Movies at home: get more for less
Without a doubt, enjoying movies in a cinema is a unique experience. From the massive screens to the Dolby Digital DTS sound systems, the wow factor of a theater can’t be matched. However, due to convenience and affordability, enjoying movies at home, whether on a PC or a large screen plasma display, is the most typical scenario for most movie fans. The options for getting and watching movies at home have certainly expanded in the last decade with the introduction of online movie rental and download services, in addition to the more traditional offerings provided by local video stores, as well as live television and pay-per-view. .
For movie fans on a budget, enjoying more movie views per dollar justifies a quick look at some of the options.
Without a doubt, enjoying movies on live TV, whether it’s cable, broadcast or satellite TV, is the most affordable option. The selection viewers have to choose from is significantly limited by the programming schedule, but there is no cost beyond the typical monthly fee for any premium package. Another free method of enjoying movies is as simple as a visit to the local library. Public libraries lend not only books and CDs, but also VHS and DVD movies. Although the selection is somewhat limited, the price is correct.
Second, online movie rentals have the potential to provide more movie entertainment for the dollar than other paid services. As an example, Netflix offers numerous plans, but their most popular plan allows users to have up to 3 movies at any given time for $17.99 per month. If a typical user watches only 6 movies in a given month, the average would be $2.99 per movie. The price per movie could potentially be lower for those who watch more movies throughout the month; for example, the price per movie would drop to $1.99 if 9 movies were watched throughout the month. The huge selection on offer makes online movie rental services even more valuable; in the case of Netflix, users can select from more than 75,000 titles.
Movie download services and rentals at the local video store are likely to be equivalently priced. Movielink’s rental price, for example, starts at $1.99 and goes up to $4.99, while many video stores have rentals from $2 to $5. The movie selection is currently somewhat larger at local video stores; perhaps 10,000 to 15,000 titles to choose from vs less than 10,000 with most legal movie download services. However, the future may hold a different picture as online movie download services are providing larger libraries over time as more movies are purchased.
Slightly more expensive are pay-per-view movies offered by most cable and satellite TV providers. With average costs of around $3.99 to $4.99, it’s reasonably priced, but can become significantly more expensive than other services if you watch more than one or two movies over the course of a month. Additionally, pay-per-view deals are often restricted to one or two dozen movies at any given time based on a given month’s programming schedule.
Fortunately, whether considering movie downloads, online movie rental services, using the local video store, or pay-per-view, movie fans can enjoy the services risk-free. Movie download services, video stores and pay-per-views are charged per movie with no ongoing commitment to buy more movies. Similarly, while online movie rental programs charge a monthly fee, services like Netflix require no commitment to continue the program and no cancellation fees to discontinue.
From live TV and pay-per-view to movie downloads, online movie rentals and video stores, movie lovers should be able to discover a movie service that offers the movies they love at a price they can afford. Which option works best for your budget will depend on how many movies you tend to watch per month and how wide of a selection you need to find the entertainment you want.