People don't have this expectation because Netflix is already pulling out content all the time.

A few years ago you could get pretty much any DVD from Netflix mail service, you could also walk in a video rental store and find all the classic, as well as all the blockbusters from the past 10 years.

It's really sad that a technological advance lead to such a regression.

I don't know if it's the exception, but in Santa Clara County, the public libraries have a somewhat better selection of DVD's than Netflix. I just cross referenced my list recently (about 20) and the local library had five older that were not available (as out of print most likely) on Netflix and Netflix had two (older foreign releases) that were not in the library. I'm probably cancelling my Netflix DVD subscription soon.

It would have been crazy 20 years ago to subscribe to HBO and record a movie to your VCR, that you could watch later, or at a friend's house.

But it would not have been crazy, 25 years ago, to record a song playing on the radio to a tape recorder, so you can replay it back later.