internet dvd rentals

Tech, TV, Mobile, Internet and Geek Corner
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Thanks, Boxman

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I have not checked any of those services myself yet, but does any of them offer streamed movies - like netflix does - as well?

43
Try your local public library. They have new release movies that you can check out for a week for free. There is a small annual fee, but overall I pay less than when I had netflix.

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Just to update this thread in case anyone has the same question as many of the links provided in the previous answers are understandably out-of-date (although I'm sure many have moved to downloading/streaming content from iTunes, Netflix, etc.).

There are two sites that I would recommend: www.hollystar.com (based in Neuchatel) and www.moviemaxx.ch (based in Valais). These are (in some cases) the same sites you will navigate to if you try some of the web addresses in the other posts.

Depending on the membership you take, rentals costs range from approximately CHF 4 (Moviemaxx has a large selection at CHF 2.90 per movie) to CHF 8 per movie. Both operate by post -- i.e., you create an online account, you select your movies (DVD or Blu Ray), you receive them by mail (in theory, the following day -- although this depends on the postal system and where you live) and you return them (for free) by mail. With Hollystar, your account is linked to your credit card (VISA and MC only) and charges are made to it when you order. With Moviemaxx, you pay by Bulletin de Versement (BdV) which arrives with the movies.

Hollystar has the best selection of movies -- by far. Their catalogue of foreign and older movies is broad and deep. However, you can only order two films at a time. And ordering a Blu Ray movie adds a CHF 1.50 premium to your bill per film. Moviemaxx has the advantage of letting you order up to 8 movies at a time, and you need only pay within 30 days.

Both companies will not let you rent additional movies until they receive back those that you ordered.

Hollystar has a slightly more robust website. And it's prettier. The Moviemaxx website can, on occasion, get stuck, forcing you to start again. Both allow you to create a wish list of movies from which then to rent. Hollystar will also let you reserve a film in advance (for CHF 1 extra) or receive alerts when a film you want to rent is available. A similar secured "turbo" reservation at Moviemaxx costs CHF 2 per film -- and you are guaranteed to get the movie within 10 days. On the Moviemaxx website, you can sort your wish list by title, availability and release date. Strangely, you can't sort by title on Hollystar but, helpfully, you can sort by age limits and language (both dialogue and subtitles). When you rent a movie from your wish list, it automatically disappears from that list, but you have to mask already-rented movies from your wish list at Hollystar. Hollystar offers a comprehensive VOD service (streaming video to your TV, moviebox or PC/MAC) which Moviemaxx does not. Moviemaxx offers language support in English, French and German; Hollystar only offers French & German (this can make searching for a movie, with a different title depending on the language, problematic, requiring you to sometimes have to search also by actor/director).

Customer support for both is prompt and helpful, even if you only communicate in English.

Bottom Line:

Both sites do well on price per film. Hollystar wins hands-down in terms of breadth of movie catalogue, especially foreign (beyond English) and website reliability. Moviemaxx wins in terms of English language website support, the number of movies you can rent at a time, some search features within the website, and payment terms.

But why quibble -- use both services and get the best of each!

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2016 Update: Hollystar has changed its business model. Now you can "pay-as-you-go," with each movie costing CHF 8.40. Alternatively, you pay a monthly fee of slightly under CHF 20.00, and each rented movie then costs CHF 4.00. This compares to a previous annual membership of approximately CHF 400 for unlimited rentals. Under the old model, and assuming a two-film-per-week rental style (about the best you can hope for when ordering and returning movies by post), that meant a cost per film of approximately CHF 3.85. Under the new scheme, assuming the same rental style, your average cost per rental increases to approximately CHF 4.30, a roughly 11.5% increase in price. It's a shame that the "all-you-can-eat" annual rental scheme has been cancelled (I suspect the upfront cost was too much for subscribers, hence the new monthly model) and that the like-for-like cost increase is what it is, but it's hard to fault a door-to-door postal service (which is free) where the average cost per movie is still so low. I'm a fan of this service. My only complaint after 15 months of using it is that they often have insufficient stock of recent films, meaning you have to wait a long time for the most popular movies to be available on DVD. I've seen a few on English SKY Movies before they've been available from Hollystar. But if you're willing to wait (and don't forget, they have a Video on Demand service for direct streaming -- my comments relate to the DVD postal option), and/or are interested in a very comprehensive catalogue, they are hard to beat.

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Hi

I do not think Hollystar is that great. I signed up for free 1 month trail and have been trying to contact them by email/phone since a week to cancel but with no luck. No one picks the call center number. Its always busy.

I would not recommend Hollystar based on my experience.

Cheers