support genre and subgenre listings [Netflix]

[GoogleCodeExporter]

What steps will reproduce the problem?
I tried adding "Queues" for NetFlix Genre and Sub Genre listings, but 
Understudy doesn't 
recognize the url.
For example:http://www.netflix.com/WiGenre?sgid=692&pgid=307 is the Netflix 
listing for all 
the Watch Instantly films available in the Comedy Genre / Romantic Comedy 
SubGenre.  I'd like to 
add that as a "Queue" and have Understudy then show the list like in the Hulu 
or Netflix Queues.

What is the expected output or result?
A list, even with the cover art, much like when you set up your queue.

What do you see instead?
Understudy doesn't recognize the URL and returns an error

Please provide any additional information below, including any relevant
URLs.

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Original issue reported on code.google.com by nm_clar...@msn.com on 18 Apr 2009 at 7:43

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Original comment by kirk.kel...@rochester.edu on 18 Apr 2009 at 10:45

• Changed title: support genre and subgenre listings [Netflix]
• Changed state: Accepted
• Added labels: Service-Netflix, Type-Enhancement
• Removed labels: Type-Defect

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Understudy rejects the URL because it is for the the webpage, not for the feed. 
In
this case the URL for the feed is http://rss.netflix.com/Top25RSS?gid=307

you can find them listed at http://www.netflix.com/RSSFeeds

Original comment by kirk.kel...@rochester.edu on 18 Apr 2009 at 11:04

• Changed state: Invalid

[GoogleCodeExporter]

I should revise my previous comment: the RSS feeds listed on those pages aren't
specifically for watch instantly. Understudy will accept them but some of the 
content
may not be available for online viewing.

Original comment by kirk.kel...@rochester.edu on 19 Apr 2009 at 1:18

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Correct, the URL I gave is NOT an official NetFlix RSS feed, and that is why is
doesn't work.  Unfortunately, as you pointed out, the RSS feeds from Netflix are
insufficient.  The official NetFlix RSS feed fail on three points ...
1) They include both Watch Instantly and DVD in the mail titles, which make 
them not
helpful for understudy.
2) They are only for the Genre Level, and not the Sub-Genre Level
3) They only include the top 25 titles (actually, this may be a good thing, but 
...)

Now, one solution is to get NetFlix to fix up their RSS feeds so that they will
generate more useful feeds - just Watch Instantly feeds, and Sub-Genre feeds.  
I have
asked NetFlix about that at various forums, but I honestly don't seen NetFlix
providing those kind of specialized RSS feeds.

The other solution would be to allow Understudy to use the information that 
NetFlix
DOES provide.  NetFlix DOES provide a listing webpage with 25 titles or so for 
JUST
Watch Instantly titles, in a variety of Genres and SubGenres.  That webpage has 
all
the right information, just not in the RSS format that Understudy is expecting. 
 What
I am suggesting is:
Could Understudy be programmed to be able to use the information in the format 
that
NetFlix is providing in on the webpages?  I think that would be a great new 
feature
to add to future releases of Understudy.  I think I entered this wrong ... this 
is
NOT an error or a bug, but rather a future feature request.

I love Understudy.  It is very simple to use.  My wife uses it alot mainly 
because it
is so straight forward.  We'd rather use Understudy to look through a list of
possible titles in the three or four SubGenres we like the most than use the 
NetFlix
website.  This feature addition would let us do that ....

Original comment by nm_clar...@msn.com on 19 Apr 2009 at 4:31