DVD On- Line Rentals

[Tosh McCaber]

Has anyone tried any of the companies set up to provide DVD rentals ordered on- line rentals- I've seen adverts for ScreenSelect and Channel Four. How is the service? Selection? Any better than others?

I was thinking of chopping my subscription for the c..p film channels on Sky, which are, on the whole second class and absolutely repetitive, and spending the money saved on on-line rentals, which seem to have a much larger selection.

[Genghis the Engineer]

I've subscribed to Screenselect for quite some time, and still do.

What it offers is pretty straightforward, you pay so much per month by direct debit, which allows you to construct a list of DVDs I'd like to watch on their website from a fairly phenomenally long list. When you start they post an initial selection out to you, then whenever you've finished, you put it back in the reply paid envelope, post it back, and about 2 days later you get something else off your list through the door.

(Cut and pasted from their website) this is the packages available:-

1 Disc (4 per month) £7.99
1 Disc Unlimited £9.99
2 Discs (5 per month) £9.99
2 Discs Unlimited £12.49
3 Discs Unlimited £14.99


I have the £15 package and it quietly and unpretentiously gives me what it says - an unlimited supply of movies, from a list I picked with usually 2 or 3 sat there on top of the telly - and of-course it starts when I choose, and it's something I should actually want to watch. If you are a serious obsessive you could I suppose watch about 10 movies a week.

Issues to do with it:-

- There are LOADS of old TV series available on there, which they'll post out in order (for example, I rather enjoy Angel, put that to the front of your list and that's what you keep getting in order. The flipside is that Mrs.G who doesn't like Angel get's a bit grumpy over having nothing else to watch for a few weeks (that said, I have found that my going onto the website and downgrading the priority of that after getting the first couple of disks, it stops this happening, and thus improves my home life
:} ). [It does a fine selection of Dr.Who as well, which fortunately Mrs.G enjoys as much as I do.]

- They claim 31,000 titles, which is more than I'm ever going to get through.

- If you help it by rating the films you've seen (just a mouse click) it uses that to make what the computer thinks are appropriate recommendations. Clicking on "recommendations" just now, about 70% of that is stuff I'd actually quite like to watch, so it's not doing too badly. (Although why on EARTH does it think I or Mrs.G want to watch "Sharks tale").

- Very nice search facility on the website, and you can also advance order stuff currently at the cinema, or coming releases (TV series DVD sets for example).

- You never actually quite know what they'll send you next! Depending upon mood, this is either rather fun, or quite annoying - take your pick.

- Before christmas, they sent a bonus extra DVD out so you have more to watch before they sent their staff for a break.

- Some interesting obscure stuff as well. For example, I very much enjoyed this, which isn't everybody's cup of tea. (http://www.screenselect.co.uk/dvd/detail.html?product_id=8764)


Overall, I think at £15/month it's good value. I just have this and a non-subscription sky box, and between those have more to watch than I have time for.

G

[Beagle-eye]

I use Tesco (www.tescodvdrental.com/visitor/home.html). Costs 7.97 per month for 4 disks. Easy to use. Justs watch the DVD, pop it back into the supplied envelope and send it back. A new one comes a couple of days later. Terrific library of films to choose from. :ok:

[Genghis the Engineer]

Just looked at that, worthy of comment that

(a) Tesco is £1/month cheaper for the same as Screenselect, and

(b) The website looks suspiciously like a direct copy of Screenselect's. (Could it be perchance that Tesco is subcontracting?)

I'm not about to change for £12pa difference, too much like hard work, but if I was starting from scratch might give them a go..


G