Netflix vs Blockbuster Total Access

In December I posted about Blockbuster rolling out their Total Access in-store & online video rental service. At the end of the post I said I’d subscribe to and compare both Netflix and Blockbuster and see which one is better…

I signed up for both Netflix and Blockbuster Total Access on a Friday in January at the same time. I got 3 DVD’s from each service on the following Wednesday. The turnaround on both services was 2 days - if I dropped the movie in my mailbox on Monday, I’d have a new one by Wednesday. Essentially Both Netflix and Blockbuster Total Access had the same turnaround times for my area. (Your mileage will vary).

After having both services for a few months I can say that both of them are very similar. So what are the differences?

Netflix v. Blockbuster: Website Usability

Both websites have similar functionality. They both have ratings (ajaxy), recommendation based on your previous movies, popular lists, etc. Both are fairly easy to navigate.

Netflix, however, gives you critic reviews as well as user reviews and has a more Amazon-like system for user feedback (which I like better). They also seem to have a larger database of feedback.

Blockbuster recently added an AJAX-ified drag and drop function, which does make it easier to add movies to your queue as you surf the site.

Overall though, both websites are pretty good.

Blockbuster Total Access

The online movie rental space was shaken up late last year when Blockbuster announced their Total Access program. Blockbuster followed up with a lot of marketing online, on television (with Alex Baldwin’s voice over nonetheless), and via mail. Netflix responded with their own tv ads some time after. Blockbuster was smart to leverage all their physical locations into a competitive advantage Netflix doesn’t have.

Similar to their old “no late fees” promotion, Blockbuster’s Total Access actually sounds better than what it REALLY is. You still need to have a seperate membership to your local store, and the movie you bring into the store is treated just like a free movie rental coupon. The big disadvantage is that you can’t return the movie that you rented in store by mail. I hate returning movies and would love to be able to mix and match the online and offline services. Also, movies rented in-store are not removed from your online queue. However, Blockbuster does give you 1 coupon per month for an online movie OR game rental in addition to what you already get - so that’s a bonus.

Netflix

Netflix - which does not have movie stores like Blockbuster - has a new “watch now” option (IE only, requires installing a plugin), which lets you stream certain movies to your computer to watch and rewind/fast-forward in real time. The selection is limited by Netflix licenses with movie studios - there are many more indie films on that list than popular titles. You get allotted a number of movie-watching hours equal to what you pay for your plan ($18/mo = 18 hours hours of streaming movies). It should be noted that the Watch Now service is not yet rolled out to everyone (but my account had it).

Apple’s iTV, Amazon’s Unbox, Joost (formerly Venice Project), and a few other players are circling the online movie download business, so it seems like Netflix is trying to establish themselves there as well. The earlier they get into that market, the better off they will be when it matures, and the more infrastructure they will have in place. I should also mention that Walmart launched a movie download service in early February. They have impressive deals with major movie studios, but Walmart doesn’t have a track record of success in these types of online ventures, so I don’t hold out much hope (plus I don’t like Wal-mart).

The dream of tv and movies anytime via broadband has been around for a while but it seems we’re still a ways away from that being the reality (mostly due to hardware limitations, movie studio concerns, and consumer demand/perception.) There are a number of options to buy movies online right now but usually they’re more expensive than the DVD’s and are laced with DRM, which makes them a bad option. Netflix is different in that you can stream the films instead of buying them.

Another concern is that few people currently have their computer monitors in their living rooms or have en entertainment system that’s connected via broadband, which limits the appeal of the streaming movie advantage.

Netflix v. Blockbuster: My Conclusion

Personally I haven’t yet decided whether I should keep Netflix or Blockbuster Total Access (but I will soon). It mostly comes down to what’s more useful to you? Being able to rent at local video store (with the caveats mentioned above) or being able to watch streaming movies on your computer instantly.

I imagine students in dorm rooms are more likely to favor Netflix and families living near a store are more likely to favor Blockbuster. Here’s a quick comparison:

Netflix

• Offers the most basic subscription package (5.99/mo for 2 movies/mo. You know you need more.)
• Offers streaming movies for some titles
• More independant films
• More comprehensive reviews/feedback

Blockbuster

• Can use movies rented online as free coupons in-store
• One free rental per month (which can be a game)
• Nice drag and drop interface

Both services have trial offers. At the end of the day, I’d probably recommend Netflix over Blockbuster, (or you could even try them both and see which one gives you faster service).