Warner, Paramount, Disney, Fox, Lions Gate to Join iTunes Rentals

[mambodancer]

Netflix Delivers DVD Rentals To You
With Netflix you can rent as many DVDs as you want and watch movies instantly on your PC for one low price. There are no late fees and no due dates, and DVD shipping is free both ways. Plans start from only $4.99 plus applicable tax. With our most popular plan, you can rent as many DVDs as you want (3 DVDs at-a-time) and watch 17 hours of movies instantly on your PC all for just $16.99 a month plus applicable tax. There are no additional charges. Click here to learn about other available plans.

Free DVD Shipping and Postage
Select your DVDs after sign-up and they should arrive in your mailbox in about 1 business day via U.S. mail. When you finish watching a movie, simply put it in its prepaid envelope and mail it back to us. After we receive your returned DVD, we'll send the next available DVD from your list. Shipping is always free both ways — no hidden charges. Plus, you can instantly watch movies and TV episodes instantly on your PC for no additional charge!

More Than 90,000 Movies
We have a wide selection of movies available. As a member, you'll be able to choose from any of our 90,000 DVD titles, including new releases, as well as over 6,000 movies and TV episodes such as The Matrix, Super Size Me, and The Office that you can watch instantly on your PC. Our web site is available 24 hours a day and makes finding movies simple and convenient.

Cost
Our most popular plan, 3 at-a-time (Unlimited)/17 hours instantly on your PC, is $16.99 plus any applicable tax per month. Click here to learn about other available plans. There are no additional charges. There are no late fees or due dates!

FREE TRIAL
New customers are eligible for a free trial. To avoid being charged after your trial, simply cancel your account before the trial ends. If you are enjoying Netflix, do nothing and your membership will automatically continue on the plan you have selected for as long as you choose to remain a member. See Terms of Use for complete membership and free trial details.

Getting Started
To get started with your FREE TRIAL, simply click the "Free Trial" button anywhere on the site and complete our sign-up process. Once signed up, use our web site to choose your movies.

Cancellation
You can easily cancel anytime, online, 24 hours a day. There are no cancellation fees.

About Netflix
Netflix is the world's largest online DVD rental service. In 2007, Netflix began offering members the ability to watch movies instantly on their PCs. Each month, Netflix provides movie entertainment to more than 7 million satisfied customers.

http://www.netflix.com/HowItWorks

-----

Anything less sucks.

Watch movies instantly on a Windows PC, not a Mac. Only a percentage of movies are even available for "Watch Now." Hopefully this will change. Also, the amount of time available for "Watch Now" is based on the plan you have. It is not unlimited.

You have to wait until the DVD is shipped.

Hope that your account isn't being throttled.

Netflix is great for what it is. An iTunes service would fill in the gaps for instant gratification.

 

[redfirebird08]

24 hours is ridiculous and I can't think people would be stupid enough to pay 4 bucks for a movie rental that is probably gonna take 3 hours alone to download and only last 1 day! It takes less time and less money to go to the Blockbuster in my town and I can keep the movie for a few days and watch it on a big TV.

Another option is those kiosks in grocery stores that charge $1.08 including tax for a 24 hour DVD rental. Their selection isn't that great but they usually have all the new releases. I rented Superbad from there not too long ago when I was home with my parents from college for the Christmas break because I tried to rent it from Hollywood but they told my sister and I that my mom is the only one who could rent on the account, which was nonsense because I'd rented from there dozens of times without my mom being around. The employees were looking pretty lazy; it was obvious they didn't want to help us. So we stopped by the grocery store that is literally a minute from our parents' house and got it from the kiosk. Way better deal than what iTunes is offering and also better than the video stores because there's no membership required and you can rent for just a night if you want.

 

[Pandaboots]

OK OK OK Let's get a grip on reality here...

Let's look at this sensibly. Apple loves selling iPods and we love buying them..(Thanks Apple!) Now, if Apple were to get into the rental business, would it really make sense to only give us a 24 hour window from download? No, it wouldn't. So, Apple will give us up to 30 days from download to push play, and once we push play that sucker is dead after 24 hours, or 36, 72 whatever. That way we can all load up our iPods, iPhones, with a few rentals to take on a trip and enjoy the experience at a fraction of the cost of owning. I can also see Apple utilizing the "complete my album" function for those of us who want to go ahead and buy the movie and just pay the difference. I see rentals as the gateway to getting more people to try the movies which will lead to more sales of movies and more sales of iPods (especially the more expensive touch) and more TV's (assuming they up the specs and features). It makes sense though, why let us have enough time to watch a movie multiple times and get burned out on it? Give us a taste and get us to buy it.

As for TV...I really think people want and truly desire downloads over physical media. There's convenience, environmental impacts to consider(gas cost to drive to and from stores/ no plastic trash from packaging and containers / think about all the energy and resources that go into making plastic discs and the transportation logistics involved in supplying every Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, Blockbuster....you get my point.) Me being a minimalist, I love the idea of downloaded media and utilizing time machine to back up to one hard disk. I hate clutter and I hate having a lot of things, so, stacks of cds and dvds is not a desire of mine anymore.

With that being said, I am having a real issue with losing quality, whether it be through 128kbps songs or "near dvd quality" movies and yet paying the same price as the physical counterparts for sake of convenience. If I'd have to guess I think this is the real root of everyone's frustration with what's happening with the change over to online media. Once Apple can offer us every song in 256kbps and true dvd quality movies and give us a better living room iPodapple:TV) no one is going to be truly content with all of this.

No one would blink and eye at $4 online rental if it compared to any DVD one currently owns. I've paid more than that for VHS rentals back in the day (and that day wasn't too long ago). Sure the pricing could be a little better, but if Apple can deliver equal quality to a physical disc coupled with the convenience, they have a winner. Think about this...In the same amount of time it would take you to get out the door to head to blockbuster or to order your next 3 movies on Netflix, you could click download on iTunes, throw on some popcorn, grab a drink and be watching a movie. Let's hope Apple has made some head way with all these studios to give us the quality we desire at a price we deserve.

 

[Janakin]

umm, walk?

I live in a major metro area. The closest Redbox is a 1.7 miles roundtrip from my house. The cost of starting the car on a cold night and driving in city traffic in a Jeep Grand Cherokee or similar mid-size vehicle is at LEAST a dollar in terms of wear and tear, gas and time.

Um, why not just walk? I live in Tokyo, Japan and walking 1.7 miles is nothing for having to go to a store to get something. Walking at a normal pace, that's like only a 30 minute trip.

Or get a bicycle?

 

[dante@sisna.com]

Um, why not just walk? I live in Tokyo, Japan and walking 1.7 miles is nothing for having to go to a store to get something. Walking at a normal pace, that's like only a 30 minute trip.

Or get a bicycle?

I walk many times and I have a bike.

But that is not the point. Is it.

The point is that that closest Redbox is in a high traffic area that one would be nuts to walk in the winter -- we get a lot of snow in Salt Lake City. You'd be dead, dead on that route. What fun is that to get a 99¢ movie.

I justify the drive by ONLY renting when I shop for my groceries. I eat a lot of food -- too much to carry in a backpack or on a bike.

 

[dante@sisna.com]

In other words, if not forced to leave the comfy confines of your home to rent a movie, you are a complete shut-in?

Yeah, I suppose that for you at-home delivery is the only reasonable option.

The idea of Redbox is that you are going places on a daily basis anyway, so the incremental cost is [walk from checkout at your local grocery store to the Redbox terminal], which is substantially less than [start car, drive to video store, walk around video store to locate appetizing entertainment, stand in line, start car again, drive home]. Since you can rent from one redbox and return at another, so long as you are venturing out into the big scary world on a semi-daily basis you're pretty much always at $0 additional cost to use their service. Even if you're not going to a McDonalds, Wal-Mart, Raleys, SaveMart, FoodMaxx, etc: you're likely already at least driving past one, if not already stopping at a store in the same parking lot, at least once a day.

Edit: the above having been said, Redbox's selection is atrocious. At least you can see how bad it is and make your decisions before standing in front of the machine at the store, but physical delivery and every-corner-store convenience and outstanding selection are somewhat akin to on-time, on-budget, and fully-featured: you can pick any two.

Ah, no, don't speak for my life.

I spend a great deal of time in society.

I focus my time carefully on my career, my fitness and my time in the Wasatch Mountains. (Salt Lake's Rocky Mountains -- beautiful!)

I don't spend my time at Walmart, McDonalds (argh), nor do I frequent many areas that are close to RedBox locations. Yes I avoid the traditional Consumerism Traps. No I am not a shut in: again, I spend my society time with work, service, fitness, and outdoors.

 

[brsboarder]

My guess is that this will flop, but probably due to the movie studies rather than apple. It could have been sooo promising. I'm just hoping that whoever does it next is compatible with my mac

 

[NightStorm]

You are correct. It's 8.99 for unlimted one at a time. STILL A HELL OF A BETTER DEAL for the average consumer.

8.99 NETFLIX for the WIN!

Yes, until you're sitting at home, sick, on a Friday night and none of your Netflix queue has arrived yet because all of the titles you want are on backorder. In theory, with AppleTV, you'll be able to select the title and instantly start watching it a couple minutes later (depending on your connection of course). This is where PPV/VOD has always excelled (as well as the convenience).

 

[NightStorm]

I hope everyone that is demanding Apple include 5.1 realizes that if they did, it would have to be AAC 5.1 as you can't stuff AC3 into a MP4 container and make it compliant. So, they'd need to update the AppleTV to transcode AAC5.1 to AC3 on the fly, or tell everyone to buy AAC-compatible receivers (of which I know of none currently on the market).

 

[9Z Electronics]

This will be hugh!

I mentioned it to several of my clients and they all think the $4 price tag is fantastic. Several of them have commented that it may be enough to have them discontinue their netflix service.

They must be terribly dim whited if they would cancel their NetFlix account for $4 movies! That is simply STUPID! I hope you are kidding. I have Blockbuster on-line and I think it is GREAT. If they rented HD-DVD's I would stay with them but I just signed-up for the NetFlix trial service to compare the two. At $4 a movie through iTunes versus $8 at NetFlix for all the movies you catch watch in a month? Give me a break!

What if the NetFlix box allows for you to rent movies at $1 each or allow for a subscription based system? This is Apple at its most egotistical self. I am a HUGE Apple fan and own many Apple products including the iPhone, iPod Nano, iPod video, a MacBook a PowerBook and an iBook - but $4 movies (if that is indeed correct) is the silliest move since the ill-fated StarMac!

Get real Apple - remove your collective head from your collective rear-ends and wise up! You can get more for the same product based on UI and aesthetics but half what NetFlix charges for UNLIMITED rentals with no time limit for just one iTunes movie rental? Dumb, simply dumb.

 

[Project]

They must be terribly dim whited if they would cancel their NetFlix account for $4 movies! That is simply STUPID! I hope you are kidding. I have Blockbuster on-line and I think it is GREAT. If they rented HD-DVD's I would stay with them but I just signed-up for the NetFlix trial service to compare the two. At $4 a movie through iTunes versus $8 at NetFlix for all the movies you catch watch in a month? Give me a break!

What if the NetFlix box allows for you to rent movies at $1 each or allow for a subscription based system? This is Apple at its most egotistical self. I am a HUGE Apple fan and own many Apple products including the iPhone, iPod Nano, iPod video, a MacBook a PowerBook and an iBook - but $4 movies (if that is indeed correct) is the silliest move since the ill-fated StarMac!

Get real Apple - remove your collective head from your collective rear-ends and wise up! You can get more for the same product based on UI and aesthetics but half what NetFlix charges for UNLIMITED rentals with no time limit for just one iTunes movie rental? Dumb, simply dumb.

Unlimited yes, if you want to wait a few days for the DVD to be delivered.

I guess charging $10 to watch a movie at the cinema with no rewinding, no pausing, travel costs to get there and back, no transferring it to your iPod, is much better right?

 

[freediverdude]

I haven't had time to read all the pages, so I hope this hasn't been covered a zillion times, but this would basically be the same model as the Amazon Unbox to Tivo service. In fact, exactly the same. Amazon has the 24 hour time limit once you press play, most recent releases are $3.99 unless there's a sale, and you click one button and it downloads the movie automatically to your Tivo box. So I imagine Apple has studied the results of Amazon pretty closely to see if that system is selling well.

 

[citi]

AFAIK, a PS3 is still more expensive than an AppleTV, and, unless you're a gamer (I'm not), you probably don't have one. Same applies to those advocating the use of an XBox 360 as a media center. IMO, these devices simply don't appeal to the general public. However, something that lets you watch movies, display photo slideshows, and play music through your home entertainment system may.

You should probably do research before you make incorrect statements like this. The XBOX and PS3 let you do all these things and do it very smoothly. The PS3 even has an internet browser with bluetooth for your keyboard.

Let's be clear, the general public is more likely to have an XBox or PS3 rather than an TV. Anyone with kids can justify purchasing a gaming console over another media player.

 

[BobVB]

I hope everyone that is demanding Apple include 5.1 realizes that if they did, it would have to be AAC 5.1 as you can't stuff AC3 into a MP4 container and make it compliant. So, they'd need to update the AppleTV to transcode AAC5.1 to AC3 on the fly, or tell everyone to buy AAC-compatible receivers (of which I know of none currently on the market).

Well one, who says it has to be 'compliant'? Just include a AC3 sound track in the file in addition to the default prologic one and those that can use it can use it? And yes the AppleTV must have some means of 5.1 delivery if its going to be seen as even close to equal in value of a physical DVD or an industry PPV.

Again, until digital delivery has standard audio its a toy - cute for my iPod or iPhone, an amusement for my HD Television. Maybe there are some people who only want to watch a movie on their iPod or iPhone but same price as 'the real deal'? Come on - how stupid are consumers?

 

[DiamondMac]

Sounds like a solid plan but until the time limit for watching is extended by a lot more days, I will stay with my current plan of Netflix, Blockbuster, or PPV

Just not worth it, imo

 

[TatsuTerror]

Yes, until you're sitting at home, sick, on a Friday night and none of your Netflix queue has arrived yet because all of the titles you want are on backorder. In theory, with AppleTV, you'll be able to select the title and instantly start watching it a couple minutes later (depending on your connection of course). This is where PPV/VOD has always excelled (as well as the convenience).

Do you have Netflix? Netflix has perfected their system, and though Apple's idea is convenient, I don't see it catching on. If I don't want to get TV, why should I have to watch a movie on a tiny screen when I could watch one on my large television?

 

[NightStorm]

Do you have Netflix? Netflix has perfected their system, and though Apple's idea is convenient, I don't see it catching on. If I don't want to get TV, why should I have to watch a movie on a tiny screen when I could watch one on my large television?

I did, but don't have it anymore. I found that I would either a) not get the titles I wanted quickly (long wait), or b) forget that I had a movie for a couple weeks before I'd finally get around to watching it. I'd usually simply forget that the movie had arrived only to find it under a pile of papers on my desk a couple days later.

As I have an AppleTV, this way seems entirely more convenient to me. No more waiting for discs to arrive and waiting for Netflix to get them back to send off the next one.

 

[9Z Electronics]

Unlimited yes, if you want to wait a few days for the DVD to be delivered.

I guess charging $10 to watch a movie at the cinema with no rewinding, no pausing, travel costs to get there and back, no transferring it to your iPod, is much better right?

You cannot be serious! You can do all that with NetFlix. If you subscribe to Blockbuster on-line you can take your movie into the store and exchange it for one in the store. Are we that lazy as a culture that we would waste MORE MONEY for the convenience of not leaving the house? Get real. I would not pay $4 a movie when $8.99 gets you unlimited rentals. Wait a day or two for a movie or stock-up before the weekend (or when ever you have a down-day). Please, people. I guess our culture is decadent and must have disposable income to throw away. Wow - send some my way.