Video on Demand Buying Options
Different VOD sites have varying specifics in their payment options,
but in general they fall into four categories:
-
Pay by Time
-
Membership
-
Video
Rental
-
Download
to Own
Also check out our section on
Safe Sex and Porn as this issues could affect
the VOD provides you choose to patronize.
This option is like a lot of
cell phone plans both in its convenience and its negatives.
You make a commitment to buy a block of viewing time that is placed in
your time bank. When you watch a video, time is deducted
from your time bank. The blocks of time are sold
usually in 40, 60, or 100 minute increments. A good price is about
12 US cents per minute.
Positives:
-
This option is probably the
most popular way to watch movies, as you pay only for what you
watch.
-
You can watch an
combination of movies you want - you can also skip around in the
movie to see only the parts that interest you most.
-
You should be able to
easily check your time bank to verify how many minutes you used and
how many you have left.
Negatives:
-
As you are aware that "time
is money", this can cause you to want get off quickly - probably not
the best practice to get used to!!!
-
Like cell phone companies,
some VOD companies round up to the closest minute. Check to
make sure your VOD company tracks usage by the second.
-
What happens when your
minutes run out? Does your VOD company automatically rebill
you for another block of minutes without asking? If so, then
find another company, as this often can lead to unexpected expense.
-
Do your unused minutes
expire over time? Again, this depends on the specific company.
A good company will keep a non-expiring time bank of your minutes.
Please
check out our
list of reputable VOD companies to avoid companies engaging in negative VOD practices.
A few VOD companies offer a
Membership option that allows you to view movies on the website for one
monthly fee. You usually pay for a specific membership time -
usually one month, but could be as little as 1 day. You pay
up from for the membership package. There is usually a
discount for longer memberships paid for all at once. Most
membership sites offer the option to charge your credit card monthly for
an ongoing membership that you can cancel at any time. In
general, a membership website with a lot of movies will charge about $30
per day.
Positives:
Negatives:
-
You can watch A LOT of
movies. Seriously, we have know guys so hooked on this
stuff that they never go out socially again.
-
Some membership websites
have some movies that are not included in the membership (usually
ones from a specific studio that will not allow them to be
included). This is not really the fault of the VOD
company, but it is something to be aware of.
-
Some people forget to
cancel membership that they no longer use and just allow their
credit card to get billed. Again, not the VOD company's
fault.
Please
check out our
list of reputable VOD companies with membership options.
Larger VOD companies offer the
option of renting a specific movie that you can watch at your leisure
over a specific period of time. The rental period is usually
1 day, 2 days, or 1 week depending upon the specific VOD company.
The price for porn is usually about 10 US dollars per day.
Positives:
Negatives:
-
Expensive as compared to
either membership or pay per minute options.
-
Locked in to selection.
If the movie you rent turns out to be a dud, you don't have the
freedom to select a new movie without paying more.
A few larger VOD companies and
some video studios offer the option of buying a movie so that you can
replay it unlimitedly and even burn a DVD. The cost often depends
upon the specific movie or studio, just like with mainstream movies.
The price on these is usually at least $30 though.
Positives:
Negatives:
-
Expensive. Unless you
are going to watch that movie a lot of times or feel it needs to be
enshrined in your collection of cinema arte, it is hard to justify
the expense.
-
Disk space. You have
to completely download the movie onto your hard disk.
-
If you want to Burn a DVD,
you probably will need to download company specific software that
will allow you to do this. It will limit the number of copies
you can burn, usually at 1.
-
Inflexibility.
I like my porn fast and fresh. I also like the option of
satisfying an itch that I don't often have. That is why VOD is
so great. Afterall, sometimes you feel like a twink,
sometimes you don't.
Some websites still offer the
ability to buy a DVD and have it shipped to a physical address.
Often these DVDs are shipped not by the VOD company, but by another
distributor in partnership. New releases by a premiere studio is
usually about $70.
Positives:
Negatives:
-
Usually the most Expensive
Option, especially when you add the shipping charges.
-
Because VOD companies
seldom ship the DVDs themselves, you may find it difficult to deal
with the company to correct any customer service problems. We
actually recommend buying DVDs from companies that specialize in
selling DVDs and Books. For the best deals on videos, check
out Ebay's Adult Section - but remember to only buy from a seller
with a good feedback score.
-
Ditto on the inflexibility,
as with the previous option.
