April 9, 2026
Disc-o Fever vs. Stream Scream
Netflix Prices Went Up Again – I Bought a DVD Player Instead
Fans revolt, dust off discs, and say “Netflix who”
TLDR: Netflix raised prices again, pushing some frustrated viewers to quit and buy Blu‑ray players and DVDs instead. Comments erupted into a retro‑media lovefest, a “self‑host it” chorus, library hacks, and a spicy piracy debate—all circling one theme: people are tired of paying more to watch ads and lose shows.
Netflix’s latest price bump has viewers doing the unthinkable: dusting off discs. With the ad plan climbing to $8.99 plus fees and ad‑free nudging $19.99, the author peaced out and went retro—an $89 Blu‑ray player, bargain box sets, and the sweet relief of owning what you watch. The comments? On fire.
One camp is cheering the analog comeback. “This is what happens when you charge people to watch ads,” sighed multiple replies, while sarimkx celebrated “people returning to physical tech.” Others offered thrifty hacks: hit your public library for free DVDs, said WCSTombs, making it a frugal flex. Meanwhile, the self‑host crowd popped in with a wink—“Plex is still cool, right?”—and one bold voice joked about reinstalling old file‑sharing habits, sparking pearl‑clutching and applause in equal measure. Satvikpendem lobbed the spiciest grenade: if it were only DVDs, “why not pirate,” but Blu‑ray’s better picture makes buying discs feel premium.
Beyond the memes (“Netflix and bill,” “Be Kind, Rewind 2.0”), the core drama is simple: paying more for less—ads and missing shows—has people swapping subscriptions for shelves. The author says they’ll save the ten bucks a month for discs and maybe return someday, but for now? The Discontent vs. Disc‑content war is on. See Netflix’s plans here.
Key Points
- •Netflix’s ad-supported plan increased to $8.99 per month before taxes/fees, and the ad-free plan is $19.99 per month.
- •The author, who had resumed Netflix to finish shows after a job loss, plans to cancel due to price increases and limited use.
- •They purchased a Wiscent DVD/Blu-ray player for about $89 during a sale.
- •The player supports multiple formats, including DVD, Blu-ray, PAL/NTSC, and DVD+R/RW.
- •The author is shifting to physical media, buying discs from Amazon and eBay, and plans to allocate about $10 monthly toward owned content.