Comments on: Doing the Math on Renting a Movie

By: Dori

Dori — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 13:34:17 +0000

I’ve went all of these routes to rent movies.

I’ve been a Netflix subscriber since 2006. I’ve changed my subscription a few times, suspended it a few times, stream to my TV through our Wii. I’m on the $9/month plan. It’s so convenient, living in a rural area, to just be able to walk out to my mailbox to retrieve or send back a movie. We usually get at least two a week. Also the selection is outstanding. I don’t know why anyone who rents movies would not use this service.

By: Ben

Ben — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 12:16:42 +0000

Cant believe you did not even mention Blockbuster!! They offer online (like Netflix) with no extra charge for Blu-ray and also includes games (like Gamefly), in store, and kiosk (like Redbox) options!! I love my Blockbuster!

By: Christine

Christine — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 15:22:26 +0000

I’m all about the library as well. I have a few movies on hold at my local library (they are new releases and do take some time to become available). However, on my way home from work on a Friday I have stopped by the library and browsed through their large selection of DVDs. I usually borrow 3 or 4 movies for my husband and I to choose from. I now refuse to pay for rentals -all I need is patience and I can see just about any movie I like for free!

By: kristine

kristine — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 04:03:11 +0000

i love my library for movies. whenever we watch the previews, i sit at my laptop and request the ones we are interested in watching through the intraloan system so we always have lots on queue to be picked up weekly. we’re allowed to check out 20 at a time and series are loaned for 3 weeks at a time so we always have plenty of time to watch them before returning and always plenty on hand to watch whenever we feel like watching them.

By: Briana @ GBR

Briana @ GBR — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 22:00:20 +0000

There’s also a digital video box called Roku where you can access Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video on Demand and other forms of renting movies/tv. I want to get it (especially since it’s not an additional charge) but I don’t know if that’s just an extra expense.

By: Diane

Diane — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 14:49:31 +0000

The library is the way to go, especially if you live Northern NJ. All current and past movies and even PBS specials can be found. If your local library does not have the DVD or BluRay you want, you can “order” it from other libraries. The movie will be delivered to your home library. (This also works for music, books, and books on tape.) I agree that the hours are limited. If I think we may have time to watch something, I stop at the library and choose a few movies. If we don’t watch them, then I return them.

By: deRuiter

deRuiter — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 13:16:13 +0000

Sell the contents of that shelf full of DVDs you’ve already watched, since they obviously don’t excite you. Why waste a shelf for storing movies which don’t interest you? Sell them to someone else who will let them occupy valuable storage space for something they don’t use either. Netflix sounds good, other options like library if they are convenient are great. Or read a book, clean out the junk drawer, load boxes full of those unwatched DVDs for a yard sale. Have an nice weekend no matter what you choose.

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 03:57:40 +0000

I’m not sure what Redbox kiosks you have been visiting,but the selection at ours is TERRIBLE. Direct to DVD sequels, oodles of crummy kids movies and a handful of latest releases.

While I enjoy a good latest release from time to time, I would rather watch a good (based on reviews) old movie I haven’t seen than some johnny come lately.

Netflix works great for us because I can IMDB everything before streaming or adding it to our DVD queue. The streaming selection can be eclectic, but that’s part of the fun.

By: Leah

Leah — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 02:34:15 +0000

I’m another vote for the library — if your library is decent and has free movie rentals, it’s the way to go. we keep thinking about netflix but find lots of gems at the library. Typically, we go there and browse the shelves until we find one we like. We’ve been surprised at some of the great movies we’ve seen.

Also, I don’t know why people get all hung up on new releases. Yes, it’s nice to see new releases. But there are plenty of older movies that are still awesome. I love going to our local video store (I still have credit there from some gift cards I received) and picking out movies I meant to go see 10 years ago. Since they’re not new, they are super cheap for a week long rental.

By: friend

friend — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 01:20:09 +0000

Also Netflix lets you change your plan month by month, or even suspend service (for 3 months at a time, I think). We are billed on the 12th of each month, so early in the month we decide if we want to stick with one movie at a time plus streaming (our default), go up to 2 movies at a time or perhaps move down to just streaming… which is $5.

By: Kristi Dorson

Kristi Dorson — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 01:14:30 +0000

We LOVE Netflix. We actually bought a Roku box about a year ago and cancelled our cable. Most of the shows we want to watch are available on instant or via disc, and there is a HUGE selection of streaming content for our kids (ages 3 and 6). The Roku box allows us to watch it on our television rather than at the computer, so it doesn’t even feel any different. The box cost us about $100, and since we cancelled cable we’ve saved about $70 a month. $61 a month, really, since there’s the $9 a month cost for Netflix. So the box paid for itself in less than two months, and we’ve been VERY happy.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 00:38:19 +0000

My in-laws get me a 6 month, two at a time Netflix subscription every year for Christmas and my birthday. So our entertainment needs are covered! I usually watch my movie or tv show the day/night it comes in and I return it the next day so I can get through 2 movies a week this way (my husband has his own queue and I let him use the second disc as long as he doesn’t hold on to it forever!)

By: valleycat1

valleycat1 — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 22:55:36 +0000

Years ago when the movie rental industry was moving from VHS to DVD, our first DVD player was a dud & we finally chucked it. We didn’t replace it & therefore save lots of money by not renting movies. We seem to have plenty of choices from our basic cable subscription, or we do something else. If we did have a DVD player, we’d probably use the library as first choice – obviously we’ve broken the habit of ‘gotta see [a given] movie now.’ The expense of renting movies is one of those things we’ve made the personal decision not to incur, as for us it doesn’t add to our quality of life.

By: Marsha

Marsha — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 21:37:57 +0000

@2 Raghu:

I agree that the Redbox selection has gotten bad. It’s all R-rated movies or shows for preschoolers. We have teens who aren’t allowed to watch the trashy stuff (and we don’t want to watch it ourselves), and they’ve outgrown most of the other selections. Where have all the PG movies gone? Aren’t they making them anymore?

By: Kristen

Kristen — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 21:05:34 +0000

We are thinking of finally signing up for Netflix beginning next month. Our plan is to cancel at the end of March and sign up again next November–basically, it’s worth it to us to pay for Netflix through the winter months when there’s not much else to do, but not in the summer months when we should be outside being more active.

By: Karina

Karina — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 20:42:22 +0000

I agree with whoever said that Netflix instant streaming is awesome. I don’t know what random B movies Trent is limiting himself with…My husband and I are watching the newest seasons of the Office and 30 Rock that just were released in Sept on DVD on the instant stream…We also have Star Trek, 2012, the Stoning of Soraya M, the Cove, all kinds of great movies!

By: Sara

Sara — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 20:40:16 +0000

*farther than my mailbox.

By: Sara

Sara — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 20:37:31 +0000

You also have to consider the cost of driving. If you have a Redbox within walking distance, it’s pretty cheap, but the Redbox closest to my house is 6.5 miles away. The library is 4.5 miles away. Blockbuster is 7 miles away. The gas for two round trips to any of those adds at least $2 to the cost of the rental! It’s also a lot of extra time. For me, Netflix is definitely the best option because I don’t have to go any further than my mailbox to get or return movies.

I don’t understand why people buy DVDs. There are very few movies that I would want to watch more than once or twice. If I do want to watch a movie again, I can always add it to my Netflix queue again. Your objection to watching a DVD you already own is that you’d be “just rewatching something you’ve already seen,” so why’d you buy it if you didn’t want to rewatch it?

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 20:13:35 +0000

Our local library charges for DVD loans and for reserves/ We like to see movies more than once. We record off air and watch later.

By: Joan

Joan — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 20:03:55 +0000

I realize not everyone pays for cable, but if you do, in our area, the Comcast cable company offers pretty good free movies or even free episodes of TV shows through its OnDemand service. There are also $2.99 and $4.99 movie options, and while that is a bit much for some people, I have used it occasionally to catch a new release right when it opened – it’s still less than one movie ticket, and 10 people can fit in my living room and watch it! (Plus I can make my own snacks!)

My husband and I have used this to discover several new TV series that we enjoy watching, like American Pickers, which we’d never have seen otherwise.