Online DVD Rental Reviews

NETFLIX REVIEW:Go to Site | Back to Chart

NetFlix invented the online movie rental business in 1999 and has been a leader ever since. With over 85,000 titles and 41 distribution centers throughout the U.S., they offer more movies than anyone else. They claim to reach more than 90% of their members with generally one business day delivery (our research has found that members usually do get their DVDs within one day and almost always within two). NetFlix offers a variety of useful tools on their website, including free online movie trailers, critics' reviews, user reviews, friends' reviews, and a recommendation engine. Subscribers can also stream over 12,000 movies and TV episodes directly to a PC or Mac, or to a television through any of several Netflix ready devices, including an Xbox 360 or TiVo DVR. The service only allows you to stream movies, not to download them permanently. The cheapest plan limits online streaming to two hours per month, but all other plans offer unlimited streaming. Netflix also does a great job with customer service, offering an automated self-help system as well as email and phone support if you have any problems.

NetFlix offers an array of plans to choose from, all following the NetFlix-pioneered model of keeping each DVD as long as you like and getting a new one shipped to you when you send one back to them. This enables them to offer free shipping and no late fees so you'll never pay more than your monthly subscription cost. All plans charge a monthly fee and vary by the number of DVDs you can have out at one time and the maximum number of DVDs you can rent per month. All plans come with a two week free trial for new NetFlix customers and you can cancel any time so it's a no risk proposition. The plans are:

$4.99/mo. for one DVD at a time, with a two per month limit
$8.99/mo. for one DVD at a time, with no monthly limit
$13.99/mo. for two DVDs at a time, with no monthly limit
$16.99/mo. for three DVDs at a time, with no monthly limit

NetFlix's sole focus is on movies, and they are the best at online movie delivery. However, if you want to also rent games with the same service, you should go with someone else such as DVD Avenue that rents both. NetFlix is also not for you if you want to rent adult DVDs as they have stayed out of that part of the business. Additionally, NetFlix cannot match Blockbuster's ability to offer in-store movie exchange and free in-store rental coupons as part of their service. If you are not interested in games or adult movies and prefer to receive DVDs solely through the mail, NetFlix is the best choice you will find.

BLOCKBUSTER REVIEW:Go to Site | Back to Chart

Blockbuster has been playing catch up to NetFlix in the online rental game, leveraging their position as the top in-store rental company to offer some unique features that make Blockbuster a good option for those that live near a local Blockbuster store and still want the option of picking up a movie there. Blockbuster has been able to virtually match NetFlix in terms of number of titles and speed of delivery. Recently, Blockbuster introduced their new Total Access plans, which offers extra value by allowing you to return your DVDs to the local Blockbuster AND instantly exchange them for another movie from the store at no additional cost. Of course, you can always just mail your DVDs in as well and receive the next one in your queue back by mail or just return the DVD to the store and have the next one arrive by mail, but this in-store exchange option allows you to get the next movie you want instantly. Blockbuster's newest plan is called Blockbuster By Mail which is for those who want to stay away from stores altogether or don't live near a Blockbuster store. Since this plan is only by mail there is no in-store exchange. This plan is notably cheaper than the Total Access plans but does not include the convenience of returning your movie to a local Blockbuster store. Blockbuster has done a nice job with their web site as well, offering a recommendation engine based on your ratings of movies that you've seen, user reviews and trailers for some movies. They recently improved the site, making it easier to browse, select, rate and get recommendations on movies. They still lack critics' reviews and a friends' ratings option, both of which NetFlix has, but other than that their site is great. Blockbuster Online has a nice self-service help system, email support, and phone support if you run into problems.

In terms of plans and pricing, Blockbuster offers options very similar to NetFlix. All plans charge a monthly fee and vary by the number of DVDs you can have out at one time and the maximum number of DVDs you can rent per month. There are two types of Total Access Plans; Total Access-Limited In-Store Exchange and Total Access Unlimited In-Store Exchange. The Limited In-Store Exchange Plans limits you to the number of movies you can exchange in the store per month. The Unlimited In-Store Exchange Plans give you the option to continuously exchange your movies within any Total Access participating Blockbuster Store. For a limited time Blockbuster is offering a two week free trial when you sign up through this website. After the two week free trial you will be signed up for the $9.99 per month plan which allows you one movie out at a time with a maximum of two movies per month. Blockbuster's most popular plan is the Total Access Limited, which allows three movies out at one time for $19.99 per month. This is a $40 value and by signing up through our site, you can take advantage of the exclusive two week free trial. Other Blockbuster plans are as follows:

Total Access Limited In-Store Exchange Plans
$9.99/month (1 at a time, 2 max/month, 2/month In-Store Exchange)
$11.99/month (1 at a time, Unlimited/month, 2/month In-Store Exchange)
$16.99/month (2 at a time, Unlimited/month, 3/month In-Store Exchange)
$19.99/month (3 at a time, Unlimited/month, 5/month In-Store Exchange)

Total Access Unlimited In-Store Exchange Plans
$21.99/month (1 at a time, Unlimited In-Store Exchanges)
$29.99/month (2 at a time, Unlimited In-Store Exchanges)
$34.99/month (3 at a time, Unlimited In-Store Exchanges)

Blockbuster By Mail Plans
$3.99/month (1 at a time, 2 max/month, No In-Store Exchanges)
$8.99/month (1 at a time, Unlimited/month, No In-Store Exchanges)
$13.99/month (2 at a time, Unlimited/month, No In-Store Exchanges)
$15.99/month (3 at a time, Unlimited/month, No In-Store Exchanges)

You can change your plan at any time after signing up by contacting Blockbuster at 866-692-2789. Blockbuster does not rent games (except for the free in-store rental coupon) or adult movies so you'll need to try another service such as DVD Avenue or CinemaNow (no games) if you are interested in those genres. Overall, Blockbuster Online offers an excellent service. While the online service alone is virtually the same as NetFlix, the in-store exchange option makes it an excellent value for anyone with access to a local Blockbuster store.

CINEMANOW REVIEW:Go to Site | Back to Chart

CinemaNow is the pioneer and leader in the nascent movie download service market. Instead of getting a DVD, this service allows you to download or stream a movie and watch it on your computer or, if your laptop has an S-video jack, you can watch them on your TV. In order to take advantage of this service, you'll need, at a minimum, Internet Explorer 6.0 or Firefox 2.0, Windows XP or Vista, Windows Media Player 10, and a 300K or better Internet connection. Cable or DSL is ideal. This service is not available for Macs. CinemaNow's standard movie files are encoded at 700K, and their premium movie files are encoded between 1200K and 1500K. You'll need around 1.5Gs of free space on your hard drive for a premium file. Movies can take up to an hour or an hour and a half to download, even with a fast connection.

If you computer meets the technical requirements to play high quality video, this is a very convenient option because you can download or stream movies instantly. CinemaNow's subscription plan allows you to stream as many movies as you want, and includes access to a large selection of adult films as well. After the free three day trial, the subscription is $29.95 per month or $99.95 for one year. You can also rent or purchase individual movies. CinemaNow rentals are priced between $2.99 and $3.99, and can be watched at any time during a 24 hour window. CinemaNow also allows users to download movies, TV shows and music videos permanently, providing an unlimited viewing period on up to three devices. Movies are priced from $9.99 to $19.99, while TV shows and music videos are priced at $1.99. Some of these movies can also be burned to DVD. This service is an interesting one and we encourage you to test it out.