Will Lamorinda Netflix Users Drop DVDs After Price Hike?

Netflix customers in Lamorinda are plotting a course of action now that the cost of their Netflix subscription is going up — but most still won't be going to the service's competition, local video stores, as most of those have disappeared.

The company known for its red DVD envelopes might mail less of them, after announcing Tuesday that a full subscription to its service — the DVD rental and online movie streaming bundle — now costs $15.98, up from $9.99 per month. 

However, customers may now choose between an online streaming-only subscription or renting one DVD at a time for $7.99.

"I'll have to ask my wife about it," said Shane Cybart, who works at UC Berkeley. "The (online) streaming service doesn't have enough good options, so you really have to have the DVD component."

Cybart said he might cancel his service and quit renting DVDs, period, rather than make trips to a video store.

Most Lamorinda customers Patch spoke with said they only stream movies from Netflix anyway — making the price change a money saver, since they currently pay $9.99 for their subscriptions.

Lafayette resident Lissa Robbins subscribed to Netflix two months ago to stream old seasons of "True Blood" to her television. But the experience is not without its glitches. "I'm committed to streaming," she said. "It's efficient - when it works." Robbins reported that streaming her video sometimes takes longer than expected, or is interrupted outright.

"There are still some things they have to work out," she said.

Bryan Hernandez said he has experienced similar issues, but that he isn't going to change his Netflix subscription just yet.

"Where are you going to go?" he said. "I used to go to Blockbuster for rentals but where are they now?"

Both Blockbuster and Hollywood Video suffered at the hands of Netflix. MSNBC reported Hollywood Video went out of business in 2010, and Blockbuster was recently acquired by Dish Network during bankruptcy proceedings.