Does Legal Online Video Content Delivery Exist?

RingDev asks: "I'm working on a system integration project for my CIS capstone. One of the systems we are integrating is a Windows MCE PVR. One of the topics that came up implementing a movie on demand or rental system using an existing online content provider. But the question we have run into is, are there any? Is the only option for online video content (TV shows, movies) P2P and BT clients? Is there no company out there that handles licensing and provides DRM'd content?"

Comments

"Legal"?

[TheSHAD0W]

There's nothing wrong with using BitTorrent for distributing legal content. DRM was deliberately left out of the spec, because it would've made it horribly complicated and because it's much better to put the DRM in the payload being transferred rather than try to work it into the protocol.

here's two that i use

[putch]

movielink allows you to 'rent' movies for anywhere from .$99 to $5. quality is decent though certainly not DVD. speed is good. selection is sparse.
http://www.movielink.com/

you can also get "starz on demand" through realplayer for approx $13 a month. you're limited to the current line up of STARZ movies--and they often suck. but it's better than paying $70 for premium cable. quality is ok, but still not DVD.
http://starz.real.com/

but i dont know if those are the kind of things the poster wants. his question was amorphous at best.

To clarify his question...

[cgenman]

What it seems like the submitter wants, is an existing online video rental company with a bunch of licensed videos who he can partner with to rent to people who use his PVR / set-top box. In much the same way that there are companies that handle B2B licensing and delivery of music, are there established companies that handle licensing and delivery of movies to hardware vendors? Who handles the in-house entertainment systems for motels and hotels?

As a side note, there are legal videos online. Check the internet archives feature film division for quite a few classics, including The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari, Night of the Living Dead, The Charlie Chaplin Film Festival, and period genre shlock like sex madness and hemp for victory. That's not really what he's asking for, but it's worth mentioning for the other people who may be reading. Anywhere that has Santa Claus Conquers the Martians deserves a nod.

Counterintuitive

[Sundroid]

OurMedia (at www.ourmedia.org), still in Alpha, provides storage space for video and film makers to upload their digital contents that use, mostly, Creative Commons rights model.

Seems like you're interested in providing existing Hollywood TV and movie products. The question I throw it back at you is: why bother? Anyone who has watched one episode too many of those bad or mediocre TV shows and movies churned out by the industrial machine, at one time or another, must have thought that the home movies made by his cousin, as amateurish as they are, still beat those glossy images produced by a group of people who are in it for the money.

Speaking of money, you should know by now that TV and film producers hang on to their rights as if giving them away were akin to giving their manhood away. The notion that someone out there is thinking, "Jeez, I can't watch enough of those shows on WB network, and darn it, where can I pay to download them online?" is, you know, counterintuitive.

Re:Counterintuitive

[RingDev]

"Seems like you're interested in providing existing Hollywood TV and movie products. The question I throw it back at you is: why bother?"

Why bother? A $50 BILLION industry? The $30 Billion battle over DVDs, 2.6 MILLION netflix subscribers? And you say why bother? A seemless open standard DRM could open up huge markets as broadband penetration continues to rise. Having tools in place to immediately take advantage of such a DRM, and the connections/money to get in bed with the content producers (Hollywood) could put a company in excellent position to make a trimendous profit.

"Jeez, I can't watch enough of those shows on WB network, and darn it, where can I pay to download them online?"

Yet how many people have downloaded Dr. Who? Firefly? or Battleship Galactica? You may say why bother, but consumers are demanding it, and all the industry has to do is offer a legal means to get the content and people will swarm to it.

-Rick

Re:Counterintuitive

[sl956]

A seemless open standard DRM could open up huge markets

Yes, and so could a magic carpet...
Please stop dreaming about "seemless open standard DRM": DRM systems don't work.
For a non-technical explanation, you should probably read Bruce Schneier or Microsofts Darknet paper.

Re:Counterintuitive

[RingDev]

I disagree. Papers have shown that illegal file sharing has little effect on profit margines. And as such, can be assumed to be a mitigated loss. There will always be people who break DRMs. Look at DeCCS, by your logic, every signle DVD released should have been immediately pirated and made as available as public domain. But they weren't. Why? because it's too much of a hassle. Why deal with multiple clients, crappy searchs, fake files, and days worth of waiting to get a movie that you could drive down to the video store and picked up for $2?

I'm not dreaming about a PERFECT system, I'm dreaming about a system that is good enough to provide a simple way for the majority of consumers to legally obtain content online.

Look at iTunes. Personally, I think their specific DRM sucks donkey balls. BUT, all they did was provide a way for consumers to easily and legally aquire content online. And now it is a multi-million dollar revenue source for Apple. This should be a screaming fireball of a wake up call for veture capitalist to invest in DRMs and content delivery. Because if Apple can wrap content in a crap sandwich, offer it up on a silver platter and make millions, what do you think a GOOD solution could do?

Imagine an international open standard DRM. One that has a simple API for authenticating the user, and determining the date. That API could be availible to Windows, Linux, Apple, what ever. No more of this iPod/Tunes only crap. No more DMCA violations to watch DVDs on Linux. Just one open standard DRM. You could even advance the DRM technology and maintain the standard API. So if someone ever cracks the DRM, you can patch it with out having to re-write all of the readers and delivery system.

-Rick

Re:Counterintuitive

[sl956]

I said: "DRM systems don't work."
You replied: "I disagree."

So let's see your argumnents to disagree :

There will always be people who break DRMs. Look at DeCCS, by your logic, every signle DVD released should have been immediately pirated and made as available as public domain. But they weren't. Why? because it's too much of a hassle. Why deal with multiple clients, crappy searchs, fake files, and days worth of waiting to get a movie that you could drive down to the video store and picked up for $2?

If I may rephrase: people who could get things for free illegaly on the net still go buy it in shops because it is easier. I would add "and because most people given a choice prefer the legal way". And why do you say it is easier? no "multiple clients, crappy searchs, fake files, and days worth of waiting" I agree 100% with those reasons but they have everything to do with a better distribution and nothing to do with copy protection (aka DRM). You proved nothing here about the need or effectiveness of DRM.

Look at iTunes. Personally, I think their specific DRM sucks donkey balls. BUT, all they did was provide a way for consumers to easily and legally aquire content online. And now it is a multi-million dollar revenue source for Apple. This should be a screaming fireball of a wake up call for veture capitalist to invest in DRMs and content delivery.

If I may rephrase: people offered a mean of buying content online legaly are happy to do it. I agree with that too. And I agree that "This should be a screaming fireball of a wake up call for veture capitalist to invest in [...] content delivery." But why do you write "DRMs and content delivery"? Apples DRM is so ineffective (just burn, it's gone) that they are in fact selling DRM free content. Once more you proved nothing about the need or effectiveness of DRM.

Imagine an international open standard DRM.

I can imagine it as easily as I can imagine a magic carpet.
What I wouldn't do is to build a business model on such a dream.

You could even advance the DRM technology and maintain the standard API. So if someone ever cracks the DRM, you can patch it with out having to re-write all of the readers and delivery system.

I see: single vendor control, centralized user database, single point of failure... Great!
And one last thing: never say "if someone ever cracks the DRM", say "when". And remember the answer to that question is probably "yesterday" (except if your product is still vaporware... as it seems)

Streaming video does...

[sam1am]

There are at least a couple streaming video solutions out there:

ESPN Gameplan

MLB.tv

Probably not exactly what you're looking for, though...

Re:I'm an engineer, not a marketeer.

[enrico_suave]

I find windows MCE a curious choice... with plenty of good extentadble or open source 3rd party PVR software solutions out there. *Shrug*

Someone has pointed out movielink... beyond media has it integrated into it's frontend... I believe Meedio does or would have a plugin for it. Meedio has a ton of HTPC/home automation stuff that might be worth investigating fruther.

it's not hollywood, but creative common's licensed material of interest is Downhill Battle's Particpatory Culture DTV thingie

e.