Leaked Screenshots Show Netflix Downloads

Mike1024 writes "US DVDs-by-post company Netflix appears to be planning a service that will let users download movies over the internet. Hackingnetflix.com has some accidentally-revealed screenshots, and the Netflix jobs page includes a product manager position, saying "The Electronic Delivery Service (EDS) will augment Netflix's current DVD delivery model with high quality movies delivered to consumers' home TVs through the Internet, on a subscription basis". Apple's iTunes demonstrated many people are willing to live with some DRM and hardware/vendor lock-in."

Comments

Hopefully not overzealous

[jasonhamilton]

The problem with efforts like this is that they tend to be overzealous with the copyright efforts to make sure nothing is copied. Ultimately their efforts sabotage the product and no one buys.

What is interesting is that they are claiming internet downloads to be watched on TV - which is quite different than internet downloads to be watched on a computer.

Re:That's a Lot Of Bits

[iainl]

For a full Dual-Layer disc (and I really can't remember the last time I saw a retail movie come on a single layer) it's 9Gb, not 4, so the numbers are even worse.

Besides, basic broadband packages in the UK usually have monthly download limits in the ~3Gb range. So it's not the 24-hour wait for the download, it's the 30-day wait until your ISP will let you have the next one.

Re:That's a Lot Of Bits

[Rude Turnip]

"That and they'd have 9000 copies of "Adam Sandler Acts Like A Total Fuckhead, And Women Still Spead Their Legs For Him" and one copy [MAYBE] of that obscure independent film I'd been looking for."

I've noticed that different Blockbusters will stock different titles based upon the neighborhood they're in. In my general area, there are three Blockbusters, one in each socioeconomic area: one in the upper class area, one in the middle class area and one in the lower class area. Having been to all three, it was very evident to me that the quality of selections slides downhill as you go down the economic ladder.

The "good" store has tons and tons of indie films, as well as all the popular and standard catalog titles. Large foreign, special interest and anime sections. Virtually all titles are DVD and widescreen-only. Only a small handful of VHS titles for much older and obscure films.

The "middle" store has a smaller selection of indie films. There are some foreign titles intermingled among the catalog stuff by genre (how it really should be, IMO). There is a greater emphasis on new release, pop culture titles and there are both widescreen (16:9) and full screen (4:3) DVDs. Most titles are on DVD only, but there is a visible amount of stuff on VHS still.

The "bottom" store has a significant focus on new release pop titles, with very little in the way of independent films. Good luck finding foreign films, regardless of quality or genre. Most of the older catalog titles are VHS, whereas the same titles are on DVD at the better stores.

The question is, does Blockbuster cater to the demands of the neighborhood they're in, or do they simply follow socioeconomic demographics (ie stereotypes) when they stock a store with videos?

BTW, the "middle" store recently shut its doors for good, which signals to me the widening gap between rich and poor in this country, but that's another discussion :)