So ..

our local apollo video rental store is about to close, so thinking of getting an account so we can stream movies to our tv probably via a laptop

want to have at least the equivalent of our local apollo in tems of what movies are available

want quality on tv to be as good as sd tv

dont want to keep forking out additional charges on top of subscription which i hear is what happens on lovefilm?

any strong views/ experience here or should I just subscribe to both thencancel when I know what imdealing with?

Best advice is you could give both Netflix and Lovefilm streaming a go as they both offer a 30 day trial and then you could make your own mind up.
Quality wise both are very good, but then I suppose that depend on what device your using. Netflix offers HD and 5.1 surround on some films and shows. Lovefilm only has SD at the mo with 2 channel audio.
For me personally I tried both, but cancelled Lovefilm as Netflix offers more that I'm interested in and I can easily log into the US Netflix for even more choice if I wish.
The advantage for Lovefilm is that if you can rent actual discs too if you opt into that package.

Do a trial on one after the other, we just finished the Netflix trial and are now on Love Film 60 DAY trial (do a google and you'll find promo codes to get 60 not 30 daysa from Love Film).

I won't be keeping up the payment for either until the kind of movies that rent for 99p from Blockbuster, which is close-by for me, get included in the streaming price. For instance check the Harry Potter series, you won't find them on Netflix and on Love Film its £2.49 or £3.49 to view each film - not included in the streaming subscription. HELLO THIS IS A RIP-OFF !

Suggest that in the 30 days for Netflix and the 60 days for Love film you'll get to see the old films they have that you really wanted to see. Hopefully if enough people follow this approach the studios will get the message that more money can be made by sensible pricing and this premium on recent films is giving VOD a bad name.

If you don't have Blockbuster nearby then LoveFilm with disk delivery is the way to go.

To be fair that not the fault of either Netflix or Lovefilm, it's down the the distribution rights that the studio execs impose.
It will be the same situation as it was with US Netflix Starz deal in which Starz had pressure from the likes of Disney to have their content set at a premium price and not set into a watch whatever you want, when you want, as much as you want for a one off price.
At the end of the day it's all down to one thing and that's money.

Absolutely, the studios are seeing VOD as a cash cow that is best milked through high prices, rather than putting the price down to £1 and seeing VOLUME. Its a short-sighted approach that promotes one thing - piracy.

I record films on Freesat for my own use, so I already have most of these Harry Potter films from TV, they must realise that they cannot command £2.50 to £3.50 per view for films that have been on free-to-air TV.

So not Netflix/Lovefilm fault but it makes their streaming service SUCK !

I think that's a little harsh, the services both offer are far from "sucking". We pay £7.99 a month to lovefilm. For that we can watch as much as their online service as we like (and we do!) and rent as many of their DVDs/Blu-Rays as we like. We were on a bigger package allowing more discs but we just found out we're having a baby so we had to downsize a bit!

So if you really had a burning desire to see the Harry Potter series you'd just stick them on your rental list. All are available (plus a lot of the older games too if you're on a games package). The downside of this is that you may end up waiting for them if you have other things on your list too, but you will get them for that price. If you want to see them first and fast you can pay for them to stream but really, why would anyone bother? I'm happy to wait a few weeks if it means I get things cheaply.

We just watched the new Fright Night remake on blu-ray, all as part of the package we pay for. To be fair in years gone by we'd have paid £4 to rent it for a night from blockbuster, so considering I can put this back in the post today and I would have another film with me by Friday morning, I don't think that's too bad!

So I said "their streaming service SUCKS ! " and you're using the streaming + postal service, which I said in post further up makes much more sense, especially if you don't have Blockbuster down the road.

So I don't think its too harsh the ones "free" on streaming are too few, too bad, and/or too old, it sucks (there you go - less harsh, I lost the caps this time).

I suspect the much loved US Netflix service has a few more movies on it ??

I love Netflix with my OpenVPN. They have a great selection of stuff I want to watch that will keep me entertained for a very long time. I haven't had any experience with Lovefilm so I cannot comment on it.

Netflix US then ?

I would try both on trial and go through Top Cash Back to earn some money

http://www.topcashback.co.uk/netflix/ you get £12.12

http://www.topcashback.co.uk/lovefilm/ you get £15.15 and a £20 Next voucher.

Yeah I wanted to appear intelligent