Netflix vs Lovefilm - Which is Better?

Netflix vs Lovefilm – Which is Better?

Tech

I have been a user of both Lovefilm and Netflix, but which one is actually better? In this article, I hope to answer a few of your questions and give you more of an idea of which one you should go for.

The value for money of both is pretty good in comparison. I don’t tend to watch the same films over and over, so buying DVDs usually means I will sell them on again. This makes rentals an attractive option for me, and both Lovefilm and Netflix offer a good deal. Netflix is solely for streaming, and Lovefilm has a streaming only option. Lovefilm is cheaper by £1 a month, saving you £12 a year.

I am however having issues using Lovefilm’s new HD feature on their films. This cannot be toggled on or off, like it can on Netflix. This is a really annoying issue when you want to watch a film on a laptop which may not have the best graphics card in the world, and can’t actually handle a HD stream without lagging and becoming unresponsive. Lovefilm needs to have an option to turn this off.

There is a much bigger range of films on Lovefilm, and a lot of TV Shows too, which are pretty much the same ones as on Netflix. The films are quite varied and different, but if you want new releases, Lovefilm is the best bet, but you will need to pay extra for them. £3.49 for a new release film with 48 hours access. If you have a nice home entertainment system set up, well, you don’t need the cinema.

I do love the way that Netflix just gets on with loading your content. You chose what you want, and it loads, fullscreen, very quickly straight into the film. On Lovefilm you need to make sure you have Microsoft Silverlight installed, or Moonlight if you are running Ubuntu/Linux. And then, Moonlight is not compatible with write-protected/DCM titles, so it can’t actually play Lovefilm streams, so you can only use Lovefilm player using a Windows PC, cutting off a lot of users who use Ubuntu and other Linux platforms.

It really comes down to whether or not you want rentals that come to your door, and more of a choice that way. Its either Netflix and you get straight into the game on an older film. Or you can get a new release, pay more, and have it on your doorstep in a couple of working days.

What do you prefer to use? Netflix or Lovefilm? Comments below!