Streaming movies to your computer or TV is a relatively new service on Amazon and Netflix but the way these websites list their choices creates confusion. Let’s start with Amazon. Under it’s Search Department menu you can choose Movies & TV or, if you look far enough to the bottom, Video on Demand. Wouldn’t it be more logical to list VOD under movies? They are a subcategory of movies & TV, are they not?

And if you go to Movies & TV, you need to click to a second page. First you see the dvd you searched for listed on a page with many other choices, and you must click to the subject specific second page in order to scroll down and (maybe) find a prim little box listing choices like Video on Demand rental, and Video on Demand purchase. Click these choices to go to the Amazon Video on Demand site. Are you still with me? Next, if you are a trained paralegal with five years of contract work, you might be able to understand the choice definitons. A clickable phrase “what’s the difference between renting and buying?” opens a pop up to tell you the rules.

I can’t go into the rules here, because this blog post would be too long for anyone to read. And no one would understand it anyway. If you read over the rules several times, then go to the Terms of Service and read that, you might understand. Of course by that time you will have lost your desire to rent or purchase anything.

Netflix is far more straight forward. You can ADD to your DVD queue, or you can PLAY. But you need to go to a second page here too to find out what PLAY means (do you want to PLAY on your computer or ADD to your Instant Watch queue?).

Can’t either of these giant companies give us simple choices we can understand? “Watch Instantly” is a good phrase. It can only mean one thing: Get it now. Come to think of it, “Get it Now” is a pretty good description of what you want when you want it. Why do they make it so complicated?