I'm in the middle of a two-week free trial of Nicheflix , which is more of an alternative to Greencine than Netflix but they all work the same. Nicheflix , as the name suggests, offers otherwise hard-to-find "multi-region DVD and D-VHS" rentals by subscription model. They have a very narrow selection, but what they do have is nearly impossible to find anywhere else. You have to have a special DVD or D-VHS player in order to play these titles, because they might be encoded for another country. Their database is very fast and easy to search, but small. I signed up on Friday and received my first two discs on Tuesday. They ship from Indiana. If you're looking for something not available from Greencine , Netflix , or Blockbuster , and you must have it digitally, they are worth a look. Here's what I have in my queue so far:
Boudu Saved From Drowning (1932) Received
Top Hat (1935) Received
Ju-on: The Grudge (Juon) (2003) Available Soon
Pandora's Box (1929) Available Shortly
The Wolf Man (1941) Available Now
Cat People (1942) Available Shortly
The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) Available Shortly
A Matter Of Life And Death (1946) Available Now
Bright Young Things (2003) Available Shortly
La Jetee / Sans Soleil (1962/1983) Available Shortly
Belle De Jour / Diary of a Chambermaid / The Milky Way (1967/1964/1969) Available Now
The Taming of the Shrew (1929) Available Now
Napoleon (1927) Available Now
The Battle of Algiers (1965) Available Now
Cul-De-Sac (1966) Available Now
Dr. Mabuse - The Gambler (Disc 1 of 2) (1922) Available Shortly
Fist of Fury (1972) Available Now
Croupier (1998) Available Now
Nicheflix is a great resource if you have a multi-region DVD player. Compared to Netflix, subscription rates seem rather high, but they are a small company just starting out, and there's a lot to be said for renting these discs instead of importing and hoping it's worth it.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest drawback is that many titles are of limited inventory. You can't see disc availability until you sign up, so try not set your heart on a certain DVD from their catalog. During my trial there were two titles I wanted that were just plain "unavailable."
--Manda
I plan to use them until I've seen everything I want to see, and then I'll quit. I'm not using them as a replacement for Netflix, just a supplement. I'm a subscriber to three online DVD rental services.
ReplyDeleteYou don't necessarily need a multi-region DVD player. I have a Cyberhome CH-300, which plays PAL and NTSC discs, and I changed the region code to "0", so that it plays all region discs. You can go to videohelp.com for more information.