[pixelwizard]

...and never liked it. I don't think a single playback - audiobook or film, downloaded or not - ever was satisfactory. Hiccups, pauses, various mess-ups... that's all I've ever gotten. What video moments I do see also never rise above bad on the clarity scale. So finding this thread today has been reassuring. It's not just me.

Well, erm, now there is a better service connected to public libraries nationwide, Kanopy. It's video only, via a website or through a standalone free app.

Each member library authorizes a certain number of films a month. You can put more than one library card into your one account. Playback via the app has been pretty smooth; via the kanopy.com website, not so much. My wifi is on the low end, so better internet access ought to make the website option work OK. (Guessing.) But again, using the Kanopy app and the same wifi, playback is quite good.

Beware some limitations (in my experience):
- After hitting the player's pause button you can return to your movie later as you'd expect, not so if you log out of either the app or your device. You'd use up the one "play" for that month.
- The player is minimal. No frills, there's only a pause button, a time indicator, and a 30-second backup.
- There is a Wishlist, but nothing else in the way of notetaking about the available films. A film will remain on your list after you finish seeing it. (I have not figured out a way to help me avoid repeat plays - which consumes my allotments accidentally.)

FYI one of my libraries funds 7 Kanopy films/month, the other 8. So I get 15... not bad for zero dollars. I have no personal or business connection to the Kanopy enterprise.