24 Self Video

Great video club has everything you need, but before you go check out this website, it's movie reviewing one called 'askingthedudes.com'

I always look forward to a visit to this DVD place, not so much because there is anything too special going on there, but because I have come to associate it with relaxing evenings at home drinking wine and watching movies.

I have to admit I am a gadget and technology freak, which makes me like this place even more. First of all, I appreciate their highly efficient DVD checkout system. You get a magnetic card that holds your account info and your credit balance and you use one of the machines there to top it up with cash. You get extra credits when you add larger amounts. After that, you use the credits on your card to check out DVDs or videogames. the price ranges depending on the time the DVD will be returned. You can conceivably pay 50 cents if you return a movie right after watching it. Realistically, it costs €1.50, as most people return it within 24 hours.

The other thing I like is that they have Blu-ray disks for rent, which allows me to enjoy the full potential of my home entertainment system. The best part of it is that they have all the latest releases, sometimes at the same time they are featured at the cinemas. The only downside is that very often all the latest releases are checked out.

As advanced as their system is, the screen user interface for navigating the DVD collections does not score high on usability, with some buttons placed in awkward places and the system moving them around between screens. I'm probably being strict here as I design user interfaces for a living, but c' est la vie.

Overall a great experience and highly recommended.