Spend less on Movies without losing the entertainment

With the ever growing popularity of the theatres for the movies and the ever growing youth who do not watch mind spending huge sums (Rs 160 to Rs 200 per movie per person and add to that the cost of snacks and the travel for the same), the family man finds the pinch in his pocket and lost in between entertainment and spending.

With the launch of DVD rental portals, video-on-demand facilities that have been provided by all the DTH (direct-tohome) operators and the availability of of DVDs of new movies (Not vety new though) at fairly low prices rates by companies such as Moser Baer and T-Series, there are much more choices now to watch movies. Not to mention the fact that very often TV channels end up airing movies within 6-8 weeks of the theatre release (But one will have to live to the fact that there will huge number of advertisements and possible some scenes missing from the movie to accommodate the same in the time slot provided by the TV channel).

So here’s how you can enjoy the complete movie (no theatre effects or special effects like a theater please unless one has a Home Theatre at home) without burning a big hole in your pocket.

RENT DVDS ONLINE
There are a handful of websites that allow renting of DVDs from the comfort of your home. Here the average cost of renting a DVD ranges from Rs 40–70 per DVD and the costs fall as you rent more. seventymm.com, catchflix.com, clixflix.com and cinesprite.com are some of the websites that currently offer DVDs on rent. On placing an order (either telephone, online or through SMS), the company delivers the DVDs at the address mentioned by you. The collection of previously ordered DVDs is done at the time of delivery of the new ones.

Have a look at various packages that these companies offer. These are usually based on the extent of usage. While some are based on the number of DVDs you take, others offer unlimited usage for a fixed rate.

VIDEO-ON-DEMAND
DTH operators such as Tata Sky and Dish TV are offering videoon-demand (VOD) services that ranges around Rs 75 for a single movie. This is available for viewing for a day and one could watch it many times within the 24-hour period. One problem is its inability to pause or rewind the crucial scenes. At the moment, Tata Sky (as per call centre officials) are only offering Hindi movies through its VOD service while Dish TV is offering English movies as well.

MTNL’s IPTV is offering VOD at costs ranging from Rs 20-70 per DVD. While video-on-demand is a good alternative, especially when some DVDs might not be available for renting, the cost at the moment is higher than renting DVDs. Also, there are lesser movies available at any point in time to watch.

BUYING DVDS
Moser Baer and T-Series have dramatically cut the price of DVDs and VCDs. There is generally an eight-week window between the time the movie releases in a theatre and its DVD release. So, if you are willing to cool your heels, you could actually buy the DVDs at Rs 49. And watch it forever. Obviously, it is only select movies that are available for a song, the rest continue to sell at higher rates.