So for the past few years I have sat and read with envy how everyone loves netflix. First it started as a mail delivery dvd rental service, then it expanded to streaming. I signed up for the free month trial and gave it a try. Here are my impressions and recommendations.
The Good:
Speed - Movies and TV shows start up pretty quickly, I was impressed. Video was smooth and I only once had a movie pause and stop playing in the middle of watching it.
Quality - Pretty good! I was using it on my PS3, and the quality wasn't quite HD but far better than standard def TV or typical DVD. I'd say its equivalent to a nice upscaling DVD player.
The Bad:
Selection - I canceled after the first month. Not because its too expensive. (though I will mention that) And not because its only viewable on my PS3 (no xbox? wtf? wasn't it out first on the xbox in the US?) The US tech news made a big deal about the 'no disk required' but that I think was just a way to get around a deal that Netflix signed with Microsoft (speculation on my part, but generally considered to be the reason). No, the fact is, I ran out of stuff to watch. Sure there a nice few things to choose from. 'Hundreds!' heh, US versions have thousands. The stuff that is there is either really old (Super Troopers? Seriously?). I guess recently added isn't the same as new releases, but that's positivly fresh compared to most of the stuff available. Most of it I haven't even heard about. I watched my share of documentaries, finally got to see Who Killed the Electric Car. But after that and a few episodes of Full Metal Alchemist, I got bored.
Bandwidth Caps - OK, this one isn't Netflix's fault... but its still a problem and a major concern for those of us with Shaw or Telus internet service. We have fairly restrictive bandwidth caps here. My $40 internet service (and thats bundled) only gives me 60gb (Correction: 75 now) of downloads per month. I could switch to another provider but I really don't want to play the game of threatening to move to a different ISP just to get a fair price on bandwidth. I was able to get a free upgrade for 12 months from Shaw to their Extreme (lol, extreme) internet package, that basically doubles my bandwidth, but its still pricey, and I don't get anywhere near the 'up-to' speed of 15Mb/s. I got 13.5 once, good times. But the cap is where it sucks, I find myself rationing my internet usage cause I don't want to go over. I don't want to have to worry about it. Sell me my pipe and let me use its fullest if I want to.
My final verdict: Pass, for now. If they can expand the catalog it might be worth trying out.. but till then wait a while.
I'm Back!
16 years ago
