Hacker News Reader

Comment by Johnny555 | Hacker News Reader

I've never understood why people used Redbox when you have to physically go to a kiosk, you're limited to whatever movies are in that kiosk, and worst of all - you rent by the night, so if you decide not to watch it, you've either got to return it, unwatched, or pay more.

Netflix still does DVD rentals, and though it's been a few years since I've used it, they had a great selection and except for some new releases just after relese, they were always in stock.

View on HN

Netflix was a commitment. Redbox was a whim.

In the years before streaming netflix, I often did Redbox. Pick up a DVD on the way home form work on Friday. Return is Saturday when I go out shopping.

Do it twice a month, spend $2 (or $3 when they raised the price).

Netflix was 9.99 or more, and you basically had to watch 5 or 6 DVDs a month to "get your monies worth". So I often found myself watching a DVD when I didn't want to because I had already paid it, so I could send it back and get the DVD I actually wanted but didn't get because it was out of stock.

Netflix DVD is solving a different problem. The issue with Redbox or streaming services is they frequently have absolutely nothing I want to watch. I tend to go to the movies enough to have seen any new releases that I had any interest in. However, with a vastly larger selection I can load up on classics or random recommendations. It might not be what I was in the mood for, but it will be good.

How old are you? I remember being a kid 30+ years ago going to the VHS store and picking out some crap and loving every minute of it. It's an experience. I remember the joy of going to a vHS / DVD rental shop with a date etc. Nothing wrong with getting out of the house for a bit and picking something out, it was fun! (;

Yeah, I remember that too... but then when I was old enough to be on the hook for returning my own movies, it lost its allure and I switched to Netflix DVD as soon as it was available and never looked back.

I still have a few blockbuster VHS's floating around that I was so late on returning, I had to buy them.

For a time, it was a really convenient thing, generally located right at the grocery store. It was easy to grab a movie and return it the next time. It was also pretty easy to copy things.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com