Once in awhile I find something really cool. Netflix is my latest find — and not for the rental DVDs, believe it or not.

I can’t believe how many good things — I mean GOOD things — I can watch online for free through Netflix. We still rent the DVD’s two at a time. But I can’t get over the things I can watch instantly.

I especially love the number of foreign films they have. I live in a part of the country where you can’t find foreign films in the stores. I have watched a number of them on Netflix.com. Lilya 4-Ever. And Fuse. Oh, you have GOT to see Fuse! Or the movie “4.” Yes, that’s the name of it. Such an intriguing story I forgot the part they show on the cover. Seriously. An unforgettable movie.

There are a couple of catches. Yes, you knew there were! But they are not what you might think. As a business, I can’t say enough good things about Netflix. We live in the boonies and sometimes get the next DVD on our list the day after we mail one back. Everyone says it can’t be so — but it is.

Here are the catches:

1. You need Internet Explorer. It just doesn’t work well with anything else I have tried. Not the end of the world. The only thing I ever use IE for is Netflix, so I keep the Netflix log-in page as my default IE homepage.

2. You need a fast internet connection. I don’t mean a fast modem — I mean like DSL or cable modem or your very own T1 line! Watching any kind of video for a couple of hours is going to kill the bandwidth for you and anyone else in your house trying to get online. We’re looking into getting a faster cable modem. Maybe that will help.

3. You need a fast computer with lots of processing power. My husband’s iBook just won’t cut it while my brand new Acer does just fine. But, then, I did buy it souped up so I could run Vista and Office 07 and all the Adobe products.

Aside from those details, I am sold on Netflix. I tell everyone I know to get a membership.