WE know you want to make the most of your new HD-ready flat screen TV and spanking new home cinema system, but there is no point in shelling out for a new Blu Ray movie, when you can just rent them instead.

The leading online DVD rental services already have large selections of Blu-ray Discs in stock. Some UK DVD rental comparison sites will even list the number of Blu Ray titles you can rent from the various DVD rental sites.

A Blu-ray Disc is expensive to buy, roughly four times what you would pay for a standard DVD, but if you rent online you will pay nothing extra for the considerable benefits the Blu-ray Disc offers, including extraordinarily detailed images, amazing colour and crisper sound than ever before.

Five times the detail

To play Blu-ray Discs you need a Blu-ray compatible DVD player or Playstation 3, and a HDTV to give you the most effective quality.

Blue laser technology porvides up to 50 GB of storage space, five times the capacity of a normal DVD giving 9 hours of HD (high definition) video or 23 hours of SD (standard definition).

HD gives five times the clarity of standard definition and allows you to watch your favourite blockbusters at home with the same dynamic effect and explosive sound you would get in a cinema.

It seems that, in future, exciting features will include the ability to watch live broadcasts of special events, the ability to update content via an internet connection and also download extras.

The major film studios - Disney, Warner, MGM and Fox - are starting to launch Blu-ray Discs simultaneously with Standard Definition DVDs but generally the Blu-ray films fall in the category of popular thrillers, adventure or action.

A good example is Daniel Craig's first outing as 007 in 'Casino Royale', which recently broke high-tech records in North America with sales of 100,000 during its first release as a Blue-ray Disc.

New comedy is proving popular and in addition some old favourites have been converted to the Blu-ray system. We tracked down Steve McQueen's classic 'The Great Escape' for example.

Rent Blu-Ray, don't buy it

In due course Blu-ray is likely to replace standard DVDs altogether, but it doesn't make sense at this stage to get rid of your standard DVDs.

Since Blu-ray is still a lot more expensive to buy and probably will be for a while yet, the smart choice for avid movie fans then is to rent for the time being.

A spokesman for Blockbuster DVD rental, one of the larger and more popular rental sites, has indicated that it intends to buy every Blu-ray DVD that is released.

He also emphasised that they will still buy and supply back catalogue DVDs to members and when Blu-ray versions of those films are released, they'll buy and supply them as well.

You'll need to find a DVD rental site that offers Blu Ray rental (not all of them do).

Shirley Stevens is a movie lover, avid DVD renter and popular entertainment journalist. You'll see many of her pieces on UK DVD rental sites, which let you compare DVD rental services and also includes a useful guide to UK Blu Ray rental.

Online DVD rental business started its journey only in the last part of the twentieth century. But it has never looked back since then. The online disk rental trade became a huge success and attained unimaginable popularity among the viewers. The popularity was first attained in the USA and UK where the viewers were overwhelmed by the exclusive and convenient way of watching a movie. The Internet DVD rental trade did not restrict itself in these countries but spread to all other major countries of Europe and Asia.

The online DVD rentals offer an easy and convenient way of ordering for a movie. The viewer needs to go to the website of the rental company. He will need to register himself at the site. Then he can choose DVDs from the list of films provided in the website. After choosing the desired DVD he will need to sit back and relax. The ordered DVDs will be sent through post practically in no time at all.

There are no hidden charges or any kind of late fees applicable on these orders. There is no due date either and so the customer does not need to worry about sending the DVDs back. They can be sent back free of charges. The customers can return the DVDs at their own will. But he will get another DVD only after returning the previous one.

The membership fee is quite small in the online rental services. The both ways postal charges are included in the membership fees. So, after paying the membership fees the customer can stop worrying about extra charges.

Before the online DVDs rental trade started viewers had to go to a shop to get a DVD and had to keep the due date of retuning the DVD failing which extra charges would have to be paid for late returns. But with the advent of Internet DVD rental trade things changed dramatically. And people all around the world have understood the benefits of ordering online for a DVD.

The most famous name in the field of web DVD rental trade happens to be that of Netflix that introduced web DVD rental trade. Another big name is Blockbuster. Blockbuster had already created a name for itself as a very popular DVD rental shop. Blockbuster went online and took a very large share in the market. Blockbuster controls over a quarter of the market and has increased emphasis on its online division. Another giant named Lovefilm also has a prominent presence in the online DVD rental business. Lovefilm mails out over two million DVDs per month.

The DVD rental market will probably continue its explosive growth for at least several more years as it is becoming increasingly powerful, driving many street video shops out of business in the process. It is a huge market and the fabulous consumer friendly offers of this business make the online DVD rental business a complete success story.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for used DVDs, used movies, and used car stereos. You can find the best marketplace for used DVDs, used movies, and used car stereos at these sites for Online DVD rental business, Netflix, Blockbuster, Lovefilm, used movies, and used car stereos.

DVD rental industry came into being in the last decades of the 20th century. Around 1999, companies began to come up with the idea of online DVD rental system. The system soon became a great success as it offered convenience with no extra charges.

The convenience of ordering for a movie from home became hugely popular. And with the additional facilities like cheap rentals, no late fees, and no due dates, it really caught up with the market. Even postal charges were not included and the viewers could order online 24 hours a day from a huge collection of movies.

From the very beginning the DVD rental industry became quite fashionable and it outdated the general DVD rental shop, which had all kinds of extra charges. The online system became immediately popular as the viewer did not have to go anywhere to watch his favorite movies.

The process of ordering the DVD became simple like never before. The viewer just had to visit the DVD rental company's website, get a membership and choose from the list of movies available on the site. He can then order for the movies and the movies will get delivered by first class post to him in no time at all. In some ways DVD rental industry has given a big boost to the postal system also of every country.

The DVD rental by mail idea was pioneered by the US film Netflix, launched in 1999, to take advantage of the power of the internet and cheap and easy delivery of DVDs by post, while eliminating late fees or any kind of hidden charges. Netflix was the first one to introduce online DVD rentals and was able to get a patent on this business idea. They are the pioneers in the online DVD rental industry. Netflix is the ideal model for the entire industry and is still the dominant company in the U.S.

Another DVD rental industry giant, Lovefilm, alone controls 23 percent of all DVD rentals from all over the world. Lovefilm delivers out over 2 million discs per month. It is a UK based company that offers various types of membership plans and facilities as well.

The other big player in the DVD rental industry is Blockbuster which controls over a quarter of the market and has increased emphasis on its online division, with quality probably just as good as its brick and mortar store. Blockbuster claimed one million online customers in August 2005, two million by March 2006, and finished the first quarter of 2007 with three million.

DVD rental industry had an explosive growth in 2005 and 2006 and is expected to continue for at least several more years. And the DVD rental industry will probably continue this excessive growth for at least several more years as it goes for the big picture, driving many street video shops out of the way in the process.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for used DVDs, used movies, and used car stereos. You can find the best marketplace for used DVDs, used movies, and used car stereos at these sites for Netflix, Blockbuster, Lovefilm, used movies, and used car stereos.

The DVD rental industry came into being in the last part of the previous century. Around 1999, some companies came up with the idea of an online DVD rental system. The system, when introduced, became quite a success as it offered convenience with no extra charges.

The convenience of ordering a movie from home became hugely popular. And with the additional facilities like cheap rentals, no late fees and no due dates it really caught the fancy of the market. Even postal charges were not included and viewers could order online, 24 hours a day, from a huge collection of movies.

From the very beginning, the DVD rental industry became quite fashionable and it outdated the general DVD rental shop, which had all kinds of extra charges tagged with a DVD. The online availability of DVDs made it more popular as the viewer did not have to go anywhere to watch his favorite movie.

The process of ordering the DVD became simple like never before. The viewer just had to visit the DVD rental company's website, get a membership and choose from the list of movies available on the site. He could then order for the movies and the movies would get delivered by first class post to him in no time at all. In some ways, the DVD rental industry has also given a big boost to the postal system of every country.

The big players

The DVD rental by mail industry was pioneered by the US firm Netflix, launched in 1999 to take advantage of the power of the internet and cheap and easy delivery of DVDs by post, while eliminating late fees or any kind of hidden charges. Netflix was the first one to introduce online DVD rentals and was able to get a patent on this business idea. They are the pioneers in the online DVD rental industry. Netflix is the ideal model for the entire industry and is still the dominant company in the U.S.

Another DVD rental industry giant, Lovefilm, alone controls 23 percent of all DVD rentals from all over the world. Lovefilm delivers out over 2 million discs per month. It is a UK based company that offers various types of membership plans and facilities as well.

Another big player in the DVD rental industry, Blockbuster controls over a quarter of the market and has increased emphasis on its online division, with quality probably just as good as its brick and mortar store. Blockbuster claimed one million online customers in August 2005, two million by March 2006, and finished the first quarter of 2007 with three million.

Conclusion

The DVD rental industry had an explosive growth in 2005 and 2006 and it is expected to continue through for at least several more years. Though the boom in this industry is yet to create history in the world of cinema, the DVD rental industry will probably continue this excessive growth for at least several more years as it goes for the big picture, driving many street video shops out of date in the process.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for used DVDs, used movies, and used car stereos. You can find the best marketplace for used DVDs, used movies, and used car stereos at these sites for used DVDs, used movies, and DVD rental industry, Netflix, Blockbuster, Lovefilm.

Why Bother With the Box Office?

Every once in a while I read the box office stats. Why? To see if any movie has come close to topping Star Wars as the highest grossing movie off all time. My trust in the box office was firm adn secure until 1997 when Titanic blew everything away and became (and still is) the highest grossing box office movie of all time. What did this mean? Was my world shattered because Star Wars was defeated according to Box Office Mojo? Hardly. All it meant was that people went in huge numbers to see Leonardo DiCaprio while Star Wars continues to be the greatest cinematic experience of all time. The box office make no judgement on movies, it just tells us which movies people are going to see.

But it does affect what people see. That's the catch. If a movie has a high gross at the box office people will perceive it as being good and more will go and see the movie. There are plenty of examples where this is true. the opening weekend for Spiderman 3 was huge and people continued to go see it. The film had more of a run than it should have had because the box office (although not a person) compelled people to go see it. "It must be good because it's a blockbuster!" people would say. Sadly, the movie was poor and if the box office had accurately reflected the picture's quality, the franchise would be in trouble. But the people came, so another movie is sure to follow

What Can We Really Learn from the Box Office?

Movies and the Hollywood industry continue to fascinate us (mostly North Americans but people around the world are being sucked into it's vortex) and the box office is a fun way to track what trends in film are popular. So you can see how reading the box office gross numbers could benefit enyone related to the film industry. Writers, merchandisers, set designers, for example, should keep a close eye on the box office and see what types of movies are doing well at present and what have done well in the past. So the box office can be a valuable research tool for people interested in gaging popular viewing opinions.

The website below contains more articles to help you learn a bit more about the box office. If you love movies new or old, it's always fun to go through the box office stats and see just how much money was spent at the movie theater. Sometimes it's reassuring that good movies are being seen by lots of people. Sometimes you'll be left scratching your head and wondering, "Why'd they go see that?"

There's a certain breed amongst us that salivates at the thought of seeing a movie. Watching flicks from the treasured classics to the newest crop of screen entertainment is their cherished pastime. Know at least one guy or gal who fits this description?

Well, there's a way to cater exactly to their passion when it's gift-giving time. There's also a strategy to accomplish this challenge in as little as 10 minutes. What's the secret of meeting both of these daunting challenges? What's a win-win situation for all concerned?

Glad you asked! There's a proven remedy available to anyone who wishes to get the deed done in the most time-efficient way. The answer is buying Movie Gift Baskets online. This strategy will guarantee that the recipient will be able to get the movie that he or she desires in addition to a bevy of delectable treats. It will also save you a whole lot of time that you could use for other matters in your life.

So what do Movie Gift Baskets contain that are so special? First off, they can have within a $10 or $15 Blockbuster gift card. That means that the precise movie desired can be obtained by the one that you wish to make happy. Imagine the look in their eyes while being captured by the action thriller, comedy, "chick flick", or whatever type of film makes them come alive.

What else makes Movie Gift Baskets an exceptional choice? This gift idea also can be packed with treats such as popcorn, cookies, Cracker Jacks, peanuts, and candy - plus even a bottle of soda pop! Nothing is better than munching on these delightful goodies while being captivated by a good flick - Especially for those that are Hollywood fanatics that you know of!

OK, so far so good. You now know that there is a way to provide custom entertainment for anybody within their own comfy home. There's also a known way to include yummy snacks with the Blockbuster gift to complement the movie theatre feeling. And everything is packaged in a movie-themed container that will add to the splendor of it all. But the big question is – How do you get one into the hands of the beneficiary?

Piece of cake, my friends. Just use technology, as in the internet, to complete the mission for you. Go to your favorite search engine of Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc and type in keywords or keyword phrases that fit the product desired. Examples could be "Movie Gift Baskets", "Movie Lover Gift Baskets" and so on.

Review the choices that are given on the search engines and pick the one that is within your price range. Next you would fill out the shipping, billing and safe credit card info. Finally, you have the option to type in a personal message to the recipient. This could raise the gift experience to a whole new level if you put your mind to it. Might be the perfect opportunity to creatively express some of your keen wit!

The whole shebang could easily take a mere 10 minutes - or less! You can now forget about the hassles of mall shopping and wasted time and gas money.

So, you now are armed and ready to get the job done in the most effective and efficient way. Go forth now and win yourself an Oscar in the eyes of someone else by the giving of a Movie Gift Basket today!

Brian is the owner of Gift Basket Paradise and offers an awesome gift idea for anyone who enjoys watching movies and munching on delectable snacks at the same time. He invites you to visit his Movie Gift Baskets webpage at http://www.agiftbasketparadise.com/movie_gift_baskets.html for some very entertaining ideas!

I am finding that creators, to this day, often still think inside the box. Unfortunately for those who are, thinking outside the box is the only way our projects will ever happen. Many acclaimed black directors still complain of problems in Hollywood, even trying to get a low budget drama financed. The creators of the very inspirational Hustle & Flow ended up going "out of pocket" to make what they knew was an amazing film, because no one at the studios believed in it. This is with name talent attached. The idea of a studio backing an unknown artist's first picture as a $100 million+ blockbuster movie is absurd. The truth of the matter is that the studios and their money are not necessary.

I like puzzles. There are puzzles all over the internet. One only needs to fid the pieces and start putting them together. One of those puzzles shows us what can really be done without millions of dollars or major studio backing. The day is soon coming, or already is, when full 3D animation is accessible to all at a quality that will astound. I have seen the puzzle pieces. Someone simply needs to put them together.

A quick look at the galleries on websites like Daz3D or E-On Software will show some amazing things people are doing with very cheap, or even free, of-the-shelf software. Although one may not be able to hire a large crew to model assets, there's so much content out there, for free or low prices, that an artist can have an incredible head start to getting their creation off the ground. The thing is that it takes a little imagination.

Too often when I mention the wealth of content out there, the 3D models at places like Daz, Renderosity or Content Paradise, people immediately ask, "Well, what if they don't have what I want?" That, to me, is a severe lack of imagination. They have everything an artist thinking outside the box could want. How you use it is what determines whether or not you get what you want. How you think about it is important too.

I have, in the past, bought a 3D costume model because it had a belt that I wanted, then another because it had a shoulder pad I wanted, and on it goes. The reason is because I think about it in terms of creating my own backlot with a wardrobe department and pieces from which to construct sets and environments. I would say this mode of thought has eliminated as much as 90% of the work involved building original content from scratch for my 3D animation projects.

Now some will say, "Certain things have to be exact to my design." Sometimes this is definitely true, but taking advantage of the wealth of available content out there can mean the difference between getting the project off the ground or never seeing it happen at all. An artist can wait for years for a studio to give them millions to make their dream script. I know some who have done that and they give up on a broken dream. Robert Rodriguez, on the other hand, looked at what he had and went out and got his first movie done. It's just a matter of how an artist approaches the project.

Terrence Walker is a published manga author, independent animator and online entrepreneur who helps other creatives realize their visions of digital content creation and distribution. To find out more information, visit:

Have you ever thought about renting DVD's online?

As they are delivered straight to your mailbox, it is a wonderful way to catch up on the newest movie releases or having another look at those old favourites without leaving the comfort of your centrally heated home.

It cuts out all the inconvenience of that trip to the shop with the inevitable battle for parking space and the frustration of trying to find something worth watching that isn't already out.

Never mind the saving on fuel.

Here are eight useful tips that will help you get the maximum value from your DVD online rental subscription.

1. Choose one of the rental sites that will provide you with a variety of services. A good one here is Tesco DVD Rental, which, in addition to movie DVD's also offers popular TV series. Another is LoveFilm, which offers video games as well as DVD's.

2. Providers like Blockbuster DVD Rental and LoveFilm are both good choices as they allow you to browse by either title or category, taking into account user experience.

3. Make a list of DVDs you would like to see and keep it accessible. This makes for easy selection when faced with a vast choice on the rental site.

4. Use the DVD rental site's search feature to check out what other movies your favourite actors or film directors have been involved in and then add those to your wish list.

5. A site like covers reviews on almost any movie you can think of. If writing your own movie reviews grabs you, some DVD rental sites enable and encourage subscribed members to write and post their own movie reviews.

6. Leisure activities are well catered for on the rental sites and you will find DVD's on just about any hobby or activity you can think of, be it model aeroplanes or pottery.

7. Do remember to mail your movies back as soon as you've watched them. If you are intending to spend a quiet weekend at home watching movies you must plan well ahead to avoid any disappointment. Remember the early bird saying!

8. A really fun thing to do is to organise theme nights with friends. Fancy dress is optional!

As you will discover pretty soon, online DVD rental has made the whole concept of watching movies at home so much easier and cheaper.

To find out more about the different DVD rental services available and also to make the most of your rental subscription, use a UK DVD rental comparison site like ChooseDVDRental.co.uk which will help you select the most suitable provider and package for your individual needs.

Shirley Stevens is an independent film and movie journalist. When not watching blockbusters she writes for UK DVD Rental comparison site ChooseDVDRental.co.uk, the price comparison site that compares 160+ UK DVD Rental packages and helps you find the best one, including the best DVD rental free trials.

Postcards can produce incredible results when used to generate website traffic or sales leads. Direct mail postcard marketing is now used in a variety of industries and has proven to have great potential. Postcards efficiently send out a message accompanied by suggestive images so that you accomplish your marketing objectives. Blockbuster Print offers high quality postcard printing services overnight at low costs. You can order any amount or size of postcards and have them delivered in just a few days.

There are many advantages to postcard marketing these days. First of all, postcards can work for any type of business or activity. While some marketing methods are restricted to certain types of businesses, marketing with postcards is highly adaptable to a multitude of activities. Postcards are even used by internet marketers to generate more website traffic. Furthermore, if you want your marketing campaign to produce results quickly, postcards are a great idea. Postcard printing, addressing and mailing can be done in short amounts of time. You'll be able to see results from your marketing campaign as early as a couple of days from the postcard sending date.

Another great thing about postcard marketing is that the vast majority of people reads postcards and doesn't just ignore them like with other advertising methods. Postcards are very appealing and eye catching and people want to know what they're about. If you use a catchy text and original graphics it's almost certain that you'll get positive results in no time. Furthermore, postcard printing is a great marketing idea because like receiving them. A postcard in the mail will always be more attractive than another advertisement.

Postcard marketing is one of the most inexpensive marketing methods ever developed. You can order a large amount of postcards overnight for a very cheap price. Sending out the postcards is also inexpensive and the results will appear quickly. You can first send a specific number of postcards to a test group of people to get a general idea of the public response. If you really want to impress, make sure your postcard printing is of the highest full color quality. Blockbuster Print is an expert in overnight postcard printing and will provide top quality for convenient prices.

Nowadays, postcard marketing has become extremely popular because of its many advantages. With only a small investment in advertising you can obtain fantastic results. If you make your postcard interesting and eye catching chances are that your result will be significantly better. Blockbuster Print offers the best overnight postcard printing services anywhere on the web.

If you want great-impact marketing for low costs, postcard marketing is the solution to go for. postcard printing is inexpensive and you can send out as many postcards as you'd like. For more information on the advantages pf marketing with postcards and the costs of printing postcards, visit our website.

If you own a small business, postcards are an excellent way of establishing and maintaining relationships with your customers and suppliers. You can send them on special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas, New Year or Easter. It is a good opportunity to prove your customers that they are important for you and, at the same time, remind them of the services you are offering.

Your business partners will appreciate a postcard as a sign of consideration. Even your employees will be happy to receive a postcard on holidays. Such a gesture will not cost you very much, but your employees will be thankful and they will feel motivated to do their best. Nevertheless, the most important thing that postcards do is to promote your company's image, products and services. Overall, postcards can be an important part of your marketing campaign.

In order to customize your postcards and brochures, you can use free templates. Postcard, brochure or other kinds of promotion material should contain your company's logo and references to the services that your company is providing. You can create your own custom postcard or ask a graphic designer to do it at BlockbusterP Full color postcards have a greater influence upon customers, so be sure to select them.

You should pay attention to other aspects that affect the quality of the postcard, such as the material used, the thickness of the postcard, the quality of the ink used on printing. You should choose a reliable printing services provider that will correctly identify your needs and satisfy them in the shortest time and with maximum of efficiency. Reliable printers also provide additional services such as free brochure templates, two-sided print option and others.

If you are looking for cheap high quality printing and low prices, BlockbusterP has what you need. When it comes to postcards printing, our offer is practically unbeatable. BlockbusterP has postcards that are 50% thicker than the traditional ones. BlockbusterP also offers free services such as UV gloss coating, which makes the colors richer and more powerful. Moreover, you have a two-sided print option; full color printing; full bleed printing, which means that there will be no white borders on the print area.

BlockbusterP also prints brochures, flyers and other marketing materials. You will find a multitude of free templates from which you can choose. Professionalism and care for our customers' needs have always been our core values. That is why today BlockbusterP offers the fastest, cheapest and most reliable printing services.

In order to get the customers' attention, you must have an aggressive and efficient marketing campaign. The promotion materials that you use are an important part of the campaign, so you must pay great attention to them. They must send a clear message to the customers and be original enough to stand out, in a world too often saturated with publicity. BlockbusterP offers you the cheapest printing services – BlockbusterP guarantees you low pricing. To ensure client satisfaction, we offer no charge additional services, such as free uv gloss, full color print, full bleed print, free templates and much more.

BlockbusterP prints all kinds of marketing materials: brochures, flyers, posters, and postcards. In order to customize your materials you can use the available brochure printing. Take advantage of these services to create the best promotion campaign for your products and /or services.

What is a weapon in the arsenal of gift giving possibilities that could win you Academy Awards for ingenuity, thoughtfulness and outstanding entertainment? Movie gifts is this option that can be yours to send out for any occasion or situation that merits the action of giving on your part.

So when would this strategy be appropriate for you to put into action? Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations come to mind at first. These events can be celebrated by granting those you know exactly what they desire with a good flick and added goodies.

Movie gifts could also be used to cheer up those under the weather that you know of who need a jolt of healthy good wishes. Why not put a dose of emotion, adventure and imagination with a personal message of healing? Its impact will be felt by the one that needs your strength and encouragement now more than ever.

Need to send your gratitude to someone who is a cinema buff? Movie gifts can advertise your thankfulness to that person in no uncertain terms. You will have given the lucky benefactor of your generosity something to look forward to and treasure forever.

Want to know the best way to grant someone this type of entertaining present? Care to find a way to send popcorn, cookies and other movie theater treats along with a Blockbuster gift card giving them their choice of films to watch? The answer is Movie Gift Baskets that can give all of this and more!

There's your answer as far as what to give. The next question, however, is where to find them and how to get them into the hands of the one that you wish to make happy. Fortunately, the solution can be easy and painless with the use of a little technology known as the internet. How so?

Go to Google, Yahoo or whichever search engine that you desire and plug in keywords or keyword phrases that would fit your desired end. Examples would be "movie gifts" or a more specific "movie gift baskets" to get a selection of websites from which to choose your selection. Find the right one within your budget and you are almost done. The next step is to have it mailed to the right destination.

Just use your typing skills to let the Movie Gifts website know who and where to send it to and by when. Make a safe credit card payment and your mission has been completed. No traffic congestion driving to the mall and back. No competition for parking space. No wading through herds of other people to try to find the right movie gifts item that might not even be available. No wasting gas going to and fro. There's a multitude of other reasons but I'm confident that you get my point.

Try movie gift baskets as a way to send the right message in the most time and sanity efficient way. Make yourself an instant star in someone's life today!

Brian is the owner of Gift Basket Paradise and invites everyone to visit http://www.agiftbasketparadise.com/movie_gift_basket.html for movie gifts ideas.

Several years ago movies were available on the internet via peer-to-peer file sharing sites. Of course, issues of piracy and the risk of exposure to viruses prevented the average consumer from considering movie downloads a viable option however. More legitimate movie downloads came along a bit later in the form of Movielink and CinemaNow, but the selection was limited, download technology was a bit slow, and the equipment in the homes of most consumers made watching the films undesirable. For these reasons, movie downloads for the most part remained the domain of early adopters rather than the mainstream public.

Online movie rental services such as Netflix and Blockbuster have been more prominent forces in the home entertainment industry due to their much larger selection of movies. The primary drawback for such movie rental services was the delay between choosing the movie and receiving it in the mail a day or two later for viewing. However, the distinction between movie downloads, with their immediate gratification and convenience, and the world of online movie rentals, with their vast libraries of movie and television show titles, became blurred in 2007; benefiting the movie watching public.

Due to upgrades in how online movie rental services deliver their product, movie downloads appear to be going mainstream. In January 2007, online movie rental pioneer, Netflix announced they would begin offering customers the option of streaming movies to their PC although the availability of titles would be phased in over time. Within six months, Netflix announced that 5 million movies had been viewed using this download feature. The number of movies available to customers for downloading continued to increase and only six weeks later the number of movies viewed online had doubled to 10 million. Clearly, the popularity of downloading was catching hold within the average household.

In August 2007, Blockbuster the other major name in video rental, both online and off, announced that they had purchased Movielink. A joint venture between five major Hollywood movie studios, Movielink offered titles for rental or purchase and had provided early adopters movies for download to PC and portable devices. With the recent acquisition of Movielink, it is anticipated that movie downloads are soon to be an option with Blockbuster as well.

Certainly the events of 2007 appear to be headed toward a future of movie downloads becoming the preferred method of obtaining movies. If the escalating growth in the popularity of movie downloads evident at Netflix continues it would appear that local video stores will continue to lose market share. Similarly it would seem that mail delivery of rentals will begin to abate as well as downloading goes mainstream.

Christine Peppler has written extensively about home entertainment services such as movie downloads and online movie rental. Visit her website for more details.

Comedy movie go'ers delight...

Just got back from watching Rush Hour 3 at the theatre. Who said sequels cannot be as good as the first? In my humble opinion Rush Hour 3 easily ties the first Rush Hour the only advantage being the first had the element of surprise.

The writer's did a nice job tying the plot to the original movie. The plot is very basic but flows nicely. The stunts were fast moving, fantastic and mostly believable. A few of them went over the edge but nothing like MI3 or the Die Hard series, which to me were still good movies for different reasons. Sometimes you just want to veg at a movie and not have to think about anything.

Back to Rush Hour 3, get ready to laugh, laugh, laugh. Chris Tucker carries the whole movie and does a great job at it! Kudo's to you Chris, what a great comeback. He's put on a few pounds but can still move about the scene agilely. This is no Academy Award winning performance like Eddie Murphy should have received for his astounding Dream Girls performance but Chris Tucker really shows his versatile skills.

Jackie Chan does a good job as well. He helps to balance out Tucker's wild and crazy antics and keeps them from crossing the line (like much of Martin Lawerences' work) from funny to just plain stupid. It's all about timing and balance. The Chan and Tucker team definitely have both in this hilarious sequel.

The asian cast had quite a few veteran actors. Hiroyuki Sanada from The Last Samurai and Youki Kudoh from Memoirs of a Geisha.

The enormous international success of the Rush Hour series began in 1998 with Rush Hour and then the sequel Rush Hour 2 was released in 2001. According to Box Office Mojo, combined these two movies have grossed over $350 million dollars domestically.

My theatre was packed and the general mood felt like most of the movie goers enjoyed the flick. The movie itself is nicely compacted into 87 minutes so you're not sitting there so long you start to wonder why you came out. If you like comedies this is a must see. Even with a weak plot it's still remains very funny.

Below is one of the funniest dialogs presented in the movie:

Dojo Master: May I Help You?

Detective James Carter: I'll be asking the questions old man. Who are you?

Dojo Master: Yu.

Detective James Carter: No not me you!

Dojo Master: Yes I'm Yu!

Detective James Carter: Are you deaf?

Dojo Master: No Yu is blind!

Detective James Carter: I'm not blind, you blind

Dojo Master: That is what I just said.

Detective James Carter: You just said what?

Dojo Master: I did not say what, I said Yu.

Detective James Carter: That's what I'm asking you!

Dojo Master: And Yu is answering.

Detective James Carter: Shutup!

Detective James Carter: You!

Dojo Master: Yes?

Detective James Carter: Not You, Him! What's Your name?

Dojo Student: Mi.

Detective James Carter: Yes You!

Dojo Student: I'm Mi.

Dojo Master: He's Mi and I'm Yu.

Detective James Carter: And I'm about to whoop your old ass man because I am sick of playing games!

Get out and show some love for Rush Hour 3 this weekend. I'm betting this blockbuster will do quite nicely again at the box office.

The term coming to a theater near you is an exciting phrase for millions of people. Regardless of whether you are a fan of drama, horror, comedy or whatever, Hollywood has a movie that will satisfy.

That being said , going to the movies is an event that one looks forward to. However, doing so can be a relatively expensive outing. Though society has been somewhat conditioned to pay for it without thinking about it. With the cost of a movie ticket hovering between seven and ten dollars. It quickly becomes apparent that a date or family outing that involves a movie can be a costly one.

But again, if you are like me, you make it past the price of the movie ticket only to realize that the ticket price was just the teaser. If you want refreshments with your movie, you are due for a price shock .

Prices for refreshments have soared to unbelievable heights. A box of candy costs three dollars, a bucket of popcorn four dollars and fifty cents, a soda three dollars, hotdog four dollars, a bottle of water two dollars. No, let me say that again a bottle of water two dollars.

When you take a date with you, a single trip to the movies can cost you over thirty dollars. If you take a family of six (meaning 2 parents 4 kids), you might as well re-mortgage your home before you go. Seriously though, dont mortgage your house, but you might need to sell a bit of your jewelry to pull the costs back into range.

If you see all of the blockbusters that come to theaters and purchase snacks, you could spend over 120 dollars per week or per month depending on how many people you take with you. Add gas, dinner and your night out has become a major investment.

Movie theater ticket and food prices are out of control, says Tina Landry. I sneak snacks in if I want them. I know that it is wrong but so are the prices they charge for snacks.

Though many movie-goers grit their teeth and pay extraordinary prices for what they could buy at the store for a fraction of the cost, there are others that simply refuse to be blatantly over charged for their entertainment needs.

Lots of movie-goers are turning to the internet to help finance their insatiable appetites for Hollywoods products. The Movie Theater Toolbar is changing the perception of what is affordable. By allowing movie goers to easily earn money online to feed the entertainment need monster, the Movie Theater Toolbar eliminates the need for movie goers to cringe when they see the prices at movie theaters rising as they have done so consistently in the last few years. Using the Movie Theater Toolbar allows movie to go to or rent as many movies as they want without breaking the bank.

The Movie Theater Toolbar interfaces with TypoBounty dot com, a website where website owners offer cash rewards for web surfers to find and report errors on their website. Errors such as misspelled words, punctuation flaws, missing graphics and many more errors, if found and reported are worth two dollars or more each. Many websites have more than 20 errors.

I have told all of my friends about this toolbar says Rena Washington they were glad to hear about it, since they go to the movies all of the time.

The author, John Reed, has 15 years business experience and has had the opportunity to use and review multiple online businesses. You can read more avoiding the money trap of movie theaters at

Many Internet businesses sell intellectual property. For example, they sell a book, eBook, audio CD, DVD, or software. Selling intellectual property can be very lucrative. You can sell intellectual property that is in a digital format such as an eBook. You can have customers download the eBook directly off of your website.

Downloading a digital product is easy, but what if you want to send a CD or DVD to your customer? Many customers still prefer an actual CD or DVD. If you offer these products then you have to deal with fulfillment of packaging and shipping. You can work through a fulfillment company, but many fulfillment companies provide less than desirable services.

So how do you act as your own fulfillment company? Let's say that you have digital MP3 audios that you want to put into CD format. You also have an eBook that you want to print and send as a hard copy book. You also are new to the Internet business scene and are on a tight budget.

The good news is that you can burn the CD and print the book yourself. Buy a CD and DVD burner program called "BravoPro". BravoPro lets you burn CDs and DVDs quickly and easily. You can burn CDs and DVDs at your home. You can print out the CD and DVD covers yourself.

Tip: Don't buy BravoPro off of ebay just to save a few bucks. If you do then you won't have access to BravoPro support. So if your program breaks or you have questions about features than you are left out in the cold.

The next question is how to package the CDs and DVDs. You need a CD jewel case and/or a DVD case. Did you know that you can actually find DVD cases for free? Head out to your local Blockbuster. They often throw out DVD cases after a hit movie goes onto the regular shelves. So go to your local Blockbuster and ask them when they throw out their DVD cases. They will often be happy to give you the DVD boxes. Using the free DVD cases will save you loads of money.

Burning your own CDs and DVDs is fun at first, but after awhile you may want to outsource the job. It's up to you. Just know that you can provide fulfillment for these types of products on a budget.

Matt Bacak began investing his first earnings at the tender age of 12, a young businessman in the making. Now, 15 years later, Bacak survived failed businesses, botched partnerships, heavy credit card debt and bankruptcy - all in preparation for the accomplishments he has achieved today as a well-established Internet millionaire and best-selling author.

For more information, visit Bacak's site at or sign up for his Powerful Promoting

Tips at

Imagine a chilling afternoon when it's snowing outside, you have a holiday to enjoy but nowhere to go! Running your favourite movie nth number of time seems like a great idea. What is generally done in such a situation is to avail the DVD rental service offered by various merchants on the high street as well as online. As the high street is becoming passé with each passing day, online movie rental is gaining a stronghold amongst all.

The invention of VCRs about two decades ago introduced the Brits to the concept of watching movies in the comfort of their homes. The DVDs are fulfilling the same purpose but with a picture quality that is much better and advanced. The torturous long queues on the weekends at the theatres are no longer visible as people now prefer this DVD rental option to the other one that is money and time consuming.

One major advantage that online DVD rental service has over others is that in case of most merchants the provision of late fee has been done away with. The merchants who earned pots full as late fee even from their loyal customers have now given up the system due to immense competition in the field. As a result, the advantage lies with the customers and you can make the most of this favourable situation.

Next time the need to rent a DVD arises, consider these online merchants who offer almost every movie of your choice at really low monthly rates. You get your favourite movie in your mailbox in no time and what more, you pay no late fee as you decide to watch the movie again during your next weekend break.

Know more about DVD Movie Rentals and DVD Games here.

My wife works for the local BlockBuster video in town and they are supposed to get people to sign up for an online account but the problem is that a lot of people are afraid to sign up for these things because of fear of having to put their credit card info on the form. With the world coming online credit card fraud is on the increase. How are we able to take advantage of the savings from these online offers without having to give up our personal credit card information?

Whenever I sign up for anything that says it is going to deduct from a credit card I get one of those prepaid credit cards and only put enough on the card to take care of any online obligations. This way I don't have to worry about additional charges or somebody hacking into this companies computers and getting all my information. You would think that stores like Blockbuster Video would sell prepaid credit cards in their stores so that they could offer this option to customers thus increasing the number of online accounts they are taking every day.

Prepaid credit cards is a great way to eliminate the fear of online purchases.. Even when purchasing from a site like ebay you can make use of these prepaid credit cards. I have very rarely found a site that won't accept the use of a prepaid card. The only card I have ever had refused was one of those prepaid American Express gift cards. My GreenDot card has never been turned down and they don't charge a transaction fee like a lot of cards do.

Another option would be to set up a small savings account at your local bank and get a Visa debit card. The only thing I don't like about these debit cards is it is very hard to ever dispute a transaction on them. A regular credit card will give you usually about 30 days to dispute a transaction whereas Discover card says they will give you 90 days and a friend of mine who has an American Express card says they will allow him to dispute a transaction for a year.

Now I did have a Discover card at one time and I used it to by some software. The software was defective so I disputed the transaction but all Discover Card cared about was thatI I had received the software. They stated that they did not care that the software did not work that if that were the case I should dispute it directly with the merchant.

Jeffrey has over 2 decades experience in the business world. When he writes he blends his unique wit and humour into every article which if you rread his blog you can see all of his many works.

A resume has one purpose-to market your skills, achievements, academic history and future potential to a prospective employer. A powerful and effective resume should provide key information quickly, differentiate you from all other candidates and be attractively packaged. To produce a resume with punch, follow these six steps for success:

1. Focus on your goal and audience.

You must have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish. The more closely your resume content matches the stated job qualifications, the more likely you will be asked to interview.

2. Format for maximum impact.

Your resume must be aesthetically appealing to a hiring manager. Templates should be easy to navigate, and you should always use conservative fonts. Avoid using bold text or italics. They are difficult to read and project a lack of professionalism. Avoid block after block of uninterrupted text and use "white space" wisely.

3. Summarize your qualifications.

Open your resume with a well-written qualifications summary and/or skill set that showcases your expertise as it pertains to your job search. Provide specific examples of what you can do, quantify accomplishments, indicate past performance results and list promotions to positions of increased responsibility.

4. Quantify your accomplishments.

The candidate who contributed the most in past positions gets the job. Specific accomplishments are what separate you from other equally qualified candidates, with one caveat: Your accomplishments must be quantified-that means they need to include measurements such as dollar figures, percentages and time periods.

5. Highlight your professional experience.

In the professional experience section, list employers, job titles, and dates of employment in reverse-chronological order. It is best to use a bulleted format to break up large blocks of text and delete unnecessary articles and adjectives. Begin each sentence with an action verb to quicken the pace of your resume and make the text more enjoyable to read.

6. Present your education and training.

If you are an entry-level candidate, your academic credentials should be presented first with appropriate details (e.g., GPA, awards/scholarships). As a professional with five or more years of experience, your education should be listed last on your resume without the academic details.

For more great tips and sample resumes, visit

Darlene Zambruski is the Managing Editor of ResumeE

In 1962 a young cartoonist, Stan Lee, came up with an idea for a new comic superhero. During an era in which most of our superheroes were muscle-bound adults, young Peter Parker struck an unlikely figure.

An adolescent -- a pimply, gangly short-sighted teen you would expect to be the last kid picked for sports -- Peter Parker was no typical hero. However, his shortcomings struck a chord with a comic-book audience living through those same difficult times; victims of bullies who dreamed of waking up one morning with the power to stop them, to make a difference, to be someone -- anyone -- other than the nerdy kid they saw in the mirror.

Despite being rejected by Marvel Comics, Stan Lee persisted in selling the idea of Spiderman and was picked up by the struggling title "Amazing Fantasy" -- and the rest is history. Within a few years "The Amazing Spiderman" was a mainstream comic book.

Flash forward forty years to the release of Spiderman the movie. Following the success in 2000 of another superhero adaptation, the first X-Men movie, expectations were high for Spidey's first big screen outing. Not one to disappoint, Spiderman became the first movie in history to take $100million in its opening weekend, and the only movie ever to deny a Star Wars film the top spot at the box office.

The second instalment of the Spiderman series did just as well, taking $88million in its opening weekend and setting a record for highest takings on an opening day at over $40million. If enormous profits and critical acclaim weren't enough, Spiderman 2 went on to win the Academy Award for Visual Effects.

So, considering that the Spiderman series has so far taken almost $800million at the US box office -- and much more overseas and in the rental market -- next year's Spiderman 3 has some mighty big boots to fill.

From the look of it director Sam Raimi has every intention of living up to the standards he set for first two movies, and then some. With a budget estimated at $250million, Spiderman 3 will be the most expensive movie ever made, beating the previous record of King Kong's $207million by an enormous margin.

Spiderman 3 will see the return of Harry Osborn (James Franco), still set on avenging his father's death. Following on from the final scenes of Spiderman 2, Osborn will command the technology developed by his father the Green Goblin in his mission to kill Spiderman.

Osborn won't be alone in his quest. Rumor has it that a second villain played by Topher Grace (Mona Lisa Smile, Traffic) will be getting a piece of the action. Based on a villain from the comic book series, Grace will play Venom, a symbiotic life form consisting of an alien lifeform and journalist Eddie Brock.

While principal filming for the third instalment was completed in August 2006, it will take months to complete the complex CGI necessary for the movie. In fact, some key scenes were shot as early as November of 2005 to allow Sony Pictures Imageworks the time to prepare the visual effects.

It seems, then, that with the enormous budget, new villains and mind-blowing visual effects, Spiderman 3 will be aiming to not only live up to success of the first two instalments, but blow them away entirely.

For articles on the subject of Hollywood - from the early days of cinema to the bleeding edge of CGI imagery and every point in between - James Shenton writes at www.EliteMovieD There you can find articles, entertainment and movie downloads.

Every so often a movie will come along that is destined for greatness -- be it through powerful imagery, an engaging plot or a stellar cast. Occasionally, though, just occasionally, comes a movie whose success is based not on cast or plot (whose plot, in fact, is purely incidental to its popularity) but on simple viral marketing. Snakes on a Plane is such a movie.

For those of you who have yet to come across this particular title, Snakes on a Plane is an R-rated action/horror vehicle starring Samuel L Jackson. The plot, as we have come to expect from action movies, is basic and untaxing. Jackson's FBI agent is escorting a witness on a flight from Hawaii to California to testify in a high-profile court case. Meanwhile, an assassin smuggles a crate filled with over 500 snakes onto the flight. Terror ensues. Simple.

Now, in the greatest traditions of Hollywood a movie such as Snakes on a Plane should probably have vanished with little comment somewhere in the middle of the usual pile of mindless late summer action flicks. Perhaps it would have done well in the rental market, but it had little hope of becoming a blockbuster in theaters.

However, this particular movie has one special quality -- a quality that saw it elevated from obscurity and gave it a vast fan following as much as a year before its release. This movie, you see, had a title that simply demanded comment - a working title so ridiculous that it begged parody and satire.

And that's just what it was - a working title. Studios usually give their productions a basic descriptive title before the marketers come up with something better. ET: The Extraterrestrial, for example, was titled variously A Boy's Life, ET and Me and Night Skies before assuming the name we know and love. The working title of Snakes on a Plane was, in fact, changed to the more generic Pacific Air Flight 121 before Jackson and droves of Internet fans insisted the original title be restored.

And therein lies the magic. With nothing more than a working title and a vague plot summary this movie became an Internet phenomenon -- generating a slew of fan blogs, videos, songs, parodies and praise before even a single frame of the movie has been seen. In the viral marketing style of The Blair Witch Project, the success of this low budget horror project is based more on myth than fact: the Internet (and, more specifically, the blogosphere) built hype, anticipation and excitement with greater success than any expensive marketing could possibly achieve.

Understandably, New Line Cinema took this surprising good fortune and ran with it, acceding to the demands of an eager public. They even went so far as to reshoot several scenes to raise the movie rating from a PG-13 to an R - including the addition of a line of dialog fans demanded following the release of a fake audio trailer: "I want these motherf***ing snakes off the motherf***ing plane!" They essentially remade the movie to cater to the enormous, anonymous audience who made it famous.

With all the hype surrounding Snakes on a Plane New Line is onto a clear winner. Since the movie has become, sight unseen, a massive cult hit it doesn't matter in the slightest whether the movie is actually any good. In fact, it would probably take more at the box office if it were resoundingly, jaw-droppingly awful. The viral aspects of the Internet spreading news of its dreadfulness would only serve to drive more fans to the ticket booths, all ready and more than willing to take part in this full-length in-joke.

And that's the point, you see. That's the reason Snakes on a Plane has become so well loved -- we don't expect it to be serious. We don't expect it to be enlightening, intelligent or valuable. We just expect to see snakes. On a plane.

At the end of the day, what else is there to say?

As an industry analyst and keen fan of movie marketing, James Shenton can often be found pondering the dominance of clever marketing over genuine acting talent in turning average films into box office gold. For more articles and info on how to download DVD movies, wander over to www.EliteMovieD