows it’s received by 11pm the same day – but the email confirmation never goes out until the next day), where 95% of the time they put my next movie in the mail same day Tuesday, and 95% of those times I will receive the second DVD the next day Wed. It’s amazing! So I receive DVDs on a business day and will receive replacements on business day +2 if I’m aggressive. I’ve been up to 5 DVDs at a time, and now at 3 and they all flow regularly like magic back and forth.
If you’re going out of town for a 3 month business trip – suspend the service for free via the website. Charges stop. Just go back to the website and reactivate. You can just as easily change your delivery address. Visiting family for a couple weeks?, just forward to their address.
I have a few thousand DVDs received and returned. They have only twice not received a DVD (.06%). However, I have not received 1 in 20. I attribute this to the post office though. I live in a matrix of numbered streets and have received other people’s mail almost with the same frequency as missing DVDs. I’ve actually once received someone else’s Netflix DVD.
Mileage may vary.