Well, maybe not the end of DVDs. But the end of renting, anyway.

I was reading this interesting article last night, thinking about just how behind the times we are here in Canada when it comes to downloading videos legally. And then today the G&M posted this — a glorified press release about Bell launching a service to let you download-to-own or download-to-rent.

Of course, it’s much better in theory than in practice. Download-to-rent release dates will be delayed, meaning if you want to see something the day it comes out, you have to buy it. And they have only 1,500 titles — a figure that includes television shows like Franklin the Turtle and Rolie Polie Olie (which is to say, shows no adult would ever, ever, ever want to watch). In contrast, the average Blockbuster store holds twice as many titles on DVD in their store, and Netflix offers more than 10,000 titles for instant download. While Bell offers pricing starting at $4.99 CAD to own and $1.99 CAD to rent (new releases go for more like $19.99 CAD to own and $4.99 CAD to rent), Netflix lets you watch unlimited movies for a monthly subscription as low as $8.99 USD. If you want to watch a movie on your TV (as opposed to your computer — in fact, make that PC, since Bell’s movies won’t play on a Mac) you can use a $99.00 USD device from Netflix, but the only way to get Bell’s movies on your TV is to use an X-Box (retails for $400.00 CAD, give or take) or a computer running Windows Vista (is your computer running Vista?). You can transfer some of the films to portable devices compatible with ARCHOS content: no iPhones. Sure, you bought the movie, you own it, it’s yours — but you didn’t really think that means you get to watch it when and where you want to, did you?

If you’ll indulge me in a little aside: a while ago, I rented a movie called Nobody Knows, a Japanese drama from 2004 that picked up awards at Cannes and earned great reviews, but didn’t get much press in North America. This movie is demanding, and long — 3 hours — and builds slowly. There’s basically no plot. And it took me three tries to get past the 40 minute mark. I had the movie for several days before I was able to finish it. And it was, exaggeration aside, the best movie I’ve seen in the last 5 years. If I had been forced to download and re-download this movie on three separate occasions within a 7-day period just to get through it, I would never have finished the movie, and missed one of the most rewarding filmic experiences of my life. In case you haven’t deduced it yet: the movies Bell rents, which only play on Bell’s proprietary software, delete themselves after 24 hours.

In other words, the selection is terrible, the cost is too high, getting movies to your TV is difficult, and your rentals expire in 24 hours. But then, this is Canada. There’s no competition. A company like Netflix would mop the floor with Bell if they were ever to find themselves in direct competition. Fortunately for Bell, the Canadian media climate ensures that Bell will never have to compete with anyone.

[PS: Timely as ever, The Onion this week offers this.]