I belonged to Blockbuster & their Access program for years, but they finally closed up all their stores, resulting in the discontinuation of their DVD-by-mail program too. Other than Netflix, RedBox, & any other mom & pop DVD rental stores that might still be out there, HOW do you rent movies? What's the CHEAPEST method?
Our local library system has a wide selection of videos. They have some that you can check out and some that you can download. They belong to a co-op of approximately twenty libraries that you can request from.
We have an Amazon Prime account and and a Roku ...lots of free and paid movie options (from Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, etc).
My local library gets new movies all the time and I can also request them from other libraries if there is one I really want to see. I don't find many I like on Netflix. I will go to Redbox sometimes if I have a coupon code.
We use Netflix and don't have cable. Saves a ton. Many of the shows I watch are posted online by the networks after airing too. Occasionally we'll rent a movie we really want to see from iTunes or Amazon. We have Amazon Prime but mostly for the shipping, I tend to use Netflix for movie-watching instea.
I use Redbox every once in a while, but other than that I don't rent movies too much. I subscribe to Netflix on and off. We actually still do have a video store in my town, and it is pretty popular in my area because they have a lot of hard to find movies. I believe they will even ship them out.
We use the on-demand feature from the cable company. Some we get for free, others we pay for. We also do Redbox. We don't watch a lot of movies any more.
My library lets you check out movies with a library card. It's $1 er day past due...other than that we do on-demand.
We use Netflix mostly. Right now we only have instant watch (only $8 a month! Can't beat that!) But we have had the DVDs in the past. The great thing about Netflix is that you can change your plan very easily. We have dropped and added DVDs many times, depending on what's going on (we want to watch at TV series that's only on DVD, I'm on vacation, etc). We also have Amazon Prime instant watch. Sometimes we get something from Redbox. Occasionally we will pay to rent something to watch instantly via Amazon.
Thanks guys. Yes $8/mo for Netflix is cheaper than what I was paying. Do they even do the "old-fashioned" mailing of DVDs or is it all electronically sent to a device? I do NOT like watching TV from my computer or iPad. I like seeing it on my TV from the comfortability of my sofa!
You might think about getting something like a media player that you can plug into your TV (using an HDMI cable), like a Roku or a Western Digital media player. We have one, and we love that thing! We can watch movies and shows from Netflix, Hulu Plus, etc. They can be pricey, but it's the best $90 we ever spent considering we no longer have cable and only pay $8 a month for Hulu Plus. ETA: Or, if you have a PlayStation or Wii hooked up to your TV, you can watch Netflix through those.
You can still get DVDs in the mail with Netflix and/or instant play. It is more if you get both services.
OK, I still prefer popping in a DVD when I'm in the mood & have time. If I do get instant play, how long is it held in my TV? If forever, is there a certain limit of movies it holds?
They aren't really held in your TV ever. You would be streaming them online. Amazon does let you download rentals to your computer, but they are only viewable for the rental period. Their movies that stream for free with Prime are streaming only.
You can sign up for both. With instant, nothing is held in your TV. Everything streams from the Netflix servers.
I have Netflix, Amazon, etc. I stream it from our TV with Roku. Or if I want to watch something I usually google (Name of movie) putlocker and normally it comes up and I stream it free.
Do you have a Bluray player? We have a Sony that plays Netflix as well. We can watch Netflix through our wii, xbox, or bluray player.
Thanks for all the info everyone! yellowdaisies, no, I don't have a Bluray. I wouldn't want to have to re-purchase ALL the DVDs I already have or have both different format DVDs. Interesting, thanks. I'll read this over.
Yeah. We got a Blu Ray player as a gift because my husband wanted one. I personally don't care. We use it to play DVDs 95% of the time lol. I guess it's just nice to have the option?