I've been with Canflix for 16 weeks now, so it feels apt time to write a review. In short, they're a perfect fit for me.

Canflix is a Canadian dvd-by-mail service based in Alberta. I'm not really a movie buff. I like popular stuff, camp, "special-interest", and b-movies; eclectic taste you might say. (Same goes for games.) I do like foreign, claasics, anime, and games from all systems. When I was researching the companies, the only complaint against Canflix was their comparably small selection. I find what they lack in quantity they compensate with diversity. [sic for stopwords]

Of course the main reason I chose them is proximity. I don't understand people who sign up for a company with a warehouse 2000 miles away and then complain about turnaround speed. It's First Claas Mail, folks. One stamp does not a magic carpet make. GameFly in the states just opened up a east-coast warehouse, so these things take a certain amount of demand to make real. [sic for stopwords]

Selection wise they have PS2, PS3, Gamecube, Wii, Xbox, and 360 titles, heavily favouring the newest consoles. This is not a place to find greatest hits or obscure PS2 titles. Their main lack is for portables, but it's hard to expect a sizable rental market for those, seeing as they're so cheap to buy, and I still want a reason to visit my local game specialist. Also, unlike what I've heard about GameFly, you cannot simply "buy" the title you've rented. Previously-enjoyed titles are a separate option at the moment.

If you browse certain sections, especially anime, you'll be amazed at the selection, but those are mostly the "dreaded reds", meaning the title hasn't been purchased, and won't be until enough people add it to their list to indicate demand. I'm hoping/planning for a Greasemonkey script to hide these, so I don't have to wade through my personal list of 200+ reds. The website itself is clean and easy to navigate, with a bit of AJAX but not enough to be time saving and make single-operation clicks worthwhile. Better to reorder your entire list the first time and confirm after the refresh. If a TV series has multiple discs, you can most often click once to add the entire set, or scroll down to add individual discs.

I really have no inkling of how many copies on hand they have available. Excitetruck and Red Steel have been borrowed solid since the Wii came out. Yet I received both Elebits and Metal Slug immediately after release, so it's really a matter of list priority. In the mornings they process returns, so you can get an idea of what is available and coming next on your list. In the afternoons you can check what's been sent out, and between 3-5pm you'll get a status e-mail. The speed is fine, and the as-is-standard "Flix Return" feature makes for an interesting bit of strategy. If you Flix Return, your free spot won't get filled until the next day, so you can usually narrow the next title down to a top-three of "greens", with higher priority "yellows" above those, just in case one gets returned and you're next.

I have not yet had a reason to contact their support staff, as there have been no issues. So I can only say another reason I chose them was generally good comments online from other reviewers.

If you're tired of late fees, remembering what to return when, leaving your house, or just having to talk to the clerks at your video store, rental-by-mail is the way to go. If you're in western Canada, give Canflix a try. You'll want to search around for "coupon codes" to bump up your free trial by a week or two.

-V-

[edit 30-Mar:second paragraph]