Be Kind. Rewind! is a phrase so archaic and foreign in today’s world of Blu-rays, Video on Demand, and online streaming that for most of this generation it’s meaningless. Let’s think of how well known that phrase used to be if you were around to experience the clunky, rectangle that is a VHS tape. Your entertainment was determined by drives to the local Blockbuster Video to check out the most recent releases or old favorites. I, myself, remember the amount I used to grate on my younger brother’s nerves because I “wasted” my one rental on Child’s Play for the 10th time. What can I say? I loved the crap scared out of me as a child. So as the years progressed, we moved on from physically checking out movies to the pay-per-view of VOD from the comfort of our home, to what is now the most usual entertainment source, instant online streaming and instant downloads.

To be able to stream movies and television shows instantly from your couch is what has made online streaming a successful business. Besides it being convenient, you may virtually watch any movie or TV program you want in minutes. Think of when you used to show up to a video store as well as the movie you wanted to rent was already checked out. Either they didn’t have enough copies or it was a new release and everybody wanted to watch it. Online streaming eliminates this problem. Now what you’re faced with is the decision on which service works best for your needs.

Let’s begin with Netflix. This popular online streaming service is subscription based with three plan options: Basic, Standard, and Premium. All options offer unlimited streaming of movies and television shows at the price of $8 to $12 a month with the added option to add on DVD rentals. Watching Netflix is easy whenever you can access it on the run via mobile phone and tablet, or at home through your notebook or game console, for example the Xbox One. Netflix has thousands of movie and television show options and regularly adds new movies to offer subscribers more of what they want. With the recognition of this service Netflix has even branched out and produced their own TV shows described as Netflix Originals, such as the hit Daredevil, which premiered this past April.

Another top option is Amazon Prime Instant Video. This option is a advantage of becoming an Amazon Prime member. An Amazon Prime subscription is $100 annually, $8.25 every month, which ends up being a great value especially if you shop on Amazon often. They carry almost exactly the exact same movies as Netflix and additionally have their very own produced shows called Amazon Studio Exclusives. The viewing choices are similar also with Amazon Prime Instant Video being accessible though other devices and additionally Amazon’s Fire TV. One advantage over Netflix will be the option of renting movies that will be not free through Prime and having the capability to buy movies that download instantly to your account. This gives you an even better selection in areas where Netflix might be lacking.

If Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video are on top of the movie streaming game, then Hulu Plus dominates in regards to streaming television shows. At $7.99 a month, Hulu Plus has a more suitable TV program catalogue than the previous two streaming services but still offers several full length movies. This subscription service is for those people who like to watch older shows as well as those which are currently airing in real time. Hulu Plus posts new episodes of currently playing shows days or sometimes hours after it has just aired on television. It gives you the convenience of watching your shows later, or lets you catch up when you get behind. Hulu Plus is the best supplemental subscription to add to the previous two subscriptions to give you more diversity within your TV show selections.

Determined by whether you’ve got an iPhone or run an android system could also get into several options for downloading content. They might not be the most popular options, or the cheapest, but they do carry a sizeable selection for around the same price. iTunes and the Google Play stores both offer newly released and older material and is pay-per-content, rent or buy. YouTube has also stepped into the field of renting or buying movies.