Fatso closing - Sky want you to use Neon instead

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Fatso closing - Sky want you to use Neon instead

NightStalker

327 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 159

#223397 27-Sep-2017 16:13

just saw this advising fatso will be closing

FAQ on the subject

Bit sad about this.
In reality the fatso service might have broken even at best but with the disappearance of the local rental stores its getting harder to rent blurays.

I might be wrong but its the only offering where you can pay x amount and more or less expect to get new releases for a fixed price.
I don't think there is a digital offering for that. Sure movies might be cheaper to rent via streaming services but its a pain to find a "bargain" and even then its a mixed bag what quality it is (SD, HD, 4K, or even surround sound, etc).

If anything I am unlikely to use Neon but will instead end up with a Netflix/Amazon combination.

1 | 2

3927 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2510

#1873713 27-Sep-2017 16:54

Geez. Thought they had closed years ago. Doesn’t just about everyone have fixed prices for digital content? Never experienced any quality issues via iTunes or Netflix, or Neon for that matter

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

Dingbatt

6804 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3694

Lifetime subscriber

#1873716 27-Sep-2017 16:59

Sky already get more than enough of my money.
I guess I may as well pack my Bluray players away.
Make space for an AppleTV 4K and a Chromecast Ultra.

“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996

ockel

2031 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 545

#1873717 27-Sep-2017 17:00

scuwp: Geez. Thought they had closed years ago. Doesn’t just about everyone have fixed prices for digital content? Never experienced any quality issues via iTunes or Netflix, or Neon for that matter

Netflix still has 3,692,000 domestic DVD memberships as at the end of Jun 2017. You would have thought that it would have closed this down years ago, right? And yet it makes higher contribution margin than any other part of its business and 10% of its overall contribution margin - despite being less than 4% of global total customers.

Amazing huh? It was the cashflow business that funded the streaming launch.

Sixth Labour Government - "Vision without Execution is just Hallucination"

michaelmurfy

meow
13579 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 10910

Moderator

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1873758 27-Sep-2017 17:40

Dingbatt: Sky already get more than enough of my money.
I guess I may as well pack my Bluray players away.
Make space for an AppleTV 4K and a Chromecast Ultra.

There is also http://www.arovideo.co.nz/ (based here in Wellington) - can't vouch for them but they offer Bluray rentals by post.

Michael Murphy | https://murfy.nz
Referral Links: Quic Broadband (use R122101E7CV7Q for free setup)

Are you happy with what you get from Geekzone? Please consider supporting us by subscribing.
Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

NightStalker

327 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 159

#1873759 27-Sep-2017 17:42

scuwp: Geez. Thought they had closed years ago. Doesn’t just about everyone have fixed prices for digital content? Never experienced any quality issues via iTunes or Netflix, or Neon for that matter

most digital services are fixed price but almost all new movie releases are all pay/rent per view such as Amazon Video. Amazon Prime gets you a basic offering but new releases are on a per cost basis. With Fatso it was a fixed cost for 3 movies a month which was a good way to supplement something like Netflix.

I recently finished a trial of Amazon (prime) Video and found it weird that there might be more than one version of a movie and for whatever reason only one version was "available to my region". These were normally SD with no 5.1 sound.

NightStalker

327 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 159

#1873760 27-Sep-2017 17:44

just a random thought - I wonder how much the dropping of FastPost may have been made in this decision

Apple TV

Stream your favourite shows now on Apple TV (affiliate link).

rfdawn

39 posts

Geek
+1 received by user: 7

Lifetime subscriber

#1873788 27-Sep-2017 18:37

Shame that Fatso is closing, I found their range pretty good - thinking of old movies, foreign movies, TV series, alt-whatever.

The suggested replacement is Neon so I did a quick check on Neon of the Fatso rentals I have liked (4 stars or better). Out of last 15 titles I really liked only two are available on Neon so that looks almost-useless to me. Quickflix and Netflix similar problem.

Anyone know an online service with anything like Fatso's range?

rfdawn

39 posts

Geek
+1 received by user: 7

Lifetime subscriber

#1873800 27-Sep-2017 19:30

Thanks @michaelmurfy (above), arovideo.co.nz scored 15/15 on my test. But they are still postal so that could be a problem when FastPost dies.

sen8or

1897 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1402

#1873951 28-Sep-2017 08:42

Its a shame as Bluray still offers the best video / audio experience, but its the way of things I guess. About a year or 2 before we closed our store, our franchsior told us about seeing a packing slip for a new release title for fatso, it equated to roughly what 2 normal sized stores would have purchased for the same title, so not a significant copy depth.

They filled a gap in the market (those that couldn't be bothered going to a store, were happy to watch "something, not necessarily that weeks new release" and were happy to pay a set $ value each month for that entertainment). That market gap has now well and truly been met via digital streaming.

There are still a handful of stores in Christchurch, but with AppleTV in the lounge and living room, I really can't see a reason now to go and rent. N/R rental at $8 is slightly higher than a physical store, but we don't go near any of them on a regular basis so no way I would bother making a special visit.

scuwp

3927 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2510

#1873974 28-Sep-2017 09:49

rfdawn: Shame that Fatso is closing, I found their range pretty good - thinking of old movies, foreign movies, TV series, alt-whatever. The suggested replacement is Neon so I did a quick check on Neon of the Fatso rentals I have liked (4 stars or better). Out of last 15 titles I really liked only two are available on Neon so that looks almost-useless to me. Quickflix and Netflix similar problem. Anyone know an online service with anything like Fatso's range?

iTunes? Amazon?

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

ech3lon

386 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 123

#1873997 28-Sep-2017 10:47

<rant>

I for one got fed up with bluray and dvds shoving down all those unskippable clips and FBI warning nonsense down your throat.

Let me watch the content that I *paid* for!

</rant>

Apple TV

Stream your favourite shows now on Apple TV (affiliate link).

rfdawn

39 posts

Geek
+1 received by user: 7

Lifetime subscriber

#1873998 28-Sep-2017 10:51

scuwp:
rfdawn: Shame that Fatso is closing, I found their range pretty good - thinking of old movies, foreign movies, TV series, alt-whatever. The suggested replacement is Neon so I did a quick check on Neon of the Fatso rentals I have liked (4 stars or better). Out of last 15 titles I really liked only two are available on Neon so that looks almost-useless to me. Quickflix and Netflix similar problem. Anyone know an online service with anything like Fatso's range?

iTunes? Amazon?

Thanks @scuwp. Itunes a bit limited, but Amazon looks near-enough. Amazing that local+physical distributors are still a nose ahead of global+virtual ones.

arcon

423 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 198

#1874010 28-Sep-2017 11:09

Is it true that Netflix NZ's movie library is only about 250 titles..? That's a pathetic offering so can you access other countries libraries and what sort of extra costs are involved?

NightStalker

327 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 159

#1874045 28-Sep-2017 11:42

arcon:

Is it true that Netflix NZ's movie library is only about 250 titles..? That's a pathetic offering so can you access other countries libraries and what sort of extra costs are involved?

There is a private forum that discusses access to overseas content. Send a PM to michaelmurphy for access to the forum.

MikeAqua

8024 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3817

#1874047 28-Sep-2017 11:44

ech3lon:

<rant>

I for one got fed up with bluray and dvds shoving down all those unskippable clips and FBI warning nonsense down your throat.

Let me watch the content that I *paid* for!

</rant>

^^^ +1 .... ironically only people who pay for content have to endure the warnings. If you were ripping a movie you would edit that out.

Mike

1 | 2