I have my doubts that this is written by Bill Gates. The main give away is this memo was supposedly written on 1-15-2003, and the memo makes mention of having to download Media Player 9; which wasn't even realeased unit 1-23-2003.
You are not figuring in the one ingredient that fuels the movie houses; impatient humans. Even if the average home had a 100 inch HD screen, with 7.1 surround sound, reclining seats, and a fully stocked snack bar all set in a room that looks just like the local Cinemark that would only cause minimum damage to movie theaters because so many people want to see a movie, that they've spent 6 months watching trailers of, right NOW! They don't want to wait 4+ months for the DVD to come out. True, there are pirated versions you can download on opening weekend, but they are usually shot on someone's camcorder that was snuck into the theater so the quality usually stinks.
Going to the movies is also a social thing, and a way to get out of the house. Think about the teen crowd that is using the movie houses for dates. I can't imagine being a teen and taking a girlfriend into the family theater, knowing that any moment mom, dad, or an annoying sibling could come in and ruin a perfectly dark and cozy atmosphere.
Now, social aspects aside, I can see movie theaters being in trouble if Hollywood starts releasing first run movies for streaming downloads on opening night of the same movies in theaters. But with the fight that Hollywood is putting up against pirating, I don't see that as something likely to happen anytime soon.
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I have my doubts that this is written by Bill Gates. The main give away is this memo was supposedly written on 1-15-2003, and the memo makes mention of having to download Media Player 9; which wasn't even realeased unit 1-23-2003.
You are not figuring in the one ingredient that fuels the movie houses; impatient humans. Even if the average home had a 100 inch HD screen, with 7.1 surround sound, reclining seats, and a fully stocked snack bar all set in a room that looks just like the local Cinemark that would only cause minimum damage to movie theaters because so many people want to see a movie, that they've spent 6 months watching trailers of, right NOW! They don't want to wait 4+ months for the DVD to come out. True, there are pirated versions you can download on opening weekend, but they are usually shot on someone's camcorder that was snuck into the theater so the quality usually stinks.
Going to the movies is also a social thing, and a way to get out of the house. Think about the teen crowd that is using the movie houses for dates. I can't imagine being a teen and taking a girlfriend into the family theater, knowing that any moment mom, dad, or an annoying sibling could come in and ruin a perfectly dark and cozy atmosphere.
Now, social aspects aside, I can see movie theaters being in trouble if Hollywood starts releasing first run movies for streaming downloads on opening night of the same movies in theaters. But with the fight that Hollywood is putting up against pirating, I don't see that as something likely to happen anytime soon.