Netflix

Originally known as "Kibble" until a more permanent name was created, Netflix is an American company established on August 29, 1997. Netflix offered DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) and Blu-ray rentals through the mail and on-demand video streaming over their digital distribution platform. Customers receive the DVDs in the mail and return them by mail using a prepaid envelope.

In September 2011, Netflix began offering streaming video that allows customers to stream movies and TV shows over the Internet to their TV. Netflix streaming requires a computer, Smart TV, smartphone, tablet, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, TiVo, and other set-top boxes (e.g., Apple TV and Roku). Netflix mailed its last DVD on September 29, 2023, making the service exclusively streaming.

Each of these services requires a monthly subscription fee. There is a flat monthly rate for the streaming video service and DVD rental service. Customers can get unlimited DVD rentals each month, but only one DVD at a time. When they return one DVD, the next DVD on their rental queue list is sent to them in the mail. Blu-ray discs are available to rent for an additional monthly fee.

In 2017, Netflix announced over 1 billion hours of content had been watched on its platform.

How fast of connection should I have for Netflix?

Netflix recommends 3 Mbps connection for standard quality and 5 Mbps connection for high-definition streaming. If more than one person is sharing the same connection, they recommend 10 Mbps.

What was Qwikster?

Qwikster was a planned DVD-only service Netflix was planning on releasing after announcing its streaming service. The service was announced and canceled a few month later in 2011. The company later decided to use DVD.com and continue to use Netflix for its streaming and DVD services. The DVD and blu-ray service was later discontinued on September 29, 2023.

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