Beginning a couple weeks ago I decided to try out Blockbuster’s online rental service. I’d like to say I chose Blockbuster over Netflix based on some residual company loyalty from the eight or nine months I worked for them, but the honest truth is that it came down to $19.99 a month over $21.99 a month. Two bucks can sometimes make all the difference.

So how is it working out? Wonderfully from my perspective. The best part about it is that online Blockbuster carries so many titles that they just don’t realistically have room for in their stores. As much as they should, it’s impractical from them to carry all of Kurosawa’s films in the Chicago suburbs, where only 12% of the population would be interested in them. Being online, though, I can load up my queue with Godard, Truffaut, Peckinpah and Altman movies that I have not yet seen and they will be mailed to my doorstep when I get to them.

Yes, I still have a mix of new releases in there, but that’s not any different from what I would be renting at a brick and mortar location anyway (think Coen Bros., Punisher, etc). It hasn’t really changed my renting habits as given me more elbow room to rent what I would like.

It’s about a three day turn-around from when I mail a movie back to when I get the next one from my queue, which to my mind is perfectly reasonable. If there happens to be a gap of a day or two (as just recently happened) that just gives me an excuse to pull something out of my own collection that I may not have watched in a while. All in all, I’m loving this system.