How to Obtain New Instant Viewing Options and Suggestion on Netflix

Netflix has undergone several changes since first coming on the scene. It's streaming movie service has taken the entertainment service to the next level. (Which is why Comcast is so piping mad.) One of the great things about the service is the elaborate algorithm that Netflix uses to figure out what kinds of movies and TV shows you'll probably enjoy. The company's complicated formula uses your ratings, rental history, and taste preferences in order to forecast what kinds of movies you'll add to your Instant Viewing Queue. CNN Senior writer Michael V. Copeland explains this pretty nifty process in an article published November 2010. Bet you didn't realize just how complicated your entertainment whims really are. In any event, you may have noticed that the streaming options don't recycle as often as you might like. But you can change that. These tips may help.

Change up your Taste Preferences Frequently.

Be really creative too. If you hate westerns, switch up your preference that allows the occasional western "Sometimes" instead of "Never." But don't stop there. Change the mood, and sub-genres as well, using as different combinations as you possibly can. You may need to log in and out of the site in order to see new options. At first, these options may seem the same. But the more films you look into that normally wouldn't end up in your recommendation list, the more options will probably open up to you.

Change your movie ratings.

This isn't necessarily a "trick" per se. It's completely natural for people to feel another way about movies and shows they've after a great deal of time has passed. Watching a movie in 1999 might feel a lot different once you've viewed it again in 2007. Change your ratings, and these new scores will be stored in Netflix's complicated algorithm.

Add some "off shooters" to your rental queue.

Drop a few films that you wouldn't normally watch into your rental queue. These choices too, are stored in the system. Having some alternate fare in your queue might help the computer system to mix it future options a bit.

Explore sites like Amazon.com

In case you haven't noticed, websites like Amazon.com have their own "algorithms" too. Thus, movie searches on these sites often yield additional options that you might be interested in. Take note of these choices. Some may be much different than those suggested on Netflix. Adding these options to your Netflix queue might help to shake things up a bit. Even combing through Wikipedia can help. Adding (or rating) the obscure film on Netflix could beef up the streaming movie options it offers.

Let YouTube work for you.

Netflix is gracious enough to provide trailers for many of its movies and TV shows. But not every film has one. Search YouTube for trailers of films that you're interested in (that don't have trailers on Netflix.) More than likely, you'll find hundreds of other trailers for films you've never heard of. And guess what? Quite a few of these you'll find on Netflix as well. They just haven't popped up in your Suggestion or Instant Viewing options. Give Netflix something more to work with, and you'll get the most for your money.

SOURCES:

www.tech.fortune.cnn.com

www.netflix.com

www.amazon.com

www.youtube.com