Rakuten TV

I was already paying for a streaming service but wanted to see what the rental side offered, and I've been using this for documentaries and indie films that the big names don't carry. The library has more of the niche stuff than I expected, the search filters are useful and the playback has been stable across three devices. For someone who knows what they want to watch it's a good fit.

Been a customer for years and it has always worked. I watch the old westerns every Sunday and the library has kept growing. Never had a problem I could not sort.

Honestly the offline downloads are the bit that won me over, I used one on a flight with no wifi and it played perfectly. Sign in was quick and I got a film started in under a minute.

Compared with the cost of a trip to the cinema this is far better value, and I can watch in the comfort of my own sitting room. The films are easy to find through the menus and the playback has been dependable, which I appreciate greatly. I would have no hesitation in recommending it to friends.

I needed a cheap way to catch up on films without paying for a full cable package, and this seemed sensible. The rentals add up quickly if you watch a lot, and I was a bit put out when a film I had paid for kept buffering for most of the evening. Support took a few days to reply to my email, so I would like to see that improve.

This was my first time signing up and I was a bit nervous about the payment side, but the sign up took less than five minutes and the confirmation came through straight away. The first film I rented started instantly on my laptop and the picture was lovely and sharp. Cancelling is easy to find in the account settings too, which I liked as a newbie who wasn't sure what I was getting into.

The download option for offline viewing was the feature that made me pick this over the other two I looked at. I tried a couple of others first and they only streamed. Downloaded a film before my train and watched it the whole way without any buffering.

I bought a season pass to the old Ealing comedies on the site last month and it was very easy to set up. The films play smoothly on my telly and the customer help replied when I had a question about the subtitles. I am very pleased with it.

Compared to the other app I was using this is way smoother, no constant buffering on my phone and the search actually finds stuff. Only thing is the notifications are a bit much, but I've turned them off so it's fine now.

Best place in the UK for indie and foreign films, the catalogue is much deeper than the big players. Rental is quick and the stream holds up on fibre. Nothing else comes close for finding obscure titles.

I rented a film through the site last weekend and it turned out to be the dubbed version rather than the original English audio I was after. The subtitles were fine and the price was fair for a new release, but I had to dig through the settings to find the right audio track, and it would help if that were clearer when you pick the title.

Just noticed the watch later list syncs across my phone and my telly now which is handy. Took a second to figure it out but it's sorted, and the film I wanted to finish last night picked up exactly where I stopped. Fine by me.

I have been using this service for years now, mostly for the old films I like to watch on a Sunday afternoon. The rental for each film is straightforward, the film starts quickly on my set-top box and the library keeps adding older titles that I was never able to find elsewhere. It has been a steady part of my week for a long while.

We needed a way to watch new releases together on a Friday night without going to the cinema every week. I compared three services before choosing this one, mainly for the range of recent films and the decent quality on the TV. Renting is simple, the film starts within seconds and the family has been happy with it ever since.

Easily the best streaming setup I have used for rentals and purchases, the picture quality on 4K titles is spot on and the library covers most of what I want to watch. Downloads for offline viewing work well on my train commute and the app rarely glitches, which is more than I can say for some rivals I have tried over the years.

Signing up took me a good few minutes because the page kept asking me to confirm my details again. Once I was in the films played fine and the picture is nice.

Compared with taking the family to the cinema this works out much cheaper, we used to spend close to fifty quid on a Friday trip. The rental was about three quid and it started straight away on the tablet. The only thing is the picture on the bigger telly is not quite as sharp as the discs we used to buy, but for the price it is fine.

We needed a way for the kids to watch cartoons without us fighting over the telly every Saturday morning. I had tried two other services first and this one had the widest range of children's titles for the money, and the profiles stop them getting into anything they shouldn't. Setting it up on the smart TV took about ten minutes and it has been reliable since, so we have kept it going for months now.

Compared with the other streaming app I use, this one costs a little more per film to rent, which I did notice at first. I have been a customer for a good while and the playback is still smooth on my laptop. The search could be a bit quicker when you type a long title, and one new release took a day longer than I expected to appear, but otherwise I have had no real complaints.

I tried a couple of other services before picking this one, and the biggest thing that stood out was how quickly the films load on my laptop compared to the rest. The prices are about the same as the others though, and I think the sign up asks for a few more details than it needs to. Once I was in, though, playback has been reliable and I have stopped checking the other apps.