Greg sent in a NY Times story that says Comcast is pushing the studios to make movies available on cable tv at the same time they are released on DVD, On Demand and on DVD at the Same Time.
The experimental simultaneous release of DVDs and on-demand service closes a normal 30- to 45-day gap between DVD release and on-demand release. “This is a sampling mechanism for the title,” said Andrew Mellett, vice president for the video-on-demand division of Warner Digital Distribution, which is offering “Superman Returns” and other movies via Comcast. “I don’t expect it to cannibalize sales on DVD. What we are really interested in seeing is whether this increases the buy rates.”
If movies are available from pay-per-view, digital download services and other sources at the same time they become available from Netflix, would you consider switching to other sources?
I'll always consider any new source that comes along, but in my case they have to jump a pretty high hurdle to compete with Netflix. I don't have cable or satellite, just broadcast HDTV plus Netflix. I use broadcast TV for PBS and football, and Netflix for scripted entertainment. For $18 a month, I already have a lot more TV than I have time to watch.
The problem with "on-demand", for me, is that I'd have to fork out $50 per month for a digital cable subscription before I can get their "free" shows; PPV would be on top of that. The selection is nowhere close to what's available on DVD. Just about the only advantage is that I could choose something on the spur of the moment.
Maybe someone will come up with another download offering that is a better value proposition, but for now dvd-by-mail is pretty hard to beat.
Posted by: Hunter McDaniel | December 18, 2006 at 02:57 PM
I would switch to download when the quality and speed improve. I doubt I would switch to pay-per-view -- I prefer the Netflix model to PPV.
Posted by: hawk5391 | December 18, 2006 at 03:44 PM
I like Mark Cuban's idea better: When a movie is released in the theaters, have it also be released via DVD or download at the same time for a premium ($35 or so). High price? Not really. The advantage to the consumer is that they can have a group of 3-5 for the same price as movie tickets in their own private home theater area, their own food, and an excellent experience. The best part is that you can do it again and again and not pay extra. I love that idea!
Posted by: Lamarr Wilson | December 18, 2006 at 04:22 PM
I would only consider ondemand or downloads regularly if:
1) The video quality was as good or better than DVD
2) DVD type features such as commentary tracks and featurettes were added
3) The price was comparable
Posted by: DocForbin | December 18, 2006 at 04:26 PM
I found the link from Mark Cuban right after I posted my comment. He stated $40 for the DVD with some rebate incentives: http://www.blogmaverick.com/2005/05/28/movies-and-theaters-lets-make-the-customer-king-and-make/
Posted by: Lamarr Wilson | December 18, 2006 at 04:27 PM
What's not to like? Don't have to worry about the physical media being damaged, finding the envelope, making sure the DVD doesn't get stolen on it's way back, that the DVD is processed in a timely manner in the DC, etc. Once the On|In Demand thing is totally figured out, I'm sure they'll go to a monthly 'all you can eat' subscription model for new releases.
Posted by: Edward R Murrow | December 18, 2006 at 05:45 PM
the problem is that people are tuned now to get the best damn deal when they want to buy a DVD. They don't pay SRP. They average 30% off - most stores use them as loss leaders. I don't think Comcast is going to be offering them as cheaply as Walmart on the "own" portion. Plus here's the thought - what about people who set up their DVD-Rs so they can record - even off a blocked OnDemand signal. They get to "own" for the same price as rent.
Posted by: corey3rd | December 18, 2006 at 08:53 PM