Students want convenience

There's more than one way to watch a movie.

Each OU student has a preference when it comes to watching films. For some, renting the most recent flicks is convenient. Such is the case with freshman Alex Thomas.

"I rent through Redbox every Friday night on a good week," Thomas said.

Redbox, a DVD vendor that distributes new and old releases through kiosks around public

places such as McDonald's was founded in 2003 and has since found its way to Ottawa.

Its rentals are fairly affordable at a price of one dollar for each rental, but it's not the only way students watch movies.

Netflix, a rental-by-mail and video streaming company, has also found a follower on campus. Junior Kay Hameed uses the service.

"I don't see why people buy movies," Hameed said. "I just watch a movie once and that's good enough, unless it's something really amazing."

Hameed has used Netflix on and off since 2005 and cites its affordability as a main motivator for using it.

Sophomore Sara Vanzant skips the rental process and opts to purchase movies she likes.

"When you think about it, DVDs are actually pretty cheap entertainment," she said. "For college students, it's probably the best value to buy a movie once and hold on to it."

Still absent from student discourse is the wave of hi-definition platforms films are being sold on currently. Blu-ray has not caught on at OU, through rentals or otherwise.

"DVDs are the only way to go nowadays," Thomas said.