Streaming movies to your computer, and to your TV
Posted by sebersole on May 24, 2008
For years the movie industry has been trying to figure out how to distribute their products to consumers. Movies that have a theatrical release have film “prints” made, which are then shipped to theaters (BTW, printing and shipping can cost tens of millions of dollars), loaded onto projects, and presented to audiences sitting in the dark listening to cell phones and small talk while their shoes adhere to the floor. Although I’m exaggerating the down-side of the theater experience (and ignoring the positive aspects such as image and sound quality, the group dynamic that allows us to laugh, scream and cringe at exactly the same moment, etc.), the economic reality is that printing and projecting 35mm film prints is destined for the same fate as the broadsheet newspaper. But until digital distribution and projection technology (and security) improves, it is still the best alternative for the group viewing experience.
Viewing motion pictures in the comfort of your own home on your Blu-Ray high definition, 5.1 surround sound home theater system is another matter. With gas at $4/gal and climbing, there’s got to be a better way than driving to your local video rental store to pickup and return a movie on DVD. Cable would like you to subscribe to their VOD (Video On Demand) service to watch something in their library. But that’s part of the problem…their library is limited. Netflix, on the other hand, has a huge database of movies available. While currently only a fraction (about 10% of their 100,000 title library) are available for streaming to your computer, the good news is that more and more movies are being added, and you can purchase a piece of hardware for $100 that makes your Netflix moves available for viewing on your big-screen TV. Think AppleTV but cheaper. The Roku costs less (Apple TV is $250), and there is no additional cost per movie if you’re on one of Netflix’s unlimited plans that starts at $8.99/month.
When broadband internet connections and large-screen HD displays reach saturation, all movies will be distributed online rather than on disc. And if you want that group-viewing experience, you’ll just have to invite your friends over to the house!
May 30, 2008 at 10:12 pm
It’s about time I comment on a post. I personally like streaming movies on the internet for personal viewing (mainly Japanese anime). For people who enjoy movies Streaming movies over Netflix is a brilliant idea. I also like the Roku box where you can watch movies from Netflix over the TV. It’s at a much better price, Apple is such a rip off (I have an MP3 player, but it’s not an iPod!) The On Demand feature through Comcast is a good idea if you’re searching for something to watch and they have some good movies to select from.
I don’t see movie theaters with the same fate as newspapers. People still love going to movies. People love the experience. If movie theaters do go out, it’ll be more than 100 years before that happens.