Netflix received weaker grades among 15,277 ConsumerReports.org subscribers who...

March poll used Netflix, the publication said Vudu, iTunes and Amazon Instant Video all scored higher for overall satisfaction in its first comprehensive ratings of video services. Netflix received a total reader score of 69 for its streaming service, while Vudu fared best among streaming services with a grade of 76, iTunes got a grade of 75, Amazon Instant Video was graded 74, and Amazon Prime and Hulu each were graded 70. Amazon Prime and Netflix each received the worst possible rating for movie selection. Amazon Prime and Hulu each received the highest possible rating for price. The best grade that Netflix received was for convenience, with the second-highest possible rating. Streaming video content from the Internet is emerging as the preferred choice for video viewing, Consumer Reports said. Fifty-two percent of those polled said they used a streaming video service in the previous month, compared to 47 percent who saw a movie at a theater, 43 percent who rented a DVD or Blu-ray disc and 32 percent who used their cable provider’s video-on-demand service. The “biggest gripe” with Netflix’s streaming service was the limited selection of movies, especially the newest releases, Consumer Reports said. That’s “a common problem with all-you-can-watch streaming services,” a category that also includes Amazon Prime and Hulu Plus, it said. Fewer than one in five respondents said they were highly satisfied with the choice of titles from those services, it said. But it said the selection of titles available on pay-per-view streaming services including Amazon Instant Video, iTunes and Vudu received high grades from more than 60 percent of users. The advantages of discs were clear in the survey. Netflix’s disc-by-mail service and independent video stores were judged to have a more satisfying selection of titles, including current ones, than even the best streaming services, Consumer Reports said. Redbox kiosks were “neck-and-neck” with Netflix and independent stores in overall satisfaction, but fell short on selection, it said. Respondents “were not as impressed” with Blockbuster stores, Blockbuster Express kiosks or Blockbuster Total Access disc-by-mail, it said. Most respondents didn’t drop their TV service and used streaming as a supplement to regular TV, it said. Only 10 percent had dropped their TV service completely as a result of using streaming services, while 72 percent made no change to their TV service, it said. Netflix didn’t immediately comment. It received the best total grade from respondents on disc rental services, with 78. Independent stores and Redbox followed, each with 77. Blockbuster trailed with 71, while its Blockbuster Express service followed with 69 and its Blockbuster Total Access service came in last with 68.