Compare and Contrast: Best Video-on-Demand Value

Watching the Oscars without having seen the nominated movies is a bit like watching a sequel without seeing the original. You don't know who's who or what it's about, and you don't know who to root for.

But you're a college student, not a card-carrying member of the academy, so if you want to see this year's crop of Oscar films, you're going to have to pay up. Fortunately five of the 10 Best Picture nominees (Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The Social Network, Toy Story 3 and Winter's Bone), and seven other films nominated in the biggest categories, are available to watch instantly on your computer, iPhone, iPad, even your TV (provided you have a video game system, TiVo or Apple TV). It's cheaper, easier and all around more convenient than going out to the movies.