Over the weekend Netflix announced they will be separating their DVD-by-mail and online content streaming services and renaming their DVD business as Qwikster.com. This comes on the coattails of their recent decision to charge for their formerly free streaming service, thereby changing their entire pricing and plan line up and increasing prices up to 60%. Both announcements have stirred up plenty of controversy and speculation about Netflix, their customers and where the business is heading.

We still think Netflix offers a pretty solid value for unlimited online streaming at $7.99 per month. Although their streaming selection can be hit-and-miss and they don't provide original content, it's still a lot cheaper than paying for cable. And if you want to add 2 DVDs per month (no games though) to the unlimited streaming feature you'll still only be paying $19.98 per month, which is a decent deal.. The only downside is that sometimes you have to wait 28 days after a movie release date to rent it, and with their by-mail DVD plan you don't have the immediate gratification of walking into a store and swapping out your DVD for another one the same day. Still, having to wait 1 or at the most 2 days for a new movie by mail isn't bad.  And they have a 30-day free trial, so you can try out their streaming and their DVD-by-mail service for a month for free.

If you're someone who's more interested in receiving games and having access to movies as soon as they're released, Blockbuster might be more up your alley. Although Blockbuster doesn't offer online streaming and their disc plans are slightly more expensive than Netflix's, you can walk into a participating Blockbuster store and exchange the movie (or game) you just watched for a brand new one. You'll also have access to newly released movies, and the gamers out their will appreciate the fact that games are included.

Will Android's new movie-rental service make dinosaurs out of online DVD rental?

A few days ago at Google I/O, Google's yearly developer conference in San Francisco, the company made public a new movie-rental service for the Android Market. It'll roll out soon to Market applications on Android devices: handsets, tablet computers, PCs, and laptops. Users will be able to stream these movie rentals from the cloud, making it easy to watch your favorite films on the go.

But is this the best movie-viewing deal? Android Market rental prices start at $1.99, but most titles cost $3.99 for a 30-day movie rental. But once you start watching your movie, the countdown begins: You have 24 hours to watch it before the rental expires.

This is in stark contrast to Netflix, whose online DVD service starts at $8.99 a month. But for $13.99 per month, you can get two DVDs at a time mailed to your front door with no monthly limit. Suppose you watch one movie a week (that's about four/month). You'd average a cost of $16 a month on your Android Market device. But with Netflix, you'd save 13%! Those savings only increase as you watch more movies each month.

So is this the beginning of the end for online DVD rental? Not by a long shot. Right now, these services are far more cost-effective than the Android cloud streaming. And most people would rather watch a movie on their big-screen TVs than on the tiny screen of a phone.

To learn more about Netflix and other online DVD rental services, see our reviews and comparison chart.

If you are considering a DVD rental service or an online movie streaming option, check out our reviews and comparisons of Netflix, Blockbuster and other online options.

1. The Sting: It's hard not to love Robert Redford and Paul Newman as they plot their elaborate gambling con. Since they're grifting the gangsters, they're a rare bread of heroic con men.

2. The Spanish Prisoner: David Mamet's elaborate shell-game of a movie will have you guessing and second-guessing until the very end. Plus, it co-stars Ricky Jay, a professional expert on the art of separating people from their hard-earned (and ill-gotten) goods.

3. Paper Moon: This movie covers the small-time cons of an itinerant bible salesman and a young girl he can't quite get rid of. Between the obituary scams and the swapped dollar bills, there's plenty of emotional blackmail too.

4. House of Games: This list could be filled with nothing but David Mamet movies, but we'll keep it to two. House of Games layers con upon con. In fact it invented a scam that was later tried in the real world. Look for the "bill in the envelope" scene, created by Mamet's partner-in-crime, Ricky Jay.

5. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: A twisted take on the con, this comedy stars Steve Martin and Michael Caine as a pair of seemingly mismatched swindlers. The film has plenty of twists and turns as it seeks to prove that "nice guys finish last."

To learn more about Blockbuster, Netflix, and other online DVD rental services, see our reviews and comparison chart.

To learn more about Netflix or other online DVD rental services, see our reviews and comparison.

If you are interested in learning more about Netflix or other online DVD rental services, see our reviews and comparson.

For more information about Netflix or other online DVD rental services, see our reviews and comparison.

To learn more about online DVD rental services, see our comparison and reviews.

Other online services can save you time and gas as well. With an online DVD rental service like Netflix, you avoid driving to and from the store every time you'd like to watch a movie, and online diet programs give you support and encouragement in the comfort of your own home.

To learn more about online education programs, online DVD rental services, and online diet programs, take a look at our reviews and comparisons.

Since we have yet to test the new Netflix streaming movie service ourselves we have put together a sampling of feedback from trusted sources across the web as a service to our readers.

From Wired's Mark McClusky:

WIRED Textbook definition of a simple setup. Good video quality from streams. Box automatically upgrades as new software features become available. No cost above normal Netflix subscription.

TIRED Another nondescript black box to clutter up your living room. Just not as much content as we wish was available. Box and remote, while functional, just aren't very good looking.

From The New York Times' Saul Hansell:

You can show your non-techie friends the Roku Netflix Player, and they'll get it right away. Unlike most version 1.0 products, you won't have to keep making excuses for delays, awkwardness and various bugs. The box does what it says it does well and doesn't promise to do anything else. In my tests, it was easy to use, responsive, with good video quality. (Disclosure: I didn't stress it. I have a fast Internet connection and an old small TV that is gentle on fuzzy pictures.)

The product right now isn't for everybody. If you don't want old movies or don't want a $9-a-month subscription, it is clearly not for you. But if you like that deal, you'll like the box.

From CNET's John P. Falcone:

Those looking for the HD video quality and polished interface of Apple TV and Vudu will be disappointed. The Netflix Player is strictly barebones–you're not intended to do anything more than just dive in and watch the movies and TV shows you've already queued up via your online Netflix account. The biggest drawback–for now at least–is the dearth of quality content. Thanks to Hollywood's byzantine licensing system, less than 10 percent of Netflix's 100,000-plus library of titles is available for streaming to the Player. That means, for now, that only two of Netflix's top 100 DVDs are available for streaming: March of the Penguins and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

That said, the Netflix Player has a major trump card in terms of price: it retails for $100, and delivers unlimited streaming to any Netflix subscriber on the $8.95 plan or above. That's a major departure from Apple TV, Vudu, Xbox Live Marketplace, and Amazon Unbox, all of which offer only pay-per-view options, including download-to-own videos and rentals with tight viewing windows (e.g. rental titles must be completely viewed within 24 hours).

From the Associated Press' Peter Svensson:

For me, the low price was an effective dose of Gold Bond powder on this irritation. Starting a movie takes up to a minute? Yes, but hey, it's cheap! The picture quality varies a great deal, and there's no HD? Yes, but you can't expect the world for $8.99 a month.

Roku's box is just the first of what Netflix hopes is a whole family of products that get movies from its Web site. LG Electronics is planning to include the streaming capability in a Blu-ray DVD player later this year, and two other unnamed manufacturers are bringing out set-top boxes.

But I don't see a big reason to wait for them. Even if the Roku player sacrifices a few things to limbo under the $100 price level, it's a no-brainer for the 8 million-plus Netflix customers out there. If you're not one, this is an added reason to become one.

From the Washington Post/TechCrunch's John Biggs:

The Netflix Player by Roku is the first in what portends to be a long line of devices designed to download and stream movies from Netflix. While in its current incarnation the device is fairly limited, I can firmly recommend it with the expectation that the movie selection will improve.

You can learn more about online dvd rental services by visiting our online dvd rental service reviews and comparison.

Update: Thanks to Laurie Boeder at the About.com Classic Movies Blog who points out that the new Netflix set-top box will likely be a convenient option for classic film buffs as well.

In theory, such a service would allow Xbox 360 users to stream movies from Netflix's title library through a broadband Intternet connection. Netflix is not releasing the results of the survey and has not given a clear indication whether or not they are in talks with Microsoft to make the movie streaming option a reality.

However, the mere evaluation of the option is a continued sign of Netflix's dedication to innovation in the online DVD rental market that they essentially created. We have reported previously on Netflix's investment in high definition blu-ray DVD inventory and online movie streaming.

To learn more about Netflix or other online DVD rental services read our online dvd rental service comparison.

The discount was announced in an email sent to all subscribers this morning:

Dear Joseph,

As you may have heard, our shipping system was unexpectedly down for most of Monday. We should have shipped you a DVD but were unable to. Your DVD was shipped today, Tuesday, March 25th, instead.

We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused. We will issue a 5% credit to your account in the next few days. You don't need to do anything. The credit will be automatically applied to your next billing statement.

Again, we apologize for the delay and thank you for your understanding. If you need further assistance, please call us at 1 (888) 638-3549.

-The Netflix Team

We applaud Netflix for taking these proactive measures to ensure the satisfaction of their over 8 million subscribers.

Visit our online dvd rental service guide and comparison to learn more.

Best Buy electronics stores are stepping in with a bit of a silver lining for those consumers that purchased HD DVD players from the national electronics retailer in the form of a $50 rebate.  Any HD DVD players or accessories that were purchased at Best Buy prior to February 27 are eligible for the rebate.  Information on the Best Buy HD DVD rebate program is available at their website.
Another major retailer, Circuit City, also announced that they will honor returns of HD DVD players purchased within the last 90 days.

Clearly both retailers are hoping that these HD DVD owners will transition to the blu-ray format now that they have had a flavor of the benefits of high def dvds.

Current and new blu-ray owners will also be able to benefit from the recent growth in blu-ray format movies available at Netflix, the popular online movie rental service.

Learn more about dvd rental services by visiting our online dvd rental service guide.

According to the company's CFO, Barry McCarthy, high definition dvds only account for a small single digit percentage of movie rentals at Netflix.  The move to increase the number of dvds on Sony's blu-ray format is likely driven by the fact that the competing HD DVD format is being discontinued by Toshiba.

Blu-ray dvds have are about 28% more expensive that standard dvds, which will increase Netflix's overall costs to provide movies in the high definition format.  the company has no immediate plans to increase pricing as a result.  In fact, Netflix actually dropped subscription prices last summer.

As blu-ray players drop in price and more movie titles become available on the format, we think Netflix will be an excellent option for consumers that want a high definition movie experience at home.

This news is also a positive for the majority of consumers that were wary to jump into the high definition dvd market until a clear winner in the "format wars" had been determined.  Until just recently the two rivals had been actively courting major movie studios for exclusive deals on their respective formats.  We reported last month on the fact that Sony was clearly winning that battle.

However, this is a major setback for consumers that have already invested in HD DVD players or who may have purchased an XBOX 360 which included the HD DVD technology.  While both existing HD DVD movies and standard dvds will still work on those players, no new dvd content will be published in HD DVD.  This leaves HD DVD owners in the same tough position that betamax owners where in in the early 1980's when the standard format of video cassettes was being determined.

We ultimately see this as a positive move and something that will mean more clarity and innovation in the marketplace.  With the question of "which format" out of the way more and more consumers will likely jump into the high def dvd world.  Movie studios will also be in a better position to start investing in better and more extensive high def dvds with expanded features that are possible in the high def format.

We strongly suggest that anyone with a blu-ray high definition dvd player consider a online dvd movie rental service to get the full enjoyment and value out of their investment.  View our online dvd rental service guide to learn more.

Said NetFlix CEO and Founder Reed Hastings:

We named our company Netflix in 1998 because we believed Internet-based movie rental represented the future, first as a means of improving service and selection, and then as a means of movie delivery.  While mainstream consumer adoption of online movie watching will take a number of years due to content and technology hurdles, the time is right for Netflix to take the first step.

NetFlix plans to roll the new functionality out over the next six months and eventually moving beyond computer screens to portable devices and television sets.  Later this year they will begin selling a set-top box built by LG that will allow for streaming directly to the TV.

In the meantime, NetFlix is our favorite overall online movie rental service and we strongly believe it represents a great value in its current form but will only get better as these new features get released.

Read our free online guide to movie rental services to learn more.

Both new releases and older titles will cost $3.99 to rent and can be viewed for a 24 hour period.  Warner Bros and Fox will be providing movie titles and several other studios are rumored to be involved but have not yet been publicly confirmed by Apple.  The overall number of movie titles that will be available at launch is unknown at this time.

While this new service is a great step forward in the online movie rental space, it seems extremely restrictive and likely won't offer a significant convenience or value over dvd rental services such as Blockbuster or NetFlix. Check out our free online DVD rental guide for more information on these providers and more.

High definition televisions, or HD TVs, began to gain prominence in the early part of this decade thanks to a decrease in purchase price of HD TV sets along with a significant increase in the availability of high definition programming offered by major televison networks and cable providers. However, it quickly became apparent that standard DVDs, even in high end DVD players, couldn't take advantage of the many benefits that HD TVs offered viewers. Due to some squabbles related to technological specifics, two standards emerged to solve this problem.

From our perspective, The Sony backed Blu-ray and Toshiba backed HD DVD formats offer consumers nearly identical benefits including major larger storage capacity, drastically improved HD picture quality and the potential for more interactive elements (using a broadband Internet connection) than a standard DVD.

The real differentiation comes when you start to review the availability of movie titles for the two competing high def DVD technologies. Blu-ray has agreements with six major movie studios including Sony Pictures, Buena Vista, Twentieth Century Fox, MGM, Paramount and, most recently, Warner Bros. HD DVD, on the other hand, has only one major movie studio, Universal, producing DVD content for its players.

Warner Bros had previously published high def DVDs for both HD DVD and Blu-ray, but made the move exclusively to Blu-ray as a reaction to purchase trends they had seen developing wordlwide. Said Kevin Tsujihara, the president of Warner Bros Home Entertainment in America:

We were the only studio publishing both formats, but the consumers that were buying were gravitating towards Blu-ray – particularly in the UK and Japan.

Our two highest rated online movie rental services, Blockbuster and NetFlix, offer high definition DVD movies in both formats, but the number of Blu-ray movie titles is much larger given the sheer number of studios that are releasing movies exclusively on that format.

Our opinion is that Blu-ray will inevitably own the market for high definition DVD and become the defacto standard. So, if you absolutely had to purchase a high def DVD player today , Blu-ray would definitely be the way to go.

That being said, we suggest that consumers wait before jumping into high definition DVD for the meantime. Blu-ray players are still relatively expensive at about $399 and movies cost about $40 a piece. These price will inevitably drop over the coming year which will make the upgrade from standard DVD even more attractive to most consumers.

In the meantime, we strongly suggest that all our readers that frequently watch DVDs at home sign up for an online dvd rental service which will save time and money. We have reviewed several online dvd rental services and you can read our reviews and comparisons in our from online DVD rental guide.

The blog Hacking NetFlix pulled together this information on the increases based off of reader feedback:

Some of the price increases were modest: $9.99 to $11.99, $14.99 to $16.99, $17.99 to $19.99, and even $21.99 to $29.99, but the biggest increase was on the 3-out unlimited plan: $24.99 to $34.99.

Blockbuster is also eliminating the free in store rental coupon that was included each month with many plans. The loss of this unique Blockbuster perk also increases the effective cost of the membership since subscribers are essentially getting one less dvd per month.

Given the increase in price, some consumers may find a better deal at NetFlix depending on the type of plan they currently have and the number of DVDs that want to have out at any given time. Keep in mind that Blockbuster is unique in that some of their plans also include in store rentals from an Blockbuster outlet (even though they are doing away with free in store coupons), something that NetFlix does not offer. so, if in store rental are important to you it is probably best to stick with Blockbuster (although you may want to downgrade your plan if you don't think you need the extra movies for the price).

We have reviewed all of the major online dvd rental services, including NetFlix and Blockbuster, and encourage our readers to read our in-depth reviews and comparisons to find the right service particularly given the pending Blockbuster price increase.