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Movie Downloads and Rentals Reviews
Updated March 2008
There are three kinds of online movie services. The first option involves online ordering from a vast inventory of DVDs that arrive via postal mail. Movie downloads streamed directly to your computer are another option. The third type of online movie rental uses an electronic box for receiving movies or other content over a broadband connection. Ordering DVDs online remains the easiest and most popular way to receive movies. Most people still find streaming movies to a PC for viewing less than appealing. According to experts, issues include iffy video quality, limited selection and unattractive pricing. Viewing options are also not the best since transferring video files from a PC to a TV can be problematic; most users do not find the option of gathering the family around the computer screen to watch a two-hour movie very appealing. If you're the technical type, there are ways to network your computer and TV, but you'll need to spend money on compatible hardware and spend time on setup. A third option -- streaming movie downloads directly to a set-top device -- is garnering a fair share of attention from reviewers, if not the public. These devices take many forms, including dedicated set-top boxes, digital video recorders with Internet capabilities and even videogame consoles. Downloading movies to a set-top box is clearly still in its infancy, but some experts are already predicting it could eventually replace the DVD and Blu-ray disc as a medium for rented movies. Among those is Bill Gates, who in an interview with USA Today said that direct movie downloads over broadband will eventually become "the dominant way that people get their movies." Others aren't so sure. Given
the attention movie downloads have been receiving of late, it is not too surprising
that we found the best and most recent reviews for that form of online movie
rentals. The New York Times, The Washington Post and PC Magazine all have
good comparative articles fairly discussing the pros -- and cons -- of downloading
movies directly to a set-top device. There are also a number of single-product
reports at CNet.com, Macworld, PC World, Big Picture Big Sound and elsewhere.
You can find reviews of DVD disc rental websites at TopTenReviews.com, SixStarReviews.com
and other sites. DVDRR.com is a good spot to read user reviews of DVD rental
sites. The traditional DVD/Blu-ray online movie rental landscape is dominated by the two giants -- Netflix and Blockbuster Online. Still, a few niche and smaller sites, such as GreenCine -- which specializes in more esoteric foreign, art and indie titles -- continue to survive and even thrive. That said, user feedback from across the web seems to indicate that straying from the "big two" is not without some peril. We saw a startling number of negative user comments for Intelliflix. That site -- originally known as DVD Barn -- had been the recipient of some positive press attention in the past for its value, offering an unlimited three-DVD-at-a-time plan for $10 a month if purchased for a year in advance. However, disc availability -- an issue with even the better known online movie rental sites at times -- appears to be a major problem. Users at DVDRR.com, Epinions and elsewhere are typically reporting unacceptably long delays -- sometimes months -- between receiving movies. Many users have also posted complaints regarding billing issues and poor customer service. ... Continued
Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
Reviews say that Netflix and Blockbuster Online are competitive when it comes to online DVD rental. Netflix usually gets the edge because of its slightly larger collection. The two compete vigorously with each other on pricing and offer a variety of service plans, as well as ever-changing perks. CinemaNow is the best choice among movie services that stream to a PC. This kind of service provides you the convenience of faster delivery, but far fewer choices, and you'll have to either watch the movie on your computer or network your PC and TV screen. Critics say that Vudu is the best solution right now for those who want the convenience of watching downloaded videos on a TV, but that Apple TV might be the one to beat if it begins to offer more movies. The Xbox Live Marketplace is also worth considering if you own an Xbox 360 videogame console. Advertisement
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Movie Downloads and Rentals Reviews |
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© 2008 ConsumerSearch, Inc. A service from 
, a part of The New York Times Company. All Rights Reserved.
ConsumerSearch and ConsumerSearch.com are registered trademarks of ConsumerSearch, Inc. Other trademarks or service marks on this site are the property of their respective owners. ConsumerSearch is not sponsored by any source reviewed, and we accept no consideration or payment for including, excluding, or ranking any reviews, products or services in our reports.
* Pricing information is approximate as of the time this report was written and is based on observed market selling prices and/or list prices. Actual selling prices may differ.
