iTunes movie rentals

Forget the video store. Forget Netflix. Now, you can rent movies from iTunes. And this option rocks. Here's why. With traditional video stores you have to journey to the video store and if you don't get the video back to the store in time, you're slammed with a late fee. Late fees suck. Enter Netflix. Netflix has its upside, mainly no late fees. But if you aren't diligent about watching the movies and getting them back to the mailbox in time, you end up spending $14.99 a month to watch two movies. (I know this because it's what happened to me shortly after Henry was born. It's surprising how difficult it is to travel as far as the mailbox with an infant.) Plus, you have to keep up with your queue. And if there is a movie in high demand, it could be a week or two before you get your hands on the one you want. In the meantime, you might have felt like a romantic comedy but ended up with an action flick or thriller.

Renting movies from iTunes has its limitations. The video library is teeny. And it does require that you use iTunes, which I know for some is a dreadful enterprise. iTunes also only gives you 24 hours, once you start watching the movie, to finish it. 24 hours. However, the upsides are fantastic. The second you have a craving for a movie, you can hop online and get it - assuming, of course, it's one of the few videos currently available. You only have to wait a few seconds to begin watching it. There are no late fees. You don't have to leave your house, not even to walk to the mailbox. Movie queues, fuhgeddaboudit. I also read that you can transfer the video to your iPod. Did I mention the price is the same as renting from the video store?

Watching videos on my laptop is not new to me. Heck, that's how I survived all those nights breastfeeding Henry in the early days. But if you are a t.v. person and the thought of watching movies on your computer is less than appealing, you can get iTV, which might require a bit more work but probably is still pretty easy once all is set up.