Lovefim sent me a 3 month free trial and that was about 12 months a go and Ive been using them ever since. You can't beat the big screen experience of the cinema but renting is easier, cheaper and you can see films you maybe wouldn't bother seeing at the cinema.

So why Lovefilm - well mainly because I got a 3 month free trial, and I managed to get though at least 24 films for free - can't be bad!

For all those that don't know already Lovefilm is a DVD rental system via the post, you select on the website the films you want to watch and they send them, depending which package you pay for depends on the quantity and frequency you get them, you get to keep them as long as you want and you simply return them in the envelope provided (postal free) and they send you a new one out. Rentals include blue ray, and games.

I stuck with lovefilm for a number of reasons; price wasn't really an issue as not much in it between rival postal DVD companies. My main reasons are service, speed, quality, and website. - let me explain more:

**Service**
I have only ever had a good service from Lovefilm, most of the communication Ive had has been via e-mail and they are quick to respond. They have always met my expectations. . So I havent found fault with the service to date. You specify an order of preference you want the discs and they say they try and send the ones of high priority. This doesnt always happen. But I cant place a negative on this as I imagine like me the top of most peoples lists are the newer popular films and with the advertised 1 million members you cant possibly expect to get the top ones all the time.

**Speed**
This is important as it should be considered when picking which package you want to go on. Having been on an unlimited package, Im now on a 4 per month one. Love film send discs as fast as is possible, if I post a disc on the Monday it gets to them Tuesday and I receive a new one on the Wednesday. Very rarely is the trun around more than 3 days. Obviously other factors come into play such as Royal mail; also you need to ideally keep about 10 films on your list all the time otherwise it will cause delays until a film you want becomes available. This is why I say it's a factor in deciding on a package - you can only get really 2 deliveries a week, as from posting to receiving a new one is a minimum 3 day turnaround. And you may not watch the DVD's on the day received. If you get 2 or 3 DVD's sent you don't have to wait to watch all 3 before sending back you can send them back as you watch them - Lovefilm prefer you send multiple discs back due to cost of postage. Extra envelopes can be ordered on the website for free.

**Quality**
Ive only ever had two damaged discs, and whilst this is annoying its not common. On a couple of occasions I've received discs which have been damaged and wouldn't play, this is to be expected with any postal company as some people don't look after the discs and eventually they wont play. Lovefilm do say they test the discs and have high quality control but I guess some DVD players can be more sensitive to scratches etc. Anyway when you have a faulty disc you send it back, ticking the faulty box on the envelope, you report it as faulty online they will then ship out another film from your list, and this film doesn't fall under your subscription amount, so an extra DVD for the inconvenience. You then can decide if you want the damaged film resending out when they have another free copy or not bother


**Website**
The website is both in-depth and easy to navigate, you have multiple ways of searching for films from comedy, horror to chart lists. You can even pick films that are on the cinema and they go into your reserve list, then as soon as they become available they automatically move into you rental list. You can prioritise the films in your list as well from high priority to low; you can even have lists set up for different people in the family. You can log in and change your lists at any time. The website has viewer reviews/ratings, details about the film and most films have trailers. They also have an online shop but they are not always the cheapest so shop about.

**Cost**
The more you get the cheaper it is!, so the cheapest is £3.91 for 2 discs a month up to the highest £15.65 for 3 DVDs at a time and an unlimited amount per month. You can switch between subscriptions so if you feel your not watching them as quick you can reduce to a lower subscription. You can even have a holiday break (only on certain subscriptions). They also have pay as you go plans - effectively you buy credits and this gets you a certain number of films. They even have a watch online service which is a pay per view.

When you consider the pay per view cost of Sky TV, or the ever rising cost of going to the cinema its good value. The lowest package which is 2 disc a month on blockbuster is £4.88 per month compared to Lovefilms £3.91.

Summary
I recommend Lovefilm, it ticks many boxes and is a very easy hassle free way to keep up to date on all the new releases. My only concern is will they keep up with demand as more and more people join I hope the service doesnt deteriorate. And if you can get a good long free trial code its worth it.