USG kicks off DVD rentals

With no video-rental store in walking distance of the University, the options for lastminute movie-watching are limited to borrowing from libraries, ordering from Netflix and downloading, legally or illegally.

But now students will be able to rent movies from the USG. With offerings like "Office Space," "Borat" and "The Notebook," the video library's collection is heavy on college favorites.

Students will have their first chance to rent movies tonight in the USG office at an opening event with popcorn.

USG president Rob Biederman '08 said he expects all 80 or so of the movies in the collection to be borrowed this weekend. "We're filling the void," he said.

The service comes after some students have complained to the USG about slow Netflix delivery. University students who use the service say that for on-campus users, the turnaround time for returning a movie and receiving a new DVD is about five days.

Though final schedules have not been confirmed, rentals will probably be available for pickup Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons and on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, Biederman said.

Rentals will cost $1 a day for up to five days. The late fee after that will be $10.

The USG website will list which DVDs are available to rent and students will be able to sign up for email notifications to learn when movies they want to rent have been checked in.

The service is beginning cautiously, Biederman said, with the USG investing in only a few movies at first to guard against losses in case the service is unsuccessful.

He added that USG members are investing only in movies that they anticipate will be in high demand. To determine which movies are most popular, they are using imdb.com and soliciting feedback from friends. "We're not getting highbrow independent films," he said.

After the trial period, the USG will use the profit to invest in more DVDs. The staff currently employed by the USG office will be in charge of overseeing the service.

Though Biederman is currently organizing the program, he added that he later plans to turn management over to USG vice president Josh Weinstein '09 and U-Councilor Sarah Langberg '09.

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Film enthusiasts can already borrow movies for free from the Language Resource Center, which is located in the basement of East Pyne. The center offers a collection of over 3,500 VHS and 1,600 DVDs.

The Princeton Public Library also lends movies for $1 per day when members present library cards.

Nevertheless, some students said the USG service will make their movie-watching more convenient. "The Public Library and East Pyne have awkward hours and are far away from students who live down campus," Ruth Metzel '10 said. "I can't tell you how many times my hallmates and I have gone movie-hunting from room to room looking for something new to watch."

Biederman noted that the Language Resource Center is closed on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights — when students most often tend to demand movies — and that "they also don't have 'college' movies."

This isn't the first attempt to start a campus DVD service. Several years ago, the student agency PFlix attempted to capitalize on demand for close-by DVDs. The Pflix booth was located in Frist, next to the large TV.

Despite support from administrators and its prominent location, however, the agency went under due to a lack of business. At the time, students involved in the agency said they suspected illegal file-sharing of films on the Internet decreased Pflix's rental numbers.

But Biederman said he blames Pflix's failure on poor management and restricted hours. He added that the USG may not face similar woes, however, since unlike student agencies, it does not need to make a profit in order to stay afloat.

"Our goal is to break even — it's okay if we have a slight loss," Biederman said. "I have no doubt the USG program will be a success."