3-On Your Side: Movie And Video Rental Options
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- So do you enjoy renting movies? Well the video rental wars are heating up! As 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan tells us, Netflix has split, Blockbuster has made a new deal, and consumers are left wondering which service will give them the most bang for their buck.
It was a summer of change for Netflix customers. A price hike and a split between the Netflix mail-in and streaming services started things off and then there was word that Netflix may lose the right to stream Disney and Sony films.
One million customers have jumped ship from Netflix so far, and Dish Network is now among those hoping to lure them in. Dish Network CEO Joe Clayton says, "One company, one bill, one connection for everything you need in video entertainment."
Dish has announced a new service called Blockbuster Movie Pass. Starting this Saturday Dish Network subscribers can pay an additional $10 a month for access to more than 100-thousand movie, television and video game titles by mail or streaming video. But according to CNET's Josh Lowensohn, it's not for everyone. He says, "Here's the big problem. If you already have a cable provider, something like Comcast or Time Warner, you basically have to switch to get this and that might not work for everybody."
With Netflix now charging $7.99 a month individually for either DVD rental or streaming, or $15.98 for the two services combined, what other options are out there other than pay-per- view?
Well Blockbuster.com has more than 100,000 titles available. A 7-day mail rental costs $4.99 while a 24-hour streaming rental on Blockbuster-On-Demand can cost up to $3.99.
Vudu is a streaming service owned by Wal-Mart. You can watch your favorite films on Vudu enabled HDTV's, Blue Ray players, iPads or Play Station 3 Consoles. The cost? Two bucks for two nights.
Redbox has over 27,000 kiosk locations nationwide featuring 200 titles for a buck a day and don't forget your local library. Many allow you to borrow DVD's and it won't cost you a cent.
By the way, it isn't all bad news for Netflix. The company just announced a new partnership with Dreamworks. Netflix will begin streaming Dreamworks films and television specials starting in 2013.
RELATED LINKS:
http://www.dish.com/
https://www.netflix.com/
http://www.blockbuster.com/
http://www.vudu.com/
http://www.redbox.com/
Reported by Jim Donovan, CBS 3
