Slashdot Mirror
Slashdot Asks: Would You Like Early Access To Movies And Stop Going To Theatres?
It appears many major stakeholders in the movie industry want to bring new titles to you within days, if not hours, as they hit cinemas. Earlier this year, we learned that Sean Parker is working on a service called "Screening Room", an idea that was reportedly backed by Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg and JJ Abrams, to bring movies on the same day as they show up in theaters. Apple seems interested as well. It is reportedly in talks with Hollywood studios to get iTunes rentals of movies that are still playing on the big screen. Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that several studios are exploring the idea of renting new movies for $25 to $50 just two weeks after they have hit cinemas.
None of such deals have materialized yet, of course, and also it needs to be pointed out that several movie companies have discarded these ideas before because they know that by offering you new titles so early they are going to lose on all the overpriced cold drinks, and snacks they sell you at the theatre. There's also piracy concerns. If a movie is available early, regardless of the DRM tech these companies deploy, good-enough footage of the movies will crop up on file-sharing websites almost immediately.
But leaving all those aspects aside, would you be interested in getting new titles just hours or a week or two after they hit the cinemas? Would you want to end the decades-long practice of going to a theater?
None of such deals have materialized yet, of course, and also it needs to be pointed out that several movie companies have discarded these ideas before because they know that by offering you new titles so early they are going to lose on all the overpriced cold drinks, and snacks they sell you at the theatre. There's also piracy concerns. If a movie is available early, regardless of the DRM tech these companies deploy, good-enough footage of the movies will crop up on file-sharing websites almost immediately.
But leaving all those aspects aside, would you be interested in getting new titles just hours or a week or two after they hit the cinemas? Would you want to end the decades-long practice of going to a theater?
$25 is ok... $50 is way too much.
Even if services that offer same-day movie screening as they hit cinemas arrive, I would rather go to a theatre and watch it on the big screen. Watching a movie, in my opinion, isn't just about watching the movie. It's the experience, something I feel I wouldn't be able to replicate on my smartphone or TV at home.
early/late. wouldn't go anyway.
The implication in TFS is that they are available later and making them available sooner may or may not cause people to watch them.
They're not even available later. They're not available at all. Look at all the Netflix movies that are only on DVD. Last night I looked for The Lobster and found it was only on DVD. So it's not in the theater any more and not available streaming and I don't have a DVD player and the world has moved on from DVDs.
So if they want me to watch, make it available sometime at least. I'm not watching it if it's not available at all.
Pondering of the relative merits of early vs. late release timing when the current situation is there is no release at all is moot.
I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
I almost never go to the cinema. It's useful when you're a kid wanting to date as neutral ground (although from what I understand kids don't date anymore- just hook up).
I'd much rather watch in the Living room than the cinema. No overly loud sound. No uncomfortable squished together seats. No popcorn stuck to the floor. The cinema isn't exactly a positive experience.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
I barely go to the theatre anymore because of a lot of reasons, if you let me pay to have Day 1 access to the digital copy to either stream or outright buy DRM free I'd never set foot in an overpriced auditorium ever again.
The model would become more like digitally distributed video games, Launch day sees a big spike in sales (hell, pre-orders?) and then it kind of tapers off after a month or so, then you got a back catalogue you can keep old movies on. Things that normally wouldn't get distribution have a cheap option now... hell the more I think about it the better it sounds.
I mean, do for movies with what Steam did for games and you're gonna win
crazy dynamite monkey
Your excuses are terribly lame. The mail is trivial to use. A disk player is trivial to use. Your whining about wires is also lame.
If you aren't willing to plug something into your TV, then you have to be content with "smart TV" features that suck or broadcast TV.
But if you insist on depriving yourself, that's your own problem.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
I couldn't possibly be less interested in this early access crap. The only times I bother to go to the theater are for blockbusters, and for those I won't settle for anything less than the full on blockbuster experience. Always IMAX, preferably IMAX 3D. Go big or go home!
They're not even available later. They're not available at all. Look at all the Netflix movies that are only on DVD. Last night I looked for The Lobster and found it was only on DVD.
Stream it on Amazon Prime for free. https://www.amazon.com/Lobster...
Peace is easy to achieve, just surrender. Liberty is much harder get/keep.
Watching in the cinema is a completely different experience. Going out of the house and making a journey somewhere builds up the sense of occasion, especially when it's combined with a nice meal somewhere beforehand. Watching a film as part of a large audience is also a better experience than watching at home. Sure there are certain audiences that are annoyingly chatty, but for the most part I have a good experience with fellow film-goers. Watching as part of an audience helps you to pick up on things that you wouldn't notice otherwise. Also, the inability to pause means that you have to put your phone away and give the film your undivided attention. Watching at home leaves you prone to more distractions.
Drill baby drill - on Mars
...Last night I looked for The Lobster and found it was only on DVD...
Pondering of the relative merits of early vs. late release timing when the current situation is there is no release at all is moot.
Just because you've elected to move past DVDs doesn't mean there is "no release at all." It means you can't figure out how to take advantage of the release that is readily available. Just because the industry hasn't decided to adapt to your standard yet doesn't mean they're somehow trying to keep the movie from you.
He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
You sound like a complete asshole. WhyTF should anyone hang onto ancient and obsolete technologies just to accommodate the media companies?
The BluRay is superior to streaming in every way other than "I want it this minute." Now, I want it this minute is pretty compelling, I'll certainly grant that. I've definitely had my movie-watching desires foiled by lack of access.
But with a BluRay rental, I get better sound and picture, the download doesn't max out my Internet connection nor does it count towards my ISP data cap (which most ISPs have even if they refuse to tell you about it), I don't get "buffering" whenever I try to seek, I usually get some decent extras, I don't have to subscribe to five online services to get a decent library, and I have a far better chance of finding niche, less popular, or foreign offerings.
Some of those are technical limitations, some are business limitations imposed by an ISP, and some are limitations imposed by the content owners. That last one in particular is a reason to dislike streaming; streaming sucks because all the power is back in the hands of the big content companies, and their practices are anti-customer.
They're not "ancient and obsolete", since they provide BETTER picture and more usable controls (far less latency fast forward/rewind) than the streaming video.. Plus movie extras (I realize many don't care about those, but I like them a lot, even though admittedly most rental DVDs/Blurays have only a tiny portion of it if any).
Even though tons of "video stores" have gone away, if a company can put up tons of vending machines to rent movies and games, it seems to me yet another sign physical media is not dead.