Discount Movie Rentals
Discount Movie Rentals

CafeDVD      

Ratings

Inventory
Membership Features
Movie Arrival Time
Movie Information
Search Capabilities
Overall

Favorite Plan

  • 8 Movies per month
  • $19.95/month

Inventory

Cafedvd offers over 60,000 titles and specializes in movies that may not be as easy to find on bigger name sites such as Blockbuster or Netflix. The service mentions their "wealth of independent, arthouse, foreign, classic, and hard-to-find titles on DVD." Movies are broken down into 22 genres, including an "Erotica" category that many sites do not offer.

Membership Features

The site is unique in that you can either sign up for a specific monthly plan or order a la carte. Ordering a la carte is convenient for those who want to order movies infrequently and without the commitment to a plan. However, if you do order this way, you cover the cost of shipping and are subject to return dates and late fees. By signing up for a monthly plan, the cost of shipping is included as well as a prepaid return envelope. Unfortunately, unlike many services, there is no plan that offers an unlimited number of movies per month. Similar to a queue, Cafedvd has a “wish list” in which you can create a list of movies that you'd like to be sent as you return the movies in your possession.

Movie Arrival Time

A smaller company, Cafedvd has only one shipping center (in Palo Alto, CA). Generally, movies take 2 to 4 days to arrive. However, Cafedvd helps to speed up the process of delivering your next movie by sending the next movie on your wish list once you put your current DVD on the mail, not when it arrives. When you ship your DVDs back, you can click a button on the website that indicates you've mailed back what you have. At that point, Cafedvd will send out the next batch of DVDs. Despite the 2-4 day shipping time, since the wait actually starts on the day you return your DVDs (and not the day it arrives back at Cafedvd) -- it's not a bad turnaround time.

Movie Information

The website offers the standard information you'd expect to find regarding a movie. This includes the title, a synopsis, starring actors, and genre upon a roll-over with your cursor. More information, such as the director, studio, length, and subtitles are available once you click the title.

Search Capabilities

You can search by the title, director, cast, or synopsis. If you're not sure what you're looking for, you can browse one of the 22 genres of flicks. Movies are rated out of 5 stars for your convenience. If you're still not sure what you want, a ton of lists are provided. Some of the lists include "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die," "All Time Favorites," "Best of British Film," and "Top Film Noir."

Summary

Cafedvd comes with both positives and negatives. One the one hand, the site offers some unique titles that you'll have trouble finding elsewhere. You can also order a la carte without subscription or a longer term commitment. However, there are no plans for unlimited DVDs and it's more expensive than a lot of other services. Monthly plans have no due dates and cover the cost of shipping. A la carte orders have both due dates and fees for shipping. Make sure you have at least two movies on your wish list at all times as they're shipped in pairs.

Available plans

:

MONTHLY PLANS

Small Plan: $14.95/month, 6 DVDs per month

Medium Plan: $19.95/month, 8 DVDs per month

Large Plan: $24.95/month, 10 DVDs per month

A LA CARTE

$3.00/movie + shipping, up to 4 movies at-a-time, 8 day rental period

Shipping 1-2 DVDs: $2.49

Shipping 3 DVDs: $2.99

Shipping 4 DVDs: $3.49