Red Box Rentals & the Changing Face of Entertainment

It's no secret that the downfall of rental agencies like Blockbuster Video and the closing of DVD and VHS related stores like Barnes & Noble and Borders are prevalent. Even the apathetic numbers from cinemas in lieu of people making their own in-home cinema experience means that the business model is changing more and more.

Going out to a night at the movies is not the same as it once was. Movies in the theatre are costing more and more and people's home entertainment systems are more and more advanced; Why should they continue to keep up with these rising cost pressures when there are so many alternatives? Gone are the days when you had to buy a hastily bootlegged VHS tape of a new film days after its initial release. Now you can dial up a sharp online version of many of these films days or weeks ahead of the actual release.

For those more interested in more legitimate means of seeing new films, there are options too. Consumers can stream recent released films "on-demand," there are also services where you can download films to your desktop and get them straight onto your TV. For me though the DVD is still the vehicle of choice. When there are films which I'm not sure I've wanted to buy at Wal-Mart I have typically just missed the films.

However I recently was in a grocery store at the home of my in-laws in Connecticut and I finally checked out what Red Box is all about. Red Box are these machines which have different current titles available for single day rentals. You rent the DVD, say on Monday afternoon and you have to bring the rental back by 9pm on Tuesday.

It's actually pretty ingenious if you think about it. Many people don't realize they're renting something until they are staring the rental line in the face. They want to watch it now and be done with it. These Red Box things take out all the hindrances in getting your rental in as expedient a way as possible and you get it without cost pressures. The only real pressure in Red Box rentals is having to bring the rental back the next day.

On first blush Red Box does seem to have it all. My only gripe with the Red Box kiosks I've come into contact with is the apathetic choice selections available at the different rental stations. Many of the titles are B-list stars or A-list stars in their B-list efforts.

Still with similar kiosks like Blockbuster Express available; the Red Box kiosk model is going to be the wave of the future. And there is already a hungry and anxious movie watching public who want the future in the present yesterday.