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Founded in March 2006, Cinesprite claims to be India's fastest growing DVD rental company, already boasting over 10,000 titles in English, Hindi, and regional languages. They have a good site design including use use of AJAX technology.
Cinesprite has one of the better film information and browsing engines among Indian DVD rental companies. For instance, each title lists year produced, cast, producer, director, genre, language, and studio--and each of these is hyperlinked, so you can see other films by the same actor, studio, producer, etc. They also list customer rating, running time, and even link to the official film website in some cases, as well as a lengthy synopsis.
They also have the ability to rate films as well as post reviews--a rarity among Indian DVD rental firms. They also pledge that if they don't stock a film, and it has been released in India, they'll track it down as quickly as possible, and you'll be the first person to rent it.
For browsing, Cinesprite has an impressive 21 genres, as well as language filters including Hindi, English, Silent, Bengali, Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil, as well as searching for DVD or VCD. One thing which could be improved is some sort of advanced search function, as currently there is only a simple search box, without specifying which fields (title, actor, language, etc.) or being able to refine results.
You can add films to your "Rental Q" by phone, web, or SMS, either accepting delivery by courier, or by walk-in to the Express Counter. They also allow purchase of a 180-day Cinesprite Rental Card, perfect for members who do not wish to keep credit cards on file and be charged periodically.
Their "More Like This" function works well at recommending more films suggestions based on the types of films you've rented. Also, they have a good "Viewers' Pick" section to aid browsing. Its surprising how few sites include such suggestions in addition to the standard genre listings.
On unlimited, subscription-based plans, you keep films as long as you'd like, then schedule pickup when you've watched the film. On limited, pay-as-you-go plans, films come with an automatically scheduled pick-up time--this can be both a plus and minus, as you don't have to fiddle with scheduling, but i you've been busy, you may not have had a chance to watch the movie.
Prices: Cinesprite have two unlimited subscription plans: 1 discs out at a time for RS 399 per month (though you can buy up to 12 months ahead at a time for Rs 4209, which comes to a mere RS 350 per month), or 2 discs out at a time for RS 499 (with a 12-month option available for Rs 5269, working out to a mere RS 439 per month). Security deposits are Rs 500 for the one disc plan and Rs 1,000 for the two-disc plan.
Cinesprite also have two pay-as-you go plans, one for 20 discs viewed anytime within 5 months for Rs599 (no security deposit), or four discs total rented per month for Rs 199 (working out to Rs 50 per disc), along with a Rs 150 registration fee, though no security deposit. There are discounts available if you purchase 12 month ahead of time for Rs 2099, equivalent to Rs 175 per month).
They have no late fees, and do not deal in pirated versions, which we applaud. If you decide to cancel, you have a generous 10 days to return any outstanding discs.
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Rental Basics