Slashdot Mirror

http://www.greencine.com/central/node/101

I think that perhaps that the applications for DivX are bigger than you think that they are.

We use Greencine as well, and we've been with them about four years now. We used to live in New York and it would take about three to four days each way for discs from Greencine; now that we're in Seattle, it's only a day or two. It was actually not a bad time delay because we'd watch things on the weekend, drop them in the mail Monday morning, and often our new discs would arrive in Saturday's mail.

That said, it should be noted that Greencine caters more toward independant and niche films, and doesn't carry as much of the mainstream stuff as Netflix, so YMMV depending on your film tastes.

There is a fix for that. It's called http://greencine.com./ I find the service is a little slower than Netflix at its fastest, and I think it would get less good the farther you get from their base in San Francisco, but after getting burned by Netflix I find these guys to be a very adequate replacement.

And you can hard-code the order in which you'd like to receive certain discs.

You could try GreenCine, which while not as large as Netflix has a great selection of eclectic DVDs (and mainstream titles, too) and fantastic customer service... And no throttling!

You can be a pseudo-hipster by claiming Greencine offers the "alternative" indie/anime/documentary films you desire, while in reality you're using them for pr0n.

I've never used it, but here it is, streaming movies from $2:
GreenCine Video-on-Demand

I do use GreenCine's Netflix-like DVD rental service. That's how I know about their VOD service.

DivX DRM

Already used by Greencine
http://www.greencine.com/static/divx/divxdrm_faq.j sp

Geez you media execs need some learnin'

That doesn't make me a happy customer, however, and eventually, some company WILL come along and offer the same thing without lying about what "unlimited" means. And when that happens, Netflix will learn how the local crack dealer feels when the Mexican mob moves in.

Depending on where you live, you might want to check out Greencine. It's based in San Francisco, so it takes a while for discs to get to the east coast, but they don't do any sort of throttling that I'm aware of. They also have a much more community-focused approach than Netflix, and concentrate on indie and foreign films (although they have everything). They also offer video-on-demand for some of their catalog, although you have to pay a per-movie fee. Slashdotters might also be intrigued to hear that their Bluecine service offers adult movies for rental.

It seems that Google is going to be using DivX and its DRM to get video into lounge rooms and onto portable devices .DivX has a popular codec ,50 Million DivX certified devices and a MPAA approved DRM .The addition of Geencines movies to Google Video is a clear intention of DivX and Google's relationship as Greencine uses DivX for it's streaming and Burn to Rent and Burn to Buy server .

http://www.greencine.com/divxRelease?content=4

According to Divx representatives, the talks are in a very early stage and details still have to be discussed and determined. However, Divx' role in Google appears not be in direct connection with the search engine's announcement of a commercial video download service. Instead, Divx will help Google to move video content across various device types and ultimately onto the TV screen. Of course, content will only be able to be moved, if it carries a digital rights management platform and if devices are "secure. Susan Wojcicki, Google's vice president of product management said that "Google video's goal is to make the world's video content more accessible" to people. "We want to reach a point when consumers can easily access the content that is important to them from Google whenever they want and enjoy that content on a variety of devices."

http://www.tgdaily.com/2006/01/07/divx_google/

GreenCine is a CA based DVD by mail compnay that specializes in independant films, sci-fi and anime.

http://www.greencine.com/

Their customer servcie is terrific. Their turn around times may be longer if you live on the East Coast because they have no warehouse here.

I have been using them for over a year and I am very happy with the service.

There are alternatives.

Blockbuster still has one ace up its sleeve - porn.

BB doesn't do porn - they have a 'family friendly' reputation, so no Jenna Jameson for you. Meanwhile, Greencine does.

I stopped watching television over a year ago. I dropped my cable service, and broadcast signals don't work in my area. I don't miss it at all. Now I rent movies and old TV series from GreenCine, so I can watch just the shows I want to, commercial-free. As an added benefit, it lets me preview DVD's I'm thinking of buying to make sure they're not 'evil' (e.g. forced ads). My DVD purchases have increased dramatically in the last year.

DivX has a Linux and Mac Player but it is still proprietary
DivX also has a DRM solution that is sued by the Art film online rental company Greencine

http://www.greencine.com/
http://www.divx.com/divx/linux/
http://www.divx.com/divx/mac/
http://www.divx.com/corporate/solutions/drm/index. php

Thats assuming you only go alone. Last theater trip I want to cost $21, ignoring the 6 dollar popcorn.

Also, arguably better than 6 buck used purchases. By-mail rentals from NetFlix or GreenCine (guess my preference, though speed drops off as you get farther from the california bay area) can knock the prices for movie viewing down to $2 per.

They're based in San Francisco though so if you live a few states away it may not be worth the extra shipping time.

I like to rent out some British comedies but I couldn't find them on NF. I also couldn't find a good foreign selection so far.

Um, I'm not suggesting Slashdot readers watch porn. However, Greencine (unlike the others) actually stocks movies of the "Adult" genre. Maybe this should be mentioned when talking about "selection."

I apologize in advance for suggesting that some Slashdot readers watch porn.

Well, if it starts to SUCK, we can always head over to http://greencine.com/. Corporate life can be gruesome, but it can also be very beneficial... as long as you can opt-out.

It seems to me that the there is really only room for one DVD rental-by-mail service.

Dunno why you say that. Yes, it is "one of those commodity items that becomes cheaper to run on a per-customer basis the more customers you have" but it is also a service that can vary in quality. You might prefer Netflix because it is cheaper or has a better website, while someone else may prefer ChristianFlix because it provides them with censored movies. Someone else might prefer IndieFlix because the website is better suited to their tastes.

Yes, the company with the biggest scale may be the cheapest, but I don't see why there isn't room for niche players. Greencine is profitable and not dying, and it's *tiny* compared to Netflix. If Greencine can make money doing what they do, I bet if other companies find their niche, they'll survive too.

...minus the awkwardness of shopping at a brick-and-mortar porn store or checking out a porn DVD at a "mainstream" video store.

however their service is slower...

Apparently, their only distribution center is in San Francisco. So if you're far away from San Francisco, they might not be worth it unless you really value their selection. Their FAQ says a 1-3 day delivery time for the West Coast and 2-4 days for the East Coast. Personally, I wouldn't use them if I lived outside Northern California.

...and their prices are higher.

...and more flexible. From $15 for 2-out to $60 for 10-out. I think the price premium is worth it, but I'm a guy that likes porn and doesn't need more than two DVDs at a time.

...minus the awkwardness of shopping at a brick-and-mortar porn store or checking out a porn DVD at a "mainstream" video store.

however their service is slower...

Apparently, their only distribution center is in San Francisco. So if you're far away from San Francisco, they might not be worth it unless you really value their selection. Their FAQ says a 1-3 day delivery time for the West Coast and 2-4 days for the East Coast. Personally, I wouldn't use them if I lived outside Northern California.

...and their prices are higher.

...and more flexible. From $15 for 2-out to $60 for 10-out. I think the price premium is worth it, but I'm a guy that likes porn and doesn't need more than two DVDs at a time.

Try Greencine http://www.greencine.com/! They have all the Hollywood releases and a ton of stuff the average Slashdotter would be interested in--anime, classic horror, non-animated Asian stuff, and even pr0n. I've been a member for almost two years and their service is great.

Greencine already rents out porn, although the main focus is foreign and indie titles. The idea of renting porn dozens of other people have had their hands on doesn't sound appealing to me.

Well there is always GreenCine (based in SFO just like NetFlix). Porn+regular movies

I'm very happy with GreenCine. Much better selection than NetFlix when I joined (NetFlix may have improved by now) - particularly in anime and foreign films. They have every anime title I've ever looked for, while NetFlix had holes in most series I looked at, and I rented Hero and Shaolin Soccer from them before their official US releases.

They have nice forums and member lists, which is how I found out about Hero and Shaolin Soccer. Their customer service has been fine - I've got a quick, satisfactory reply anytime I had an issue.

However, their only distribution center is in San Francisco. Delivery time is only two days for me in Los Angeles, but I heard it's 3-5 days or so for people on the east coast. Interestingly, for me it's not two business days, just two days. They don't send or recieve on Sunday (obviously), but anything sent Saturday arrives Monday. (And, unlike NetFlix, they do ship on Saturdays.)

is GreenCine. It has an enormous selection and actual customer support. It's not one of the huge corporations like Blockbuster or Amazon, but rather like your friendly local rental shop.

I've found that Netflix "throttles" my rentals after a period when I rent too many movies for them to make a profit. They will delay shipments and change the wait status on your queue to absurd amounts of time. I'm led to believe that this practice will become even more common with the new price drop. This is, of course, against their terms of service, but it's extremely difficult to prove - the USPS bears much of the blame. Couple this with the nonexistant customer service, and the frequent movie renter is definitely at a disadvantage.

Of course, if you only rent two or three movies a month, then Netflix is fine. But for those who really like film, I'd highly recommend supporting GreenCine.

people experimented with monkey thoughts

Try Greencine. I love 'em. They're like Netflix, only with a better selection of obscure movies, better customer service, and a slight sense of community. Of course unless you live on the west coast, shipping times might be a problem.

Actually, Greencine already allows users to download movies to their computers. They certainly don't have the rights to most of their movies - mostly to certain indie and porn films. Considering how studios dragged their feet with licensing movies to DVD, I can't believe they'd be willing to license out a new medium to a single company.

There are actually a few rebuttals to what is nothing more than a hatchet job by Hitchens. Check them out.

Yep! I have one of these and it's a pretty swell box. There have been a couple things that xine will play that the DVP642 won't, but by and large it's been great. It also plays music and will show photos. The firmware could be a little better and the remote needs a better UI, but for the basic functions it's a fantastic value.

I haven't had a TV in years, and have been reluctant to get anything with a tuner; it's too easy to "just see what's on" and suddenly realize that you've watsted two hours that you'll never get back. But this in combination with a projector, a GreenCine subscription, and an occasional download via my computer's CD-RW drive has been great.

Greencine == Better than Netflix

i'm surprised no one has mentioned that greencine.com has had video-on-demand available to its members since last year, including adult titles.

greencine > netflix

What about the boulder that you are under?
Try Greencine. They actualy do have "lots of hard to find movies" (unlike Netflix). They also have a user forum and far more personalized service. Pricing is about the same. Oh yeah, and they already have a small amount of VOD movies.

To be honest, I can't see movies being so much quicker to license these rights to Netflix, even if it is larger than Greencine.

Greencine already does this for select films. They do WMP streaming for Video On Demand (FAQ here). I can't say that I've tried it though, since I prefer watching movies on my TV than on my computer.

Greencine already does this for select films. They do WMP streaming for Video On Demand (FAQ here). I can't say that I've tried it though, since I prefer watching movies on my TV than on my computer.

It's not like this is a new idea to video games - 20+ years ago, Infocom adventures, or Sierra games, would have players make their way through a story.

And it's not like the technology isn't there - I've played "Rogue Leader", and the look is comparable to the original Star Wars movies. As the article points out, the nature of video games (repetetive gameplay with the chance of death) makes the use of common storytelling technique problematic.

So if people have been trying at it this long, and have had the technology to do it, and still haven't done it, probably it's because it simply can't be done.

It's not as if cinema took several decades to become watchable, after already becoming mainstream - Metropolis, Nosferatu, and other films of the silent era still have their fans, despite their primitive technique.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Netflix or Greencine. These are examples of a business model (video rentals) adapted to suit the technology (internet). I dont know what their earnings are but I thought it was a cool idea when I heard of it, and I like it even more since I've been using it.

The thing is that the enjoyment or us value we get out of a thing is not the only element that goes into price-sensitivity, nor are (perceived) costs. Price expectation is part of the "black magic" area of economics, ultimately, because it's very hard to model with traditional economic tools. It's about perception and social consensus more than anything else.

We consider a CD to be "less than" a DVD because, among other things, it is "only" audio information. The fact that we may listen to a CD 50 times over, while we watch a movie on a DVD we buy twice, is overlooked. The existence of alternatives is not the issue: radio is to CD's what TV is to DVD's. From a utility perspective, CD's arguably offer far more flexibility and durability as an "entertainment product" than DVD's do, but we consider the latter more valuable. Part of that is also the perception that films are more of a true cultural product than music is.

Except for Criterion editions and short form collections, I've stopped buying DVD's myself. I rent. Personally, I recommend GreenCine.

Tired of the lack of decent domestic films, I've recently filled my Nexflix queue with foreign films.

You might prefer GreenCine to Netflix. They claim to have a wider selection of non-mainstream stuff than Netflix. I haven't looked at the foreign films, but their anime selection is pretty much perfect - I have yet to look for an anime title and not find it.

Many of these movies can be rented from NetFlix of the aforementioned Greencine. Check it out!

I love Bollywood movies, but they're probably not for the typical slashdot crowd. They're often based around a love story, their plot is often an excuse for lengthy expositions (running times commonly reach 3 and a half hours), they're firmly rooted in Indian culture, and there's no sense of irony or detached cool endemic to Western or Chinese movies.

Still I think Bollywood, along with Korean films, are currently the most interesting alternative to US movies.

In fact I've got the first disc from Greencine in the out basket by my feet.

Of course, you could also buy it from Amazon or places like that.

From the article:
Unlike Google, A9 isn't trying to develop an all-purpose search engine that indexes billions of Web pages. The startup instead is zeroing on a one of search engines' sweet spots -- e-commerce.

"Sweet spot" for advertisers... "Crap that clutters my search" to me. Google has done a pretty good job of keeping the e-commerce sites out of my listings, and as a result, I really do click on the sponsored links when they're relevant. But they've been slipping... a search on Electric Fencing returns mostly people selling the product, but adding keywords (Electric Fencing Installation) helps.

More articley goodness:
As more consumers have become comfortable with the Internet, a growing number are using search engines to review products and compare prices.

Review != Purchase. When I look up a product, I'm usually looking for complaints. Before I signed up for Netflix, I examined the complaints and decided I could live with the reported problems. I decided against GreenCine in part because subscribers report low supplies despite an excellent selection. You get the idea.

Hopefully, if Amazon focuses on the e-commerce angle, Google can focus on the information angle. I'll go to Google to find out how to install an electric fence, and perhaps I'll go to Amazon to find an electric fence supplier. But more likely, I'll click on a Google AdWords partner.

Google's biggest problem right now: Crapflooding, which will continue to be a whack-a-mole problem on any search site. When I do a search on Toothpick Bridge for my daughter's science class and see a URL of "www.hdlac.org/mom-daughter-incest.htm", I know that the spammer/scammer community has scored again.

Don't like it? Rent the games from Gamefly, the Netflix of the gaming world.

No, they're the GreenCine of the gaming world. I don't mean they're the also-ran: Gamefly and GreenCine operate out of the same building and share some infrastructure, iirc.

My own response to the RIAA crackdown was to get a Netflix account, get into fansubs

If you're into fansubs, you may prefer GreenCine to Netflix. They have a great selection of anime - I have yet to find an anime that's been released on DVD in North America that they don't stock.

They are a bit more expensive, and have a slower shipping time to Los Angeles. It's worth it for me though.

Thinking that there could be no better recommendation for GreenCine than that of Slashdot, I signed up. I figured it would be worth trying out, if only to see how slow the shipping would be from Cali to Dallas.

Then, I started putting movies in the queue. What appealed to me was the huge selection of Anime that's not available at Netflix. So I started putting them in the bucket.

Cardcaptor Sakura #3: Long Wait
Chobits #1: Long Wait
Fruits Basket #3: Available!
Mahoromatic #2: Long Wait
Love Hina #1: Long Wait

Out of 16 anime movies I put in the queue, only three were available -- and one of those was almost a gimme (Panda! Go Panda!, an early Miyazaki film, available on Netflix anyway).

With a 3/16 ratio of available-to-long-wait, I decided it wasn't going to be worth it. I cancelled before they shipped anything, so hopefully I at least saved GreenCine a couple bucks in shipping costs.

I like the GreenCine "community" concept, and I think they've got a great chance. But they've got to mature a bit before I move my 400+ Netflix queue over to them. I haven't had any trouble with Netflix in my entire six months... I'm just glad I'm not on the New York area!