So ya wanna join the masses and rent your movies and dvds online huh? And you don’t know where to begin? Well, there are a lot of options out there afterall. Just to name a few of the many, you can choose from Netflix, Blockbuster, Intelliflix, and Gameznflix. All offer different features and benefits, as well as different selections and prices. Don’t worry, I’ll try to make the choice a little easier on ya.

Movie and dvd rental companies began moving their services online in 1998, with Netflix at the lead. They were the first in the U.S. to offer the basic business model of :

o The customer joins and then creates a queue of movies she wants to rent

o dvds are mailed to the customer

o The customer returns the dvds when she is done with them

Usually the amount of dvds mailed to the customer is dependent upon the service plan purchased. The more expensive the plan, the more dvds can be rented at one time (usually 1-.3 dvds at a time). Some service plans may also limit the total amount of dvds you can rent in a month, while with others you can rent as many movies as you can watch per month. Also, you can keep the movie as long as you want without due dates or late fees.

So that’s the first thing you should think about: How many movies and dvds do you think you’re going to watch?

o Rarely / A few movies per month: Consider a plan that only rents one or two at a time and may impose a monthly limit. No need to spend extra when you won’t watch all those movies. Blockbuster has a $9.99 plan that features unlimited movie rentals, one out at a time. Netflix has an identical plan, but also has a $5.99 plan that limits dvd rentals at two per month

o If you plan to rent a lot of dvds, consider a better plan that will probably cost around $20 per month. Generally, you’ll get unlimited monthly dvd rentals with three out at a time. This is the type of plan I recommend for the average user.

What else will you want to consider?

o Speed of Delivery: Netflix and Blockbuster are the kings of online dvd and movie rentals. They have the most distribution centers, therefore the fastest ship times. However, Netflix has gotten a lot of negative press for “throttling” the speed of dvd deliveries for customers who rent a lot of movies. In other words, the more movies Netflix customers rent, the slower they arrive in the mail.

o Selection and variety: Netflix and Blockbuster are kings here as well. They have been in the game the longest and will have the most to choose from.

o Game Rentals: Are you interested in video game rentals with your dvd rentals? If so, you’ll need to go with either Intelliflix or Gameznflix. Intelliflix offers game rentals for a higher monthly price. Gameznflix rents video games included with the dvd rental price.

o Adult Titles: If you’re interested in adult movie titles, your only choice is Intelliflix. For an extra cost you can rent adult movie titles there.

Blockbuster is offering a new program called Total Access that allows their customers to return dvds and movies they got in the mail to their neighborhood store. Then, they can pick out a new movie or even a video game immediately. This is an obvious competitive advantage over Netflix, and you may want to keep this in mind if there’s a Blockbuster store near you.

Netflix answered Blockbuster’s Total Access by allowing customers the ability to watch movies on demand streamed over the Netflix website. This service is still new and has been made available to only a limited amount of customers and movies. This feature has great potential to keep Netflix at the top of the dvd rental industry and help lead them into the future.

So, what will you choose? My personal recommendation is Blockbuster because of the Total Access program. When I’m done with the movies I got in the mail, I can return them to my local store and pick a new one out right away. I can even pick out a video game if I want. I’m very interested in Netflix’s streaming video feature, however it’s still in it’s infancy. But in the future it may make Netflix my favorite pick. The other two options (Intelliflix and Gameznflix) have great potential and could be a great service for you, so don’t count them out.

-By: Ryan Hansen

Ryan Hansen writes for e-Consumerguide.com, a resource site featuring online movie rentals [http://www.e-consumerguide.com/dvd/], web browsers, internet help, and BitTorrent. Visit today to start learning.