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Quality and Experience
If you like your video streams in gorgeous high definition, Quicklfix has kinda sorta got you covered. Well, more exposed than covered, really. I guess we're trying to say that HD is at least an option on Quickflix. Sometimes.
Essentially, if you want HD streaming, you need to access the service via a smart TV or games console. You can have a high-end PC with a 4K monitor, but you'll only be able to watch Quickflix subscription programming in SD, because that's all they allow.
Got a shiny new iPad Air 2 with Retina Display? SD only for you.
HD is an option for games consoles like the PS4 and Smart TVs, but it's only offered on a title-by-title basis. Where Stan offers HD as an option on almost anything, Quickflix's HD offering is few and far between.
There's no easy way to tell what's offered in HD either. Browsing through the collection on the PS4 required manually opening each title to see if there was an HD option. It took five attempts before we found an HD movie (UltraViolet, for those playing at home).
Perhaps most critical is that movies on offer in HD on rival platforms like Stan are only in SD on Quickflix. The original Robocop, for example, has an HD option on Stan, but is stuck to SD on the big screen through Quickflix.
While the HD quality of the film on Stan doesn't rival the HD quality of more recent films, the fact is that when you're streaming an SD movie to a 65-inch 4K TV like we did while testing Quickflix, it looks pretty crappy.
Disappointingly, the problems with Quickflix don't end there. While testing using the PS4 app, we struggled to actually stream anything at all.
Admittedly our test connection is far from the best, but it's a connection that hasn't struggled beaming Netflix through a VPN, or iTunes streaming on an Apple TV. But trying to watch a movie on Quickflix left it motionless.
The user interface on the PS4 is also questionable. Not only are controls mapped to different buttons than pretty much every other service, but once you activate the playback, there's no response until the show starts to play.
So if you press play, you may have to wait a couple of minutes with the menu telling you to press play up on the screen, leaving you unsure about whether you actually pressed the button, or whether the command got through.
The iOS playback was significantly faster, as was the web playback, so it could just be the way that the PS4 accesses the video files, but suffice to say we got no satisfaction from trying to access the service through the games console.
Content
Of course, platform is only part of the appeal when it comes to a media streaming service. More important is the lineup of content on offer – that is, after all, what you pay for.
While the lineup is a constantly changing and evolving beast, during our testing timeframe Quickflix had 485 movies and 413 TV seasons on offer through its subscription service, not including premium content.
The movie lineup generally consists of older films, and there are plenty of classics available. The Back to the Future trilogy, Batman Begins, and the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man films are all available, for instance.
But outside of documentaries and little-known Australian features, the most recent Hollywood film hails from 2008 (We Own the Night, starring Marky Mark and Joaquin Phoenix, for those playing at home).
Compare this to Presto (which is currently offering the likes of Captain America 2 and Chef from 2014) and there's little in the lineup that really makes Quickflix an essential service.
On the TV front, Quickflix does offer older HBO series as part of the package. While Presto also offers shows like The Sopranos, Quickflix does have Curb Your Enthusiasm all to its own at the moment. Whether that's enough of a selling point is up to you.
It's worth noting that more recent HBO shows like The Newsroom are available on Presto, but are a premium series on Quickflix.
While there are definitely programs that Quickflix offers its competitors don't, overall the lineup seems lacking compared to Presto and Stan. And with Netflix launching with a wide range of (excellent) original content, it's hard to see Quickflix ever catch up to its competitors.
Verdict
Australians have long been clamouring for affordable, easy movie streaming services in Australia, and they are finally getting their wish en masse. The streaming market is getting super competitive, and despite its history as the longest running Australian streaming service, Quickflix is frankly struggling to keep up.
With the impending arrival of Netflix, things are only going to get harder for Quickflix. On almost every level Quickflix is out-performed by its competitors, which makes it incredibly hard to recommend.
We liked
Having been around for a while, Quickflix does have the jump on Presto and Stan in terms of supported devices. Being able to plug in your PS4 or Smart TV and know you don't need to use a Chromecast or Airplay to watch content on a big TV is a hugely understated advantage.
Of course, when Netflix launches, it's safe to assume that the geo-restrictions for its console and Smart TV apps will be lifted too, negating Quickflix's advantage.
We disliked
Fundamentally, Quickflix's biggest challenge is content. The stuff it offers is older, lower quality and just not as interesting as the content being served by Presto, Stan and Netflix.
But it's also a quality issue. The ability to stream HD should be universal across all apps, not just some devices, especially given the high-res screens we're seeing on tablets and PCs these days.
Final Verdict
The arrival of Stan and Presto changed the game, and so far, Quickflix just hasn't been able to keep up. Given Netflix's arrival is imminent, it's hard to see any circumstance where the original Aussie streaming service manages to survive.
For the asking price of $10 a month, you are much better placed pointing your money at Stan or even paying a bit more for Presto. The content is better, the service is robust and there's a longer trial period to enjoy.
Honestly, Quickflix is just impossible to recommend.
