Digital Trends

The days of the corner video rental store are numbered. Use a broadband movie service and you’ll never need to visit the local Blockbuster, be disappointed because all the best new releases have already been checked out or pay a late fee because you didn’t get a chance to watch the flick again.

You're not limited to movies, either. Many of these services also offer episodes from current and classic TV shows, news programs, music videos and more. A few services are supported by advertising and are otherwise free, but most are pay-to-play (e.g., they operate on a pay-per-view or monthly subscription basis).

Some of these services use your computer as the client, some work with a TiVo or other device, and others require you to purchase a stand-alone box (which can be a better alternative if your computer isn’t connected to your TV, you don’t have a home network, or you don’t want to add an audio-video streamer to the network you do have).

With more than a dozen services competing for the same eyeballs, a shakeout is pretty much inevitable, though. Here’s our guide to eight contenders with the best prospects for long-term survival. Amazon Video on Demand, Blockbuster OnDemand, CinemaNow, the iTunes Store, and Vudu all rent downloadable movies and sell downloadable episodes of new and classic TV shows. Netflix allows you to stream many older movies and some TV episodes as part of its subscription DVD-rental service. Hulu and Joost are free movie-, TV-, and music-streaming services supported by advertising. Have a look through our in-depth recaps of all, and we’re confident you’ll never bother checking out a DVD again.