Linda Nelson

Blockbuster vs. Netflix: Which Online Rental Service is Better and Why?

You are both missing the boat! First, DVD sales are flat as a pancake for the past two years and dropping, so the DVD rental stores are going to disappear. Too much real estate for too little profit. For people that really want the hard boxed DVD's, DVD burning kiosks in stores like Wal-mart make much more sense. Second, VOD is growing exponentially. Everyone is getting on the bandwagon, including Amazon, Wal-mart, Clickstar, EVEN Netflix and Blockbuster, but they've got it all wrong. No one wants to stream on their computer, well practically no one. But tons of us want to download to our ZENs (better version if video iPod), as we can take our content with us or plug our little mobile player into our TV and watch DVD quality on the "big screen". Netflix wins the content war - Boomer Nation prefers intelligent content in the comfort of their home. Kids, who need cheap dates to get laid, need "blockbusters" in the theater, their friends house, or their car. VOD is the future, huge choice in content will win, but neither of the companies you talk about are doing it right at the moment. Check out how easy it is for indie filmmakers to get their content on Amazon's Unbox service at www.customflix.com You'll see my film, SHIFTED, on the ZEN. All the studios also signed up with Unbox, as opposed to iTunes, which is only carrying Disney content and no independent fare. I've already been contacted by Wal-Mart for content, so you know they'll be aggressive in getting great choices for their customers.