If they did that, you'd see just how small their catalog really is. For Netflix, the recommendation engine is vital camouflage for the fact that they just don't have very much content. Netflix have about 4,000 movies in their catalog, of which a substantial proportion are low-budget filler. Once you remove the obvious junk, you're left with a selection of movies that's no better than a Blockbuster store circa 2005.
