Movie Downloads

Downloading movies from Netflix and Blockbuster

Electronic delivery of movie rentals, either by download or broadband streaming, is growing in popularity. That's not to say that the industry isn't suffering from some growing pains. Limited title availability is one issue. For example, Netflix currently offers around 12,000 titles for downloading, while Blockbuster plans to have 10,000 available by later this year. Both of those catalogs pale compared to the number of DVD/Blu-ray titles carried by either service.

The time it takes to download a movie depends on your Internet connection, but generally figure on about an hour, though HD titles with their larger file sizes could take considerably more. Once downloaded, you can watch the movie offline, which is a nice feature for travelers.

Some providers let you stream movies directly from the Internet rather than download them to your computer. The advantage of streaming is that you can watch the movie almost immediately. The disadvantages are that you can't save the film for viewing later or offline, and that the quality of the movie can vary greatly depending on your Internet connection.

Netflix and Blockbuster both offer movie downloads, though there's miles of differences between what the two companies offer. Netflix's Watch Instantly service provides streaming video, but you can't download and store movies for later viewing. Watch Instantly is included at no charge in all of the company's unlimited subscription plans, which means members interested in streaming video can watch movies free.

Because Netflix Watch Instantly movies are streamed, you can watch them almost immediately, but picture quality varies depending on your Internet connection. Netflix automatically senses connection speed and will adjust quality on the fly as appropriate. The required Netflix viewer is compatible with both Windows (Vista or XP with Service Pack 2) and Mac.

While Netflix's library is relatively large, don't expect the latest Blockbusters. Most movies are at least several months removed from their DVD release, and the selection is crowded with lots of independent, esoteric and just plain B-grade (or worse) fare. There's also a reasonable -- though not extensive -- selection of older TV shows.

In October 2008, Netflix signed a deal with Starz to make the Starz Play broadband service available to Netflix subscribers via Watch Instantly. That arrangement gives Netflix subscribers access to the approximately 2,500 movie and other titles that Starz owns rights to, though not all of that content is available online at any one time. It also gives Netflix subscribers access to Starz Play, which is a broadband version of the main Starz subscription TV channel. Play is also offered as a standalone Internet add-on service by Verizon.

Blockbuster Online offers a very different download experience. You do not need to be a Blockbuster subscriber to access the company's library of titles. Each can be rented for viewing over a limited amount of time or purchased outright. Streaming is not an option, though depending on your video connection, viewing can start within a minute after downloading has begun. While Blockbuster's library has fewer titles, you are much more likely to find recent hits.

Rentals vary in price, but most cost between $3 and $4. You can store a downloaded rental for up to 30 days. Once you begin playing it back, you have 24 hours to complete viewing, but you can watch the title as many times as you want in that period.

Blockbuster allows you to purchase videos as well. Downloads vary in price (*est. $8 to $30). Purchased videos are not subject to storage time or viewing time limitations, but do have other noteworthy restrictions. For now, movies can only be played back on the computer it's downloaded on, though the company says it will soon allow you to play copies on up to three computers. You can burn a backup copy to a DVD, but not in a format that can be played back on a DVD player. Blockbuster Online downloaded movies are Windows-only.

In addition to PC movie downloads, both Blockbuster and Netflix offer set-top boxes (and other solutions) that let you download movies directly to your TV. We'll discuss those options when we tackle set-top boxes in the next section.

CinemaNow and Amazon Video on Demand

It's a smaller company, but like Blockbuster Online, CinemaNow lets users rent or buy movies for download. No subscription or membership is required. CinemaNow's subscription program, which allowed unlimited downloads of a separate library of mainly non-mainstream and low-grade titles, is being phased out.

CinemaNow's library spans the gamut from top, recent films to low-budget stuff few have ever heard of. The rental library is small compared to Blockbuster Online, with rental fees ranging from $2 to $4. Like Blockbuster, you have 24 hours to view a film once you press play the first time.

You can also purchase movies, TV episodes (or whole seasons) and music videos. Prices range from $2 for music videos and TV episodes to $20 for recent hit movies; whole seasons of TV shows cost more. Licensing options are a little more liberal than Blockbuster Online, and most purchased downloads can be played back on up to three devices. Portable device support includes the Archos 605, Samsung P2, the Creative Zen Vision W, Archos Series 4 and Series 5 portable media players (but there's not iPod or iPhone support). It takes about an hour to download a movie from CinemaNow. You'll need a fast broadband connection and Windows XP or Vista. Mac computers are not supported.

Amazon.com is making its second stab at movie downloads with Amazon Video on Demand. Amazon Unbox, the site's previous effort in this arena, debuted to less-than-flattering reviews, and though reports say the company addressed and fixed many of the initial glitches, the service never caught on.

In September 2008, Amazon.com boxed up Unbox and rolled out Amazon Video on Demand, a streaming download service that has some unique innovations. One is the option for users to leave their purchased video on Amazon.com's servers and watch it whenever they want. Movies are viewed within your web browser on Windows and Mac computers, or on your TV via a set-top box (more on that option in the next section). You can also download purchased movies, but those only play back in Amazon.com's proprietary Unbox viewer (a carry over from the site's old service), which only works under Windows (XP and Vista). You can view up to two streams of a purchased video at one time, or download it to up to two Windows PCs for off-line viewing. Downloaded videos can be transferred (via the Unbox player) to compatible portable devices, including several models of Archos and Creative Zen portable media players. Movies are available for as little as $2, but most range between $9 and $15. TV episodes are typically $2 each.

Most movies (but not TV episodes) are also available for rental. Like other services, a 24-hour viewing period is imposed, but that can vary by film. Most rentals are $3 to $4, but higher and lower priced selections can be found.

Critical reviews of Amazon Video on Demand have been cautiously positive. Ars Technica calls it success for those happy to stream video to their PC, but that review predates some developments that also let users view content directly on their TVs (more on that when we discuss set-top boxes in the next section). Walter S. Mossberg at The Wall Street Journal also gives it a qualified thumbs-up, but chafes under some of the limitations and calls pricing "confusing." Video selection, despite having the largest library of any download service (Amazon.com claims 40,000 titles), is called just "OK" by Mossberg.