Netflix Review

Netflix is the most well known online DVD rental service having been established in 1998 and announcing the delivery of its billionth DVD on February 25, 2007.

Clearly Netflix has more experience, and a larger customer base then it's biggest rival, Blockbuster Online Total Access.

To be perfectly honest, in the opinion of this editor, Netflix is only slightly better overall than Blockbuster is, and the differences seen as positives or negatives by me might be perceived differently by others.

Selection:

Netflix currently has the largest selection of titles to choose from, 80,000+, which is 10,000+ more than Blockbuster's 70,000+.

Considering that Netflix has been offering online DVD rentals for so much longer than Blockbuster it really is amazing that they only have 10,000+ more. It would not be a surpise if Blockbuster was to completely close that gap in the very near future.

In the meantime it doesn't appear that those 10,000+ titles that Netflix has over Blockbuster are really anything much to brag about anyway. Through my own testing I was not able to find any movies on Netflix, that I thought a significant number of average people would want, that wasn't available from Blockbuster too.

Currently it appears Netflix and Blockbuster basically have the same selection, from the newest hollywood hits, to HDDVD and Blu-Ray, classics, and so on.

Features:

While Blockbuster Online Total Access is the only online rental service that will allow you to return DVDs to your local store in exchange for any movie you want, Netflix itself has an interesting unique feature.

With Netflix you get to watch movies online without waiting for the DVD to arrive in the mail!

Like Blockbuster, Netflix does a fairly good job at providing detailed information about movies, reviews, ratings, trailers, recommendations, etc.

Arrival Time:

Throughout my personal testing I received DVDs the day after Netflix sent them, which is the same as I experienced with Blockbuster.

Netflix states on their website:

"Our 44 shipping centers across the United States allow us to provide nearly 90% of our members with delivery of their DVDs within about one business day following shipment."

Blockbuster and Netflix are both equal here and appear to deliver movies very quickly, even quicker then I expected when I started my tests.

However as stated in the Blockbuster review, if exchanging a Blockbuster rental you received in the mail for another movie at your local Blockbuster store the "arrival time" is reduced to the number of minutes it takes you to get to the video store and home again. This puts Netflix at a slight disadvantage in this category, unless you never want to go to your local rental store again anyway.

Ease Of Use:

Simply put, the Netflix service is not as user friendly as Blockbuster's is. The website interface is not as easy on the eyes and isn't as intuitive as the Blockbuster website. Overall it is an easier and more user friendly service than some of the others I tested, but Blockbuster is better in this area.

Pricing Plan Options:

The most popular plans...
3 DVDs out at a time for $17.99/month - Unlimited Movie Rentals - 18 Instant Viewing Hours
2 DVDs out at a time for $14.99/month - Unlimited Movie Rentals - 15 Instant Viewing Hours
1 DVD out at a time for $9.99/month - Unlimited Movie Rentals - 10 Instant Viewing Hours

The largest plan...
4 DVDs out at a time for $23.99/month - Unlimited Movie Rentals - 24 Instant Viewing Hours

Other available plans...
1 DVD out at a time for $4.99/month - 2 Rents A Month - 5 Instant Viewing Hours

Conclusion:

Despite the gigantic headstart Netflix had offering dvd rentals to consumers online, Blockbuster has come along and quickly created a service that is almost as good as, and in some ways better than, Netflix. Netflix however has clearly earned it's # 1 ranking on NetFlex. For now I recommend anyone who is unsure which will be best for them, take a free trial from both, and see which one is right for you.

** Specific details, features, prices and other information contained in this review were believed accurate at the time it was published and may have been updated without notice on this page. Please visit the referenced website for the most up-to-date information. Reviews, ratings, statements and commentary are subjective opinions of the editor, always think for yourself.