Genre Weekend 10: When There’s Nothing on the Tube
By Angela Roberts
July 4th, 2011
One disadvantage of summer is that, frequently, there’s nothing new on TV. Sure, it’s changed a lot from the way it was even five years ago. I’m old enough to remember TV before cable made summer premieres possible. It was continual reruns and sports. And while reruns made many genre shows cult hits, and cemented their place in the canon, there’s still only so many times you can watch the same three episodes of Star Trek (because, you know, somehow every time you turned on the TV, it`s those same three eps you`ve seen over and over). Things have gotten better in that department. Cable networks realized a while ago that not everyone runs off to the cottage for the entire summer. But what do you do on those days when there just isn`t anything on? Let’s say you’re not necessarily the type of person who automatically thinks of outdoor activities to run off and do. Or, like far too often up this way lately, your weekend’s rained out, and you’re just not interested in trekking out in the pouring rain.
Well, you could watch a DVD. But, you’ve probably watched your entire collection already. You could play video games. Always cool. I did plenty of that this weekend. But I also found myself with a limited choice of television shows this weekend. Sure, I watched some of the Torchwood marathon on Space. The only problem with marathons, though, is you have to be willing to commit. Otherwise, what’s the point? No, someone has already thought of an alternative to trying to see your favourite shows on TV; Netflix.
Netflix, for those still unaware of this invention, is sort of like a video rental service, except you get the video streamed in real-time; no trips to the Blockbuster (do they still exist?), no waiting to see what DVD you get this time (an irritating feature of services like Zip.ca where you had a ‘list’ of movies you wanted to rent, and the company decided when and what to send you. Somehow, it was always the crappier part of your list.) Netflix began in the States, and pretty much took the television watching audience by storm; they and TiVo have pretty much driven Blockbuster into bankruptcy. Netflix made the jump to Canada sometime in the past year, and has been slowly gaining traction, despite some issues with availability. If you haven’t seen a Netflix commercial in the past few months, chances are you don’t watch TV. Or you’ve already found your non-TV alternative.
Now, Netflix doesn’t really replace television. Certainly, the Canadian version doesn’t. After all, the offerings are still stuff that has already run some time ago. But, it is a great way to get your TV watching even when there’s nothing on. And unlike services like OnDemand and watching shows on network websites, it’s not up for a limited time. You can watch that show anytime.
What is Netflix really good for, you might ask? Netflix, in Canada anyway, has so far been great for the genre fan. It has a fine selection of anime, Asian cinema, sci-fi and fantasy. You can watch episodes of Firefly, Dollhouse, Dead Like Me, Life on Mars, etc. If you like British shows, there’s a very nice collection. For instance, I just discovered that they’ve got several seasons of Coupling. You know where I’ll be for a while. There are a lot of classic science fiction and fantasy films; not everything, sadly, but some real gems. First thing I ever watched on Netflix was Dragonslayer. So, it’s good for that sort of thing. It’s really good for those movies you love, you forgot about, you’re just kind of in the mood for.
Of course, a major advantage is the convenience. All you need is an Internet connection. You can watch on your computer, and if you have a fairly good laptop, that means you can watch wherever you can get a stable connection. You can get Netflix to stream onto your TV through a game console (and really, geeks, how many of you don’t have at least one internet-capable console?). I use my Nintendo Wii. Frankly, it’s the most use it’s gotten since we bought it.
And yes, you have to subscribe. But it’s only $7.99/month. With no limits.
OK, this is starting to sound like a Netflix commercial. (Not that I wouldn’t mind if Google’s crawler noted this subject and filled our sidebar with relevant ads.) There are cons and cautions, of course. You have to be able to afford it; not just the monthly fee, but also the potentially higher bandwidth costs from your internet service provider depending on your contract. And Netflix Canada is still severely limited compared to its American parent, due to licencing issues. That means it will take time and interest for Netflix Canada to get as good.
But it still beats watching those same three episodes of Star Trek.
For more info on Netflix and how to subscribe, check out their website.
Capsule Reviews:
True Blood: Woot! Some major developments, as usual, in this episode. Interestingly, quite a few things that were promised to occur in the new season had their beginning in this episode, rather than the season premiere. I love the Sam sub-plot. Poor Jason. Always in so much trouble. But definitely calmer and more clear-headed. He’s grown. And really, anyone not love Eric shirtless? And so sweet and lost-looking.
Hear ye, hear ye:
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Fave Podcast of the week: SF Squeecast. This podcast features notable spec authors talking about the anything SF that they love. It's like a panel with your favourite authors. Right in your ears. It's new, so check it out at the website.