I hate Netflix algorithms

[Anonymous]

Netflix would improve their profit margins if they cut the 800 engineers they have working to "crunch the data." I wish they would have an option to just list the damn titles as to when they were added like Hulu does.

In searching for a comedy, I got "Suggestions for You" listing Leap Year and White Chicks next to each other.

[Anonymous]

I once played a kids' movie using my primary Netflix account and after that it was infested by kids' movie suggestions. I had to create another profile.

[Anonymous]

Before they had multiple profiles, the whole family (a teen boy, toddlers, a kung-fu/thriller-loving spouse, and I, the lover of foreign and slow-artsy movies) all watched on one account, so the suggestions I get are useless to me.

I just want Netflix to improve their selection overall. There's a growing list of excellent dvds they no longer have available or never will. They killed off all the competition, so I can no longer rent them locally. I have about 60 movies in my queue that are completely unavailable or have a "very long wait" which never ends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Netflix would improve their profit margins if they cut the 800 engineers they have working to "crunch the data." I wish they would have an option to just list the damn titles as to when they were added like Hulu does.

In searching for a comedy, I got "Suggestions for You" listing Leap Year and White Chicks next to each other.

Says more about you and what you watched (or who has your password) than the data.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Netflix would improve their profit margins if they cut the 800 engineers they have working to "crunch the data." I wish they would have an option to just list the damn titles as to when they were added like Hulu does.

In searching for a comedy, I got "Suggestions for You" listing Leap Year and White Chicks next to each other.

Says more about you and what you watched (or who has your password) than the data.

I do watch varied things. However, I know what I've seen even if it wasn't on Netflix. You can sort alphabetically or year released, but I know a lot of movies that I scrolling through have been on there a while. I don't want to scroll past them again and again in the event that something new was added. I've also started watching something then stopped b/c I didn't like it and it will still pop up in the suggestions for you.

Lastly, even if you create separate profiles, you can't make separate lists, so I may put something on my list that I want to watch with my kids.

[Anonymous]

I agree. We like documentaries. There are some great ones on Netflix, but you can't search for them easily unless you know the title. All the Vikings documentaries (for instance) should be next to other Vikings documentaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree. We like documentaries. There are some great ones on Netflix, but you can't search for them easily unless you know the title. All the Vikings documentaries (for instance) should be next to other Vikings documentaries.

Yes, exactly! I read an interview with the Netflix people and they say, "Oh, people say they want to watch documentaries, but their viewing habits say differently..." It's b/c it's so hard to find anything!

[Anonymous]

Use instantwatcher.com - it does this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree. We like documentaries. There are some great ones on Netflix, but you can't search for them easily unless you know the title. All the Vikings documentaries (for instance) should be next to other Vikings documentaries.

Yes, exactly! I read an interview with the Netflix people and they say, "Oh, people say they want to watch documentaries, but their viewing habits say differently..." It's b/c it's so hard to find anything!

The search function is so terrible! I watch a lot of depressing documentaries, so all the recommendations I get are for more depressing documentaries. What I need is recommendations for "You've been watching lots of Hitler shit lately, maybe you should mix it up a little and watch this smart and uplifting series."

[Anonymous]

My problem with Netflix is that they list all these foreign titles I'm interested in... and then never send them by mail (and of course don't have them in streaming). I have the impression they don't actually carry these DVDs anymore, but haven't updated their list.

Which is why I'm no longer a customer.

[Anonymous]

Agreed!

Last weekend my kids watched Roger Rabbit on my account.....this week, Netflix made a suggestion "because I watched Roger Rabbit"....it was Schindler's List....?!?!?

I'm open to any possible suggestions on how those titles are related.....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agreed!

Last weekend my kids watched Roger Rabbit on my account.....this week, Netflix made a suggestion "because I watched Roger Rabbit"....it was Schindler's List....?!?!?

I'm open to any possible suggestions on how those titles are related.....

Both are about genocide. Judge Doom wants to destroy Toontown and kill all the Toons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agreed!

Last weekend my kids watched Roger Rabbit on my account.....this week, Netflix made a suggestion "because I watched Roger Rabbit"....it was Schindler's List....?!?!?

I'm open to any possible suggestions on how those titles are related.....

Both are about genocide. Judge Doom wants to destroy Toontown and kill all the Toons.

So not evil, just drawn that way?

They would do much better without the engineers and algorithms.

Just for fun, I looked up The Crown and Longmire was shown as having an 84% match as to "more like this" shows and Reign was even higher. These shows are nothing alike although someone may watch and like all three.

You might like The Crown b/c it's based on historical figure, it's British, has to do with royalty, set in a different time period, like dramas, but when you're looking for shows "like this" Amazon does a much better job at showing you similar shows.

[Anonymous]

My Netflix account is probably old enough to start college this year. As a result, it's been our family profile, it was my single chick profile, and it's still our family profile for the TV with the 8 year old Roku on it. My suggestions are worthless. I guess I could create a new profile and leave mine as the junk profile. Has anyone done that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My Netflix account is probably old enough to start college this year. As a result, it's been our family profile, it was my single chick profile, and it's still our family profile for the TV with the 8 year old Roku on it. My suggestions are worthless. I guess I could create a new profile and leave mine as the junk profile. Has anyone done that?

I don't think it matters how many profiles you create, they still use weird algorithms to predict what you want to watch. Plus their search function sucks. It's sad, but it you want to find out what's on Netflix that's worth watching, you need to google independent websites that have reviews.