Goodbye to Blockbusters, now need a solution please!!

[Gio G]

So, having just found out that our local city Blockbusters store will be soon turned into a local convenience store (Morrison’s), I am left pretty underwhelmed..

I used to like selecting DVD's with the kids over the weekend, buying popcorn and all that other stuff you don't need... ok, maybe I am clearly in the minority and not moved with the times...

If I can no longer rent DVD's, what is the best way to download them or should I say the best provider out there to offer the best and most competitive service?

I am also challenged by the fact that I do not have a fancy smart TV, therefore what hardware do I buy to retrieve this service? I have just recently downgraded my Sky to take out my Sky Movies (not worth it IMO)..There is a PlayStation in the house, however this is reserved for MY sons bedroom.

I have an old Pioneer Plasma screen, which takes 1 hd slot.. That is what happens when you’re an early adopter any feedback would be great..

Thanks G

[durbster]

You can still rent DVDs through LoveFilm or Netflix; you just have to browse online rather than in the shop.

You pay a monthly subscription, add a load of films to your list and they send you a film from the list one after another. It's easy and quick enough, the only real problem is you don't know which film you're getting from your list until it's sent.

Otherwise you're looking at online streaming services. The least disruptive option is to buy something like a WDTV Live. Connect one end to your TV and the other to your internet connection (wifi or wired), then you simply use one of the provided services to browse and purchase films online and pay per film as you would with Blockbuster.

As long as you have a decent internet connection it's great, and you'll soon see why the bricks and mortar version had no future

[Griff Boy]

Or buy something like Apple TV, connect it into your hdmi input, and stream Netflix directly?

[AB]

Griff Boy said:

Or buy something like Apple TV, connect it into your hdmi input, and stream Netflix directly?

This is what I do.

You don't get the latest releases like you used to in Blockbuster but its working out fantastic value for me.

[durbster]

Griff Boy said:

Or buy something like Apple TV, connect it into your hdmi input, and stream Netflix directly?

The WDTV is cheaper and has many more services though so I'd say that's probably a better option (unless the OP already has some Apple kit of course).

Alternatively, if you wanted to pay a bit more you could get a PS3 which would give you all the above plus catchup services too (iPlayer, ITV player, 4Od etc.). The PS4 is due to be announced tonight so PS3 prices might drop off over the next few months too.

Alternatively, alternatively, you could get a Blu-Ray player as some of those feature on-demand films but they tend to be quite a bit more expensive I've found.

[vixen1700]

Yeah, Netflix through the PS3 is quick and easy to set up for a fiver a month.

Just hoping they start adding lots more titles as I've found it a little limited after about 3 months of having it.

[MagicalTrevor]

We used to have Sky Movies and rented movies from Blockbuster on occasion. Stopped all that, got FreeSat HD, AppleTV and now use iTunes for rentals and Netflix for random stuff. Netflix was a massive hit with our Niece (11) and Nephew (7) when they came to visit recently. Sit them in front of the neglectatron give them the AppleTV remote and off they went... peace!

[blindswelledrat]

Gio G said:

So, having just found out that our local city Blockbusters store will be soon turned into a local convenience store (Morrison’s), I am left pretty underwhelmed..

I used to like selecting DVD's with the kids over the weekend, buying popcorn and all that other stuff you don't need... ok, maybe I am clearly in the minority and not moved with the times...

If I can no longer rent DVD's, what is the best way to download them or should I say the best provider out there to offer the best and most competitive service?

I am also challenged by the fact that I do not have a fancy smart TV, therefore what hardware do I buy to retrieve this service? I have just recently downgraded my Sky to take out my Sky Movies (not worth it IMO)..There is a PlayStation in the house, however this is reserved for MY sons bedroom.

I have an old Pioneer Plasma screen, which takes 1 hd slot.. That is what happens when you’re an early adopter any feedback would be great..

Thanks G

You're in teh same boat as me as I love watching films and love taking the kids there at the weekend etc.
You're in for a bit of a shock too, because none of the online film download providers have a decent selection of the up to date films.
From my discoveries itunes is hte best for the most up to date selection but falls far short of having the choice of blockbusters.
Apart from that, they are pretty much all crap with a very limited selection or a very out of date selection.
Ive always been hugely anti 'stealing' films but as far as I can tell, downloading illegally for free is the only way you cant get anywhere close to blockbusters selection.

[OldSkoolRS]

You can still rent films from Blockbuster as well, but only on line. I think it's about £10 a month for 2 discs at a time (as many discs as you can watch and post back so probably at least 2 a week which means £1.25 a disc if it's a 4 week month. No extra charge for BluRays either. I pay the extra for the 3 discs at a time deal from Blockbuster since in the winter we can get through 3 discs over a weekend on the projector, so I make sure I only select BluRays since they don't cost any more and look much better than a DVD on a big screen.

[Gio G]

Thanks for the feedback.. So looks like Apple TV is the best solution..Renting movies off itunes?

Looking at the prices, £4.49 for say Skyfall, that comes in HD, so will be comparable to blue-ray rental prices? Looks a little expensive. I assume it expires after so many days? Bit new to this sorry...

[durbster]

I'd only get an Apple TV if you have other Apple kit, otherwise you're simply paying more and getting less.

[MagicalTrevor]

Gio G said:

Thanks for the feedback.. So looks like Apple TV is the best solution..Renting movies off itunes?

Looking at the prices, £4.49 for say Skyfall, that comes in HD, so will be comparable to blue-ray rental prices? Looks a little expensive. I assume it expires after so many days? Bit new to this sorry...

There have been comparisons of iTunes 1080p vs bluray and the results were surprisingly good. Clearly they have to compress it to get the file size down and friendly for broadband speeds.

[blindswelledrat]

Gio G said:

Thanks for the feedback.. So looks like Apple TV is the best solution..Renting movies off itunes?

Looking at the prices, £4.49 for say Skyfall, that comes in HD, so will be comparable to blue-ray rental prices? Looks a little expensive. I assume it expires after so many days? Bit new to this sorry...

For iTunes you can also choose standard definition on most of them for 3.50 so it is comparable. You download it (takes an hour or so) and you have 48 hours from the point you start watching it

[OldSkoolRS]

MagicalTrevor said:

There have been comparisons of iTunes 1080p vs bluray and the results were surprisingly good. Clearly they have to compress it to get the file size down and friendly for broadband speeds.

Probably OK on a smaller screen, but even BluRay isn't perfect all the time on a projector screen, so I hope this doesn't trigger a downward quality trend similar to MP3 verses CD (or at least lets hope there is the video equivalent of a FLAC file).

[RedLeicester]

MagicalTrevor said:

There have been comparisons of iTunes 1080p vs bluray and the results were surprisingly good. Clearly they have to compress it to get the file size down and friendly for broadband speeds.

Then whomsoever did those comparisons should be shot.

[MagicalTrevor]

RedLeicester said:

MagicalTrevor said:

There have been comparisons of iTunes 1080p vs bluray and the results were surprisingly good. Clearly they have to compress it to get the file size down and friendly for broadband speeds.

Then whomsoever did those comparisons should be shot.

I said 'surprisingly good' rather than 'almost the same'

I think the iTunes HD 1080p downloads are something like 3.5GB rather than 30GB (for an uncompressed MKV of a bluray). It's not 10-15% of the quality is my point

[talkssense]

Which Sky box have you got? If it's HD just connect it to the broadband and use Sky on demand?

[RedLeicester]

MagicalTrevor said:

I think the iTunes HD 1080p downloads are something like 3.5GB rather than 30GB (for an uncompressed MKV of a bluray). It's not 10-15% of the quality is my point

Agreed on that score - they are surprisingly good for their narrow bandwidth, but blu-ray quality they are not by a long stretch.

[BeillyNoy]

Or if you're after recent releases, what about Sky's NOWTV? Miles better than Netflix for new stuff.
And, if I recall correctly there's even a free trial. Or at least a heavy discount for a few months.