Netflix

I touched upon Netflix a few months back when the service was newly minted in Canada, and haven't really visited it again (on this site) since. The low monthly entrance fee has meant that it visits my credit card once a month and I barely notice, just as those app purchases sit on my credit card and get absorbed, barely detectable financially and only noticeable as each one takes up a line on the statement. If you use the service a couple of times a month, it's "worth" it, although just having it available to you at any time, on any number of devices could be worth the price alone should you not even use it.

In the first month I watched a couple of great movies but would not go back to the interface for any real viewing for quite some time afterwards. Blame it on the number of higher quality films and shows available to me via other means, the general lack of new release movies and in general, the lack of any kind of television available through the service.


So let's talk about the selection for one moment; there is a lot of material available. While it may not be the most current stuff, there are some real gems in there. I'm excited to see old things like Godzilla, older horror and weird indie movies. And because of the slick recommendation service they offer, you get to find these with relative ease. If it wasn't for the recommendation and creation of abstract genre listings, I wouldn't have found Deadgirl, and my viewing of The Human Centipede would have been delayed (which would be a real shame as The Centipede was the anchor of many highlights from 2010). So, there is a certain excitement felt browsing through the recommendations; you never know what you're going to find, and when you see something familiar, you are pleasantly surprised and yes, a little shocked, that it's available for immediate viewing.

You wouldn't normally give these movies or shows a chance, but there is a level of convenience that makes it all possible. When I click on a show to watch, it starts within seconds. When you wield that power, it is of zero surprise that brick and mortar rental chains are going out of business. Netflix remembers where you left off. It tells you what you might want to see. Blockbuster can do none of this and has made no effort to try; Netflix is making an effort to befriend you and therein, lies its true strength. If my friend tells me to watch a movie because he thinks I may like it, I will do as such. Netflix is trying to do the same thing, and you know what? It does a pretty good job. After a period of time, I'm sure it can only get better and the relationship evolves into a level of trust that I wouldn't bestow upon many flesh and bloods. This is the age we're living in: when you visit Amazon and it knows what you want to buy before you know it yourself; when you are looking for an app on your iOS device and it provides a list of them relevant to you. No more do we have to browse shelves of hundreds of products: we are given a shortlist of a dozen and we like it.

Alright, I wanted to also mention the devices on which you can use Netflix. I have the service registered on six devices, four of which are connected to my television. You can stream media on your iPod/iPhone and your laptop but the real power comes in putting it on the "big screen." I loaded Netflix on the Wii but obviously, this is an exercise in futility as you get no high definition output. So it's up to the Xbox and PS3 to deliver me to greatness. Oddly enough the interface changes just slightly on each device; it is not as consistent as you would think it should be. But, in general everything is there: you get rows of genres, and a search function. I don't understand it but they make it impossible to just browse the entire library. They rely so much upon the recommendations that they cripple that one functionality. So far it hasn't been too bad, but I want real ultimate control.

The PS3 is my system of choice for watching Netflix. The poor Xbox has been plagued by noise problems since launch, and my current system is no different. Even though the drive is not spinning, it's just too damn loud to properly enjoy a show. Perhaps you would have better luck with it and I just have a lemon of a system. The PS3 is significantly more quiet and in my case the clear winner. Although the interface is not quite as slick as the Xbox, I'll make due. One thing I noticed, since upgrading my set to one capable of 1080p, is my Xbox outputs a 1080i signal while playing movies, while the PS3 keeps up with the full 1080p. Perhaps the full resolution is unlocked through using an HDMI cable on the Xbox, but for me right now it's even more reason to stick with the Playstation.

All that I'll say regarding the image quality is that I'm surprised.Watching Secret Window last night, I didn't see any compression artifacts; the picture was clean and sharp. I'm sure you would get more detail from a Blu-Ray, but for streaming, this is amazing stuff. Same thing with the second movie in my double feature last night: Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Very high quality, and quite the difference from when I was watching movies a few months ago.

And that about wraps it up. I'm extremely happy with the service and my faith in streaming has come quite a ways. The cost of entry is pretty low and while not a replacement for a television subscription (yet), I believe it will be someday. It has definitely replaced the video store. It is easy to see that this is the future, and it is exciting.