Videoclubs online: the B-side of streaming services
You may have forgotten or you did not live that time directly, but there was a time when movies could be rented and they were not only available on Netflix or Prime Video.
You were going to a videoclub And, after taking a look at a wall or a shelf full of covers, you chose a title that you were going to rent for one or several days to see at home. In return, you paid an amount of money corresponding to the time you were going to have that movie. And the best thing is that if you were late in returning it, you had to pay a surcharge.
With the arrival of the internet and content services such as Disney + or Netflix, the truth is that if they have not disappeared, the video stores that remain open will not last long.
Best content platforms to rent movies
To bring the spirit of video stores to our homes (and to earn a few more euro), some of these platforms have established a online rental service.
Thanks to this, if we want to see a title that is not in its usual catalog, we can pay an amount that will depend on the film, to have access to it for a certain time. This is precisely what we will talk about next, along with which are the best services with rental that we can access.
Apple tv
The first service we want to talk to you about is that of Apple tv, which was one of the pioneers in this online movie rental. The most common is that this service is used by those users who have a product from the apple company: iPad, iPhone, Mac, or an Apple TV (the device). Within this platform we will have access to the rental or purchase of well-known titles, in addition to being able to enter the streaming content service called Apple TV +.
The usual prices for movie rentals on Apple TV are usually around 4.99 euros for the most recent titles, and 3.99 euros for those of less interest or who have been available for a longer time. The conditions for viewing are as follows:
- Since you make the payment, you have a total of 30 days to be able to see the film.
- The moment you start to see it, you will have the rental available for the remaining 48 hours. After this period ends, you will have to pay for it again even if you did not finish seeing it.
Google play
Another of the most used platforms for online movie rental is its own Google play. And, in addition to using this store to download the applications on our Android phones or on Smart TVs, here we can also rent movies. To do this, it will be as simple as entering the store through any device or browser, and clicking on the «Movies» menu to access the entire catalog available.
From here, the price will depend on the “demand” for this film or, rather, how new or claimed it is. That is, the cost of the rental may vary from 3.99 euros, for somewhat older titles, up to 12.99 euros of those films that are still on the cinema billboard. As in the previous case, we will have 30 days to view the rented content and, when we press play for the first time, we will have 48 hours of rental.
Amazon Prime Video
Who does not know the content platform of Amazon Prime Video Today. Through it, which we can access thanks to the Amazon Prime subscription, we will have an infinity of series, films and documentaries available.
Well, to curl the curl Amazon also offers from here the option to rent or buy movies that are not available with “free access” from its low-paid content platform. In order to get to these titles we can do it through the search engine itself, or, get to the entire catalog of movies for rent by clicking on the menu “Shop”.
The prices that Amazon Prime Video manages for rent go from 1.99 euros, for those somewhat older options, up to 12.99 euros for titles that may still be in theaters or that were recently. They even also incorporate the Premiere Access alternative as Disney +, with the same cost of 21.99 euros. And, as for the times, more of the same that we had seen so far:
- 30 days to start watching the movie.
- 48 hours of rental from when we start to see it.
Youtube
You may not have a clue about this but that’s the way it is, in Youtube you can also rent or buy movies. If you want to know what is the available catalog that this platform has, you will only have to go to its interface and go to the “More from YouTube” section. This is where we can see everything about YouTube Premium, YouTube Gaming and, as we said, the catalog of series and films available.
Once you choose the title you want to rent, you just have to click on its thumbnail. Here the trailer for it will automatically start to play, along with certain information such as the plot, cast, etc. By clicking on “Rent”, which we see super placed on the trailer itself, we will see the different options. Prices go from 2.99 and 3.99 euros for the content demanded hands (the option of 2.99 euros is for a low quality version, which we do not recommend), up to 12.99 euros for recent releases.
Microsoft Store
Within the catalog of available options we also find the one provided by its own Microsoft Store. This, like Google Play, is not only an application store in which to download apps for our Windows computers. There is a catalog of movies that we can rent or buy.
On this occasion, the period of time to start watching the content that we rent is only 14 days and, like the rest, from the moment we start watching it, we will have 48 hours to finish it. The prices that are handled in this platform go from 2.99 euros to 12.99 euros for premieres. If you are wondering about compatibility, we can consume its content from a Windows computer, on Xbox (Microsoft consoles) or from Hololens (augmented reality glasses).
Filmin
In case of Filmin It is similar to Amazon Prime Video, which, in addition to its catalog of streaming content under payment, also has a movie rental service with additional payment. In this case, the price is around 3.99 euros for all titles and a little more for the most recent ones. Since we rent (pay) the content we want to see, we will have 72 hours to do it.
Rakuten TV
Finally, we would like to recommend the service of Rakuten TV, another of the great content platforms where you can rent or buy movies. This has many options to watch movies for free but with ads. But then, it also has the category “Cinema” where we find many options for rent.
Again, prices can be around from 3.99 euros to 12.99 euros for movie premieres. From the moment we rent the title we choose, we will have 48 hours to consume it before it disappears from our catalog.
How do you know which streaming service a movie is on?
Surely you have ever wanted to see a movie, which you had no idea where it could be available for viewing. You start with Netflix, then HBO, through Prime Video, and possibly the last option you consult.
Well, although there are many other services that offer this use, we want to recommend the option of Justwatch. Through its website, we will only have to put the name of the film that we want to locate in the search engine and, once found, the platform itself will indicate in which content services are available in a “normal” way, for rent or purchase. . So you never have to go crazy trying to locate that movie you wanted to see.
