Geek Strand - Battle of the DVD-by-Mail services
Earlier in the year, I started using Blockbuster Online. I got an e-mail about a promotion for a discount and a rebate if I used Paypal to pay. So, I put aside my resistance and agreed to give it a shot.
Up until then, I had been avoiding the fad. There were numerous reasons why, but none of them held up when I started getting my DVDs in the mail.
The service was fast, get a DVD, return it and getting another could be done in about 2-3 days, depending on if you made the mail drop. And if you held on to a DVD for a week or so, no late fees, either.
Blockbuster also had the advantage that I could take my mailed DVDs, drop them off at a local Blockbuster and exchange them for other rental DVDs. 
However, all was not so happy-go-lucky. Going through their library of DVDs, I quickly loaded up my queue with a wide variety of movies, although they were not the movies Blockbuster wanted me to see.
Rarely would I request a new release. As a movie critic, I see all the new premiers, and the ones that I like; I usually buy the day the DVD comes out. So, the popular releases were rarely on my list.
Instead, my queue consisted of a lot of old movies, foreign films, anime and kung fu flicks. However, none of them were coming in the mail.
My first peeve with Blockbuster was movies listing as “UNAVAILABLE” in my queue, despite being in the library. This meant, according to Blockbuster, that they didn’t have it and you weren’t going to get it—ever.
Then most of my selections were listed as “SHORT WAIT,” “LONG WAIT,” and “VERY LONG WAIT.” Blockbuster said this might mean delays of a couple days to a couple weeks. What it really meant is “Keep Dreaming, Fella.” For the six-plus months I was with Blockbuster, I received one “short” title.
Furthermore, despite have “Hawk the Slayer” at the top of my queue for nearly the entire time I was a member, the “very long wait’s” two weeks never ended. Neither did my “long wait” for the “Macross” anime series.
Frustrated at the poor selection Blockbuster offered, my eyes began to turn to Netflix. I considered the change for some time, and the Netflix came to Xbox Live. So, not only could I get DVDs in the mail, but I could watch free movies on my TV via my Xbox 360 or on my computer. And lets stress “FREE” because Blockbuster had computer download rentals available, but they were not free.
Therefore, now I could watch movies or even whole series, from my MacBook Pro, my iMac at home, or on my living room TV (via Xbox). I have been in flashback heaven, watching things like “Buck Rogers in the 25 Century” and old “Doctor Who” episodes. Things that I wouldn’t want to put on my queue and wait for, but would love to watch if I could see it right now…. which Netflix lets you do.
Moreover, they aren’t limited to old stuff. Series like “Dexter,” “Lost,” “Californication” and “The Shield” are also available for instant gratification. The movie selection isn’t quite up to the same quality, but there are a lot of indie films and “not-quite” box-office boomers available to watch.
Oh, and within the first week of being on Netflix, “Hawk the Slayer,” “Macross” and other “Blockbuster’s Very Long Waits” were at my door.
Finally, Netflix wins on price. For Blockbuster, 3-DVD plan (Allowed to have 3 rentals at home at a single time) was over $20 per month. For Netflix, the same plan, plus free online watching, is only $16.95.
So, Blockbuster loses out on every level except for the convenience of local in-store exchanges, and while that was nice, Netflix offers so much more for less.
Christopher Huff is a self-confessed and unrepentant geek who as been living, writing and playing on the Grand Strand for several years. You can learn more about him and his writing at www.piratejournalism.com. Comments can be sent to chris@alternatives.sc
