While there is nothing particularly new about DVD mail rental services, they are new to me specifically: after putting it off for months, I finally buckled and started a Zip.ca subscription – and I think I might never watch TV again. Rather than another long rambling post, I’m just going to get all ‘listy’ to explain why I am so impressed:
- Selection. The long tail effect means that the selection is far better than a regular video store. Choices range from obscure TV series to independent films to ‘World Cinema’, all of which are either in short supply or simply unavailable at Rogers Video or Blockbuster.
- High-def. Want to rent HD-DVD or Blu-Ray films in Canada? Well, unless you live near a handful of stores across the country, you’re out of luck. Zip has Canada’s largest selection of films in high-definition and for audio-video geeks like me, that’s awesome.
- Make your own Schedule. Much like owning a DVR or Tivo, renting by mail frees you from externally imposed schedules. You can watch a disc the moment you get it or a week after – it makes no difference. Furthermore, renting TV serials like Lost on DVD lets you string episodes together in sequence, all with no commericals.
- The Queue and Choice. When you walk into a video store, what you end up walking out with is dependent on a variety of factors: what is available at that time, what has been recently released and what is being heavily advertised. Your Ziplist can accumulate over time, letting you add films whenever you think of them. Ever walked into a store thinking you’d get that obscure film you’ve wanted to see for ages, only to walk out with Super Troopers? Having an online queue allows you to be less swayed by marketing and more in tune with your own tastes.
Now, I know this is somewhat crass boosterism – but someone as relentlessly negative as me may as well give praise where praise is due. Of course, I have yet to see what their customer service is like and there are some nightmarish reports around. Still, for the time being, I am going to be adding things to my Ziplist like there’s no tomorrow.
I’m loving Canflix. I have called upon their customer support, and it’s fab.
This works so well for me, now that it takes me 2-3 nights to get through a movie.
Thanks for the comment! Yeah, Canflix looks good – they have games too which is cool for uber-nerds like me. Still, now that I’ve started Zip, I guess I’ll stick with it for a while and see how it goes.