Do you know anything about Netflix ratings?
May 6, 2011 4:05 PM Subscribe
By viewing previous posts, it seems that I'm not the only one irritated by Netflix's recommendations.
So, my question is, how do Netflix's ratings and recommendations work? I just noticed a documentary film about Brazilian trash pickers that is recommended to me "based on my interest in Dead Man Walking, Punch Drunk Love, and The Pianist." That makes no sense to me.
It seems to me that the rating levels "Didn't like it," "Liked it," and "Really liked it" are so vague as to be useless for Netflix to determine what to recommend.
I rarely see a film that exceeds the three star, "Liked it," rating.
Is there a way for me to use Netflix's rating system in a way that will cause the system to recommend movies that truly match my tastes, or should I forget about it? CEO of Netflix take note.
It seems to me that the rating levels "Didn't like it," "Liked it," and "Really liked it" are so vague as to be useless for Netflix to determine what to recommend.
I rarely see a film that exceeds the three star, "Liked it," rating.
Is there a way for me to use Netflix's rating system in a way that will cause the system to recommend movies that truly match my tastes, or should I forget about it? CEO of Netflix take note.
The Netflix prize contest is over (ended in 2009), but the forums would doubtless tell you more than you'd ever want to know about the algorithms people use.
posted by hattifattener at 4:27 PM on May 6, 2011
posted by hattifattener at 4:27 PM on May 6, 2011
farishta has it. I personally like the recommendation system as it recommends movies that I've never heard of and I've thoroughly enjoyed watching.
Could it be better? Sure. But I think it works for the vast majority.
For an alternative, you could check out instantwatcher It uses the Netflix movie/tv database and provides a lot more information than the standard interface.
Finally, Waste Land is an excellent movie. I'm not sure if you've watched it or not, but I highly recommend it.
posted by purephase at 4:29 PM on May 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
Could it be better? Sure. But I think it works for the vast majority.
For an alternative, you could check out instantwatcher It uses the Netflix movie/tv database and provides a lot more information than the standard interface.
Finally, Waste Land is an excellent movie. I'm not sure if you've watched it or not, but I highly recommend it.
posted by purephase at 4:29 PM on May 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
I spent a fair of time aggressively rating movies and documentaries that I both loved and hated. I've found that after that, my Netflix rating suggestions started getting really good. I've actually ended up being a big convert of the algorithm over the last year of using Netflix as my primary source of entertainment. The key to my ratings suggestions getting good had a lot to do with making sure I'd covered both ends of the spectrum.
posted by Zophi at 4:51 PM on May 6, 2011
posted by Zophi at 4:51 PM on May 6, 2011
Your case will be more interesting if you watch the Brazilian trash picker documentary and _then_ decide whether you like it.
posted by amtho at 5:01 PM on May 6, 2011 [7 favorites]
posted by amtho at 5:01 PM on May 6, 2011 [7 favorites]
This NYT article will give you some fairly readable insight into what's involved in the recommmendation engine: If You Liked This, You’re Sure to Love That.
It's a couple of years old, but I'm guessing you're more interested in getting some general idea of what's going on than discovering the latest algorithms.
posted by philipy at 5:44 PM on May 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
It's a couple of years old, but I'm guessing you're more interested in getting some general idea of what's going on than discovering the latest algorithms.
posted by philipy at 5:44 PM on May 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
Sounds like Netflix is recommending "Waste Lands", which is a fantastic film that would most likely appeal to people who like interesting quality films (yeah, I know, "quality" is purely subjective).
I loved the other 3 films you mentioned, and also loved "Waste Lands", so it works beautifully for me... Give the movie a shot, you may be surprised! Don't judge a movie by its plot synopsis!
posted by newfers at 6:00 PM on May 6, 2011
I loved the other 3 films you mentioned, and also loved "Waste Lands", so it works beautifully for me... Give the movie a shot, you may be surprised! Don't judge a movie by its plot synopsis!
posted by newfers at 6:00 PM on May 6, 2011
Well, if it is Waste Lands, our friend Google turns up this film festival description:
Sure, art has the power to transform the human spirit, but in this vivid and inspiring documentary, it also creates dignity. Top-selling contemporary artist, Vik Muniz, who in fact has two works within George Eastman House’s permanent collection, fashions a new project in Jardim Gramacho, the world’s largest landfill, just outside Rio de Janeiro. By photographing the radiant catadores, the pickers of the recyclable materials, and then collaborating with them on the finished work, Muniz shows us that perhaps the most important thing to recycle is oneself. Director Lucy Walker (Devil’s Playground, Blindsight) focuses her keen eyes on the essence of humanity and sculpts a heart-opening film that you won’t soon forget.
Sounds rather different than "a documentary about Brazilian trash pickers" when put like that.
posted by philipy at 6:25 PM on May 6, 2011
Sure, art has the power to transform the human spirit, but in this vivid and inspiring documentary, it also creates dignity. Top-selling contemporary artist, Vik Muniz, who in fact has two works within George Eastman House’s permanent collection, fashions a new project in Jardim Gramacho, the world’s largest landfill, just outside Rio de Janeiro. By photographing the radiant catadores, the pickers of the recyclable materials, and then collaborating with them on the finished work, Muniz shows us that perhaps the most important thing to recycle is oneself. Director Lucy Walker (Devil’s Playground, Blindsight) focuses her keen eyes on the essence of humanity and sculpts a heart-opening film that you won’t soon forget.
Sounds rather different than "a documentary about Brazilian trash pickers" when put like that.
posted by philipy at 6:25 PM on May 6, 2011
Best answer: The key is to actually rate a lot of movies, as many as possible, because at least theoretically, it will improve the accuracy of their ratings. But, I realize, that's easier said than done, because quite coincidentally, I absolutely hated Waste Land, even though it had 4 stars for me... but, I turned it off after about 15 minutes, and gave it a 1 star. Who knows, maybe had I stuck it out for the full course torture, I'd have liked it - and therein is the dilemma. You want to rate it, but you want to rate it fairly - by giving it a full viewing; but what to do, when you hate it a lot, are you supposed to waste an hour+ of life on the chance that it'll improve? For me, Waste Land seemed never to be able to start, it was a lot of how great this artist is and blah, blah, and then he and his wife sit at a computer skyping with Brazil, and sorry, but I'm not going to watch a guy skype patting himself on the back. Perhaps it turned into a masterpiece the very next minute - so should you still rate it? My answer to you, is YES, for the following reason: what the rating system does is evaluate YOUR taste, and if you are offended by this type of intro, then there is no right or wrong, it's a matter of taste, YOUR taste, which is after all the whole point of those ratings. They recommend movies for YOU. So: don't worry, keep rating.
posted by VikingSword at 6:36 PM on May 6, 2011
posted by VikingSword at 6:36 PM on May 6, 2011
Singular Value Decomposition. You need to have some background in linear algebra to understand how/why this works.
posted by mikeand1 at 6:39 PM on May 6, 2011
posted by mikeand1 at 6:39 PM on May 6, 2011
Anecdatally, I've rated over 1500 movies at netflix, and their ratings and recommendations are almost universally useless for me. But then I loved Hudson Hawk, so I can see their problem.
posted by DaveP at 6:55 PM on May 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by DaveP at 6:55 PM on May 6, 2011 [1 favorite]
Waste Land is a fantastic movie...but I'm not sure how the Netflix rating system works. I don't know how Pandora works either but I usually like their selections.
posted by bquarters at 7:03 PM on May 6, 2011
posted by bquarters at 7:03 PM on May 6, 2011
Hey! I know the director of the Brazilian trash doc! It's a terrific film!
I once emailed the CEO to tell him how much I hated the ratings system and he told me "tough".
posted by Ideefixe at 12:27 AM on May 7, 2011
I once emailed the CEO to tell him how much I hated the ratings system and he told me "tough".
posted by Ideefixe at 12:27 AM on May 7, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks for all the info everyone. It has help me to revise my approach to the problem. Instantwatcher.com looks like a good bet for sorting through the Netflix offerings, as well.
posted by partner at 9:09 AM on May 7, 2011
posted by partner at 9:09 AM on May 7, 2011
Anecdatally, I've rated over 1500 movies at netflix, and their ratings and recommendations are almost universally useless for me. But then I loved Hudson Hawk, so I can see their problem.
Also anecdotally, I'm currently at 2,700 or so ratings and have found them to be fantastic at suggesting movies and TV for me. It even managed to get its head around the fact that I too love Hudson Hawk.
posted by jaybeans at 6:17 PM on May 8, 2011
Also anecdotally, I'm currently at 2,700 or so ratings and have found them to be fantastic at suggesting movies and TV for me. It even managed to get its head around the fact that I too love Hudson Hawk.
posted by jaybeans at 6:17 PM on May 8, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
There's some complex math behind this that Mrs. farishta used to work on, and I think that Netflix has prize money for people who can improve their system. Maybe you could come up with something better!!
posted by farishta at 4:25 PM on May 6, 2011