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story category On-Line Film Shops Offer Full Film Downloads
But they're chock full of restrictions...
(old news - 09:05AM Monday Apr 03 2006)
tags: Video · business
While outfits like CinemaNow and Movielink had been offering download rentals on-line, today they'll allow users to download to own, notes the NY Times and BusinessWeek. New films will cost about $20 to $30 to download, while older titles will cost closer to $10; both available on the same day a DVD is released. CinemaNow's DRM restricts play to just one PC. With Movielink's offering, the film can be copied to DVD and played on one-other computer, but not a standard DVD player.

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brianiscool

join:2000-08-16
Miami, FL

hah

No one is going to waste their money on this.

EGeezer
Summertime -
Premium
join:2002-08-04
Country!
·Callcentric
·RoadRunner Cable
·AT&T CallVantage

Oh, joy.

Let's see now...

They're offering a restricted PC-only download for a bit more than what I can buy a DVD for at most discount and online stores.

In addition to that I can suck up my bandwidth with some humongous download, and probably get to install some unknown and untrusted DRM/viewer/driver software that will do God-Knows-what to my system.

Additionally, I can't play it on my DVD player and surround-sound big screen home theatre, just my 17" monitor and PC speakers.

Wow, what a deal.

I'm excited.

Whee ...

I hope the folks at Movielink and Cinemanow are holding their breath waiting on me to run screaming with orgasmic joy to sign up, give them my CC number and start downloading.

Turning blue yet fellas?

I hope so.
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superht1

join:2001-02-22
Kennesaw, GA
·AT&T Southeast

Re: hah

It's for the rich kids that makes up only 1 percent of the the population in America. It sucks to be rich, too much money and don't know what to spend it on! What to spend it on? Online movies at outrageous price!

superht1

join:2001-02-22
Kennesaw, GA
·AT&T Southeast


1 edit
this article is stupid, divx, xvid avi can be played with a divx player if you payed 40-70 bucks for it.
»www.thetechgeek.com/content/prod···&cid=112

toddbs98

join:2000-07-08
North Little Rock, AR
clubs:
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Doomed to failure

IT seems this business model is doomed to fail. Who wants to pay twice what retail is on most DVDs and not be able to play them on a stand alone DVD player? This is one of the dumbest things I have heard of yet!
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GOLFnSUN
Enjoy the sun
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join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Comcast

Re: Doomed to failure

said by toddbs98 See Profile :

IT seems this business model is doomed to fail. Who wants to pay twice what retail is on most DVDs and not be able to play them on a stand alone DVD player? This is one of the dumbest things I have heard of yet!
A couple thoughts on your comments.

I think Hollywood and the MPAA are trying to learn from the music industry being too slow to adapt. Stand alone DVD players are eventually going to die out. Multimedia appliances(multimedia PCs; Xbox 360, etc) are what is coming. Hollywood is just getting ready for the paradigm shift.

Downloading can be more convenient than driving thru traffic to the local mall to get your movies.

One of these 2 firms allows copying to a DVD and running on multiple PCs.

Will this replace the purchased DVD from Wal-Mart now. No, it won't. But it is a first step in recognizing the changes coming and getting ready for them. It is a much smarter response than what the RIAA and the music industry did.
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hopeflicker
Capitalism breeds greed
Premium
join:2003-04-03
Long Beach, CA

Re: Doomed to failure

said by GOLFnSUN See Profile :

Stand alone DVD players are eventually going to die out. Multimedia appliances(multimedia PCs; Xbox 360, etc) are what is coming.
Umm, DVD is going to be around for quite sometime. Especially standalones for TVs.

Downloading can be more convenient than driving thru traffic to the local mall to get your movies.
Umm, Not for $20-30. And they say it's dvd quality. So, will this mean the movie will be the exact same size if you were to rip it from a TRUE DVD?

It is a much smarter response than what the RIAA and the music industry did.
This is not smarter than the RIAA. The RIAA does let vendors sell most songs for .99. And most of these songs can be played on a good majority of mp3 players unlike you are limited to watching the movies only on computers.
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KoolMoe
Aw Man
Premium
join:2001-02-14
Annapolis, MD
clubs:
·Verizon FIOS
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I tend to agree.
I think the cost is ridiculous and that will be what keeps me away. I also don't like 'playback on one PC'.

But I already have a home-built media center PC hooked up to the widescreen in the family room. I like having DVD rips and home movies on that box. With two kids already, DVDs are constantly scattered about. Time to move away from the hardcopy media.

Let me download a movie for the same price as a rental or, maybe, $10 tops. Let me store it on one server and let me play it back on multiple computers or devices.

I agree being able to burn to DVD would be nice, but I also agree DVD players will fade sooner than later and it's not something I personally really need.
And I don't care about DVD extras. If I did, I'd buy the DVD!

Can't recoup the movie investment from $10 digital movie distribution? Stop paying actors $10 million per movie!
KM
--
War is a test of power, not a search for truth or justice. Can the violation of the primacy of love, destruction of life, and tearing of society truly be the will of God?

peter_m
Premium
join:2005-07-13
Canada, QC

Re: Doomed to failure

said by KoolMoe See Profile :

Can't recoup the movie investment from $10 digital movie distribution? Stop paying actors $10 million per movie!
LOL, I agree completely with your entire post but particularly with the actor's remuneration. With the quality of movies we've been seeing lately, 10$ is even too much. Has the movie business been saturated and squeezed out of ideas? I would not expect to see salary caps for actors soon but then again look at hockey players and the NHL! You never know!?!

Peter

MythTV-man

@67.98.x.x

You are right on the money. I too have a homemade Media Center a used PIII 500 and it beats the crap out of anything the studios, DVR, and broadcast are offering. And the software I use is one of hundreds of solutions, Meedio, MythTV, Knoppmyth, MS Media Centre, GeeXboX, Freevo, SageTV, MythDora, and countless more.

These clowns have to start competing with the techology that is out here NOW not 2001 technology. I can rip every DVD I own, rent, or borrow to my Media Center in some way shape or form no matter what DRM they thow at me. If this is legal or not is pointless, DecSS is out of the bag and it CANNOT be forgotten, Blue-Ray, HD DVD, will be broken just like CSS. When Apple finally decided to stop fighting the .mp3 format and work alongside of it they made a brilliant decision. How many average users know that iTunes can rip in .mp3 ?


novaflare
The Dragon Was Here
Premium
join:2002-01-24
Barberton, OH

said by KoolMoe See Profile :

I tend to agree.
I think the cost is ridiculous and that will be what keeps me away. I also don't like 'playback on one PC'.

But I already have a home-built media center PC hooked up to the widescreen in the family room. I like having DVD rips and home movies on that box. With two kids already, DVDs are constantly scattered about. Time to move away from the hardcopy media.

Let me download a movie for the same price as a rental or, maybe, $10 tops. Let me store it on one server and let me play it back on multiple computers or devices.

I agree being able to burn to DVD would be nice, but I also agree DVD players will fade sooner than later and it's not something I personally really need.
And I don't care about DVD extras. If I did, I'd buy the DVD!

Can't recoup the movie investment from $10 digital movie distribution? Stop paying actors $10 million per movie!
KM
Well like any thing the service will start out much more expensive than what it will be in say 1 or 2 years down the line. Simply put the more people who buy it now the faster the cost will drop.

In the end its the consumer who dictates the price of a thing such as this.
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scrummie02
Bentley

join:2004-04-16
Arlington, VA


1 edit
You don't need to drive to your mall, use amazon/ebay. That's what I would do.
I wouldn't pay into this. Downloading is a great idea, but what if my PC crashes due to HDD failure, then the movies I bought and paid for won't work? Most people I know don't really know what DRM is until they bring their IPod to work, attach it to their work PC and all of their music is gone. Downloading content will never catch on as soon as the less tech savvy realize if their PC crashes their stuff is gone.
averagedude

join:2002-01-30
Mesa, AZ
·Cox HSI

Re: Doomed to failure

Next people will need Ipod music insurance or PC movie insurance. One mistake and thousands of dollars could vanish.

With everything on your home entertainment PC, forget ever being able to take that "movie" on the road with you because it was limited to one machine mother board/video card/hard drive combination. Go ahead and try to explain that your mother board failed and caused your video card to fail also and get them to re-authorize all those "movies" on that hard drive.

novaflare
The Dragon Was Here
Premium
join:2002-01-24
Barberton, OH

said by scrummie02 See Profile :

You don't need to drive to your mall, use amazon/ebay. That's what I would do.
I wouldn't pay into this. Downloading is a great idea, but what if my PC crashes due to HDD failure, then the movies I bought and paid for won't work? Most people I know don't really know what DRM is until they bring their IPod to work, attach it to their work PC and all of their music is gone. Downloading content will never catch on as soon as the less tech savvy realize if their PC crashes their stuff is gone.
It will probably take this in to account (some type of key or pass word to redownload or somethign of this nature)
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ackman

join:2000-10-04
Acworth, GA

said by GOLFnSUN See Profile :

said by toddbs98 See Profile :

IT seems this business model is doomed to fail. Who wants to pay twice what retail is on most DVDs and not be able to play them on a stand alone DVD player? This is one of the dumbest things I have heard of yet!
A couple thoughts on your comments.

I think Hollywood and the MPAA are trying to learn from the music industry being too slow to adapt. Stand alone DVD players are eventually going to die out. Multimedia appliances(multimedia PCs; Xbox 360, etc) are what is coming. Hollywood is just getting ready for the paradigm shift.

Downloading can be more convenient than driving thru traffic to the local mall to get your movies.

One of these 2 firms allows copying to a DVD and running on multiple PCs.

Will this replace the purchased DVD from Wal-Mart now. No, it won't. But it is a first step in recognizing the changes coming and getting ready for them. It is a much smarter response than what the RIAA and the music industry did.
They also said that desktop computers with high power, memory, and software would die off, to be replaced by network computing. People don't like to lose the control that owning the media will provide.

SLD
Premium
join:2002-04-17
·Comcast

said by GOLFnSUN See Profile :

Stand alone DVD players are eventually going to die out.

Will this replace the purchased DVD from Wal-Mart now. No, it won't.
I believe that you contradicted yourself in you post.

GOLFnSUN
Enjoy the sun
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join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
·Sprint Mobile Broa..
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1 edit

Re: Doomed to failure

said by SLD See Profile :

said by GOLFnSUN See Profile :

Stand alone DVD players are eventually going to die out.

Will this replace the purchased DVD from Wal-Mart now. No, it won't.
I believe that you contradicted yourself in you post.
Maybe you missed the word EVENTUALLY in the 1st statement. And the word NOW in the second statement. Is English a second language for you?
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paranoidxe
Premium
join:2002-03-29
Ogden, UT

said by GOLFnSUN See Profile :

I think Hollywood and the MPAA are trying to learn from the music industry being too slow to adapt. Stand alone DVD players are eventually going to die out. Multimedia appliances(multimedia PCs; Xbox 360, etc) are what is coming. Hollywood is just getting ready for the paradigm shift.
1. Stand Alone DVD players won't be gone for a very long time, after DVD comes HDDVD or BluRay..both which will have STAND ALONE DVD players. Multimedia PCs will NEVER replace TVs/DVD players.

I think its pretty funny that they are trying to market this especially since the price is more expensive for what you'd pay for the DVD at the store.
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KoolMoe
Aw Man
Premium
join:2001-02-14
Annapolis, MD
clubs:
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Re: Doomed to failure

Never say never.
Computers will never need more than 512k ram!
It will all be digital someday with media servers at neighborhood POPs, if not in individual houses basements. Hard media will eventually be relegated to 'backup media'.
KM
--
War is a test of power, not a search for truth or justice. Can the violation of the primacy of love, destruction of life, and tearing of society truly be the will of God?
GhostDoggy

join:2005-05-11
Duluth, GA
I think it will only be a matter of time that the middlemen that control the bandwidth from a QoS will implement their own solutions and inhibit performance of 3rd party endeavors. Network neutralness will fail and this will be another victim.
Kearnstd
Elf Wizard
Premium
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

why pay 20-30 bucks for a download when in the time it takes for a download even on 6mbit cable i can drive one mile to walmart or two to Circuit city and buy the DVD for 15 bucks.
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superht1

join:2001-02-22
Kennesaw, GA
·AT&T Southeast


1 edit

Re: Doomed to failure

said by Kearnstd See Profile :

why pay 20-30 bucks for a download when in the time it takes for a download even on 6mbit cable i can drive one mile to walmart or two to Circuit city and buy the DVD for 15 bucks.
Why pay at all? When a friend or people you know can share with you? Greed is evil.
If we have lots of money to spend and nothing better to do with our time and money then yea paying for movies would make sense.

Movies suck up too much precious time from most of us anyway. I get motion sickness, I don't like watch too much movies.

Capitalism is a failure because it doesn't distribute to all who are interested, only those with lots of money have the privilege to do so.
We have two problems,
Money is an obstacle
Distribution is an obstacle

If money isn't in the way, the only thing that keeps it from becoming popular is lack of interest.
fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20

Re: Doomed to failure

A complete and utter socialistic view on life.

Movies suck up too much time from us: People will spend their time the way they feel best. If they want to spend it sittin gon a couch, that's their choice. Isn't choice and avialability for all, the very thing you want everyone to have, wonderfull?

Why pay at all?? When a friend of people you know can share with you? Greed is evil.: You say greed, I sawy cheap. They go hand in hand. One who is cheap and would rather leach off of others have have paid in their own self is either cheap, or greedy, or too busy ty-dying their shirts to get a job that affords them the money to buy their own stuff. This isn't to say that you may not wind up being invited over to a friends' house for a night of a movie or something, but to depend on friends or others for your movies,.. well, I say that spells greed in reverse. Isn't hording your own money for your other purposes greed in yourself?

Capitalism is a failure because it doesn't distribute to all who are interested, only those with lots of money have the privilege to do so.: No one said capitolism had to make thigs available to everyone. Where did you get that? SOCIALISM is the mechanism that distributes to all... or was that communism...?

If money isn't in the way, the only thing that keeps it from becoming popular is lack of interest: So, without a money system, who decides who will be who does what? I think in a system without money in the way, people would be lazy and living high off the hog.

Your post, just like mine, speaks alot about an opinion or a side, but says nothing about a way to resolve the problem. What exactly do you suggest will make things work?

All I can hear from you is that those that work hard for what they have, ie: money, don't deserve it. That movie that is made that you want for free, that song you'd rather steal on line or from a friend who will copy it.. let's say this... there was a point in time in these artists' life where they had less than you do now. Ever heard of a starving actor? MANY of the starve when they start. They give up almost EVERYTHING living with friends, and with little of anything in order to get their big break to get picked up by someone. They start off in smoking joints entertaining crouds at 1am and eat top romin all the time. ALL of this for HOPES of a big break! Mostly during this time, their parents are on their back about how stupid of a choice they are making and always on their back. I just wonder how much thier parents enjoy the life of luxury that all that hope and dream gives them. For example, Matt Damon's parents probably have very nice lives now because of their son's hard work... they probably didn't believe in him. Ok, enough of that story.. bottom line is these people, these actors that you could care less about, worked their asses off and risked everything for a shot of fame and money. All so people like the ones here that want everything for nothing, and then bitch because people are making too much money, can have something for nothing.

Those with a brain in their head will ealize what I said is true.. those that are greedy and selfish will call me a looser. In the end, I know I am right and that's all tha matters.

There is one thing for sure about this country.. those that work hard will make something of them self. I left home at 15, emancipated, escaped a bad environment, worked 3 jobs at the same time to put myself through college, worked hard for years, scrimped and saved, invested $1000 in a small idea of mine, worked day and night 7 days a week for a few years and now I am worth alot of money. I own 2 homes that total in value of over 1 million, have nice vehicles, items, etc. NOTHING was handed to me... many doors were slammed in my face.

It's this comparison that makes me read posts like yours and want to vomit over the urk that people would rather sit back and have everything handed to them while judging people that have busted their hump to get somewhere to 'have' things.

superht1

join:2001-02-22
Kennesaw, GA

Re: Doomed to failure

I do not need money to motivate me to do anything. If it benefit others I will do it. If you love money then all you care about is money. Friends don't need money to make each other happy. They spend time together and share ideas.

dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ

said by toddbs98 See Profile :

IT seems this business model is doomed to fail. Who wants to pay twice what retail is on most DVDs and not be able to play them on a stand alone DVD player? This is one of the dumbest things I have heard of yet!
you forgot the crappy low kbps these things are.
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Kfedka
Premium
join:2005-05-06
Spokane, WA
Well its a good start, but the wrong idea. I agree about it being stupid, I would add it's luticrous! Wondering if someone is actually going to fall for this. By the way is it based off of torrents for downloads or ftp/http?

Shack

join:2002-01-17
Bloomington, IN

No thanks

This gets a big no from me. For that price I want unrestricted use on PCs and ability to burn to a DVD. That much restriction it had better be much, much cheaper.

rsa0

join:2003-01-25
Birmingham, AL

Re: No thanks

Now, why wouldn't I buy the DVD in the first place and pay for this crap. Do this guys have s#!@& for brains ?!

superht1

join:2001-02-22
Kennesaw, GA
·AT&T Southeast


1 edit

Re: No thanks

Advantage, faster download. Disadvantage: a waste of money
Quality maybe isn't better then what you can download for free by the use of p2p.
if you buy a divx player, it can play most movies on big screen tv.

Our broadband cost much less then paying for many movies that you may only watch once.

So forget it.
amungus
Premium
join:2004-11-26
America
clubs:

yeah right

like I'd buy that! Sorry, but like Rhapsody/Napster, the future is probably subscriptions.. I have Vongo now, and while the selection might leave some to be desired, it's still darn cool to be able to hook up, say, a laptop to a tv and watch a movie pretty much on demand.
They gave me some weird survey, and one question went something like, "would you pay $16-$18 (can't remember what the exact price was) for a download which you could burn?"
I said "no" but it already sounds better than this ultra restrictiveness.

What ever happened to rumored tivo partnerships with netflix?

That'd be amazing. Get just about anything, at a cheap price, easily, without hassle. For a reasonable price, I'd bet they'd make a killing with the ability to then burn your download after the show was over... something like, "hey, for $5 more bucks, you can burn this movie and watch it again!" People would eat it up. ...Say it was the standard $4 or so for PPV, then $5 to burn, they'd make an instant near $10, say $12-15 for newer flicks...
averagedude

join:2002-01-30
Mesa, AZ

Re: yeah right

Call me old school but, when I use PPV I use a VCR for free and watch as many times as I want. If it was that good of movie I would have bought the DVD in the first place.

G_Poobah

join:2004-01-17
Schenectady, NY

Too 'greedy' to get it

So, they are charging MORE for the same movie that you can get the same day on DVD from the store.
Then, it's not really a DVD, but a low quality rendition of a DVD.
And of course, you can't play it in your DVD player.
You don't even get a jewel case to store it.
There's no extras, or commentaries, or alternate languages either.
Yep, just that one PC, no bringing it with you on your notebook.
Oh, did I warn you about the byte caps my ISP has? They are invisible, but you're stuff is gonna cost me there too.
Oh yes, don't forget, you get to pay MORE for it, instead of less.

Please, mr. MPAA exec, may I have another?
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Tripx

join:2006-04-03

1 edit

Re: Too 'greedy' to get it

First you say its going to be a low quality rendition of a DVD, meaning it is going to be a small download then you complain about the byte cap of your ISP. So do you want a DVD ISO or a rip?
petecellar

join:2002-10-15
Philadelphia, PA
Wow!!
A sub-dvd quality download that has nothing extra - that I can watch only in one place, but costs as much as a dvd that I could do anything with!!
Where I sign up?!!

- joe public

Jason Levine
Premium
join:2001-07-13
USA

Why would I want this again?

So they're trying to sell me a movie stripped of the DVD's extras, that I can't play on any of my DVD players, and that may or may not be the same quality as the DVD itself? And they want me to pay more for this?

Sorry, but I see this as just like online music vs. CDs for me. (In that case it's, lower quality than CDs, no extras like the lyrics, and DRM locked to one format/player.)

The difference with movies and music though is that listening to music is can be a passive experience. You can listen to it while working, driving, jogging, relaxing, etc. Watching a movie, however, demands your near-constant attention. Definitely can't be done while working (at least not at my job), driving (though I'm sure some drivers would try to do just that), or jogging (unless you want to trip over something).

I'm sure the downloadable movies will sell, but it'll wind up being a niche product.
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Zaber
When all are gone, there shall be none

join:2000-06-08
Cleveland, OH
clubs:
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I don't understand

New films will cost about $20 to $30 to download, while older titles will cost as closer to $10; both available on the same day a DVD is released. CinemaNow's DRM restricts play to just one PC. With Movielink's offering, the film can be copied to DVD and played on one-other computer, but not a standard DVD player.
So let me get this straight....they expect people to pay more and not even be able play it on a standard DVD player?? Walmart sells most new releases here for $20 and older movies for far less. what is so hard about browsing through their DVD selection next time one is there to pick up other things. One may of course substitute target or wherever. I can't see this ever taking off, even if someone doesn't want to leave their house go to amazon and buy the DVD, that way you get more value for your $20.

I think this will be limited to the lack of common sense crowd who have plenty of money and think they are technology leaders in the 21 century.
--
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superht1

join:2001-02-22
Kennesaw, GA
·AT&T Southeast

Re: I don't understand

Those who create money out of thin air can and will eventually enslave all of us. You work hard, the few don't do jack but tell you what to do.
»www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20···erve.htm

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Middieman
Eschew Obfuscation

join:2001-02-05
Elkins Park, PA

CinemaNow and Movielink can be access with Firefly Remote

We're not exactly talking about renting a movie I don't think. However, rentals at under 5 dollars from CinemaNow and Movielink are currently available. My Firefly remote controlled PC happens to be hooked up to a TV, and at least for rentals, the service seems reasonable though I'd like it better if a person was able to watch the movie for longer than 24 hours.

As far as owning a movie for $20+ that I download? If I get all the extra goodies with it that I'd get from the store and can burn a copy to play on my DVD player, that'd work for me. But anything short of that, and I won't feel like I've purchased the movie. It's a rip off if I can only play the movie on my one box before I eventually upgrade/throw it out for a new one.

CinemaNow and Movielink should still look into providing downloadable movies for purchase. But right now, they're a decent option for movie rentals in you've gone through the work to properly tweak a PC to play movies on a TV. (I'm not convinced that the companies can stay in business with the current marketing plan.)

------------------

HD DVD:

This'll be an issue I'm afraid. There are already other threads about ISPs kicking people off their services for downloading say... more than 100 gigs per month. Well... an HD movie might take up as much as 50 gigs to download all the content. ...Yeah. I'm pretty sure CinemaNow and Movielink aren't going to be able to make their current plans work. We're just getting into the HD era now, and anything less is behind the times. (Ask Sony about UMD movies that Wallmart will no longer carry. In other words, it's a dead product.)

-=[Middie]=-
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Kearnstd
Elf Wizard
Premium
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

Re: CinemaNow and Movielink can be access with Firefly Remote

HD movies could also flop like laser disc, unless they come out with a reason to buy it(is there really a visible difference from current DVD or is the 50gb just for more extra features) and make dual format players for sub $140 dollar prices.
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Middieman
Eschew Obfuscation

join:2001-02-05
Elkins Park, PA

Re: CinemaNow and Movielink can be access with Firefly Remote

quote:
HD movies could also flop like laser disc, unless they come out with a reason to buy it(is there really a visible difference from current DVD or is the 50gb just for more extra features) and make dual format players for sub $140 dollar prices.
The visible difference will be that HD movies will display in 1080i (most likely) instead of 480p of DVD. When people gravitate to HD TV all the more (especially when the change is forced in ...when?...)people will start to notice that their DVDs don't look nearly as good as their network TV shows anymore.

People will want the higher resolution movie format that is designed to display on their brand spanking new HD TV sets.

-=[Middie]=-
--
All your base are belong to DSL Reports!

G_Poobah

join:2004-01-17
Schenectady, NY

Re: CinemaNow and Movielink can be access with Firefly Remote

Have you been following the HD-DVD and Blue-Ray stories? There are almost NO TV's that can legally play back at 1080i from an HD-DVD or Blue-RAy. The Movie industry has gotten so greedy, so paranoid that much like the Sony DAT, the entire format is doomed to fail.

"News Corp. is betting that people will pay $25-$30 to watch Fox films at home in high-definition quality via cable and satellite TV 60 days after their theatrical release."

Sure, there are going to be some people who will pay 30.00 to RENT a HD movie. But there are some people who buy DAT players too. But in reality, DAT is a total flop, because the restrictions on it made it worthless. HD-DVD and Blue-Ray are going to suffer the same fate. Much as I love the concept of HD movies, I'm not willing to pay 3x more, and I'm sure as hell not willing to live with the restrictions.

And I influence the buying habits of a lot of people too. So as the public becomes less ignorant (which is the worst thing that can happen to the establishment, as ignorant customers are 'consumers' instead of 'customers'), the limitations and inane restrictions will prevent this technology from taking off. And I'm not even talking about the fact that all the HD-DVD and Blue-Ray encrypt ions are going to be ruled illegal pretty much everywhere in the world except the US.
--
Flabby? pastey-skinned? riddled with phlebitis? Then you've got a good Republican body! So compare your lives to mine, and then kill yourself.

Middieman
Eschew Obfuscation

join:2001-02-05
Elkins Park, PA

Re: CinemaNow and Movielink can be access with Firefly Remote

The current state of HD is either promising or very sad, isn't it.

And I don't think it's helped that Microsoft supports HD DVD while Sony supports Blue Ray.

If you ask me, I'd say Sony has just shot themselves if the foot with their UMD failing format too. That Sony has a recent movie format going bust could make Blue Ray much more difficult to sell as Sony will need to convince marketers to invest in their format again. (Why does Betamax stick in my head when I hear mention of Blue Ray? hmm?)

Regardless, something will emerge after a market shakeout. I'll bet on HD DVD with Microsoft at least partially behind it and able to pump millions of dollars into ventures at a loss.

-=[Middie]=-
--
All your base are belong to DSL Reports!
jebba2005

join:2005-01-13
Portland, ME
·Great Works Internet
·RoadRunner Cable

rock and hard place

so do they anger the wally worlds and undercut them with cheap downloads? they seem to really be holding on to their old ways. once movies are made legal and affordable to download, the store sales will decrease a lot i imagine.

maybe the hollywood powers should encourage the brick and mortars to set up online dload centers.

Brazbit
Randomness Personified
Premium
join:2003-10-22
Port Orchard, WA

A little voice in the back of my head....

...is saying here comes Divx all over again.

bigunk
Gort, Klattu Birada Nikto

join:2001-02-10
Santa Clarita, CA
·AT&T Yahoo

Re: A little voice in the back of my head....

I am soooooooooooo glad I never bought into that divx fiasco. So many people got burned. I wonder if Circuit City ever made their investment back on that mess? Not that I care, mind you....
--
Televideo ergo sum.....I watch TV, therefore I am.
things_suck

join:2006-04-03
Columbus, GA

well, ...

...and so do all the other p2p networks...accept they are FREE!

superht1

join:2001-02-22
Kennesaw, GA
·AT&T Southeast


1 edit

Re: well, ...

said by things_suck See Profile :

...and so do all the other p2p networks...accept they are FREE!
Don't forgot that most do it to keep busy not to watch any of it. Why would we buy something that we don't even watch. Actually I've lost interest in movies since the early 90's. From their life sucked and money became more of a burden then a necessity.
All around the world, there is a great lack of money but not lack of land, food or resources.

insomniac84

join:2002-01-03
Schererville, IN

This is stupid

Just go down the library and rent dvds for free and copy them. No money and no DRM.

dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ

Re: This is stupid

said by insomniac84 See Profile :

Just go down the library and rent dvds for free and copy them. No money and no DRM.
libraries dont exactly have the latest or greatest releases. thats fine if you want 'earth vs. flying saucers' but not good if you want anything recent.
--
You can never be too rich, too thin or have too much Bandwidth

Transmaster
Don't Blame Me I Voted For Bill and Opus

join:2001-06-20
Cheyenne, WY
·Qwest.net

Re: This is stupid


This is what Norg does to critics
Hey this is Norg the Alien what is wrong with Earth vs The Flying Saucers.

insomniac84

join:2002-01-03
Schererville, IN

said by dvd536 See Profile :

said by insomniac84 See Profile :

Just go down the library and rent dvds for free and copy them. No money and no DRM.
libraries dont exactly have the latest or greatest releases. thats fine if you want 'earth vs. flying saucers' but not good if you want anything recent.
My library usually has new movies pretty quick, including tv shows. And they have way more selection than blockbuster could ever dream of.

superht1

join:2001-02-22
Kennesaw, GA
·AT&T Southeast

said by dvd536 See Profile :

said by insomniac84 See Profile :

Just go down the library and rent dvds for free and copy them. No money and no DRM.
libraries dont exactly have the latest or greatest releases. thats fine if you want 'earth vs. flying saucers' but not good if you want anything recent.
Everything in life is a scam. This is just one example how money corrupts our society. »www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20···scam.htm

toker_smoker

@ColState.EDU

F*** eveyone!

i thought you were going to say to to the libary and rent for fee.
doubleak

join:2002-08-21
Denver, CO

Who would want this?

I can't think of a single positive thing about this service.

MAYBE it would be convenient if you were a rich hermit who absolutely needed to see a movie the day it was released. Otherwise, you'd be better off using Netflix or driving to a store.

superht1

join:2001-02-22
Kennesaw, GA
·AT&T Southeast


1 edit

Re: Who would want this?

said by doubleak See Profile :

I can't think of a single positive thing about this service.

MAYBE it would be convenient if you were a rich hermit who absolutely needed to see a movie the day it was released. Otherwise, you'd be better off using Netflix or driving to a store.
If all you do is spend money on movies, you do not have a social life. Isn't that bad enough?

Movies distract us from the very thing that they are afraid of, free time for reasoning and thinking on our own.

The more movies you watch, the more brainwashed you are.
I have better things to do with my time then waste it away like that. our time is free, oxygen is free, sun light is free.

Nothing beats free.

dadkins
Can you do Blu?
Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
·Comcast

LOL!

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

PASS! I'll go to rent the DVD and rip it... or just go buy the DVD and be able to rip/play anywhere I wish.
--
Think outside the Fox... Opera

Cozworth
Premium
join:2003-06-10
england
clubs:

And another thing...

At a time when so many ISP's in this country are looking at capping the download, what is the overall size of a "crystal Clear" when the streaming bitrate is 300-700kbps and the download bitrate is upto 1500kbps.

To me that makes around 1Gb of a download at least, and I seriously doubt it will be as crystal clear as a actual DVD.

To have a USP, you either need to undercut, bring it out earlier, or just be more convenient. And from what I can see they win on exactly none of those things.

So make sure you BB pipe is unlimited at a decent download speed and then watch it one PC (or haul that sucker across to hook it up to your TV ) and feel the love.

Pass!
jp10558
Premium
join:2005-06-24
Willseyville, NY

Re: And another thing...

Well, depends on the encoding etc... XviD that many pirates use is very close to DVD quality on an SD TV @ 700MB for 1.5 hrs. 1.5GB for near indistinguishable. Of course, HD is another matter entirely.

pokesph
It Is Almost Fast
Premium
join:2001-06-25
Sacramento, CA
clubs:
·Comcast


1 edit

DRM (no)DVD Downloads

this isn't quite ready for prime time.. the DRM and lack of burning to DVD will kill this before it starts.

who on earth would spend upwards of 30 bux for a movie that they can only use once or on one device ..

if they want this to really work, why not just offer the dvd iso's so that the end user can decide how and where to use the product (movie) he just purchased.

blah to the greed infested enterainment industry!

EDIT: I went to movielink.. it's useless:
Sorry, but in order to enjoy the Movielink service you must use Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher, which supports certain technologies we utilize for downloading movies. Click here to get the latest version of Internet Explorer.

We do not support Mozilla or Netscape. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
--
Webmaster Steve
- - - - - - - - - - - -
»ppnhosting.com
»sphenterprizes.com
»pokemonpalace.net

powerhog
Stinkin' up the joint
Premium
join:2000-12-14
Owasso, OK
·AtlasOK

I'm too suspicious

This sounds like an experiment in failure- for a purpose.

The MPAA prices these downloads so ridiculously high that no one will buy them. Then, the MPAA claims that interest in downloading movies is non-existant and the only people who do download movies are pirates. BAM! Get idiots in DC to pass a law forbidding any file transfers. Experiment a success!

hhawkman
Premium
join:2001-02-08
Port Hueneme, CA
·RoadRunner Cable

Re: I'm too suspicious

said by powerhog See Profile :

This sounds like an experiment in failure- for a purpose.

The MPAA prices these downloads so ridiculously high that no one will buy them. Then, the MPAA claims that interest in downloading movies is non-existant and the only people who do download movies are pirates. BAM! Get idiots in DC to pass a law forbidding any file transfers. Experiment a success!
Brilliant!

I suspect you aren't far from the truth here, I don't think you are dead on, but it definately introduces a can of different flavored worms begging to be opened.

It DOES seem like an obvious experiment in failure, but I wonder what the real motive for it is.

superht1

join:2001-02-22
Kennesaw, GA
·AT&T Southeast


1 edit
said by powerhog See Profile :

This sounds like an experiment in failure- for a purpose.

The MPAA prices these downloads so ridiculously high that no one will buy them. Then, the MPAA claims that interest in downloading movies is non-existant and the only people who do download movies are pirates. BAM! Get idiots in DC to pass a law forbidding any file transfers. Experiment a success!
I do not care what they think or what they say it's none of our concern. While they strive hard to make money we strive hard not to spend any. Do you see a conflict that's gonna back fire on them?
We gotta eat, we gotta pay bill and buy other necessary stuff to survive. Sorry these guys isn't even on our priority list.
If you are on welfare, do you think you are allowed to buy movies with the midget funds that are given to you?
What can I say, useless luxury. For people with too much free time.

hhawkman
Premium
join:2001-02-08
Port Hueneme, CA
·RoadRunner Cable

Re: I'm too suspicious

said by superht1 See Profile :

I do not care what they think or what they say it's none of our concern. While they strive hard to make money we strive hard not to spend any. Do you see a conflict that's gonna back fire on them?
We gotta eat, we gotta pay bill and buy other necessary stuff to survive. Sorry these guys isn't even on our priority list.
If you are on welfare, do you think you are allowed to buy movies with the midget funds that are given to you?
What can I say, useless luxury. For people with too much free time.
Not quite sure what Welfare has to do with the thread. It goes without saying that if you can't afford to buy something, you won't. It doesn't stop those of us that "could" afford something from buying something.

More to the point though is the eternal chess game. Anticipating your opponents moves. In this case, the movie industry may have sacrificed it's queen way too early in the game, or there is method to the apparant madness.

superht1

join:2001-02-22
Kennesaw, GA

Re: I'm too suspicious

Go right ahead and spend on whatever you can afford, I wasn't discouraging anyone. I was just saying that food, utility bills, mortgage, gas, auto insurance comes first.

cableties
Premium
join:2005-01-27
·Verizon FIOS

DRM should die...

I am not an advocate of copying DVDs.

But I will say that using the "iTunes" for pay-download-play is anything but smart for movies.

Music, we listen to, over and over. And we can listen to music while we workout, do chores, drive, dance...
With movies, how many times can you watch the same thing? (I am excluding those parents that pacify the wee ones with a DVD...even that I don't tolerate)

This should die. I can find DVD titles for $5 at Walmart. Or use Netflix if I really like movies. Or visit the library and check out some if I really need a movie, if its available and if I am broke.

Don't forget, you are still paying for that bandwidth...

roggerf1

@comcast.net

Re: DRM should die...

These types of "offers" will only act as an incentive for downloading illegally. They need to allow you to download and burn to a DVD for less than the cost of a commercial DVD release where you get packaging as well as the DVD.

The other dumb idea is offering you to watch movies at home, 3 months after theater release, for something like $25. Geesh... around here, tickets for the big screen are $8. Again, why would someone spend $25 to view once on a small screen at home 3 months after release for $25. It ain't gonna fly, and again will only act as an incentive for those who illegally want to download current movies for viewing at home.

The money loving corporations will have to offer a better deal than these to try to get people to actually pay for their viewing enjoyment.

ifarrell

join:2000-08-10
Willow Spring, NC
·Vonage

Here's another reason they will fail.............

This is what happened when I went to the Movielink Website -

Sorry, but in order to enjoy the Movielink service you must use Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher, which supports certain technologies we utilize for downloading movies. Click here to get the latest version of Internet Explorer.

We do not support Mozilla or Netscape. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

superht1

join:2001-02-22
Kennesaw, GA

Re: Here's another reason they will fail.............

Why try to enjoy movies?Are they that enjoyable? We are to labor everyday to pay for necessary item not things that are of no benefit to our needs.
Forums » On-Line Film Shops Offer Full Film Downloadspage: 1 · 2


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