One of the problems with technology is that it often gives us more options than we need، more options than are even helpful or useful. When we first were able to watch movies at home، for example، there were only two choices: VHS and Beta. Beta soon went by the wayside، and so there was only one way to watch movies. This was a pretty good way for things to be set up. It meant that you could lend movies to friends، rent movies from the video store، or what have you. No matter what you did، they would always be in the same format.
In the 21st century، however، things are much different. Not only do we have DVD، VHS، Blue Ray، and a host of other emerging technologies، but now we have online movie rentals. Having the option to rent movies online sounds like a good thing، but it also complicates things. When youre using an online movie rental، you have to plan everything ahead of time. You have to know when youre going to want to watch a movie and then order it several weeks in advance. This takes planning.
If that werent enough، consider the wide variety of online movie rental services. Some online video rentals simply send the movies to you in the mail. With other online movie rental services، however، it becomes more complicated. Some of these offer online movie downloads. You can download a movie from the Internet for a set fee، and then play it back on your computer. Although it is nice to have this option، it poses another set of problems. Having these online movie rental options means that youll have to set up a TV to watch VHS tapes and DVDs، and set up your computer to watch movie downloads. This certainly makes laying out your living room more difficult!
I do use online movie rentals، but I stay with the traditional format. For me، VHS and DVD are more than enough options. Maybe someday when a new standard that has higher quality is adopted and becomes the technological norm for the country، I will switch to it. Until then، however، my biggest source for movie rentals will be the video store. Sure، sometimes I get an online movie rental to save money، or to get a movie that is not available at my local store، but for the most part I prefer to have the flexibility of choosing a movie when I want one.
