Renting videos and DVDs online is becoming a more popular option in DeKalb.

Companies such as Netflix, Blockbuster and Intelliflix offer a wide variety of titles without late fees, and their services are becoming an attractive alternative to renting a movie directly from a video store.

These services usually carry more titles than the average video rental chain, and most of them also offer types of films “family-oriented” stores such as Hollywood Video do not, including NC-17 rated films and a variety of independent features. These services might also be more affordable for college students because they can choose ahead of time how much money they are willing to spend each month on a rental package.

Rental packages at Netflix begin at $9.99 a month, and can cost as much as $17.99. Netflix, and the majority of other online rental companies, allow the renter to have three movies out at a time, for as long as the renter chooses.

NIU alumnus and Netflix customer Ryan Breene feels these packages are a great deal.

“I rent a lot of movies, and paying less than $20 a month for unlimited rentals with no late fees saves me a lot of money than if I were to go to the store,” Breene said. “Renting online has reduced my in-store time a lot.”

Rob Molina, the owner of Dollar Video, 1127 W. Lincoln Highway, sees it differently. He believes online renting still cannot compare to the advantages of renting from a community-based store.

“Netflix isn’t affecting my business,” Molina said. “I think people like to come to video stores. They get their videos quicker, and we’re friendlier than a computer.”

Molina also finds customers who aren’t sure exactly what movie they want to rent are at an advantage when going directly to the store, as opposed to browsing titles online.

“Most of my clients like the thrill of looking over the movies and finding something they didn’t expect,” Molina said. “We’re also pretty knowledgeable about the movies we have. You can’t get that online.”

Companies such as Blockbuster offer both the in-store and online movie rental options. Like Netflix, Blockbuster allows customers to have three movies out at a time for as long as they like, without charging them late fees. Blockbuster’s adoption of this system has proved to be helpful for customers because the company no longer charges fees for people who rent movies for long periods of time.

Blockbuster’s Web site declares shipping also is now faster than ever so customers won’t have to wait as long as they used to for movies. Breene appreciates the speedy delivery from Netflix as well.

“If I order a movie on Monday, I’ll most likely get it on Wednesday or Thursday,” Breene said. “[Receiving the movie] is pretty immediate. I appreciate that.”