While the move signals the beginning of the end for DVD and Blu-ray--a slow death, perhaps, but the countdown has begun--Netflix fans should think twice before signing up for the streaming-only plan.
Here's why: Netflix's online library is maddeningly incomplete. Want to watch Toy Story 3 or Avatar? You'd better sign up for one of Netflix's DVD + streaming plans, because those films are available on disc only. And it's not just new content that's off-limits to video streamers. Plenty of popular films from recent years, including Juno and The Dark Knight, are disc-or-miss titles, too.
Netflix's DVD plans with video-streaming range from $10 to $56 a month. The $10 plan, for instance, lets you have one DVD out at a time. You'll pay an extra $2 a month to watch Blu-ray discs.
I'm a Netflix subscriber and I love the service. But I'd find the streaming-only service too limiting.
Some TV series, such as Showtime's Dexter, have one or two seasons online--but later seasons are available on disc only. Fox's Family Guy has eight "volumes" online, but the eighth collection (from 2009) has only 7 episodes. You'll need the DVD to watch episodes 8 to 15.