Kanopy

My local library has recently added Kanopy as an option.

"What's Kanopy?" you ask.

No really, go ahead and ask.

Well, since you asked, here's what they say:

Kanopy is the best video streaming service for quality, thoughtful entertainment. Find movies, documentaries, foreign films, classic cinema, independent films and educational videos that inspire, enrich and entertain. We partner with public libraries and universities to bring you an ad-free experience that can be enjoyed on your TV, mobile phone, tablets and online.

Someone sounds a little full of themself. But it is a good video streaming service, and it has some good content.

Here's the thing: not everybody gets the same content. You see, Kanopy offers multiple catalogs of content, and it's up to your local library to select which catalogs they want. And, there can be restrictions.

My local library offers a little over half of the Kanopy catalog, but it's unlimited. That is, I can watch as much as I want as many times as I want. But I only have about 55-60% of the overall catalog.

A family member in another county has a larger catalog of content, but is restricted in how many views she gets. That's because that library pays per view, while mine bought unlimited. Her library saves money by limiting the number of views, and mine saves money by selecting fewer catalogs.

I'm sure some libraries have the full catalog of content, but keep in mind that not all do. Your library has to pay for it, and that can run into some money.

Kanopy is available on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Google TV (including Chromecast), and other platforms.

My Streaming Life only recently added Kanopy. I like it. I wish my local library was able to provide more, but for now, I'll enjoy what I have.