Blog about Gaming, Computers and Technology

The DVD rental industry as a whole has endured a parting of the ways ever since a way to rent movies online became available. The days of the customer being limited to going to the video store and standing in line has made way for sites such as Netflix who provide movies to rent online for a flat monthly fee.

Now Blockbuster, which has been the marquee name of the rental industry for many years, has decided to offer online movie rentals too. Just about all of us have rented a movie from Blockbuster and know the pros and cons of the service.

Why choose an online movie rental service? As convenient as it can be to get your DVD ?right now? as opposed to waiting a few days when you rent movies online, it can be just as disappointing when the movie you want is out of stock. You may also prefer the convenience of renting online from the comfort of your own home. And another great benefit is there are no late fees!

You can find movies easily and quickly. There are more titles to choose from online. No late fees. Options to watch movies instantly too on your TV, PC, PS3 and Xbox. These are just some of the great benefits on offer at online movie rental sites.

You may have thought about renting online and if you are an avid movie watcher the prices are quite appealing.

How much do they cost? There are rental plans available to rent from 1 to 3 movies per month. And there are never any late fees. You can return a movie whenever you like. You just need to return one movie to get the next one on your list.

Netflix plans cost $8.99 (monthly) for 1 movie, $13.99 for 2 and $18.99 for 3. Blockbuster charge $8.99, $13.99 and $16.99 for the same plans. Blockbuster also offer the option to rent and return movies in store too.

What are the differences between Netflix and Blockbuster? There are some differences between the two; services like Netflix were one of the first to introduce a revolutionary way to rent movies online and to counter that, Blockbuster offered the unique option for their customers to choose between renting and returning in store and being able to rent movies online using their online movie rental account.

Blockbuster also allow their customers to purchase movies with some at discounted prices while Netflix doesn?t offer such a program to date. Blockbuster also offer game rentals. And, with all the innovations taking place in the online movie rental industry, there is still a lot more to come!

The current recession has put forward many questions over the gaming industries and how the gamers have responded. Gamers are involving themselves more in playing free online games and buying used games. This trend has affected the game sales at large. Along with the economic downsizing, lack of blockbuster title releases also encouraged gamers to play free games and buy used games rather than new ones.

The entertainment industry, more specifically the gaming industry has undergone noticeable changes due to the current economic downsizing. Individuals are focusing on extracting more fun out of free online games-games being a much cheaper and affordable form of entertainment. Consumers are engaging more to play free games which illustrate their desire to get more value out of games. There are great possibilities for gaming industries in the near future owing to the fact that the number of individuals interested in playing games is increasing everyday.

Statistically the gamers have purchased more used game than the new ones over the last couple of years. The consequent advancement of internet has also opened up opportunities for gamers to play free games even more. Alongside buying used games, the internet also provide opportunities for subscription to game rental services by mails. The study of game-play and acquisition to free online games reveals that the gamers have become more value conscious spending time playing. The number of individuals adopting game rental subscriptions and buying used games have increased manifold.

Consumers are giving more attention to gaming compared to any other entertainment choices like watching movies, going to theatres, buying DVDs. Though there is no such illustrative data available regarding the timeframe or the exact attendance, but it can be claimed without any anomalies that the number of consumers selecting games as a mode of entertainment have largely increased. Alongside DVD purchasing and movie-going, playing both paid as well as free online games is also getting increased attention. Gamers are able to sit back at home and spend long hours playing free online games.

I remember when signing up with Intelliflix for $188 a year thinking what a great deal I just gotten, and how much money I was saving compared to the competition. Intelliflix claims to have over sixty thousand movie titles, rent video games, and also rent adult titles. I sincerely doubt that they have anywhere close to sixty thousand movie titles, and they have recently suspended their online game rentals. They still claim to rent other movie titles, but a couple of movies every few months, and it hardly seems like they even do that anymore.

For the first couple of months I received movies regularly, but then they stopped sending me movies. I went almost sixty days with well over a hundred movies in my queue without receiving one movie! They do not provide a customer service number and you have to open tickets through their email system. Of course when you get a response it will be about hoe they understand your frustration and will try to do better, but they still do not send movies on any timetable that could be considered regular. I go weeks without getting movies. I requested a refund more than once, but they claim they cannot refund annual memberships for any reason whatsoever. If it was not past the ninety-day mark I would dispute it with my credit card company. I even emailed the President of the company who boasted about publishing his email so regular customers could contact him. I received no response.

I have recently joined two other Online DVD Rental companies to see which one would work for me. I only will join at a monthly rate; I learned my lesson with annual plans. They are both excellent companies and actually sent me movies, and carried a wide variety of titles.

First let us look at Blockbuster Online. They have a tremendous amount of movie and television tiles and always have the newest releases. I usually received my movies in one business day. They also allow you to turn in your movies at local Blockbuster stores and give you free in store movie rental coupons every month. Their site is easy to navigate, and they also offer a trial period at a reduced fee. I took advantage of this offer to try them out.

The second company Netflix has just about everything put on DVD available for rental and all the new releases. One unique option they have is instant viewing online, and they are adding new titles to this service every month. I usually get my movies in one to two days. They also recently announced they will be offering a new service to play movies directly to people’s televisions at home through the Internet in the near future. Their site also has easy navigation and they also have the American Film Institute all time movie list which is great for movie buffs.

In summary look around at all the plans available, and do not sign up for an annual plan. Avoid Intelliflix at all cost. Both Blockbuster and Netflix are great companies, but in the end I stayed with Blockbuster simply because of their speed in sending me movies.

In general, the “hotter” a newly released movie is, the harder it is to rent. This is true at traditional brick-and-mortar video stores, and it’s also true when you rent movies online.

If the movie you want to rent is not immediately available, both Netflix and Blockbuster suggest how long your wait time will be when you add that movie to your rental queue. When you rent at Netflix, they use the terms “Short Wait”, “Long Wait”, and “Very Long Wait”.

According to Netflix, a “Short Wait” means your wait time to rent a movie will be less than two weeks. “Long Wait” means less than 30 days, and “Very Long Wait” means less than four months.

Another thing to keep in mind when you rent movies online, is what position you place the movie in your list. For example, if you list Harry Potter 6 at the very top of your favorites list, you will receive it sooner than if you rank it third or fourth.

How does Blockbuster compare to Netflix? Until recently, consumers still ranked Netflix above Blockbuster in the online movie rental business. But that may be changing. Currently, wait times for new releases at Blockbuster Online tend to be shorter than at Netflix.

That’s especially true when it comes to Blu-ray, because Blockbuster has a greater volume of Blu-ray discs than Netflix. And you may know that you get charged extra for Blu Ray at Netflix.

With Blockbuster, this is not the case. Blockbuster also has a list of high-demand new releases which are guaranteed to be in-stock, but Netflix does not offer such a guarantee.

Furthermore, Blockbuster’s “Guaranteed In-Stock” policy applies whether you rent movies online or from a store.

Blockbuster also offer game rentals. So if you like to play games, only blockbuster offer them.

How much do rental plans cost? Rental plans at both Netflix and Blockbuster cost the same. You can rent either 1, 2 or 3 movies at a time. These plans cost $8.99, $13.99 and $16.99. There are no late fees and you can keep the movie as long as you want with both companies. If you want to rent and return movies in store, Blockbuster will charge a little extra. These plans cost $11.99, $16.99 and $19.99 per month.

Why choose Blockbuster? If you’re deciding where to rent movies online, the availability of Blu-ray at no additional cost and the “Guaranteed In-Stock” policies are two good reasons to choose Blockbuster over Netflix.

If you are a film buff, theres a good chance you are a member of either Blockbuster Video or Movie Rental, the two largest movie rental companies in the US as of 2009. You may have shifted your loyalties to online-based services like Netflix recently, but for a whole generation of Americans, renting a movie for a leisurely Saturday at home invariably meant visiting the local Blockbuster or Movie Rental or Hollywood Video (also a part of the Movie Rental) family. Not any longer.

On 3 February 2010, Movie Time filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. On 30 April 2010, a company-wide conference call announced that all US Hollywood Video, Movie Gallery, and Game Crazy (game rental) stores would begin the liquidation technique in May 2010, with the chains Canadian stores following suit one month later.

This was Movie Gallerys second trip down the bankruptcy lane in three years and marks an unblessed end to one of the continuing cornerstones of American living . Formed in 1985 by Joe Malugen and Harrison Parrish in Dothan, Alabama, Movie Gallery revolutionized the movie rental profession . With VCRs enhancing increasingly affordable, most American households looked in the direction of movie rental stores for their everyday enjoyment , and Movie Gallery grew speedily . By June 1987 the companionship owned five stores and had 45 franchisees. In 1988, the company started consolidating the franchisees into company owned stores. By 1992, The company had a complete of 37 stores and annual revenues of $6 million.

Blockbuster Video also started around the same time as Movie Gallery and fast captured the No.1 spot. Although Movie Gallery was a close contestant , subsequent position was taken by Hollywood Video, an Oregon-based video rental chain started in 1988 by Mark Wattles and his wife. Blockbuster attempted a opposed takeover of Hollywood Video in end-2004, which drove it into the arms of Movie Gallery. Movie Gallery completed its acquisition of Hollywood Video on 27 April 2005 for $850 million, including assuming $350 million of due .

The due proved to be a millstone around the companys neck, forcing it to close 520 stores (of a aggregate of 4,500) in September 2007 and file for bankruptcy one month later. thus , the stock plummeted under $1 a share, forcing NASDAQ to de-list Movie Gallery. As fragment of bankruptcy reorganization guided by its creditors, the company closed more than 1,000 stores nationwide, leaving it with a portfolio of 3,300 stores when it emerged from bankruptcy in May 2008. though , this was not the end of its troubles.

Cheaper DVDs and struggle from online providers like Netflix continued to drive down sales. Despite efforts to shut down unfruitful locations, the company said it continued to perceive “notable ” losses in 2009. Annual revenue fell $546.3 million, or 28 percent, to $1.4 billion. Over a little duration from October to December 2009, Movie Gallerys stock fell from $1.25 to $.05 a share, and a few properties fell behind on lease . The company hired restructuring firm Moelis & Co. to scout for buyers but couldnt find any. Law firm Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal were hired to practise a bankruptcy filing, and the axe fell on 3 February 2010 at the US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Richmond. The bargain filed with the court said the progress to close all the left over stores is in the “superior interests” of the company and its creditors.

Online DVD rentals are becoming more and more popular with consumers as people move away from VHS, become more comfortable generally with buying online, get sick and tired of paying for higher and higher movie ticket prices.

Online DVD rentals are both a fast and convenient way to rent movies.  Online DVD film rental companies allow a person to rent and buy DVD movies online through the mail. Normally, a customer interacts with the DVD rental company via the Internet and receives the films ordered via regular mail.

How DVD film rental works

Natalia Osorio Editor of the “Watch Movies Online For Free” website — http://www.WatchMoviesOnlineForFree.tv — pointed out;

“…DVD film rental companies operate on the following model: A new customer joins the DVD rental service and creates a list of good movies they will like to rent, This is called there Q or Queue, and next the DVD rental company sends movies from the customers list by regular mail, finally the customer receives the films, views them and sends them back and receives another film from list…”

The two top companies right now are Blockbuster & Netflix. Both of them have there avenges and offer basically the same thing. But in my option I love Blockbuster, just for the mere sake that after I watch the online rentals I can go to the Blockbuster right across the street and exchange them for more movies or games.

But for more details you should check out both of them and decide which one is will meet your needs better.
Both Blockbuster & Netflix offer a free DVD film rental trail, but at the end of this article I’m show you how to try the free trial.

Blockbuster DVD Film Rental

Although the first online rental company has to be Netfilx. Netflix quickly became popular with the renting movies by mail, but when Blockbuster start there movies by mail service, they quickly over took Netflix. By offering an easy to use, quick and affordable solution to Netflix.

My 3 Reasons Why

The reason I don’t use Netflix and won’t advice anyone to use its service is because their service is expensive, DVD delivery is slow and they don’t provide coupons as often as Blockbuster does.

Another reason I use Blockbuster to rent and buy DVD movies on-line is because they provide free movie and game rental coupons to users each month.

The last reason I love Blockbuster’s service is their fast and efficient delivery of DVD rentals, they have an arrangement with USPS that enables Blockbuster to electronically register DVD’s refund before they actually arrive their office. This saves time for both Blockbuster and their users benefit from greater turn-around time for their next DVD rental.

“…If you are looking for an efficient, reliable and affordable way to watch high quality movies, I highly recommend MoviesCapital.com…” N. Osorio added.

Further information about how to watch movies completely free by visiting; http://www.FreeMoviesToWatchOnline.tv

How Does It Work?

To rent movies in the traditional manner, you had to get in your car, drive a few miles away to your local movie rental store, shuffle through the aisles looking for a good movie to catch your eye, wait in line at the checkout stand and then drive back home. And when you finished watching the movie, you had to remember to return the movie on time or face stiff penalty fees. Then you had to get in your car and drive all the way back to the store just to return the movie.

Now, with the advent of online movie rentals, all you have to do is log on to a movie rental website like Blockbuster Online, Netflix or Intelliflix, select all the movies you ever want to see, place them into your “to watch” list, and then start receiving DVD’s steadily in a day or so. Watching movies has never been so easy with the services provided by these online movie rental services.

These days, the Internet has allowed people to live much more convenient lives, simplifying everything from shopping to dating and now, offering online movie rentals. You can now rent and watch movies entirely from the comfort of your own home, without ever leaving your house at all if you choose. This is particularly great news for those of you who enjoy renting numerous movies.

Future Projection

If you love to watch movies, there is simply no better way to go than using these online movie rental services. If you’re hesitant about it, just know that most of them offer a free trial period. Simply sign up for the free trial, use it for 2 weeks or so and if you’re not satisfied, simply cancel your account and pay nothing. There are over 15 million people now signed up with these online movie rental services and experts project these numbers to double in the next year or two. Once you get a taste of online movie rentals, no doubt you’ll want to count yourself among that number!

Special Benefits

Some online movie rental services offer special unique benefits and perks. For example, Blockbuster Online offers an outstanding benefit where they send you 2 free rental coupons per month to your email, which means you get even more value for your money. This feature is particularly beneficial if you love to rent and play video games. Video game rentals are usually priced around $8-9 in the stores, but you can use these free coupons to rent out these video games, at great savings.

Pricing Structure

One of the best features of online movie rentals is the pricing structure. If you walk into a physical movie rental store, you can typically expect to shell out $5-6 per movie. Online movie rental services have somewhat different pricing plans, but one of the most popular plans is the 3 DVD’s out-at-a-time plan, which most services offer. You can typically expect to pay about $17-18 per month for this plan.

The plan allows you to have 3 movies rented out at any given time. But when you are finished watching one, you simply stick it in your mailbox in one of the prepaid return envelopes, and the next movie on your wishlist is sent to you within a day or two. Think about it: if you watch just 3 movies per month, you already break even financially, and if you rent more, you come out way ahead. You can have 3 DVD’s out at one time, but there’s no limit to how many movies you can actually watch per month if you watch and return each movie quickly. This is not to mention saving the hassle of not having to remember to return movies on time and drive back to the rental store to drop them off.

These days, the Internet has allowed people to live much more convenient lives, simplifying everything from shopping to dating and now, offering online movie rentals. You can now rent and watch movies entirely from the comfort of your own home, without ever leaving your house at all if you choose. This is particularly great news for those of you who enjoy renting numerous movies.

How Does It Work?

To rent movies in the traditional manner, you had to get in your car, drive a few miles away to your local movie rental store, shuffle through the aisles looking for a good movie to catch your eye, wait in line at the checkout stand and then drive back home. And when you finished watching the movie, you had to remember to return the movie on time or face stiff penalty fees. Then you had to get in your car and drive all the way back to the store just to return the movie.

Now, with the advent of online movie rentals, all you have to do is log on to a movie rental website like Blockbuster Online, Netflix or Intelliflix, select all the movies you ever want to see, place them into your “to watch” list, and then start receiving DVD’s steadily in a day or so. Watching movies has never been so easy with the services provided by these online movie rental services.

Pricing Structure

One of the best features of online movie rentals is the pricing structure. If you walk into a physical movie rental store, you can typically expect to shell out $5-6 per movie. Online movie rental services have somewhat different pricing plans, but one of the most popular plans is the 3 DVD’s out-at-a-time plan, which most services offer. You can typically expect to pay about $17-18 per month for this plan.

The plan allows you to have 3 movies rented out at any given time. But when you are finished watching one, you simply stick it in your mailbox in one of the prepaid return envelopes, and the next movie on your wishlist is sent to you within a day or two. Think about it: if you watch just 3 movies per month, you already break even financially, and if you rent more, you come out way ahead. You can have 3 DVD’s out at one time, but there’s no limit to how many movies you can actually watch per month if you watch and return each movie quickly. This is not to mention saving the hassle of not having to remember to return movies on time and drive back to the rental store to drop them off.

Special Benefits

Some online movie rental services offer special unique benefits and perks. For example, Blockbuster Online offers an outstanding benefit where they send you 2 free rental coupons per month to your email, which means you get even more value for your money. This feature is particularly beneficial if you love to rent and play video games. Video game rentals are usually priced around $8-9 in the stores, but you can use these free coupons to rent out these video games, at great savings.

Future Projection

If you love to watch movies, there is simply no better way to go than using these online movie rental services. If you’re hesitant about it, just know that most of them offer a free trial period. Simply sign up for the free trial, use it for 2 weeks or so and if you’re not satisfied, simply cancel your account and pay nothing. There are over 15 million people now signed up with these online movie rental services and experts project these numbers to double in the next year or two. Once you get a taste of online movie rentals, no doubt you’ll want to count yourself among that number!

Article written by Jason Ryan.

Blockbuster dvd rentals are becoming very popular as the place to go for renting movies and video games. Blockbuster is increasing their membership base throughout the Internet with incredible  benefits which include super low membership fees, free trials and online movies to download instantly to your PC or handheld device. Why is blockbuster better than Netflix or any online Dvd rental service.? The answer is threefold.

1st – Blockbuster dvd rental service is now offering introductory membership fees, reduced prices and coupons online. You can easily pick up blockbuster coupons here or anywhere within the internet to save $50.00 or more on subscription fees. Other blockbuster offers include free trials for two weeks and $3.99 subscription plans. Blockbuster has revamped their website to include over 80,000 movie titles with reviews and ratings included. Consumers can also cancel their subscription at anytime without any penalties or fees.Another great resource to members are blockbusters brick and mortar stores throughout the nation. Members do not have to wait for the mail they can simply walk into their local blockbuster branch to drop off and pick up movies and video games.

2nd – Blockbuster members can now download their favorite  movies straight to their PC or handheld device. Blockbuster’s movie download service offers their members the opportunity to take their favorite movies with them on the go. Downloadable movies will be the wave of the future and blockbuster knows that if they want to stay in the forefront of the online movie business they must offer fast anytime downloadable service to their members. Movie may stay on the consumers PC for 30 days. Once the consumer starts watching the movie then it would only be available for 24 hours for complete viewing which is the norm within the marketplace.

3rd. Blockbuster online is the only dvd online service which also provides video game rentals as well. Members can rent all Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, WII, PSP and other handheld device games directly from their account online. This is something unique to blockbuster since the competition, including Netflix, do not offer video game rentals.

Blockbuster dvd rentals are the wave of the future and they have come along way within the past 3 years to not only increase membership with their new services but also increase their membership base by 4,000,000 within the past 2 years alone. Consumers can try membership benefits for free and see if ti meets all expectations. if not then cancellation can be done at anytime.

For coupons, information and free trials go to Blockbuster DVD Rentals

Do you want to buy a game or prefer to save money by renting one? If the latter is your choice, you can opt for some online video game rental services that will deliver your favorite games at the doorstep. Though renting video games, especially PS3 games online is a new trend, it is catching up fast. The major reason for the craze to rent games online is the fact that out of the large variety of games that are released each month, very few people can purchase all the titles. For the majority of gamers, renting games online is the legal alternative.

As the Internet has simplified life by bringing almost everything within your reach, renting PS3 games online has become a cakewalk. All you need to do is to visit the website of the video game rental service provider of your choice, choose the titles offered by means of their online library and request the same to be delivered. You may consider these online video game rental service providers as an evolved version of VCR and DVD movie rental services operating in your locality. These days, you may even find some traditional video stores such as Blockbuster offering video games on rent to the home users.

Though you can rent PS3 games online from several video game rental service providers, Gamefly.com remain the preferred choice of most of the avid gamers. Having a huge online library of 6000 titles that cover all platforms and include PS2, Xbox, PS3, Xbox 360, PSP, DS and GBA GameCube, Wii and other popular titles, Gamefly.com reigns supreme in the field of online game rental services.

If you have decided to rent PS3 games online, you may select from the following games that are highly admired by the gamers:

Metal Gear Solid 4: If you have ever cherished a game packed with action, a stealth game or a shooter, this is the perfect match for you. With a well-designed online mode, more than 70 weapons as well as unlockable rewards, this classic stealth-shooter game will impress you with its outstanding graphics and a detailed plot.

Grand Theft Auto 4: With installations that increase the rate of loading screens together with superior quality graphics, this game is ideal for those gamers who would love to bang their fire trucks into dirt bikes.

Uncharted-Drake’s Fortune: With captivating level designs, lush panoramic view of the forest and swashbuckling action that would even make the treasure-hunt of Lara Croft or Indiana Jones appear to be a child’s play, this game of Nathan Drake’s adventure is a must-buy item.

You may even wait a little longer to rent some forthcoming Playstation3 games such as The Agency (where the players can pose as secret agents), Killzone2 (which allows the gamer to play the role of a sci-fi shooter), God of War III (drawing its inspiration from Greek mythology), inFamous (an action title belonging to the sandbox class) or MAG: Massive Action Game (a multiplayer shooter game that permits 256 players to participate at the same time).

So, rent PS3 games online according to your preference and have fun while playing them.