iReel Movie Rentals

Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 4:51 pm
By Shane Rivers

With the continuing success of online movie rentals, iReel has thrown its hat into the ring with a totally online experience. This means you won’t have to worry about the postal service misplacing a rental, and you won’t have to put up with long waits to get that hot new release. Movies are legally streamed to your computer in high definition quality, and the iReel library of films is constantly expanding. Whether you’re interested in renting movies online or buying movies online, iReel has got you covered.

iReel Subscription Fees

When becoming an iReel customer, you’ll be asked to choose from one of the following pricing plans. You can change your plan, or cancel your membership, at any time.

If you take advantage of the free membership to iReel, you may notice that $1 has been billed to your credit card. Don’t freak out, as this charge is necessary to make sure your credit card is valid. The $1 charge will be reimbursed within 48 to 72 hours.

Registering for iReel

Before you can enjoy online movie rentals, you’ll need to register with iReel. This is a completely painless experience, and you’ll only need to provide some basic information for your account. Once you’ve registered and installed Adobe Flash 10, you’re ready to start watching movies online. It’s just that easy!

iReel Movie Genres

So what type of online movies are available from iReel? Well, just take a look at the various film genres they have to offer. Beside each of the iReel movie genres, I’ve also listed a few movies available in that category.

In addition to searching by genre, customers can also peruse the movies available from studios such as Paramount, Sony Pictures, and Maverick Entertainment. And don’t forget about an option like CheezyFlix, which allows you to select from gladiator movies, a biker movie starring Joe Namath, and one of the many films in the erotic Emanuelle series.

Buying Online Movies vs. Renting Online Movies

When using iReel, you’ll sometimes need to decide between buying online movies and renting online movies. In some cases, only one option will be available. To give you a basic idea of the prices, here are some examples straight from the iReel website.

At the moment, you’ll need to be a Canadian or U.S. citizen to buy or rent from iReel. As the company continues to expand, you can expect this policy to change. You’ll also need a valid credit card.

To rent a movie, select the “watch full movie now” option. To buy the movie, select the “buy this movie” option. If you purchase a movie, keep in mind that you only get the streaming version. A DVD of the film will not be sent to your home.

If you choose to rent an online movie from iReel, you’ll be able to keep it in your computer’s library for one month. After that, you’ll no longer be able to access it. If you choose to buy the online movie instead, it will be available whenever (and wherever) you want to watch it.

iReel movies can be watched on your television if you have a DVI or HDMI connection (comes on all HDTV sets). Online movies from iReel can’t currently be burned to disc or transferred to a portable device, but the company intends to have these options available in the future.

iReel User Feedback

Services such as Netflix and Blockbuster Online allow customers to share their opinions on movies with other members. I’m happy to report that iReel offers the same option to their users. And in addition to writing short reviews, iReel members can also rate films from one to five stars. As the company continues to grow, there’s little doubt that more features will be added along this line.

iReel System Requirements

Before you can enjoy streaming online movies from iReel, your computer will need to meet some basic system requirements. These are listed below for your convenience.

Once you meet all these iReel system requirements, you’ll be ready to download movies in no time. If you’re not a tech geek, don’t sweat it; there’s a good chance your computer–especially if it’s new–already meets the above requirements.

Contact iReel

For billing support (and to cancel your membership), you can contact iReel by phone from 8am to midnight EST by calling 1-877-214-4047. For business inquiries, they can be reached 9am to 5pm EST by calling 1-514-387-0638. Billing related questions can also be sent via email to emailsupport@ireel.com.

Pros and Cons of iReel

Before we sign off for the evening, let’s take a moment to review the pros and cons of iReel.

Pros of iReel

Cons of iReel

As of this writing, iReel is fairly new to the online movie rental game, so their services will continue to evolve, and their library of films will continue to grow. This is the perfect opportunity to get in on the ground floor of the next big thing in the movie rental business.