Pay-Per-View to Provide DVD After Viewing?

Anonymous Coward writes to tell us that Comcast is entertaining an idea that would allow digital cable customers to purchase a pay-per-view movie for roughly $17 that would also include a hard copy in the mail a few days later. From the article: "The only snafu in the entire idea is the fact that only 40% of Comcast cable subscribers have the required digital box at this point in time. But still, that is 40% of 21 million customers which is not too bad. DirecTV and Dish, are you listening?"

Comments

What a Stupid Idea

[eno2001]

OK. I am pretty sure I'm in the minority here, but there are very few instances where I would buy the DVD of a movie without having seen the film first. And the only reason I would ever watch something on pay-per-view is because I missed it in the theater. I'm not an impulse buyer. I consider my purchases for a very long time before making them and I wait until something is on the used market before I buy it. Especially where media like DVDs or CDs are concerned. The last thing I want to do is fall into the trap of owning stuff I don't really care for and then later losing money by trading it in for just a few pennies. I can't be the only person who thinks like this.

I would suggest that a lot of you who don't think like this re-evaluate your approach if you find that you are trading lots of stuff in at a loss. I used to trade stuff in thinking that I was still getting a return on my investment. But over time I noticed that unless I sold the stuff directly (without the middle man that a store or online used retailer is) I would stand to get more of my money back. But that's also too much effort for the return. So it's better to make sure when you buy something, that it's something you REALLY want. Unfortunately, this approach like so many others is going to sucker a bunch of people into thinking they're getting some kind of deal by combining their DVD purchase with a pay-per-view viewing.

Finally, don't say: "Hey... it's only media/a movie/music. Chill out". Some of us value our entertainment quite highly and therefore are extremely selective and cautious about pricing. I have yet to ever watch a pay-per-view movie because they all pretty much suck in general on DirecTV.