Homescreen DVD Rental

Homescreen was one of the first major online DVD rental services launched in Australia, but was acquired by Quickflix; this review was kept as is for posterity.

Run in association with Hoyts cinemas, they frequently give away movie passes as bonuses for long-term customers. At the moment they are offering 2 free passes for Hoyts cinema for registering for a free trial and also if you switch to a 6 or 12 month contract.

With 14,000 titles Homescreen claim to have "pretty much everything ever released in Australia," though reviews suggest that the other two big companies out compete them on this one. Their catalogue does include some adult films, but only R18+, not X-rated DVDs.

As with the other big companies, having 3 "fulfillment centers" (dvd warehouses) should allow for a faster turnaround than the smaller companies manage and make it a viable option wherever you are located. Sadly we've heard more complaints about Homescreen's turnaround times than most companies, along with "awful customer service."

On the plus side the packaging for the DVDs is better than that of some of the other companies, and Homescreen do say that they are particularly careful about the condition of the discs they deliver - to be fair we haven't heard many reports of damaged discs from Homescreen compared to some of their competitors.

Prices: Homescreen offer a comprehensive range of price plans including limited and unlimited options. The 1 disc at-a-time with maximum 2 per month comes in at just $9.95 while the slightly less restricted 2 discs at-a-time (4 max per month) is $19.95; all an industry standard $5 per disc.

All their other plans allow an unlimited total number of DVDs per month and range from $29.95 for the 2 DVD at-a-time service to $64.95 for 6 at-a-time.

Discounts are available on six or twelve month contracts, and at the moment you get a couple of free movie passes as a bonus for signing up long term too.

 

Featured Homescreen Customer Review

Tony from Sydney, December 3, 2005

I've been a loyal Homescreen customer for almost a year, and only decided to jump ship when a friend mentioned this site, so I thought I'd give the competition a whirl (I'll report back on how your top choice, Quickflicks does).

As for Homescreen, I too had a couple bad experiences with customer service, but I like their system and the value for money is undeniable compared to the local video shop. Agree about lack of scratched discs -- none in six months of rentals. I'm curious to our the other companies compare, but I'd definitely consider going back to them, and would recommend them to a friend.

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Most Recent Homescreen Customer Reviews

Quentin from Melbourne, January 14, 2006

Excellent turnaround times, would receive dvd's really quickly upon return. Was impressed, compared favourably in regards to quickflix.

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Kylie from NSW, January 2, 2006

I was incorrectly charged $36.95 and customer service refused to either refund the money or give me anything for the $36.95 paid. I contacted the bank and they fixed it up but Homescreen did absolutely nothing.

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Don from Byron Bay, November 7, 2005

Suckered into a 12-month contract by free cinema pass bribery - regret it now as really fancy trying a load of free trials before settling down to one company - should've read this site first!!!

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1 DVD/2 max: $9.95
2 DVDs/4 max: $19.95
2 DVD (unlimited): $29.95
3 DVD (unlimited): $36.95
4 DVD (unlimited): $47.95
5 DVD (unlimited): $58.95

Free Trial: 5 discs or 14 days

Titles: 14,000+
Game Rentals: no
Blu-Ray HD: no
Adult Films: yes
Phone Contact: yes

Based at: three distribution centers

Service: All Australia

Contact:
1300 852 812