Netflix vs zip.ca

So I decided to finally sign up for Netflix’s free one month trial. Ironically I tried to watch it on my TV but the HDMI cable interfered with the streaming. But I can watch it seamlessly on my laptop. Meanwhile I’ve been a member of Canadian-based zip.ca since January 2005. The Ottawa company seamlessly (snail) mails DVDs with self-addressed stamped envelopes to mail back after the films have been viewed. The question: is Netflix so much better than zip.ca? Here are my views after two days of watching…..Netflix is amazingly easy to use and it’s a real joy being able to choose on a whim, and in seconds have a movie’s opening credits rolling on your screen. And at $7.99 a month (after the freebee trial) this is a deal. But I’m uncertain whether I should give up my zip.ca account where I can have two DVDs out at any one time (monthly amount unlimited) for $19.95 (other plans vary in price)…..The problem, in short, is one of selection. Netflix is surprisingly mainstream. Sure, it has dozens of films classed as independents. It even has a wide selection of foreign films. But upon closer look those choices aren’t that great, at least for foreign. For example, the French section has 108 titles. But you won’t be able to find French New Wave classics from Godard, Chabrol or Truffaut. I only spotted one Godard made in 2010. Contrast this with zip.ca which has 942 films from France. Netflix’s Italian choices are laughable. There are only 11, all but one made since 2000. There is absolutely no Fellini! zip.ca has 361 Italian films. zip.ca also digs

deep for films for serious movie aficionados such as a couple of dozen from the esteemed Criterion Collection. Even Netflix’s classics list is wanting. There are only 83. Meanwhile a popular film like Goodfellas simply is “unavailable to steam”….Still, at the price and ease of use Netflix isn’t bad. There are scores of independent films (zip.ca has many more of course) and a fairly healthy selection of documentaries, and probably enough films from across genres (drama to comedy and especially TV (though The Wire wasn’t available) to keep a person quite satisfied, especially if you want to call up a film at moment’s notice….But the jury is still out on whether I’ll pull my zip.ca subscription…..(zip.ca, by the way, has investigated streaming but still hasn’t been able to seal a deal. Says its website: "We have been working with potential content providers to come to an agreement that will allow us to offer a streaming service that not only meets, but exceeds our members’ expectations. Unfortunately, this is proving more difficult than we originally expected.")