So Netflix wants to improve their current rating system Cinematch by 10%. If you can create a better rating system, you get $1 Million as a grand prize and a $50,000 Progressive Prize each year the contest runs since it could take years to find a winner. The Cinematch rating systemt (developed by Netflix) is based on member ratings, you know the red stars that turn gold when you click them, rather than box office popularity. Recommendations are made based on that rating system so you don’t have to browse too much or rack your brain trying to remember that one movie with that guy in the boat who was in that other movie with the woman with the funny accent.

Cinematch is certainly not a perfect rating system, but what is? It surprises me what Netflix recommends for me sometimes though. Right now, Netflix recommends “Madonna: Music” though I hate Madonna, and “The Keys of the Kingdom” starring Gregory Peck as a priest with non-traditional but pious beliefs though I am an atheist and have little tolerance for piety. Then again, I have rated only 1500 films, which really isn’t alot. The more you rate, the more recommendations you receive. However, I watch and have watched hundreds and perhaps even thousands of movies in my 28 years of living, so it’s slim pickings really. Netflix has to, and I hope will, expand its database to include more international, independent and hard-to-find films. Ideally, it would be great if they had access to copies of every movie ever made, but those are pipe dreams…sort of. (See DVD on Demand article).

Perhaps Netflix will venture a little further in expanding their database as well as services and products offered. Granted they’re getting into the movie dowload business ala Movielink and CinemaNow, but I prefer hard copies though am willing to try the downloads. The new Friends section is awesome I must say. For each friend you get to know what’s in their queue, a similarity rating regarding your tastes, notebook that lists all notes for the movies you’ve left notes for, a slidebar of movies watched and rated, and other fine features. I think, however, Netflix needs to branch out more to the movie loving world with a blog and/or news features like GreenCine. Plus, GreenCine has a more interesting array though perhaps not larger.

Netflix’s search for a better rating system is great, but expanding the the database and creating Netflix member communities should also be on their lists of to dos. Who knows, maybe it is?