Being able to watch movies 'friction-free' is awesome. I came home from class, poured a glass of red wine, and opened Netflix Canada on my PS3. I hadn't planned on watching anything this afternoon, but having such a selection at the click of the remote is a real game-changer! My Internet access is Telus ADSL and it's not blazingly fast. Yet, the quality of the HD programs and movies can be quite stunning over the Net. To me, most of the streaming video looks as good as the quality off a Blu-ray disc.
Technology changes quickly and I can produce a diatribe sounding a lot like an old curmudgeon. First, it wasn't until after high school that one could play back a recorded movie on a television. Prior to that, the world had only seen movies on their TVs via television networks. Video tape seemed a miracle. Furthermore, it's also hard for me to remember that when I came to Canada we were still watching VHS tape. I remember when the local Blockbuster store made an aisle especially for DVD's. The quality looked much better on the old tube. Next, although I've been watching programming on our LCD HDTV for over four years, it's only been a year and a half since I was able to watch recorded HD content via Blu-ray disc. We've seen tens of dozens via our mail-out movie rental company. Now, as a member of Netflix Canada's streaming service, I have hundreds and hundreds titles available from this very chair. I often read comments about the lack of intriguing content when compared the same service offered in the US. We find interesting and useful things to view though. For example, I have only recently finished the first two seasons of TV's Mad Men.
Oh, and I just had an hour and a half to watch something while puttering around the apartment. The River's Edge final credits in Cinema-scope are rolling by as I finish this sentence. The movie's title as well as that of this blog entry will make little sense unless you've also seen the 1957 B-movie with Anthony Quinn and Debra Paget.
