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DVDs By Mail?
scubacuda asks: "DVD mail rentals are hot right now. Netflix, perhaps the most popular one, costs only $19/month (with free shipping). Since then, a whole new batch of similar DVD rental services have cropped up. What do Slashdot readers look for? Which ones are most reliable, have the best selections, provide free shipping and makes the best movie suggestions?"
I like Netflix-- under the '3 movies out' plan it means we always have 1 in transit, 1 for the kiddies, 1 for me and my spouse. And the fact that we never have to worry about late fees is great.
I just ran the numbers, we averaged just under $3.50 per DVD rented. Given that some we watched the day they arrived (then returned), others we didn't get to for a week, this is pretty great.
You can actually calculate your min cost, based on latency. Assuming a 5-day turnaround (i.e. from when you drop it in your box, to when they receive it and process it [typically within 24 hrs] and mail it back. We have around 2 day's travel each way), it's easy to figure out the min and most likely price.
Each 'slot' can cycle at most 30/turnaround_time, so for a 5-day turnaround that's 6 rentals a month. So the 2-DVD program at $15 is $1.25/CD (assuming you're rabid and watch each movie instantly!). 3-DVD at $21 is $1.66.
But that misses the point-- you're going for convenience and lifestyle. The main selling point isn't cost. It's a) no late fees, watch when you want and b) the Queue.
The Queue rules. You can list any movie you're interested in, and they just ship 'em in order. You can change the order at any time. Interested in Farscape episodes? Add 'em to your queue and you'll get them in order. Never got around to seeing "The Godfather"? Toss it in the queue. I'm up to 124 items in my queue, and anytime someone recommend a movie, I can add it (and prioritize it).
So I like Netflix. Alas, they do have aggressive email marketing-- not quite SPAM, but darn close. They partner with a lot of other sites so you sometimes get Netflix junk for unrelated reasons. This I hate, and it's the one thing that makes me feel guilty about using them. [If they started spoofing headers or such, I'd drop them in an instant. Right now, they're just being pushy.]
A.