It’s time to revisit Netflix’s DVD-by-mail service

Movie fans dissatisfied with the selection of films on Netflix and other subscription video-on-demand services have a great, old-school solution available to them: Netflix DVDs by mail.
That’s right; the business that gave Netflix its start is still ticking. And it offers the best selection of movies to watch of any service. You just have to be willing to wait a day or two to get each one delivered to your home and use your DVD or Blu-ray Disc player, if you remember how.
Streaming services are focusing more on original content and less on licensed content, including current and catalog movies. That’s created an opening for Netflix DVDs to fill. Unfortunately Netflix is concentrating on its streaming future and isn’t that interested in promoting a service it sees as having a limited lifespan.
So it’s up to diehard fans of Netflix’s U.S.-only DVD.com service to get the word out.
As of Dec. 31, there were 2.7 million subscribers to the service. It’s a number that’s been slowly dwindling away. In fact the service lost 624,000 subscribers in past year.
But “we few, we happy few, we band of brothers” must stand together to keep this vital service going.
The standard plan (one disc out at a time, unlimited rentals) costs $7.99 a month for DVDs and $9.99 a month for high-definition Blu-ray Discs. The premier plan (two discs out at a time, unlimited rentals) costs $11.99 for DVDs and $14.99 for Blu-ray.