in which the day is maybe not so frabjous as it might be

So.  Netflix has with much (hired) fanfare arrived in Canada, and the other day on Twitter I noted follower after follower signing up for the free one-month trial.  The Tech Guy asked whether I'd like to give it a whirl.

I had a think about it.  I'm already signed up with Zip.ca, and have been for over a year now, and am rather happy with the service, even if the selection on Netflix's U.S. site has often left me salivating.  And you know, all the movies you can watch in a month is...tempting.

So I decided to go and do a little poking around in Netflix Canada's selections, just to get an idea.  And they do have some newer Indian films, that's true.

But it's kind of disappointing to search for, say, My Name is Khan, to be told it's not available, and then have Water and Swades recommended, both of which I've seen.  And that was true for pretty much every film I searched on.

It gets worse, though.  One last search pointed out a striking difference between Netflix Canada and Zip.ca.  First up, Netflix Canada:

(Okay, maybe I can argue that Diego bears an uncanny, if animated, resemblance to ChiChi, but...really...)

Next, Zip.ca:

 

Okay -- it's a little fuzzy, but please note:  19 titles.  Yes, a drop in the bucket when you think about the actual size of Govinda's filmography, but that's 19 more films than Netflix Canada.

Lest you think I'm just totally biased, I also searched for Johnnie To's films, because I'd seen Exiled on the weekend and thought maybe it was time to explore To's films a little further.  Not to belabour the point, but I just put The Mission on hold at Zip.ca.  That's right.  Not available on Netflix Canada. 

 

 

Comments

[Asimburney]

Do have the instant streaming option too? In UK we have a similar service but they don't have internet streaming and I just find the idea of posting DVD's back and forth a bit archaic ;-)

BTw I think you should get 'I'm gonna git you sucka' and "black dynamite' wear an afro wig and have a blaxploitatation spoof double feature!

[katherine]

In fact, Netflix Canada is *only* streaming video -- which has Zip.ca saying that they're going to get their act in gear and actually do it, too.

I'm going to keep an eye on the selection over at Netflix, though -- it's possible they're just starting small and will add things in over time, and if that's the case, it may prove more interesting to sign up with them eventually.

They even have an iPhone app. Streaming movies on my phone, when I can get access to wifi, would be very tempting indeed.

[Kaitlyn]

That's odd that they didn't have any of Govinda's films listed.

When I first read about this, y'all were getting the streaming, not the delivery. I watched a Govinda movie on Netflix Instant the other week. (Do Knot Disturb) They've also got Life Partner.

[katherine]

I've heard some general grumbling all around regarding the selection -- I think people did actually expect they'd get everything that was on offer in the US. Instead, it's almost as if they're giving us a small selection just to test the waters -- which I bet they are. I'd also bet there are problems with the rights to some stuff, they don't have the rights to show them outside the US.

So, we'll see how it develops. Life Partner and Do Knot Disturb I've seen, though. Would have signed up in a heartbeat for the trial if they'd had My Name is Khan, though.