# So we can't rent movies anymore? How'd that happen? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 25, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087 "2012-05-25T18:21:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087/81 "2013-05-27T08:04:56Z")
Ever heard of Cofer Black ? As a distinction between trivial and non-trivial I am more concerned with the fact Mr. Black exists than that Charlie Sheen — whom I think a good actor and a generous man — gets fewer millions to add to his 125 piece collection. [http://www.alternet.org/books/shocking-story-how-us-ignored-international-law-become-worlds-kidnapper-and-torturer?paging=off](http://www.alternet.org/books/shocking-story-how-us-ignored-international-law-become-worlds-kidnapper-and-torturer?paging=off) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087/82 "2013-05-27T08:09:51Z")
I’m finding it amusing to see people saying they haven’t rented a movie from their local video store in months - and then being surprised when they decide to go there and find it went out of business. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087/83 "2013-05-27T10:00:05Z")
My teenagers tell me there is some sort of site called a torrent and you can find movies there. I asked them recently about buying music and movies only to learn that they have hardly ever purchased a DVD or CD in their lives. Except when getting a gift for mum and dad. They were genuinely puzzled. I quite like the small library of DVDs which adorn my bookcase but apparently this is stone age stuff. Edit: and damnit, I love my substantial collection of vinyl records. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087/84 "2013-05-27T11:27:02Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > If you hadn’t given up the Netflix mailing option, you’d get it. It has tons of movies available but not all of them are streaming. This. I still rent movies from Netflix. I pay something like $5-$6 per month for one or two films. I don’t need/want more than that at a time, and often don’t even get around to watching the one I have. So, yes, you CAN still rent movies. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087/85 "2013-05-27T11:33:34Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > Regarding the availability of renting services, many new TVs and also gaming boxes come with renting apps such as Netflix, Amazon and iTunes. My XBox has some sort of movie market that I never use and I’m sure Playstation has something similar. However, I can’t comment on the depth of their offerings, like, say, Willow. > > Also, as others have said, there are now many ways to purchase movies. So, Willow may be challenging to rent, but if you REALLY wanted to watch Willow (And, for Willow, we’re talking about a fundamental human need here), you have many opportunities. From Walmart, to eBay, to torrents, to, I don’t know,Craigslist maybe. Amused. It does appear that Willow is the cilantro of cinema. Either you love it or it’s soap in your mouth. Me, I gag. Willow ???!! 🙂 I am fortunate to be RIGHT around the corner from an incredible independent video store. I’ve also found some great stuff in pawn shops… Decry pirating. Would rather not see a movie than support illegal streaming. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087/86 "2013-05-27T15:53:44Z")
> [@Reno\_Nevada](#): > > This is why I cheered when Netflix was created, and happily dumped my membership in all of the local video stores. I am happy to trade the ability to grab something that is maybe approximately like what I would want to watch tonight, for the ability to get the movie that I actually want to watch in a couple of days. > > I rarely wanted to rent the new title that Blockbuster had 25 of. I wanted the older titles that Blockbuster didn’t bother carrying. I’m not responsible for Blockbuster’s decline, because the movies I’ve watched probably wouldn’t be available from them anyway. I have been able to see so many obscure things via Netflix that I would never have had the opportunity to see otherwise. Plus, Blockbuster and Family Video don’t carry NC-17 titles, and many libraries wouldn’t either, but Netflix does. “Pink Flamingos” was the second movie I got from them. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087/87 "2013-05-27T17:16:49Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Plus, Blockbuster and Family Video don’t carry NC-17 titles, and many libraries wouldn’t either, but Netflix does. “Pink Flamingos” was the second movie I got from them. 😃 I will never understand people who say things like this. There have been maybe 50 movies rated NC-17 in the 30 years or so the MPAA has been handing them out. To write off an entire chain because of just a handful of films seems… odd. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087/88 "2013-05-27T17:55:14Z")
If I understand this thread correctly, the complaint is not that the movie can’t be watched “on demand,” but that it costs $9.99 to"own it" instantly rather than $5.00 to rent it. And this is considered a flaw in our media delivery system and a call to return to the good old days of video stores. If you’re only facing this problem two or three times per year, and you have access to any movie you might ever want to watch, I’m not getting the outrage. Ten bucks seems like a very small price to pay to get a movie in your home without having to put on pants or drive to the store. I sense the hang up is over the terms used. If they were charging you $9.99 to “rent” it, then you could either do it or not, depending on the value you place on the transaction. “Owning” Iron Man for $9.99 and getting it on demand is, in my mind, a much better system than having to go to a video store (twice) and paying $5 for borrowing it for three days. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087/89 "2013-05-27T18:27:35Z")
All these people encouraging the use of library DVDs do not live where I do. Older movies are pretty much uniformly scratched to hell and essentially unwatchable where I am. So, my experience for older, somewhat obscure movies has been: Streaming rental - Not available (Cable provider, Netflix, iTunes. Amazon, etc) Library - Scratched to hell if available Redbox - Not available if it didn’t do more than $100 million in box office Rental places - Mostly out of business. Hour round trip at least to find one. Torrents - Illegal. I don’t want to steal my movie. As far as purchase goes, yeah I could go online and find a copy, but I want to watch it tonight. Retail stores may have a copy for purchase tonight, but it’ll be expensive and they may or may not have a copy. It’s a fact that we’ve taken a step backwards in the admittedly small niche market for the convenient single viewing rental of less popular movies. And it’s a pain. A small pain, but I think it’s unfair to criticize a person when this very specific problem is real. My two cents. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087/90 "2013-05-27T19:11:02Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > It’s a fact that we’ve taken a step backwards in the admittedly small niche market for the convenient single viewing rental of less popular movies. And it’s a pain. A small pain, but I think it’s unfair to criticize a person when this very specific problem is real. > > My two cents. Yeah, I guess. And buggy whips became much harder to find after 1910 perhaps. A small pain, but for some people a very specific problem that was real. The pushback I’m seeing on this thread boils down to “yes, in some limited circumstances there is a small increase in inconvenience for finding something a very few people want occasionally. Balanced against the huge advances we’ve seen over the last 10 years, I guess it’s too much to ask everyone to suck it up and pay the extra 5 dollars two or three times per year.” ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087/91 "2013-05-27T19:28:58Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Yeah, I guess. And buggy whips became much harder to find after 1910 perhaps. A small pain, but for some people a very specific problem that was real. > > The pushback I’m seeing on this thread boils down to “yes, in some limited circumstances there is a small increase in inconvenience for finding something a very few people want occasionally. Balanced against the huge advances we’ve seen over the last 10 years, I guess it’s too much to ask everyone to suck it up and pay the extra 5 dollars two or three times per year.” I wish you’d been a bit more polite in your response, but I can’t say I disagree with you. When I rented a movie in the past, I had to make a trip to my local video store and there was a decent chance that what I wanted to watch was unavaible or all rented out. Plus, I had to return it on time. And, it could be difficult to find the video in the store. All those challenges have disapeared. The system is, in general, far better, but it’s disapointing that in this great advance, we’ve left a legitimate market desire behind. It’s surprising and aggravating. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2013, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087/92 "2013-05-27T19:38:27Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > I wish you’d been a bit more polite in your response, but I can’t say I disagree with you. When I rented a movie in the past, I had to make a trip to my local video store and there was a decent chance that what I wanted to watch was unavaible or all rented out. Plus, I had to return it on time. And, it could be difficult to find the video in the store. > > All those challenges have disapeared. The system is, in general, far better, but it’s disapointing that in this great advance, we’ve left a legitimate market desire behind. It’s surprising and aggravating. Sorry about my tone. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087/93 "2013-05-28T13:35:24Z")
I recently tried Netflix streaming free trial. (I’ve commented on it’s really crappy selection, etc. on previous threads.) Regarding the NC-17 issue: Two of the films I watched were the Bowdlerized versions. No warning in the description that they had been cut. Another option to consider: The local used book/media store. Got one near me. Buy the DVD for not much. Return it later for store credit. Lather rinse repeat. Not going to be as cheap as Redbox, but a pretty good selection. Especially for some TV series. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087/94 "2013-05-28T13:53:52Z")
You can rent _Iron Man_ on Amazon right now for $2.99. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087/95 "2013-05-28T14:56:24Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Because Family Video is a business and wants to make money? They could keep an “unloved” video on the shelves that maybe once in a blue moon someone with pay a buck to rent, or they could use the same space for a movie that’s actually popular. > > I miss video stores too, but they’re basically a dead business now because they stopped being profitable. The last remaining Mom & Pop video rental outlet in our town closed years ago. Before they closed, they were looking for a manager to run the whole show – employees, inventory, etc. My wife casually asked the guy how much they were paying, and he said “13.” Well, $13.00 an hour isn’t TOO horrible for this sort of work, she said. No, he corrected – $13,000 per year. And that was the best-paying job in the store. That’s what they had to do to hold costs down, I guess. No wonder the place folded. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087/96 "2013-05-28T19:26:18Z")
> [@postcards](#): > > Not for nothing, but FX seems to show it every other week. Granted, it’s edited for basic cable, and with commercials, but if it’s your only option… How much is cut for “basic cable”? I remember _The Simpsons Movie_ airing on FX, and the only change from the original was, they put a black bar across the screen (with the caption “EUROPEAN VERSION ONLY”, I think) in the short scene where Bart’s penis was exposed. (They could _say_ “penis” - one of the cuts Fox made from the network broadcast - just not show it. They also left in Homer giving the rest of the town the finger with both hands.) ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2013, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087/97 "2013-05-28T23:32:35Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I’m not responsible for Blockbuster’s decline, because the movies I’ve watched probably wouldn’t be available from them anyway. I have been able to see so many obscure things via Netflix that I would never have had the opportunity to see otherwise. > > Plus, Blockbuster and Family Video don’t carry NC-17 titles, and many libraries wouldn’t either, but Netflix does. “Pink Flamingos” was the second movie I got from them. 😃 Family Video carries NC-17. Hell, they carry hardcore porn. They may not have every NC-17 movie that ever existed, but that’s probably more due to them being kinda obscure, less popular titles anyway. They certainly don’t balk at unrated movies and versions, though. ---
**Author:** ![theR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@theR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theR)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087/98 "2013-05-29T00:28:34Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > All these people encouraging the use of library DVDs do not live where I do. Older movies are pretty much uniformly scratched to hell and essentially unwatchable where I am. > > So, my experience for older, somewhat obscure movies has been: > Streaming rental - Not available (Cable provider, Netflix, iTunes. Amazon, etc) > Library - Scratched to hell if available > Redbox - Not available if it didn’t do more than $100 million in box office > Rental places - Mostly out of business. Hour round trip at least to find one. > Torrents - Illegal. I don’t want to steal my movie. > > As far as purchase goes, yeah I could go online and find a copy, but I want to watch it tonight. Retail stores may have a copy for purchase tonight, but it’ll be expensive and they may or may not have a copy. > > It’s a fact that we’ve taken a step backwards in the admittedly small niche market for the convenient single viewing rental of less popular movies. And it’s a pain. A small pain, but I think it’s unfair to criticize a person when this very specific problem is real. > > My two cents. You left of the quite reasonable alternative. For older, somewhat obscure movies any brick and mortars store probably would have had one copy (if that) and it could already have been checked out. You could do DVDs with Netflix and get them pretty quickly depending where you’re located. Not the same night, but probably less expensive and a much better selection of the types of movie you’re discussing. I get a three day turnaround on DVDs from Netflix. If I drop a return in the mail on Monday before pickup, I get the next movie on Wednesday. ---
**Author:** ![Hermione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/cdc98d/32.png) [@Hermione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087/99 "2013-05-29T01:43:07Z")
On Demand is a good feature, but there’s one advantage to an actual DVD copy: the director’s commentaries/extended or deleted scenes/special features. There are only certain films that I really like to have these features for, but they are worth the actual DVD copy. (But then, those are the ones I usually end up owning.) ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2013, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087/100 "2013-05-29T04:15:54Z")
Tell that to my DVD player. I keep getting messages that to see the extra stuff I have to use a blu-ray player. :mad: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-cant-rent-movies-anymore-howd-that-happen/623087.md?page=6)