A box full of fun

Lifestyle

March 19, 2010

By Paul Lane The Tonawanda News The Lockport Union-Sun %26 Journal Fri Mar 19, 2010, 06:00 AM EDT

NORTH TONAWANDA — I’m a bit late to the party when it comes to Redbox, but I have to say that, now that I’ve discovered it, I’ve fallen in love.

For any cave-dwellers out there, Redbox is the DVD rental company that’s littered your favorite grocery stores with those giant red kiosks near the entrances. You pick your movie, slide in your credit card and pay $1 per day for the privilege of taking home said movie.

This is a simply fantastic idea. I rented from Blockbuster and its ilk back in the day, but the notion of paying for a five-day rental — when I only need a film for one day, in most cases — is silly and wasteful. And, while Netflix’s home delivery service is quite handy, the fact that we’re raising two small children means that my wife and I don’t have enough free time to make a monthly subscription worthwhile.

So that’s where Redbox comes in. If we find ourselves with a night together, I run to the store, pick a movie and then return it on the way to work the next morning, easy peasy.

Since we still seem some time away from high-quality Internet movie distribution, Redbox would seem to be the way to go for rentals. Some Web sites offer movie downloads, and there are streaming videos (both of the legal variety and otherwise) that can be found. But, while I’ve utilized streaming online video in the past, staring at the laptop screen night after night doesn’t have the same appeal as the TV set (or the phone — Redbox offers an iPhone rental app that has more than 1 million users).

While we wait for that, Redbox continues to make waves in the rental industry. Since launching its first tests in 2004, Redbox has expanded nationwide, renting out more than 575 million videos at its more than 22,400 kiosks. The company’s rapid expansion is part of the reason that Blockbuster, once the industry’s king, opted last year to close nearly 900 stores (Blockbuster also recently announced plans to set up Redbox-like rental kiosks).

Redbox also threw at least a shovel’s worth of dirt on Video Factory, DVD Dot and Hollywood Video, once-prominent rental outlets that all had a local presence (Hollywood Video still operates elsewhere, but the national chain closed its Western New York locations). I feel downright Jurassic when I say that I can recall my dad taking me to Video Factory to pick out some VHS tapes to take home, and I guess the whole notion of going to a rental store is equally prehistoric.

Of course, DVDs will soon head down that same path, once homes are readily enabled to receive high-quality movies on their cable boxes or similar devices.

But that won’t happen for a while, and we need something to help pass the time until then. I’ll kindly suggest a trip to your nearest Redbox kiosk. You might just develop a love affair of your own.

Text Only

Lifestyle

10 most romantic hotels in the U.S.
Valentine’s Day will be here soon, and a romantic getaway may be just what the heart needs. TripAdvisor has released its list of the 10 most romantic hotels in the country, based on travelers’ reviews about the beautiful scenery, friendly staffs and romantic amenities like hot tubs and fireplaces.

February 9, 2012 1 Photo
VIDEO: Punxsutawney Phil makes his prediction
More than 18,000 people descended on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney for the annual Groundhog Day celebration.

February 2, 2012 1 Photo
Gadgets Galore
The 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has come and gone, but the gadgets introduced there likely will be part of our future for years to come. Record numbers were set with attendance, vendors, and square footage of exhibit space. Innovations were unveiled, and in some cases, expectations dashed.

January 29, 2012 5 Photos
Viral video: Bungee cord snaps, woman survives 360-foot fall
A 22-year-old woman from Australia survived with relatively minor injuries after her bungee cord snapped and she plunged into a crocodile-infested river in Zimbabwe.

January 9, 2012 1 Photo
Viral video: Marriage proposal rejected at basketball game
Having your marriage proposal rejected is heartbreaking. Having your marriage proposal rejected on camera in front of thousands of people at a sporting event? Well, that’s a viral video on YouTube.

January 5, 2012 1 Photo
SLIDESHOW: Top 10 money-making movie stars of 2011 Which movie stars were the biggest box-office draw in 2011? A Quigley Publishing Company poll asked movie theater owners to vote on who they thought brought in the most revenue this year.
January 2, 2012
Viral video: Woman makes amazing hockey goal, wins truck
Some folks are calling it a "miracle on ice." A 59-year-old woman who had never held a hockey stick made a nearly impossible goal, sending a puck into a tiny opening to win a brand new truck.

December 23, 2011 1 Photo
Put some Apple accessories under the tree this year
December 18, 2011 6 Photos
Civil War sesquicentennial: War on the homefront
During the course of the Civil War, Niagara County sent approximately 8,000 men off to war — a number representing nearly 16 percent of the county’s 1860 population. Those left behind also had their own important jobs supporting the war effort.

December 13, 2011 1 Photo
Tasting Niagara
It might not seem like soup can be used as a lure.
But, pair that soup — a cream of asparagus with savory tarragon and garlic whipped cream — with a perfectly matched Vizcarra Vineyard Riesling and the combination just might be the gastronomical chemistry needed to draw more tourists into the Niagara region.

June 27, 2011 1 Photo
More Lifestyle Headlines

Lifestyle

Search Results

A box full of fun

Site Map

Contact Us