Netflix

The public outcry over Netflix's recent decision to split the company into two entertainment services must have been heard, as today Netflix has decided to abandon the two-company idea and remain one entity.

Last month, Netflix announced the company would be splitting itself; Netflix would remain for all streaming purposes, while the new Qwikster entity would serve all DVD subscription customers. The websites and all details of user accounts like entertainment queue, passwords, and billing would, inconveniently, exist on their own.

Netflix admitted that it "underestimated the appeal of the single Web site and a single service." Customers will continue to log in for both streaming and DVD subscriptions through the Netflix website. The recent price increases of $8 per month for each service remain. Qwikster may still be used as a video game rental service, though that decision is still to be determined.

Netflix recently shocked its customers by announcing that it would split its streaming and DVD rental company in half, essentially forcing customers to deal with two separate subscriptions — Netflix for streaming, and newly founded company Quickster for DVDs.

Netflix's recent price bump may have angered customers, but this move has sent loyal movie watchers over the edge. GeekSugar Twitter users have said that they're ready to cancel both subscriptions completely, relying on other forms of streaming to get their entertainment fix. If you're cutting ties with Netflix (and Quickster), here are some alternatives to try.

• Hulu Plus — The $8 monthly subscription fee for Hulu Plus allows access to the most current episodes of TV shows and has an even larger catalog of movies available than its free Hulu counterpart. Available via iOS, Android, select gaming consoles, Samsung TVs, and computer systems.
• Blockbuster Total Access — Pricing models give customers the option to rent DVDs for home delivery with a subscription plan for $10 or $15, choose to rent DVDs without subscriptions, or stream films online on demand.
• Epix — A joint venture between movie studios Viacom, Paramount, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Lionsgate, Epix offers 150 movies; though, it can only be accessed through an existing cable subscription.
• Amazon — The online retailer recently signed an agreement with CBS making shows like Star Trek and The Tudors available instantly on the site. Over 8,000 video titles are available instantly via Amazon for a fee.
• Walmart VUDU — Walmart's own streaming media service, VUDU, is accessible online or through VUDU-enabled devices like certain HDTVs, Blu-ray players, or PlayStation 3. Customers do not sign up for a subscription, but rather pay per film viewing. Rentals begin at $3, with new releases starting at $4 and higher for HD-quality streams; many movies can be purchased for unlimited viewing for $15.
• Facebook — Though currently limited to select options like Doctor Who episodes and The Dark Knight, we'll stay tuned for more streaming developments from the social network in the future.

Watching TV is about to get a bit more social. If you've connected your Facebook account to sites like Hulu and Netflix, you'll soon be able to watch TV and movies right in Facebook with a few links. For example, if one of your friends is watching Glee on Hulu and shares this activity on Facebook, you'll be able to click on their update and watch the same show within Facebook thanks to some new players that these companies are building with Facebook's open graph.

Netflix cofounder and CEO Reed Hastings issued an apology for customer confusion over its new pricing structure and announced a major change to the company's DVD service. In a few weeks, DVD users will welcome to their lives Qwikster, Netflix's rebranded mail service.

The CEO wrote: "We feel we need to focus on rapid improvement as streaming technology and the market evolve, without having to maintain compatibility with our DVD by mail service . . . streaming and DVD by mail are becoming two quite different businesses, with very different cost structures, different benefits that need to be marketed differently, and we need to let each grow and operate independently."

Netflix and Qwikster will not be integrated; each website will be completely separate from the other. As a subscriber to both services, any changes to an account will need to be made to each website. If you want to remove a movie from your DVD Qwikster queue because it was just added to Netflix's streaming service, sign in to Qwikster and make the change.

Qwikster will also have an option to upgrade to a video games option, letting customers rent games for Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3. The Qwikster website is set to go live in a few weeks. Current DVD subscribers do not have to sign up again for the Qwikster service; it will soon just show up on a billing statement as a charge from Qwikster instead of Netflix. Does Netflix's split affect your account? Do you plan to stay with either Qwikster or Netflix streaming?

Many customers were upset about the price increase of Netflix plans announced back in July; Netflix stock prices followed consumer sentiments and subsequently tumbled. This morning, the company's CEO, Reed Hastings, admitted to subscribers that he "messed up" and introduced a new change to the DVD service that he feels might appease those who are still resentful.

Apparently, the firm is separating its DVD and streaming services and rebranding the DVD rental service under the new name "Qwikster." What this means is that there will be separate sites for the streaming service, which will still be under Netflix.com, and the DVD service, which will now be under Qwikster.com. If you subscribe to both services, you'll have two different accounts and will have to redo certain actions like adding in your credit card information twice and rating movies on two different accounts. Hastings says the benefits to this new change include the option to rent video games under Qwikster, and both websites will be easier to use as they each are focused on only one product.

It seems many customers aren't fans of the new changes and are voicing their discontent on the blog post that announced the company's latest move. Netflix user Dustin Glass writes in response, "Breaking up DVDs and streaming into two completely different websites makes for an awful user experience for people who subscribe to both services."

What do you think — does the new Qwikster service seem like a good idea?