Blockbuster Takes Its PPV Streaming Movies To TiVo
from the lessons-learned dept
Blockbuster announced back in November that it would begin offering pay-per-view movie downloads, but its plan had a couple of major pitfalls: it required consumers to buy a proprietary box to be able to buy the downloads, and it didn't offer a very wide selection. It's cracked one of those, sort of, by making its OnDemand service available to TiVo users, who will now be able to access it alongside rival services from Netflix and CinemaNow. It's heartening to see that Blockbuster has realized the standalone box strategy isn't viable, even if others haven't figured it out. The lesson is pretty clear: if you're going to come out with a streaming service, you're going to fail if you force users to buy a proprietary box, and your only chance to succeed is by making it available on as many platforms as possible. That's not a guarantee, mind you, as there are still plenty of ways to screw things up, or to have things screwed up for you by movie studios.
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Filed Under: movies, streaming
Companies: blockbuster, tivo
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Two dying brands.
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Re: Two dying brands.
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Teaming up with TiVO as individual cable and sat companies work to bring their own PVR products to market seems like a waste of time, perhaps a stopgap measure. Heck BellTV added a PVR option to my non-pvr receiver, just plug in an external usb drive and away you go. What pay hundreds for a TiVO device when they let me get it for the price of a USB drive?
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I agree with everything you wrote, except for the comment about video cards. It's quite common for a video card to do 1920x1080. In fact, I think you'd be hard press to find a card that could not do that resolution.
There are no such cards sold at Newegg. And the smallest max resolution cards available at Newegg are 2048x1536.
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There are plenty of high resolution cards, but few of them can handle true 1080i or 1080p output, making them unsuitable to even replace your dvd / bluray player at this point. Most video cards up until maybe a year ago wouldn't have a real HD out, rather doing it with an s-video style output (not the same quality for the most part).
Resolution isn't the issue - being able to take 1080P source material and play it back at 1080P without stretching, shrinking, or re-encoding is key.
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I have a PC connected to my 50" DLP 1080p television and it is set to 1920x1080 and Blu-ray movies, 1080p MKV files, and HD broadcast TV look perfect. Why? Because the content being played in their native resolutions!
If you're talking about not having HDMI outputs, you can use a DVI to HDMI cable and get the exact same thing. That's what I use.
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Congrats to you for being at the forefront of new technology. Now you can wait 5 years for the rest of the public to catch up.
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You're so full of it. It would be very difficult to find a new computer that couldn't do that resolution.
"Yes, they sell them now, but most people would likely convert an older PC to do this sort of duty,"
No, most people would be smart enough to realize that very old, outdated equipment isn't the right choice for demanding applications like video. Congratulations on demonstrating that you are not that smart.
"Congrats to you for being at the forefront of new technology. Now you can wait 5 years for the rest of the public to catch up."
It doesn't take anything near "the forefront of new technology". Congratulations on being 10 years behind the times, but don't expect the public to wait up for you.
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And i thought you knew everything about computers, including hacking/security techniques. You always go on and on about how "and IP address is like probable cause".
Further proof that WH knows very little about PCs. No wonder he's all for the MAFIAA.
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It's not really his lack of knowledge on some particular topic that I find noteworthy, but his willingness to go popping off about stuff that he obviously doesn't know much about. And then to start just piling the BS on over it as if he really thinks no one can see through it. Well, it really takes a special kind of ignorance to do that repeatedly, over and over again the way Weird Harold does.
This would be yet another thread to bookmark as evidence that WH is an idiot with a mouth full of bull that just doesn't know when to stop.
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As far as your two-year prediction, you aren't saying anything that HTPC enthusiasts weren't claiming 2 years ago, and 2 years before that. The fact is, the average consumer just wants to push Power and hit Play. The majority of people see working with computers as a necessity, not an enjoyable task, and telling them they have to use a computer for their entertainment will make them cringe. Plus, the "green" movement is not going to like the idea at all, and given that "green" technologies are emerging as the next big wave, people are not going to flock in droves to purchase a 600-watt dual-core system to render their 1080p video when they can buy a 40-watt media player. Have you seen the WD TV player? It will render flawless 1080p video, and it is the size of a slightly-thick 2.5-inch portable external hard drive.
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I've had a PC connected to my TV since 1999. If you PC is noisy, you've built it wrong.
"when I can have a silent, dedicated video player"
The problem with a dedicated video player is that it's limited. My PC can play anything. If you stick with dedicated players you're stuck to only what it offers or you buy yet another one.
"The fact is, the average consumer just wants to push Power and hit Play."
I have no doubt that HTPC's will not hit the mainstream because most people are ignorant about computers.
"600-watt dual-core system to render their 1080p video"
I have an ancient Shuttle PC with a 150 watt power supply that can render 1080p video. You have no idea what you're talking about. You're simply setting up straw horses to prove your point.
You also do not understand that a PC with a 600 power supply does not necessarily and consistently use 600 watts. The wattage rating is the highest rating. It's the ceiling the power supply can reach if you're pushing your PC to the limit. When it's being used for mundane tasks such as watching a video, it's likely not using anywhere near it's full wattage.
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As far as the wattage, that was probably an exaggeration, but no matter what you are using, a computer is going to take substantially more power than one of the above-mentioned stand-alones (except, perhaps, for my old xbox). You also can't use an old, low-power PC for smooth 1080p. It requires a lot of processing power, and the PC will also cost more than any of the above-mentioned options. It is also going to be inherently noiser. The standalones mentioned above are all fanless. You must have, at minimum, a CPU fan and a PSU fan on a computer. Even if they are so-called silent fans, they are noisier than the fanless units.
Also, it is not about users being ignorant. It's about convenience. I am perfectly comfortable with computers. I used an HTPC for a long time. I find XBMC and my DVD player to be FAR more convenient. I simply press the power button on the XBOX, and in seconds I have access to my entire media library in a clean, easy-to-browse interface. The simplicity of it is refreshing. Of course, even that is beyond what most home users want. They just want simplicity. Drop in a disc and push play, or choose a show from a list. They don't want unnecessary options and non-media-centric OS's to complicate the experience.
Finally, I think that I may have overstated my case in my first post. I did not mean to assert that an HTPC is not an available option. I was objecting to Weird Harold's assertion that it was the only "real" solution. There are plenty of solutions out there, and an HTPC is not suitable for most users.
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You may think you do, but the reality is different.
"There are several standalone players, such as NMTs and the WD TV system that also play anything you throw at them."
And that statement proves that you don't know what you're talking about. There are many video formats that those players won't play.
What a running-off-at-the-mouth idiot.
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Now, seriously, do you REALLY believe the average home user is EVER going to consider using an HTPC? No. Therefore, it is not the real solution. There are plenty of cons, namely that the OS is not designed for media playback, followed by several others that I mentioned.
The standalone players I mentioned play enough formats to server nearly everyone, and the evolving firmwares are constantly expanding their compatibility. Sure, they don't handle DRM, but I'll be damned if I recommend DRM to my own worst enemy, so that is a moot point. But, even they are not mainstream. For the average user that buys their content, the "real" solution is a plug-and-play device that plays their streaming and/or physical-media content with the least complication.
I agree that I would rather have an HTPC than many of the options on the market. However, it is not even marginally realistic to think they are going to take over a statistically significant portion of the market.
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Strange, I don't recall having claimed that. I do, however, distinctly remember you making some completely unfounded statements demonstrating your ignorance of the matter.
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In the meantime, understand that standalone solutions ARE getting a lot better, and are much more likely to serve the needs of the average home user. With upgradeable, community-developed firmwares, these devices are likely to become just as flexible and future-proof (or really damn close) as an HTPC in the near future. (The WDTV already has 3 unofficial firmwares available that significantly expand its feature set. NMTs are quite expandable via their plugins.) To claim that an HTPC is the only "real" solution for home theater is silly. And to claim that an HTPC better serves the average user for Netflix viewing than being able to seamlessly access it in their DVR is equally silly. Again, if you didn't make these claims, then take a look at the post I was responding to before you jumped in with your rude, obnoxious comments.
Again, I'm not saying you shouldn't have one, but just that there are solutions in the world that exist outside the scope of your tunnel vision.
Next time, how about you hold off on the name-calling, personal bashing, general jackassery, especially on such a benign f*cking topic? (I realize I did not hold back here. You already breached that barrier.)
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Believe it or not, disagreeing with you does not make one a sociopath. In fact, just the opposite. Especially when you're opening your mouth so wide to show your ignorance.
Relax, and keep using your beloved HTPC. No one is going to take it away from you. Even if Microsoft tries with their ridiculous DRM schemes, there will be countless Linux distros (some getting quite close to truly media-centric) to take their place.
Yikes! I never said anything about any of those things. You are really going off the deep end there if you think I did. Going off the deep end in a "losing touch with reality" kind of way. You better go check your meds now, I think you missed some. Seriously.
Next time, how about you hold off on the name-calling, personal bashing, general jackassery, especially on such a benign f*cking topic? (I realize I did not hold back here. You already breached that barrier.)
Oh, you have quite a reputation as a hypocrite using sockpuppets and foul language (you're not quite as anonymous as you think). Or is that just part of a multiple personality disorder?
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rootkit
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Netflix is so far ahead and blockbuster is just trying to keep up. Netflix isn't even really competing with blockbuster now. They are concerned about premium offerings to compete with ad-supported content from sites like hulu.
Take the Roku Box. It's an awesome hardware solution for Netflix. They've already added Amazon VOD and are supposed to add 8-10 more channels by the end of the year. Netflix has to be concerned about simplifying things so users can get content through them to stay ahead.
Blockbuster has no way to enhance their service other than the physical stores. And that crowd is slowly being aged out.
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VUDU sells a proprietary box and they have been doing fine. Of course, they put the time and effort into quality and perfecting the box.
Netflix is clearly leading in terms of viewership because they have a huge audience.
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Not Only Late To Game
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Re: Not Only Late To Game
That probably means that they'll be rewarded with some kind of government help in the market then.
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WH - what a dumbass
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