Canflix inventory issues

[YKdvd]

I recently found contact info for a Canflix partner/programmer, and have had an email exchange with him. I've updated my Canflix notes with all the details.

Basically, Canflix is explicitly advertising that they stock 20,000 titles (Cinemail only has 13-14000), but when you actually sign up and put them in your queue the vast majority seem to be "On Order". When I was last able to check in late May, the number of actually "Available" (or "Available Soon", which seemed to indicate they were rented out) titles put them below even the smallest of the other companies on my chart results.

As best as I can follow it, the Canflix explanation seems to be that much of their inventory came from former video stores, and that they are only slowly able to add it into their database (so the titles are supposedly not so much "on order" but slowly working their way out of a slush pile). Setting aside the fact that current customers would be getting something drastically less than what they signed up for, my own sense is that you couldn't assemble anything close to 20,000 unique titles no matter how many video stores they bought out. They may indeed have a certain amount of backlist waiting to be entered, but I would take a great deal of convincing that it would contain, for instance, the 180 Criterion titles they list (none of which were available as of late May). They've already weeded out large numbers of obviously bogus entries (wholesaler items, etc), but seem content to stand on the 20,000 number (no matter how implausible it might seem to me). They also refuse to provide the actual selection currently available to customers.

I've invited the Canflix people to stop by here, since my increasingly frustrated attempts to get a straight answer have apparently caused them offence. I'd be interested in what conclusions others would draw about Canflix's inventory situation from the same facts - I don't think I'm being unreasonable. On the contrary - if they actually had what they claimed I would have signed up for a few months.

[YKdvd]

The Canflix phone number is actually the local video store in Blairmore ("Video Mill"), which probably gives an accurate impression of the scale of their operation compared to some of the larger companies. To be fair, what they do have seems to get sent, and there were no credit card glitches, etc. during my trial. I think it would be best to consider them a smallfry operation, albeit one with significant inventory credibility problems. If this doesn't bother you, and one isn't really interested in the large selection promised, they may suit well enough, and I'd have no problems with them if they advertised on this basis.

As "helloeveryone" mentioned, you'll probably have to choose new releases or vanilla backlist to get titles for your trial.

Be careful about versions. My trial included the Director's Cut of "Amadeus", but I received the plain-vanilla version (I notice they've now corrected the database on this one). I also got pan-and-scan versions of "Finding Neverland" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", which I returned unwatched. Some newer releases like "Million Dollar Baby" seem to have individual rental links for widescreen and pan-and-scan, but my two examples don't, and presumably other customers will have the same problem.

[YKdvd]

Canflix has indeed added an availability indicator to their detail pages. I've rerun my database titles through again. Two months ago they had 98 of the 535 titles tested actually Available or Available Soon (which indicates they are rented out), with the rest "On Order" (ie. not available). Now they have 106 of them. Perhaps the alpine equivalent of the siesta is overly prevalent in scenic Blairmore? Or perhaps the mythical disc inventory fell into a ravine while being mule-trained over the Crowsnest Pass?

I also ran the availability indicators generally. Absent any bugs in my code, I'd put their title count at around 2200 (and maybe 80 video games). This would put them on the bottom of the inventory rungs even among the small-fry companies, and makes rather a mockery of their FAQ claim "We stock more than 20,000 movie and other titles".

[YKdvd]

There also seems to be no way to determine whether a disc might actually be "On Order" - I'm sure they have a few in this category, but basically anything in their database that they don't actually have reports this status, so you can't tell the few legit ones from the thousands of bogus entries.

Also, they don't seem to have an "Upcoming Releases" section, and I couldn't seem to find any of the expected major titles for the next month or so at all ("Alexander", "Guess Who", "Sin City", "The Wedding Date", etc).

Looks like Starflix will have permanent company in the Doghouse...

[YKdvd]

I was just reading about new California regulations on used car dealers, and ran across this quote from a supporter:

"People aren't asking for too much nowadays," he added. "They're just asking not to be lied to."

Couldn't have said it better myself...