netflix question?

[jessica31876]

We signed back up for netflix about two months ago and got the one DVD out at a time plus unlimited tv/device streaming. My son watches on his computer and we watch on tv but all of a sudden it is only letting us watch on one device. So I checked online and it does not say anything on the website that I could find where it says how many devices can be used at the same time only I know for a fact we have used more then one device in the past. My husband called and the guy told him that we have to upgrade our account in order to use more then one device. I went to check the plans and all it says is 1/2/3/4 DVD's out at a time & Unlimited Instant Watching. But no mention of a limit of any type on devices. In fact when I went to manage devices it says:

"You may watch instantly on up to 6 unique devices"

In the past they did limit how many devices could be used but it was not just a single device so I was just wondering if someone out there has that same problem?

[mummytothree]

We just have streaming and I just checked...my kids are watching Rugrats on Nextflix through the PS3 and I just pulled up a show on my laptop and it played fine. But not sure if we have always been able to do taht though since usually only one person is watching Netflix at a time.

[jessica31876]

on hold right now with netflix and the guy is telling me that they stopped allowing more then one device at a time last night as of about 11:00 PM. I asked if you are able to get more then one device and he said yes each plan dictates the amount of devices allowed. Thing is I already checked and they all say the same thing...unlimited streaming but nothing about the amount of devices allowed to stream at one time. So now he has me on hold I presume to check and see if that is correct LOL

[Jenn Barrette]

I hope they don't do that with the Canadian service. I like that I can access Netflix in 4 different rooms of the house...

[knlchevys]

Ours has always said 2 devices at a time. My kiddos are watching right now on the tv and I can pull up my kids ipod and play it at the same time still. So I still assume it's 2 devices at the same time. We have the 1 dvd out at a time too.

[Jengerbread88]

Thank goodness we only watch it on one device at a time!

[Julie Billingsley]

we've had no problems with that. We've had to go online and confirm our device, but never been denied access. In fact, my son is at college and he watches the streaming stuff through his laptop... and he is 3 hours away from home. We can be watching something at home and Jacob can be watching there and we've never had a problem. I hope it's not a new policy.

[NeverendingJen]

ours allows up to 6 devices at a time

[jessica31876]

It is a new policy. Just started last night at 11. Depending on how many DVD's you can have out is how many devices you can watch. So if you are on the 1 DVD then you can have one device, 2 DVD's you can have two devices etc...all plans can have six devices attached to them though but you cannot watch all six at one time. Not sure if I am going to upgrade to the 2 DVD plan or not.

[lovely1m]

Wow, that sucks. I don't actually stream very often at all, I watch the DVDs, but still, sucks.

[Kara]

We've never really streamed more than one device at a time, but it's a bummer that we can't anymore.

[mummytothree]

Wonder if it's going to take a while to "roll out" since we don't have any DVD's (we just have the streaming video plan) and I just was using Netflix on 2 different devices today!?!?! Hmmmmmmmmmmm...........

[Jengerbread88]

Yeah, that makes me wonder how it affects plans with no DVDs. I was considering switching to a streaming only plan soon.

[crecia27]

Interesting! I don't know that we have ever tried to do more than one at once but I was thinking about getting a device for in my craft room. I always wondered what prevented people from sharing their log ons with others that didn't have accounts.

[jessica31876]

And that would be the reason the guy told me they had to implement this.

Originally Posted by crecia27

I always wondered what prevented people from sharing their log ons with others that didn't have accounts.

[rachaelsscraps]

Sooo. are they allowed to change this? We all "read" and "agreed" to their terms of usage agreement thingy.. did it say they can just up and change it? hmm.. I didn't actually read the agreement. lol.

So, if we have Netflix streaming to our Wii... are we not allowed to watch on the computer then? We only have 1 DVD out at a time and sometimes watch on Wii but never on the computer... we would want to though if on vacation, I thought I could bring my laptop so the kids could watch a movie, but I guess not now..

[jessica31876]

I didnt really get what the guy told me...something about them not being able to control the streaming and it kept going for two hours even if you stopped watching. I guess meaning they showed you actively watching a movie for two hours after you stopped? So they gave everyone an extra streaming slot so to speak because of this. Now they no longer have that issue so as soon as you stop watching a show/movie it shows up in their system it has ended and you can start the next one you'd like to watch. So since they fixed that issue they are no longer allowing that extra slot. According to what he told me it has always been one streaming device for one DVD plan, two streaming devices for two DVD plan and so on and so forth. I did not read the fine print carefully though so I do not know if this is true. I can tell you to find out how many devices you can actually watch at one time is difficult on their website. You have to go to my account-see membership terms and details-terms of use...then scroll down about halfway down and it says: How our service works...under that heading it has this info:

Device Limitations and System Requirements. You may instantly watch on up to six unique authorized Netflix ready devices. For certain membership plans, you will be allowed to instantly watch simultaneously on more than one Netflix ready device within your household, up to total of four devices at a given time. To view the number of devices on which you may simultaneously view movies and TV shows that are associated with your plan, click here. To enjoy watching instantly via your personal computer, your equipment must satisfy certain system requirements. Click here to view the various system requirements. To see partners who offer Netflix ready devices you may use to access our service, click here. The number of devices and concurrent streams may change without notice to you. For certain membership plans, your available Netflix ready device may be limited to personal computers

So apparently they do not have to notify anyone about changes to how many devices can be used on your account or how many can be used at the same time to watch. That to me is kinda crooked sounding...I may cancel netflix because of this. I just do not think it is right to put all that kinda stuff in fine print and make it so difficult to find out. Even the guy I talked to did not know how to find out what you could do with each plan. He had to ask someone else.

[maggie965]

For us this has been in place for a while, at least since Christmas. We have the two DVD plan and we stream all of the time. Both kids were using Netflix and I went to use it on my Ipod and I couldn't. It's no big deal to us since we have the DVD's too. I still think it's well worth the money because technically I can watch 4 movies (two streaming and two DVD's) at the same time!

[Nettio]

Originally Posted by rachaelsscraps

Sooo. are they allowed to change this? We all "read" and "agreed" to their terms of usage agreement thingy.. did it say they can just up and change it? hmm.. I didn't actually read the agreement. lol.

So, if we have Netflix streaming to our Wii... are we not allowed to watch on the computer then? We only have 1 DVD out at a time and sometimes watch on Wii but never on the computer... we would want to though if on vacation, I thought I could bring my laptop so the kids could watch a movie, but I guess not now..

If you have the 1-disc plan, you can stream to only one devise at a time but you can have up to 6 devices authorized as available for streaming. So as long as you aren't streaming to your Wii at the same time as your laptop, you'll be fine.

This is from their FAQ:

Q: Can I watch movies instantly on more than one PC or Netflixeady device?
A:
Some membership plans allow you to watch simultaneously on more than one personal computer or Netflixeady device. If you are on the Watch Instantly Unlimited plan or the 1-disc-out-at-a-time plan, you may watch only one device at a time. If you are on the 2-discs-out-at-a-time plan, you may watch on up to two devices at a time. Members on the 3-disc plan can watch on up to three devices. The maximum is four devices -- available for members on the 4-or-greater-discs-out-at-a-time plan.
Your account can have up to six unique authorized devices activated (and associated with it) at any given time, including personal computers and Netflixeady devices. For example, if you're on the 1-disc plan, you can have up to six devices associated with your account, but you can only watch one of them at a time. If you're on the 2-disc plan, you can have up to six devices activated but can only watch two of them at the same time.

[maryinaz]

Not loving this!! With the 1 DVD we've always been allowed to watch on 2 devices at once, with 6 devices being allowed to be set up. And like Julie's son, my son can watch up at college too if we aren't watching 2 at home.

[jessica31876]

For some reason it takes forever for us to get a new DVD (like a week to 10 days in between DVD's) so we really only use the DVD option for newer movies or movies not available on instant viewing so to upgrade to 2 at a time would not be worth it I dont think. We spent less renting from redbox and blockbuster express. Especially when I got new blockbuster codes for free rentals all the time

[mrs_jb]

I was actually just going to see how many devices you can authorize because I was afraid that we were going to max out... LOL! I have been using the laptop, iPad, or iPhone for streaming for my son while I'm running around or caring for my grandmother.

We typically don't stream more than one device at a time, but it's good to know that I can't... I don't think we'll have too big of a problem with it, but I can definitely see how it would negatively impact some families!