Netflix Got Me

I finally did it: I got Netflix.

Several friends had been trying to convince me to get it for several months, and for whatever reason I held out. I'm glad I finally caved.

For those who don't know, Netflix is an online movie rental company. You essentially create a list (in your online account at their Web site) of movies you want to see, and they send them to you in the mail. You can keep them as long as you want (no late fees!), and when you return one in the pre-paid postage envelope, they send you the next one on the list.

They have various monthly fees, depending on how many movies you want to keep out at one time. We pay about $15/month and keep two movies out at a time.

This last month, we watched roughly 11 movies from Netflix. If we'd rented movies the way we used to do it (from Blockbuster), that would have cost about $50. Of course, we probably wouldn't have rented 11 movies from Blockbuster either. To be fair, Blockbuster is now offering a plan similar to that of Netflix.

There are several things I particuarly like about Netflix: cost, selection, ease of use.

I've already discussed cost. Their selection is mind-boggling. They have everything from mainstream movies to foreign films to documentaries. Some of the documentaries I've already watched from Netflix were "Capturing the Friedmans," "Lost in La Mancha," "4 Little Girls" and "One Day in September." (And with Netflix, you can read all about the titles online and make choices in the comfort of your home, not in a crowded aisle.)

Which leads me to the last point: The Netflix site is cool and easy to use. Your list of movies--called your queue--is easy to maintain and order. You also get all sorts of recommendations, and you can add friends to your recommendations list so you can all swap likes/dislikes, etc.

Netflix has several distribution centers across the country. I live in Nashville, and my movies generally come from the center in Chattanooga. That means I usually get my movies the day after Netflix ships them. The travel times might be different for you.

I'll stop. You can tell I like Netflix. And there are good reasons why.