GeekSugar

How To Get the 99 Cent Movie Rentals From iTunes

GeekSugar — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 05:00:12 PDT

If you're still wondering whether you should break away from your usual Netflix routine and test out Apple iTunes rentals, here's a tip that may give you the extra incentive you need.

Aside from the usual $2.99 for library titles and $3.99 for new releases, now you can find all the $0.99 iTunes rentals each week on 99 rentals. Unplggd reveals that this site lists all the current 99 cent movies and provides a direct link to the iTunes page. I've already added it to my RSS feed so I can constantly be updated on all the latest additions!

Sci-Fi Movies to Rent With Your iTunes Gift Card

Kelly Schwarze — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 08:11:36 PST

Have a pile of post-holiday cards now lining stocking after stocking? With a long weekend ahead of us, there's plenty of time to make use of the stack of $25 iTunes gift cards. Fill your downtime with an impromptu 2011 cinematic retrospective, by renting these six movies (all $4 per rental) that debuted this year.

Apollo 18 - Why didn't NASA send more astronauts to the moon? The found footage-style film explores what really exists on our satellite.
Super 8 - The charming tale of budding kid filmmakers in a 1970s small town takes a sci-fi twist with a crop of disappearances.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes - The modern prequel to the classic film may have you wondering whose side you'd be on: human or ape.
X-Men: First Class - The precursor to the X-Men saga reveals the creation and early days of our favorite superheroes.
Cowboys & Aliens - Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford team up as fearsome cowboys to protect Earth and the Old West from alien takeover.
Thor - By the hammer of Thor, this was one of the year's better superhero movies. Dazzling action scenes perfect for a comic book junkie.

Now consider yourself caught up on the year's sci-fi and superhero movies, with $1 to spare!

Source: Apple

Website of the Day: Can I Stream It?

GeekSugar — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 06:42:41 PDT

Now that we've canceled DVD rentals, cozying up to a particular movie also involves taking the time to find which media site actually streams the flick. Enter CanIStream.It, a search engine that browses the film databases of major online entertainment sources to let you instantly find your streaming options, if any are available.

Use the CanIStream.It service to search the film (TV shows aren't included yet) catalogs of iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. Find out which viewing format is currently available for the title of choice by clicking on the four options: instant streaming, streaming rental, digital purchase, or DVD/Blu-ray purchase. When a film is available in each category, the site directly links you to the media source, so you can start watching immediately.

Do You Still Rent DVDs?

GeekSugar — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:20:49 PDT

The ill-fated one-time video rental superstar Blockbuster is in court today dealing with bankruptcy proceedings and could face a complete closure of all retail locations. Until then, though, Blockbuster is operating kiosks that will rent you a DVD for just $1 per day with the option to keep it for an unlimited amount of time (probably not the best option for someone prone to losing things, as that could get expensive!).

Even with a Netflix subscription, I'm partial to streaming movies or purchasing them on iTunes as opposed to waiting on a DVD arrival or even walking to the video store to pick up a DVD. In fact, after renting a physical DVD about a week ago I realized I hadn't done that in months. Do you still rent DVDs?

Netflix Alternatives: 5 Ways to Rent Movies Online

SavvySugar — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 03:05:29 PDT

It's a huge bummer that Netflix will raise its fees. Many plan to cancel or downgrade their subscription. Netflix claims that it's raising its membership price to $16 a month for unlimited streaming and one DVD out at a time to stay competitive in the market. However, it still seems like they offer the best deal out there. Check out the rest of Netflix's pricing breakdown, and take a look at these alternatives if you're looking for a change.

Hulu Plus: For $8 a month, Hulu Plus offers over 33,000 episodes from current and classic shows in high definition for view on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or gaming console. While the service provides hundreds of movies and documentaries, you're mostly looking at independent, lesser-known titles rather than mainstream films. In addition, Hulu Plus members still have to watch ads, because the company claims that helps keep monthly fees down.
Blockbuster by Mail: The service supplies one disc out (DVD, Blu-ray, game) at a time for $12 a month with no due dates or late fees. The company claims it provides new releases 28 days before Netflix and Redbox, and you can send the movie back by mail or switch it out for another rental at a Blockbuster location. Blockbuster On-Demand has a limited amount of instant play movies for free. The majority cost $3 and up per movie, which can really add up.
Redbox: For $1 a day per movie, you can reserve a movie or game you want to rent, then go to the selected Redbox kiosk to pick up the rental. This might be a great idea if you find yourself renting less than eight movies a month from Netflix. Another option is you could use Redbox for your DVD rentals and Netflix for your instant play rentals. However, Redbox renters beware: the movie is due by 9 p.m. the next day, so if you don't return it, you will have to pay an additional dollar.
Amazon Video On Demand: This is a free service that requires you to purchase most of the streaming video rentals independently. If you are a member of Amazon Prime, you have unlimited, commercial free access to thousands of movies and TV shows, but again, most of the content requires purchase. Amazon Video is a good competitor for iTunes, because the videos are streaming rather than require a download.
iTunes Store Video Rental: In the iTunes store, movie and TV show rentals can be purchased. While the videos do require a download as opposed to being streaming, the video and sound quality is much higher than the other counterparts. You can watch the video via your computer or upload these rentals to your apple devices. One deterring feature is when the rental period has elapsed, even if you haven't had a chance to watch the video, it will disappear from your iTunes library.

5 Reasons to Get an Apple TV (and 3 Reasons to Skip It)

GeekSugar — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 12:30:51 PST

Apple introduced the second-generation Apple TV in September, and although this new device may not be a suitable replacement for your cable subscription, consumers are buying in droves - Apple announced this morning that Apple TV sales will top a million this week, likely being one of the hottest holiday gifts for movie and TV fans alike. I got some hands-on time with the set-top box back in September and came up with five solid reasons you'll want to get an Apple TV as a gift (or grab one for yourself), and three reasons you may want to skip it. Check out the pro and con list below!

Get It

It's tiny - You can fit this new Apple TV anywhere! It's a quarter of the size of the last Apple TV and comes in a nice charcoal color.
The price - It will only cost you $99 to bring this baby home, which is substantially less than the last Apple TV's price point of $229.
Easy setup - Just plug in your Apple TV and go! You can then connect to iTunes via your television and start watching flicks right away.

See the rest of my reasons you need a new Apple TV, and the three reasons to skip it, after the jump.