Go to the profile of I r f a n _ B a i g
I r f a n _ B a i g
Codeslinger; Technology, #aspnet, #SharePoint, Movies, #DallasMavericks, #SeattleSeahawks, Travel, 90's rock music and stuff.

Why I miss Blockbuster

… oh Hollywood video, or whichever movie rental library was in the neighborhood.

Blockbuster was the only place you would find almost any and every movie you’d want to watch. But the late fees were brutal, yet righteous.

Then came Netflix, of course, which pushed people like myself into becoming movie buffs — watching the newest releases as well as rarest classics on the 2-day DVD mailer. And then came Netflix streaming, and now Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Go, Crackle and the likes.

I can’t find all movies I wish to see on Netflix streaming. Some movies are streaming for a little while before they are removed from Netflix and suddenly land on Amazon Prime Video. Some titles are on neither streaming services; especially if they’re playing on pay-cable channels such as HBO, Starz, Showtime etc.. And sometimes, you can’t find a movie anywhere.

A few months ago, when my in-laws visited, my father-in-law, a classic move aficionado like myself, wanted to watch Guns of Navarone. It wasn’t on Netflix, nor on any of the premium cable channels (I pay dearly for my TV package). Even the local libraries did not have it in stock. The only option was to rent it, which would defeat the purpose of having Netflix and premium cable, IMHO.

If you are a cord-cutter, or won’t sleep until you find a certain title to watch, here are your options:

  • Rent to stream it: YouTube (yes), Vudu, Amazon Prime — costing between $2.99 and 9.99 to rent for a 24-hour watching period
  • Rent it from your cable provider, the most expensive renting option
  • Rent the DVD/BluRay from RedBox or SafeWay (also 24-hour rentals, and limited to new titles only)
  • Only Free Option: your local library, browse their online catalog
  • Purchase the DVD/BluRay: You can get used ones at Half Price Books or ebay/Amazon
  • You’re probably in luck if you also have the Netflix DVD-by-mail subscription, they happen have the biggest catalog for rental options

The best way to find out on which platform a certain movie or TV series is streaming, use the site/app canistream.it