DVD Avenue is a solid medium-sized Washington DC-based rental company. Their web design is good, if getting a bit old, and they're an excellent alternative to the Netflix/Blockbuster crowd.
One thing that stood out for us is their actual title information is excellent, with hyperlinked listings of stars, genre, screen format, subtitles, and subscriber rating. We also like the DVD Avenue allows actual customer comments below the films. And of course there is a box picture, synopsis, as well as "See More Like This" option and even "Recommend to a Friend"--these are minor features perhaps, but we like them.
Their inventory, 25,000+ is perhaps ten times as big a range as a local video store, but nowhere near the range of Blockbuster or Netflix--still, it will suffice for most unless you're into arthouse, foreign language, or niche films. They include adult titles, one among a total of 27 genres--far more than most sites. They also have an option to purchase ex-rental DVDs and games. They also have a handy Holiday option where you can suspend your subscription with a simple click.
We like their browsing aids such as Expert Picks, Highest Rated, Most Popular, New Releases, Pot Luck, Oscar Winners, and even The Duds, among other. They do have a customer service phone line, and an 800 number at that, which is a major plus that all too few companies boast. They also have an option to purchase ex-rental DVDs.
DVD Avenue's base in Washington does dictate shipping times, and we'd only sign up if you're near the East Coast. Shipping times as quoted from their website are 1 day to DC Metro area, 2-3 days to Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, 2-4 days to Midwest, and 3-5 days to the West Coast.
We think there's a lot of promise at DVD Avenue with low prices and some older game rentals, but the site doesn't quite deliver on all aspects; if you don't care about the "chrome" and live on the East Coast, then by all means take advantage of their cheap prices.
Prices: DVD Avenue has a no free trial. DVD (plus games) rental plans are $9.95 per month for 1 DVD/game out at a time, $14.95 for 2 out, $19.95 for 3 out, and an impressive $24.95 for 4 out.
Good medium-sized company and site, good choice for people not too far from DC.
DVD Rental Basics