You can cut down on trips to the video store and ensure that you always have movies you want to watch waiting for you at home by signing up for a DVD rental service. Such services let you choose DVDs from the comfort of your home by compiling an online list of the films you want to see. The rental service will then send you several DVDs at a time. (The number depends on your service plan.) Take as long as you want to watch the movies; when you're finished, send them back for free in a postage-paid envelope and the company will forward you the next movies on your list.

There are several different kinds of DVD rental services. One of the first was Netflix, which offers standard access to over 90,000 titles. The service lets you rent between 1 and 4 DVDs at a time, and shipping is free both ways. In addition, Netflix is now offering over 7,000 movies and TV episodes that can be viewed instantly on your computer via live streaming if you have a PC and a high-speed Internet connection.

Much like its competitor, the Blockbuster DVD rental service lets users rent as many as 3 DVDs at a time, but Blockbuster also offers in-store exchanges with most of its plans. This feature gives you the option of returning the movies you receive in the mail to any Blockbuster store to swap them for new ones -- letting you access the films and TV shows you want to see at your convenience and without the wait.

If you prefer to watch DVDs on your personal computer or want movies you can take with you wherever you go, the CinemaNow rental service lets you download and stream movies, as well as access paid content, including films, award-winning TV series and tons of other features. With CinemaNow, there are no physical DVDs to deal with, and once you download your favorite movies and episodes, you can watch them as many times as you want -- and even copy them onto DVDs to add to your movie library.

Whether you prefer a disc-based DVD rental service like Netflix, a modified service such as Blockbuster's or one like CinemaNow that is focused on downloads and live streaming, DVD rental services will save frequent movie-renters both time and money, as well as granting them access to titles that might not be available at most video stores!