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Survey: Do You Still Rent Actual DVD's?

200-07-07-dvdsleeves.jpgIt has been quite a while since any new DVD cases have come into my home, purchased or rented. With Apple offering online DVD rentals and purchases, and Netflix teaming up with Roku to eliminate the mail man and the disc, you have to think that the days of walking over to the video store to pick up something to watch are slowly coming to an end. So it got us wondering....

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Comments (18)

I Netflix - DVDS for my tele and the Watch Instantly for my laptop - but I haven't done their Straight-to-TV stuff yet. And sometimes I HULU.com. But that's it. I have yet to do a movie on iTunes or anything. And I don't know Roku! What have I been missing?

posted by kdkaboom on 2008-07-07 14:32:30
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speaking of library... I do get physical DVDs, when they are free.
so that is either:
1. from the library (great for big boxed sets)
2. from a Redbox, if you sign up for SMS from them they give you a free code at least once a week on Monday

posted by Laurie on 2008-07-07 14:33:40
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err... what about those of us who still get netflix by? I don't go to the store (usually), and I haven't gone digital, either.

posted by closertotheocean on 2008-07-07 14:41:54
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I Netflix for almost everything. There are very few movies I would actually buy these days, and they'd have to be special editions or something like that. I need to check out this straight to tv stuff.

posted by sleepgoblin on 2008-07-07 14:50:55
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I guess I am kind of a mix of the above. I use netflix heavily (and love it by the way. Its like a little red present in my mail a couple of days a week). I also heavily use my public library. If I am really busy I have them mail me the movie of my choice and if I just want to get out of the house I can get to the library in 5-10 minutes to browse their selection. When I get a movie from the library that was in my netflix queue I just remove it, so that netflix acts like a backup.

Oh and did I mention that the library is 100% free, provided I return things on time?

posted by rhb on 2008-07-07 15:32:59
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Netflix. The survey is flawed. It assumes rental = trip to rental store.

posted by Khurt Williams on 2008-07-07 15:34:44
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I'm old school. I use the 24.99 a month Blockbuster unlimited rental thing.

I don't have a television, so I'm pretty much at Blockbuster everyday...

Jeez - what loser I am.

www.thebitterfoodie.blogspot.com

posted by TracynA2 on 2008-07-07 15:36:28
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Netflix. If I really like something, I buy it. I'm a bit stuck on the "going digital" front since the majority of those require either a Windows or Mac machine and I run Linux. I'm sure there's a way around that, but I'm too darned lazy to figure it out.

TracynA2, that would be tempting except they never have the movies I want to watch. Seriously, how is Millenium Actress obscure? (yes, I'm joking)

posted by Tiamat_the_Red on 2008-07-07 15:39:28
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Digital media downloads all the way. Stop producing discs now!

posted by ekoshyun on 2008-07-07 18:22:25
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Free dvd's from the library, yep. My son and I make a weekly trip.

posted by mjoe on 2008-07-07 18:24:09
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I use the automated dvd rental kiosk at the grocery store. I much prefer it to going to a Blockbuster because it's way cheaper ($1 a day) and available 24 hrs.

posted by RichardinLA on 2008-07-07 18:33:27
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@Khurt Williams agreed.

I use a service similar here in Australia to Netflix, called QuickFlix.

posted by kathleenjoy on 2008-07-07 19:09:30
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I think it will be a mixed world for the forseaable future. There are too many variables for all the different living situations people find themselves in. Urban vs. Rural, large old-homes with no computer in the bedroom or modern lofts where the computer IS the television; they all lead to very different choices.

For myself, the rental price of a movie on iTunes is still above what it costs to walk the few blocks to the local video store to get something when my selection of Netflix movies isn't all that appealing.

If I do rent movies online its through the XBox Live Video Marketplace, where the price and selection seem pretty comparable to iTunes. It's less hassle as I don't own an AppleTV.

I do however own a Mac, and really wish the 'Watch it Now' option from Netflix could run. I'd still be stuck in my office watching them....hmmmm....I guess I'll be stuck with getting a Roku box.

OR....
Apple offers a netflix 'unlimited streaming' plan for a flat monthly rate.

OR....
Netflix 360 works on my Xbox.

OR.....
Somebody comes up with something cooler.

posted by RJHD3 on 2008-07-07 20:57:59
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renting digital downloads - even "high def" versions aren't true high def - too much compression going on there. I netflix blu-ray. I think streaming true high definition audio/video is still a little ways off but it's coming quick!

posted by bordjon on 2008-07-07 23:37:11
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I also rent from the library - also Elephant pharmacy has dvd rentals for 1$ - even the new ones - and that's close by so I use them too. I still watch vhs tapes a lot and I don't have cable, so I am feeling a bit primitive...uh, and cheap I guess!

posted by mmepatty on 2008-07-08 11:40:23
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This one is just for RJHD3. Netflix on your XBox(via lifehacker)

posted by rhb on 2008-07-08 13:52:02
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Mostly, I rent online but occasionally I will rent actual dvds...but only at Hastings because they have a pretty big anime, foreign, and classics section I can't find at Blockbuster!

posted by witchbaby on 2008-07-09 18:05:22
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I netflix for two reasons. first, I really like watching movies and tv with closed captioning/subtitles. I have bought and downloaded a couple of things, but even though iTunes says that some shows and movies might have captioning, I haven't actually found any that do. and second, I like being able to play on my computer and watch tv at the same time. (right now I am writing this and watching an old law and order episode)

posted by lcg on 2008-07-09 20:56:28
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