Here are a few:
Video store: This is the most well-known route of the bunch, and all it requires is a video store membership and a DVD player.
The major drawback here is price, due to the comparatively high cost of movie rental (up to $4 per DVD) and possible late fees.
DVDs by mail: Netflix is the dominant force in this market, offering the opportunity to watch as many movies and TV shows as you want for $8.99 per month for one DVD at a time and more if you want to rent multiple movies at once. Netflix also has a plan that is $4.99 per month for one DVD at a time, with a limit of two per month.
Blockbuster.com is another site that offers this service, and for the same price. The bonus of using Blockbuster is that it offers the option of in-store returns and exchanges.
With both of these, customers select a movie, have it delivered by mail in one to two business days, keep it as long as they want, and return it in a prepaid envelope to get the next DVD.
DVDs by kiosk: RedBox is the video rental machine you see at grocery stores, McDonald's and other sites.
How this works is customers reserve rentals online at RedBox.com, pick up the movie at a nearby RedBox and then return it to the same RedBox.
The service costs $1 per day. Also, sometimes you can get codes online that can cut that price down to nothing. Visit InsideRedBox.com for details.
Streaming through consoles: Nintendo's Wii made news last week by announcing that in the spring it would join PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in offering consumers the ability to stream Netflix movies through their video game consoles.
The price scale is the same for this Netflix feature as for the rental via mail: $8.99 per month for one DVD at a time, up to $16.99 for three at a time.
Customers also gain free access to 17,000 titles — movies, TV shows, documentaries — that are separate from the DVD selections, and can be watched at any time.
Streaming through computer: This route is similar to the previous one, in that there is no need for a DVD or DVD player. But streaming directly through the computer provides many more sources for content.
Many of the sites are cheap or free and allow you to view movies and TV directly to your computer. These sites include Hulu.com, TV.com, YouTube.com, Netflix.com, IMDB.com and more.
The content varies, so it is good to check out the sites to see which best meets your needs.
Customers also can watch the content these sites provide through their computers and to their TV screens if they own modern equipment, via adapter or cable.
For information on how to do that, contact a computer professional.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7325 or jikelleyDaytonDailyNews.com.
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