In the '80s and '90s, people had to get in the car and actually drive to the nearest rental store to check out the latest releases. Today, with the world at the touch of a keyboard, people are renting their movies (DVDs specifically) online.

Students, who always seem to be looking for the latest convenience, make up a large segment of film fans looking to online rental services.

Chris Clinton, zoology junior, has been a member of Netflix since February 2004. He said the online service has given him some benefits over traditional rental stores.

"The price is very reasonable, the selection is better and I don't have to worry about late fees," he said.

Along with these benefits, Steve Swasey, Netflix director of communications, said he sees another reason why students are renting online.

"If you live in a fraternity house, a dorm or a house with four other students, online rental plans are ideal," he said. "You split the cost and get an unlimited access of entertainment for down-times."

In addition to Netflix, Web sites such as CafeDVD and Intelliflix, are also offering customers opportunities to rent their favorite movies or television shows without ever having to leave the house.

The process is fairly simple: One signs up for the service, sets up a list of desired titles, and waits for them to come in the mail.

With the online rental market increasing nearly two-fold over the past year, according to the Netflix Web site, signs point to a rising interest in the services.

Swasey also said that he thinks the personal approach of the Web sites is large part of the appeal.

"You can set up a personal list of movies that you would like to see," he said. "The personalization of products is becoming the American way."

Traditional rental services like Blockbuster have even followed the online trend by offering their own Internet services.

"We have just started our online option," Josh Sylvester, employee of Blockbuster, 710 W. Main St., said. "One benefit of our system is that delivery time is reduced because we can ship the DVDs from a nearest Blockbuster, not a warehouse."

Ramsay Davis, film and video studies senior who watches a lot of obscure, hard-to-find films as part of his studies, said he favors the variety of online services.

"They [Web sites] have a superior selection in classic, independent, and genre films, that you can't ordinarily find at Blockbuster," Davis said.
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