Things You'll Need:
- Internet access
- DVD player
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Step 1
Find out how many movies the company carries--information often included on the site in the "About Us" link. Of course, the more movies that are available, the better the chance that you'll find something to your liking.
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Step 2
Examine the different rental plans. How many movies per month do you realistically need?
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Step 3
Find out how long it takes for the movies to be delivered to you. The bigger sites have more shipping facilities across the country, so chances are the movies will get to you more quickly. However, if a smaller company happens to have a shipping facility near you, it might be able to get films to you just as quickly. Unfortunately, you can determine the shipping speeds only by trying out the sites.
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Step 4
See how long the wait is for the movies on the site. Do many of them say "Available now" or "Long wait"?
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Step 5
Test the site's search function to see how easy it is to find what you're looking for. Can you search by star, director or genre?
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Step 6
Find out if the company offers television shows on DVD in addition to movies.
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Step 7
See how much information the site contains about the movies. At the very least, it should be able to tell you the movie's rating, cast, genre, length, year in which it was released, give a plot summary and list the DVD's features. Some sites might even show video previews.
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Step 8
Find out if the site allows users to rate and review the movies, which provide unbiased opinions that can help you choose what to watch.
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Step 9
Determine if there are any unique features to the service. For instance, Netflix allows you to watch certain movies online, while Blockbuster allows you to return the movies to your local store and with ILetYou, you rent from other users of the site.
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Step 10
See what sort of customer support is available. Is there a telephone number you can call with problems, or do you have to send an email?
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Step 11
Decide if you're interested in specialty DVDs. A site like Greencine focuses on independent films, for instance, while CinFlix features Asian movies and ChristianCinema.com has Christian-themed content.
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Step 12
Find out what movie ratings the company carries. Some sites, like Family Pass, don't carry R-rated films, while CleanFilms even edits movies' content to make them more family-friendly. On the other side of the spectrum, sites like Greencine have separate sections for adult movies.
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Step 13
Read user reviews of various online DVD rental companies from neutral consumer sites to see if any particular complaints pop up over and over again.
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Step 14
Sign up for a free trial. Many of the sites offer anywhere from one week to one month free, so take advantage of it, and pay attention to shipping times and the availability of movies.
