The Griffon News

Technology takes couch potato to new extremes with home-delivered movies

You no longer have to feel the shame of going to rent movies by yourself anymore because you don’t even need to leave your house to get a movie. The company Netflix was established in 1998 and is one of the largest online DVD rental service, offering flat-rate rental by mail to customers in the United States. The company provides a monthly flat-fee service for the rental of DVD movies, which subscribers put on ordered lists online.

DVDs are delivered individually through the United States Postal Service from an array of different regional warehouses.

Currently, Netflix has five plans availiable to rent movies, depending on the customers needs. Plans are available, ranging from one movie at a time with two movie rentals allowed per month, up to four movies at a time with no return date. Pricing of these plans ranges from $4.99 per month up to $23.99 per month.

According to a customer service representative from Netflix, the most popular rental plan is the three DVD option, which costs $17.99 a month.

Western student Anna Flin said she likes the convenience.

“The reason I use Netflix is because they come straight to the house and you don’t have to worry about picking them up at the movie store,” she said. “I also like it because they carry TV shows that some movie stores don’t carry.”

Some perks of using Netflix are that the shipping is always free, both ways. After customers select their movies, they usually arrive within one business day by mail. When you’re done with the movies, simply put them back in the prepaid envelope and mail it back. Once Netflix receives it, they send the next available DVD on the list. Cancellation of membership can be done at anytime via phone or email, with no fees.

The success of Netflix has inspired a number of other DVD rental companies. Even Wal-Mart began an online rental service. Amazon.com has an online rental service in the UK and Germany, but hasn’t shown an interest yet in starting one in the U.S.

Blockbuster Video, one of the world’s largest store-rental chain, entered the online market in August 2004 when it launched Blockbuster Online. In November 2006, Blockbuster launched a new version of its service, Blockbuster Online Total Access. The service features many of the same features as Netflix, featuring an option for one movie at a time, twice a month for $5.99 and a $7.99 plan featuring one movie out at a time, three times a month.

And in this world of portable digital technology you just don’t have to have a TV to watch movies or your favorite shows.

In October 12, 2005, Apple introduced iTunes 6.0. It added support for purchasing and viewing of video content from the iTunes Music Store, in which you can use an Ipod video to watch them on. So far, it offers over 200 television shows for download, including most recently, additions from Discovery Channel, Comedy Central, MTV and FOX.

“It’s a fun way to wait between classes and something to use in the gym,” Western student Tabitha Davis said.

It was also reported that the number of feature-length movies offered on iTunes as of January 12, 2007, reached 199.