Digital streaming movies. I've been thinking about this a lot lately ever since the Playstation 3 offered Hulu Plus, Netflix, and Vudu, on its network. This is interesting because Sony has their own digital movie rental, so these other streaming options are direct competition to Sony.
These on-demand rentals are still pretty expensive, considering if you rent a DVD from a Redbox it's $1 for 24 hours. What you are getting per rental is that it's fast and easy, although personally, if you want the best deal for the highest definition, you're probably better off buying or renting the bluray. I'm sorry, but having tested out these "HD" services, watching it on disc is far superior. Plus, you also need a really fast internet connection (read: at least 7mps download to watch these movies in HD). Currently only Vudu offers 1080p, the other services top out at 720p.
I tested out Blockbuster's services and discovered that you actually could not fast-forward or rewind if you choose to watch instantly. You can let it download the movie before watching to get those feature. I was also disappointed that the movies aren't in hi-def.
I also tested out Vudu's services, it's fast, but at even at my Comcrap's internet connection, I could not maintain 1080, I had to reduce it to 720p. I like Vudu, but it's kind of expensive.
I'm still going to stick to renting or buying discs. The best streaming deal is still Netflix, but unfortunately most of the good stuff aren't available for streaming and you still have to wait a full month. Still, for $7.99 a month, it's not a bad deal.
These on-demand rentals are still pretty expensive, considering if you rent a DVD from a Redbox it's $1 for 24 hours. What you are getting per rental is that it's fast and easy, although personally, if you want the best deal for the highest definition, you're probably better off buying or renting the bluray. I'm sorry, but having tested out these "HD" services, watching it on disc is far superior. Plus, you also need a really fast internet connection (read: at least 7mps download to watch these movies in HD). Currently only Vudu offers 1080p, the other services top out at 720p.
I tested out Blockbuster's services and discovered that you actually could not fast-forward or rewind if you choose to watch instantly. You can let it download the movie before watching to get those feature. I was also disappointed that the movies aren't in hi-def.
I also tested out Vudu's services, it's fast, but at even at my Comcrap's internet connection, I could not maintain 1080, I had to reduce it to 720p. I like Vudu, but it's kind of expensive.
I'm still going to stick to renting or buying discs. The best streaming deal is still Netflix, but unfortunately most of the good stuff aren't available for streaming and you still have to wait a full month. Still, for $7.99 a month, it's not a bad deal.
| Services | NETFLIX | HULU | VUDU | APPLE TV | BLOCKBUSTER / PLAYSTATION / OTHER |
| Prices: | $7.99 a month for unlimited streaming | $8.99 a month gets you full seasons of television shows | HDX: $5.99, HD: $4.99. Own: $9.99 to $19.99 | HD: $4.99. Own: $9.99 to $19.99 | HD: $5.99, SD: $3.99. Own: $9.99 to $19.99 |
| Pros: | Available everywhere, including PS3, Xbox, and iPad. Cheap plan (the lowest is unlimited streaming for $7.99 a month). | Free to view, if you watch it on your computer. | Blockbuster movies available in high definition. | Apple's content is exclusive to Apple hardware. | Availability of most movies on the day of release. |
| Cons: | Lots of movies are still DVD-only and you have to wait 28 days before it's available for rental or streaming. | Price is too high, plus you have to watch advertisements. Also content is mostly television. | Price for HDX movies (1080p streaming) is $5.99 per movie | > Apple's content is exclusive to Apple hardware. | Most of their movies are only standard definition. Newer movies are available in HD, but you have to wait for it to download enough to buffer. |
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