Netflix — better known as the harbinger of doom for brick and mortar movie rental places — has finally made it’s way to the great white north …or at least it’s streaming service has.
If you want to rent DVD’s you’ll still need to use Zip.ca (or your local video store), but if you want the convenience of checking out thousands of movies instantly without every leaving the comfort of your couch? Netflix has you covered.
For $7.99 a month, you can stream thousands of movies and TV shows to your computer, your TV — even your pocket. Better yet, the first month is free with absolutely no commitment to stay on past those first 30 days.
Is there a catch? Kind of. To get Netflix to work on your TV you’ll need a device that is Netflix-enabled, like the Nintendo Wii or PlayStation 3. Also, streaming movies can use up a surprising amount of bandwidth. I don’t have the exact figures, but the number that’s been floating around is something along the lines of 1GB for every hour streamed. If you’re using a Lite internet service with a low data usage cap, this probably isn’t the movie service for you.
For the rest of us, $7.99/m for unlimited movies and TV shows is a hard price to beat — especially when we can stream these to our TV’s, computers, iPhone’s and iPad’s. And with the first month free, what do you have to lose? Give it a try, and let us know what you watch first.
Don’t forget to go thru Swagbucks and get the bucks
The selection isn’t bad for free, but I don’t think that I would pay $7.99 for it. There are very few movies and television shows from 2010 so I don’t think that I would pay anything for it. There might be five — might. Unless the selection improves it is simply recycled movies from TMN and Superchannels combined with some sitcoms from way back!
Nice to see them here, but if you check the selection of movies it’s pretty pathetic. Searching for almost any “popular” movie or actor results in limited to no available content. They will have to improve things a lot if they want to last north of the border. Did a search on Clint Eastwood, the results were laughable.
Don’t expect the selection to get much better in the short term either, Canada’s regulatory system means that it will be very hart for Netflix in Canada to get current season TV or new release movies, as the broadcasting rights are owned by company’s in Canada and I doubt they will give them up so netflix can take their business!
Be very careful! I read over the details today and realized the deal is not a deal at all! For those of us that have a limit on bandwidth per month (rogers, bell and others) This service utilizes more bandwidth than downloading from a file sharing service. It says it takes apx. 2 GB of bandwidth per 1 hour of viewing! Be VERY mindful of your bandwidth cap since most companies charge an additional fee for every GB over your limit that you use. I would never subscribe to this service since you’ll most likely end up paying A LOT more for your internet bill each month. WATCH OUT!!!
Right… before someone writes in to correct me, the website says 1GB an hour in nonHD, if you want to enjoy HD it is apx. 2GB an hour.
When you go to Netflix.ca and click on “browse selection”, is that the full library of movies?? There’s only 5 or 6 movies under some of the genres. That’s not even close to a deal if that’s the case. They are also really, really old movies for the most part.
so i gather their offerings are not the same as Netflix USA? lame, b/c i thought they had a HUGE selection.
According to small article in the New York Times about the lack of movies Netflix Canada has—–it is Netflix vs. the CRTC (Canadian Radio and Television Commission)–this is the group that lets you watch the Superbowl–but not the US Superbowl ads!
Still cheaper than renting and cheaper than paying for TMN On Demand (crappy service) from Rogers
I am droping a tip on here you will understand this:
Get the free DVDs from your own Library as it is free to rent it.
I agree with hartmovies…id rather rent free fom the library…we have four in our town and I think they get new releases the same as blockbuster and rogers video…after reviewing the limited selection at netflix i dont think i will even take the free month and I rarely pass on a freebie…
If you fear about the bandwith cap, I suggest you switch to another company. I have been screwed by rogers over the cap, switched to teksavvy. Paying less now and for a 200gb to no cap option.
tampelley — Thanks for your agree with me… Yeah library is always free dvd to rent it. I like the library is the best to rent it all time as it is will always be free…
I was going to wait for a better selection, and the xbox viewing ability. But the whole bandwidth thing makes me re-think it all. I think I’ll just download ‘em, watch ‘em, delete ‘em as I normally do.
I would rather suggest dvdlink.ca as it offers a huge collection to select from. As per my knowledge it has more than 22000 titles to choose from.