# Netflix Canada launched today - selection? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 22, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-canada-launched-today-selection/554681 "2010-09-22T19:03:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-canada-launched-today-selection/554681/1 "2010-09-22T19:03:59Z")
I signed up for Netflix Canada today in anticipation of lots of awesomeness, but the selection is hideous. How bad? No Harry Potter, no Star Trek, no recent superhero movies, like 3 HBO/Showtimes series…unless Netflix picks up more licenses and FAST, this is going to sink like a stone. Seriously, when I go to the New Releases page, the first result is the original Wall Street. By actual production time, the newest selection is Slumdog Millionaire. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-canada-launched-today-selection/554681/2 "2010-09-22T19:26:29Z")
Perhaps the Canadian streaming content selection is different from the US, because here it’s pretty good, as least as an adjunct to the DVD-by-mail service (which has a much broader selection). ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-canada-launched-today-selection/554681/3 "2010-09-22T19:28:53Z")
Son of a bitch? I just searched randomly for: Casablanca Airplane! Gone With the Wind Sleeper (Woody Allen) 2001: A Space Odyssey And none of these were available? WTF? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-canada-launched-today-selection/554681/4 "2010-09-22T19:32:51Z")
Yeah the selection is underwhelming. I;ll keep my eye on it and think about joining once it has actual recent releases. Also, there doesn’t seem to be any Blu-Ray selections… ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-canada-launched-today-selection/554681/5 "2010-09-22T19:34:42Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Yeah the selection is underwhelming. I;ll keep my eye on it and think about joining once it has actual recent releases. > > Also, there doesn’t seem to be any Blu-Ray selections… It’s streaming only, with an HD option. No mail service. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-canada-launched-today-selection/554681/6 "2010-09-22T19:49:57Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > I signed up for Netflix Canada today in anticipation of lots of awesomeness, but the selection is hideous. How bad? No Harry Potter, no Star Trek, no recent superhero movies, like 3 HBO/Showtimes series…unless Netflix picks up more licenses and FAST, this is going to sink like a stone. > [@Leaffan](#): > > Son of a bitch? I just searched randomly for: > > Casablanca > Airplane! > Gone With the Wind > Sleeper (Woody Allen) > 2001: A Space Odyssey > > And none of these were available? WTF? Of the above, the only ones that are available for _streaming_ in the U.S. are the Star Trek films and perhaps some Showtime series ( for example earlier seasons of Weeds are available in HD ). Netflix only has contracts with _some_ studios for streaming content and the bulk of their mail catalog is not available for streaming. They’ve been expanding said content at a decent pace, but see below. Some will possibly never, ever be available on netflix. HBO for example will not release their series to netflix for streaming - see this very timely [article](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/19/BU0N1FFJ2U.DTL). HBO also control some movie rights for years to come from 20th Century Fox and Universal studios and Netflix won’t be getting those anytime soon, either. ETA: The fact you don’t get access to the mail catalog is the biggest crime. In that realm Netflix is unmatched. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-canada-launched-today-selection/554681/7 "2010-09-22T19:56:37Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > Seriously, when I go to the New Releases page, the first result is the original Wall Street. Oh and just a note on this - “new releases” mean _newly released on streaming_ or _added to the mail catalog_. It doesn’t necessarily mean “newest films.” Netflix is constantly adding to the streaming content as they acquire new rights and transfer them over, so “new releases” on a given day might include a film from the 1940’s :). ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-canada-launched-today-selection/554681/8 "2010-09-22T20:33:29Z")
I signed up. It’s $7.99. If I watch 2 things per month, it’ll be worth it. I’m more worried about my 125GB cap with Cogeco. ---
**Author:** ![gregorio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@gregorio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gregorio)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-canada-launched-today-selection/554681/9 "2010-09-22T21:06:21Z")
We do have in Canada zip.ca which essentially recreates the netflix mail service. I’m sad to hear the selection for streaming is dismal. I’ll have to poke around and see if there’s **any** thing I’d like to see at all. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-canada-launched-today-selection/554681/10 "2010-09-22T21:09:30Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > > [@kushiel](#): > > > > Seriously, when I go to the New Releases page, the first result is the original Wall Street. > > Oh and just a note on this - “new releases” mean _newly released on streaming_ or _added to the mail catalog_. It doesn’t necessarily mean “newest films.” Netflix is constantly adding to the streaming content as they acquire new rights and transfer them over, so “new releases” on a given day might include a film from the 1940’s :). It was more of a comment that the American site is getting so many of the newest films that an older film won’t be on the list for very long before being bumped for a newer film. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-canada-launched-today-selection/554681/11 "2010-09-22T21:14:03Z")
> [@Dante](#): > > I signed up. It’s $7.99. If I watch 2 things per month, it’ll be worth it. I’m more worried about my 125GB cap with Cogeco. Yeah, I’m with you. There’s still a good handful of stuff I want to see. I’m hoping they’ll get more TV, even if it isn’t HBO. The TLC/Discovery/etc stuff they have already is nice. > [@gregorio](#): > > We do have in Canada zip.ca which essentially recreates the netflix mail service. > > I’m sad to hear the selection for streaming is dismal. I’ll have to poke around and see if there’s **any** thing I’d like to see at all. zip.ca, a bajillion times more expensive and from everything I’ve heard, slower and more inefficient and just a letdown compared to Netflix. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-canada-launched-today-selection/554681/12 "2010-09-22T21:51:50Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > > [@kushiel](#): > > > > I signed up for Netflix Canada today in anticipation of lots of awesomeness, but the selection is hideous. How bad? No Harry Potter, no Star Trek, no recent superhero movies, like 3 HBO/Showtimes series…unless Netflix picks up more licenses and FAST, this is going to sink like a stone. > > > [@Leaffan](#): > > > > Son of a bitch? I just searched randomly for: > > > > Casablanca > > Airplane! > > Gone With the Wind > > Sleeper (Woody Allen) > > 2001: A Space Odyssey > > > > And none of these were available? WTF? > > Of the above, the only ones that are available for _streaming_ in the U.S. are the Star Trek films and perhaps some Showtime series ( for example earlier seasons of Weeds are available in HD ). Netflix only has contracts with _some_ studios for streaming content and the bulk of their mail catalog is not available for streaming. They’ve been expanding said content at a decent pace, but see below. > > Some will possibly never, ever be available on netflix. HBO for example will not release their series to netflix for streaming - see this very timely [article](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/19/BU0N1FFJ2U.DTL). HBO also control some movie rights for years to come from 20th Century Fox and Universal studios and Netflix won’t be getting those anytime soon, either. > > ETA: The fact you don’t get access to the mail catalog is the biggest crime. In that realm Netflix is unmatched. Yeah, what I was about to say. Netflix streaming is nice, but it’s the mail service that is really what it’s all about. I’m sure there are exceptions, but in my experience if a DVD of a movie/series/whatever exists, Netflix has it, and you can get it. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-canada-launched-today-selection/554681/13 "2010-09-22T22:51:16Z")
> [@kushiel](#): > > I signed up for Netflix Canada today in anticipation of lots of awesomeness, but the selection is hideous. How bad? No Harry Potter, no Star Trek, no recent superhero movies, like 3 HBO/Showtimes series…unless Netflix picks up more licenses and FAST, this is going to sink like a stone. > > Seriously, when I go to the New Releases page, the first result is the original Wall Street. By actual production time, the newest selection is Slumdog Millionaire. I don’t know about Canada, but in the US, **Iron Man** is streaming. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-canada-launched-today-selection/554681/14 "2010-09-22T23:02:56Z")
> [@interface2x](#): > > > [@kushiel](#): > > > > I signed up for Netflix Canada today in anticipation of lots of awesomeness, but the selection is hideous. How bad? No Harry Potter, no Star Trek, no recent superhero movies, like 3 HBO/Showtimes series…unless Netflix picks up more licenses and FAST, this is going to sink like a stone. > > > > Seriously, when I go to the New Releases page, the first result is the original Wall Street. By actual production time, the newest selection is Slumdog Millionaire. > > I don’t know about Canada, but in the US, **Iron Man** is streaming. Not here. Which offended me more, since when it gave me a bunch of movies to rate when I started the account so it could give initial recommendations, they picked a bunch of movies that only streamed in the US. They asked me about Iron Man, Batman Begins, X-Men: The Last Stand and Fantastic Four. Then they recommended me Waterworld. My coworker compared it to rating classic romance movies and getting Gigli. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-canada-launched-today-selection/554681/15 "2010-09-23T04:48:08Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > It’s streaming only, with an HD option. No mail service. The heck with that. Send me something I can watch on my big screen rather than on my laptop. No, I don’t feel like twiddling around to try to connect my computer to my TV. Do mail service like the Americans have (and which we have been envious of for some time), or don’t bother. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-canada-launched-today-selection/554681/16 "2010-09-24T02:22:18Z")
The foreign language section seems decent, and since it takes a year and a day for rogersdirect to get the more obscure titles out, I think I’m going to be watching a crapload of movies this month before the trial ends ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-canada-launched-today-selection/554681/17 "2010-09-24T13:55:15Z")
The US just got every episode of Battlestar Galactica and Saturday Night Live today on streaming. > **[Netflix Dances on Blockbuster's Grave, Adding SNL and Frakking Battlestar...](https://gizmodo.com/netflix-dances-on-blockbusters-grave-adding-snl-and-fr-5646874)** > > In what may be the 21st century content delivery equivalent of hanging your enemy's skulls from the parapet, Netflix has announced a deal to bring Battlestar, every episode of SNL, and more to Watch Instantly the day after Blockbuster's demise. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-canada-launched-today-selection/554681/18 "2010-09-24T13:58:52Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > > [@Leaffan](#): > > > > It’s streaming only, with an HD option. No mail service. > > The heck with that. Send me something I can watch on my big screen rather than on my laptop. No, I don’t feel like twiddling around to try to connect my computer to my TV. Do mail service like the Americans have (and which we have been envious of for some time), or don’t bother. You realize that the company is called **Netflix** and not **Netflix for Spoons** , right? ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-canada-launched-today-selection/554681/19 "2010-09-24T14:44:58Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > The US just got every episode of Battlestar Galactica and Saturday Night Live today on streaming. > > [http://gizmodo.com/5646874/netflix-dances-on-blockbusters-grave-adding-snl-and-frakking-battlestar-galactica-to-watch-instantly](http://gizmodo.com/5646874/netflix-dances-on-blockbusters-grave-adding-snl-and-frakking-battlestar-galactica-to-watch-instantly) Just checked…no BSG for us. Quit taunting me! 😃