My girlfriend and I have a personal YouTube channel we setup five years ago. Yesterday the channel reached 400 video uploads, which is staggering, but there are a few reasons how it occurred.

We rarely edit a video, as editing takes time, but that is okay as the videos are often only around thirty seconds or so, which I believe is more palatable for a home video, but can give a sense of the place and moment.

We record videos using a digital photography camera, rather than a camcorder. We are not interested in carrying around a digital camcorder, but rarely go out without a digital camera. The older camera a Canon Powershot G6 can record 30 seconds on it’s highest setting and longer on its lower setting. We also now own a FujiFilm AV250 camera which can record HD videos.

However the problem with recording HD videos is file size! Those videos, even short in time can be huge! So whereas we want to future proof as best we can, we have to think of time taken to upload the content, plus bandwidth. Though for some occasions we will use the higher quality.

None of the videos uploaded include us or anyone we know. It doesn’t mean we don’t capture moments with those around us – We just don’t want to share those moments with the world, but will use some in a Family DVD shortly.

A few videos I’ve provided a voice-over, but that is rare. Though I might record a few more with a voice-over, but I enjoy just capturing the moment and moving on.

Some of the videos are meant as time capsules moments. It is also nice to capture a moment of daily life. Some show places that have already changed, which we find interesting. We’ve received comments from people saying they were in that parade. Else asking whether a shop still exists or what the event marked.

Ultimately recording videos is for my wonderful girlfriend and I. Enabling us to look back at moments and occasions. Some of which we share online with the world.

Why not record your own videos?

If you have a digital camera, chances are it can record short video clips. Also newer mobile phones, can record slightly more acceptable videos as well these days. Though please be mindful of laws governing photography and video recording.

So just over a week ago my girlfriend and I started using the UK version of the IP streaming service called Netflix. This is my review after just over a week’s usage.

As they provide an on demand TV service the first problem that my girlfriend and I experienced was with us! For example they’ve got seasons 1 and 2 of Warehouse 13. We hadn’t seen series two, but we have now! So instead of being forced to wait each week, we watched all the episodes too fast. We’ve now started moderating our use of the service, as basically it is an all you can eat affair. We watched an episode of Dexter, but didn’t like it, so moved onto Joss Whedon’s DollHouse, which is fantastic.

Even though they have a diverse range of content, it won’t be for everyone. Plus expect to see BBC, ITV and CH4 shows there that have been on freeview in the past, plus some that are still repeated such as Poirot.

Movie wise we have only watched two so far, which were ‘Grosse Point Blank’ from 1997 and ‘The Mechanic’ from 2011. Grosse Point Blank is fantastic, and whilst The Mechanic had good action sequences, it wasn’t that good. Which possibly best describes their line-up of movies, some gems hidden amongst some best to avoid. There are plenty we want to watch such as Tron (the original) and ‘The Next Three Days’. Don’t expect the newer movies to be great, but once you go back a bit further there are some great movies to watch, hidden amongst some ones best to avoid.

How we use Netflix.

Many people are using game consoles to watch Netflix via their TVs, but we don’t own a console. In our lounge we have a freeview box plugged into a flat screen monitor, and when we want to watch iTunes we connect the laptop to the flat screen monitor, which is how we are using Netflix as well. It’s not ideal, but only takes a minute to setup. I might research if the Roku media box works with the UK version of Netflix, if we stay subscribed to the service.

Using Netflix via Mozilla Firefox (a web browser) is incredibly easy. On the first page once logged in it tells us what we last watched, and if a TV series, we can click to start watching new episodes. They then have a scrollable grid system, showing recommendations and various categories. Then in the top right there is a search box, which we’ve found pretty useful. Plus there is drop-down menus to various categories.

One missing feature that a couple of Twitter friends Adele and Cate have mentioned is no ‘watch later list’, which I agree should be present. I would love to be able to compile different lists and even share them.

We are still using the lowest video quality, which is more than fine. If we had a massive TV I might be tempted to increase the Netflix quality, but we have a small screen. When you are about to watch a movie or tv show it buffers for a short while, then after that no more delays. We’ve not had any stream interruptions at all, but the quality of a broadband connection is also important. We always watch full screen and the onscreen buttons and mouse disappear after a few seconds, then reappear when we move the mouse or pause with a click of the space button. Once we unpause, the content plays straight away.

Complaints in the comments on their Facebook page.

I’ve noticed a lot of people complaining about Netflix UK not being updated often enough, the quality of the updates and not having part of this series or that. The reality is, in the UK it’s competing in a tough market, against some established giants that have tied up some nifty deals. We can’t expect it to be as good as the American version of Netflix yet or ever for £5.99 per month. Plus if they had all the seasons of all the shows they had, perhaps there would be less overall choice of tv show.

The conclusion.

So my conclusion thus far is, Netflix is great if you use in moderation. If you go hammer and tongs, then expect to be disappointed quickly. For what they provide it is great value for money. Now I’m not saying if the content isn’t update every two or possibly three months we won’t leave, we could well leave at that stage, but we appreciate the great value for money and there is plenty for my girlfriend and I to watch for quite a while.

I’m hoping they do some deals for more old tv shows stretching back over the decades, plus I would love a vintage collection of movies. We are happy customers at the moment, how they grow the service in the UK a few months from now, will determine whether we switch off or not.

This is an article on various bits and bobs I find bizarre. Please don’t take this article too seriously, I’m not. I do think society has a few screws loose though. In the comments, please list your own thoughts on things you find bizarre.

Empty first class carriages on trains with packed non-first class carriages.

During peak times in the UK there are never enough seats on many routes, but often little filled first class carriages. Some train companies are even removing the toilets from their trains to provide more cattle class seating. Plus in some carriages you have to be wafer thin to fit in the seat. How about we stop the nonsense?

Adults who don’t use a toilet properly or wash their hands!

I’m male, but seriously disappointed in my gender for their toilet hygiene. People seem to get caught up about toilet seats not being put down, but venture into many men’s toilets and you will find far worse! From learning to flush, missing the toilet and more…… it is disgusting! Plus numerous men walk out of toilets without washing their hands… I’m not talking about a few either, chances are many of the men you know, don’t wash their hands. It doesn’t take much effort to wash hands.

Watching animals in cartoons, then eating those animals.

How many children around the world enjoy watching Bugs Bunny, Chicken Little, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and are eating animals that the characters are portraying? Isn’t this a bit weird?

So what do you find bizarre?

During the weekend I signed up to Netflix UK, a streaming movie and tv service. Essentially TV on demand, as you select a episode or movie and watch, with no waiting for a scheduled time slot.

I was wary of what the movies and tv shows were going to be available beforehand, but after some research I decided to take the plunge, and I’m glad I did. Before I continue I have to state I’m not affiliated with Netflix or work for them, this is just my review after a weekend’s use.

There were fewer TV shows than I would of liked, but being a terrestrial Freeview TV viewer originally, I was happy to see Breaking Bad, Dexter, Dollhouse, Warehouse 13 and Weeds available amongst others. I had been watching Warehouse 13 on Channel One before it was removed from Freeview, so now I can happily watch season 2 and rewatch season 1 if I want. Breaking Bad was a show I missed on one of the ‘Five’ tv channels, so again I’m glad that is available.

Another concern was going to be movies, but not once I viewed the line-up. Grosse Point Blank, The Mechanic and The Next Three Days are all movies I want to watch. Gross Point Blank is an old John Cussack movie, but it is a great laugh. There is also some stand up comedy available, which I will take a look at.

Don’t get me wrong there are plenty of movies I’ve never heard of, and won’t bother to watch. There are plenty of UK TV shows from BBC, ITV etc that I see no point in watching via Netflix, especially Poirot, which is repeated often enough on one of the ITV channels. However there is Faulty Towers and some Saturday Night Live that I’m going to watch.

I also have to remember it is £5.99 per month, which is cheap for the selection available. If I watch a few tv shows per week and a movie or two, I’m more than happy for that price.

So how did I watch the shows? I hooked a laptop up to our flat screen, which isn’t ideal but how I use my iTunes account. Once you select your movie or tv show, which by the way is easy to do, it quickly loads and plays. I selected the lowest quaility, which on our small screen was fine. I hit space to pause and you can easily go backwards or forwards with great fast loading thumbnail images. This is how TV on demand should be, it is quick, good quality and easy to use. There were no streaming errors or buffering during a show, but I do have a good consistent broadband connection, so that obviously helps.

I signed up to the Netflix service via QuidCo to receive a cash back, and TopCashBack have a similar cashback deal currently going. So it is just my first weekend of using the service, and I’m more than happy with it. Easy to use, but just means I need a laptop connected to the flat screen. I presume there are easier ways to use Netflix? Which if I carry on using Netflix for a few months, I will see if there are any cheap Netflix boxes available. Anyhow for £5.99 per month I think it is a great deal for my moderate use.

Whether it is a good deal for other UK users I don’t know. I guess it all depends on taste and how much television and movies you plan to watch. Plus also how you intend to view the content.

If anyone wants to know more about some of the tv shows or movies, just ask and I will write a list, if you tell me the type of shows you are interested in. i.e. drama, kids, sci-fi etc.