Movie rental downloads are the wave of the future. It is not an exact science. People want convenience and hate to waste time and gas driving to their local video store. From a film studio perspective, the move to downloadable content can’t come soon enough. The move to downloadable movies will relieve you of all the costs associated with producing, storing, distributing, and packaging physical media. They can still sell the movies for a considerable amount, but they show higher profits.
The ability to rent downloadable movies has been with us for a few years. The problem for many people has been twofold; the lack of widespread access to broadband Internet and the requirement to use a computer to watch movies. Even if the computer was successfully connected to a television (sometimes not a feat in itself) to get a larger picture, there were all sorts of other problems associated with using the computer that made this less than a solution. Satisfactory for most movie renters.
The passage of time has largely solved the problem of broadband. An April 2008 report from the research firm Scarborough Research revealed that broadband penetration has increased more than 300% since 2002. Nationwide, 49% of households have access to broadband Internet, and that number continues to grow with the continued deployment of services like Verizon’s FIOS. As more households have broadband, the demand for movie rentals via Internet download will increase even more.
However, the biggest gains will come from the introduction of alternative methods of downloading rental movies. To this end, a large number of products and services have been introduced or are planned to be brought to market. Most cable companies offer some type of video-on-demand rental service. The quality and selection of these offers vary, but are available to many people.
For people who do not have cable or who for various reasons want a different service, there are other options available. TiVO has partnered with Amazon.com to offer the ability to rent movies from the Amazon Unboxed service. That collaboration has a lot going for it. TiVO has a universally praised user interface, offers HD capability from off the air or cable services, and integrates the Amazon Unboxed service seamlessly into its interface to make things extremely easy for consumers.
AppleTV is a piece of hardware that allows people to download movies from the Apple iTunes Store to watch on their television. It is a small unit, similar to a set-top box, that connects to the Internet and retrieves movies from the iTUNEs library. Like most things from Apple Inc., it is well designed and has a user-friendly interface. It also doesn’t stop at the movies. You can also watch TV shows, music videos, and YouTube videos. It also allows A / V content from your computer to be viewed on your television. There is a 24 hour window from movie rental time, after which the movies disappear, along with your rental fee. It’s like a video on demand, but with a much larger library.
HD video for the Apple TV is delivered in 720p (you can watch them in 720p or 1080i). With Apple TV 2, the bitrate is about 1/8 that of Blu-Ray, so the video is obviously not that great, but it’s not bad either, and you don’t have to get off the couch. One problem for some is that there is no video at all below the 480i component. If you have an older TV that doesn’t have component inputs, you’re out of luck. Another problem is the FF and rewind performance. The movie must be in a new format to do this so it won’t work like your normal DVD player or cable company’s video on demand.
Another thing that has been making its way lately is the Vudu movie download box in California. In concept and form factor, it is very similar to AppleTV. This nifty piece of hardware lets you download movies from Vudu’s massive archive of movies, concerts, and TV shows. They have a huge library, with over 10,000 titles, including movies, TV shows, and concert videos. It offers the largest selection of all services at the moment.
The ace up Vudu’s sleeve is its “interface and” incredible ease of use. 5-year-olds and 90-year-old technophobes won’t have a problem with this, it’s really that easy. The RF remote control only has 5 buttons and a scroll wheel. The interface is very much like the extremely expensive home movie servers from Kaleidescape, AMX, and Axonix. Those gadgets are no doubt cool, but at over $ 30,000, they’re relegated to the homes of the very wealthy. The Vudu, on the other hand, costs just $ 299, before any promotions. Vudu has no monthly service fees.
The Vudu team has done a great job on the interface, but that doesn’t matter if it doesn’t work, but it works, and very well too. Once a movie is selected, it plays instantly, without lag, just like a DVD would. You can use the composite video output for older TVs, but most people will use the component or HDMI video outputs, which now offer HD output. HDMI will go up to 1080p / 24 with its latest update. Audio is in Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 at a bit rate up to 40% higher than a standard DVD.
The Vudu comes in 2 flavors, a standard 250GB drive or a 1TB expandable drive that is more aimed at the custom install community. You can rent the movies, with a 24 hour time limit to complete viewing from the moment “play” is pressed. Some titles are for rental only, while others must be purchased, and some allow both.
The future of movie rental downloads is brighter than ever if these new offerings from TiVO, Apple, and Vudu are any indication. The video store, and possibly the album itself, will go the way of the Dodo.
