It was the third or fourth wet week-end in succession and not being able to take the children to the beach on Sunday afternoon was getting to be a major problem.
I'd re-read all my favorite books, we'd played endless games of chess, and got bored with watching TV. Then one of the children suggested we should take a trip to the video store and pick up a couple of movies, whilst the younger boy told us in no uncertain terms that they wanted to watch the latest Harry Potter movie.
As was expected the video store had been very busy and all the most popular movies were out on loan, including the Harry Potter series. We returned home empty handed and dejected. It was then that we realized that our satellite TV provider had access to many hundreds of movies - both new releases and old, family favorites.
The family had been with our current satellite TV provider for less than 12 months after converting from cable TV and I'd have to say I hadn't had a good look at the other program packages they offered. So I set out to see what other premium packages were available in addition to the service we were getting.
The package we were receiving included channels and topics that reflected our family's interests, and at a price we considered good value. Although we realized that in the future the children would need to have access to programs that would help with their school work, at the moment what we had was acceptable.
However, looking through what was offered by out TV provider, I quickly learned that they had a large and comprehensive range of movies available, both the recently released ones, and the older and still popular favorites.
The latest movies were available through 4 movie packages - Showtime, Starz, HBO and Cinemax - offering a total of 35 channels. The packages could be bought individually or as a group for a special price.
Some of the movie packages also show a concerts; sports events; and musical shows all on a pay-per-view basis.
But it was being able to choose from the large and comprehensive library of older and classic movies that was of interest.
A subscriber could arrange to see one of these movies at a pre-arranged time and date for a very reasonable price, far cheaper than the regular video stores. The range of films available is huge. From westerns, war films, through to sci-fi and everything in between, all tastes are covered and all family members will find something of interest.
Ordering a movie from the huge number of older and classic films is as easy as ABC using one of three methods.
1) Order using the remote control following the on-screen instructions.
2) Order online through the TV provider's web site.
3) Order by speaking to a sales assistant via phone. This will incur a small charge.
All fees and charges involved appear on the subscribers next statement.
The convenience of watching older movies from the TV provider's library in the comfort of ones own home is easily appreciated.
Watch at a date and time that's convenient to the family.
The films can be watched several times during the first 24 hours.
The library has movies in high definition as well as the standard format.
Order anytime from home.
Never again will a night's entertainment be spoiled by hiring a faulty DVD.
The choice of movies is huge - much larger than the average video store.
As an ever increasing number of families switch over to a satellite TV provider and become aware of the convenience of having pay per view movies available when they want to see them, so competition with the video stores intensifies.
The convenience of 'movies on demand' from a huge available selection is propelling the satellite TV providers to a position of market domination over the traditional video stores.
The author, Dave Neville, has an interest in a website that deals with the best dish TV provider, and looks at the convenience of having access to pay per view TV. Video on demand with pay per view movies adds to a family's viewing options.
