theinforager

The Inforager Goes To The Movies

In the news today, the Wall Street Journal reports on the continuing consolidation of the video rental market and the move from bricks and mortar stores to on line, content on demand.
Already a staple of cable offerings through programmers offering on demand showings of HBO and premium channel content, as well as movie releases and sporting events, on demand video rental via the internet is heating up.

Today’s article:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117272195361923056.html?mod=mm_media_marketing_hs_left

This trend is also being driven by other players in both the hardware and content ends of the business.

Last falls’s announcement by Apple of video content availability through I Tunes…

http://news.com.com/Apple+forges+path+to+digital+living+room/2100-1041_3-6114835.html

Drove their share price up, created sales increases behind high volume, video Ipods, and paved the way for an increasingly on line driven media future.

Apple TV promises to accelerate broad adaptation of home media servers which store downloaded content and distribute it throughout consumer homes.

http://www.apple.com/appletv/

Even delays like this announcement that Apple TV will be delayed until March add to the hype and expectations.

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=mobile_and_wireless&articleId=9011911&taxonomyId=15&intsrc=kc_top

Why we even have wikipedia entries about this branded entry into the market.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_TV

What’s it all mean?

Just when you made the move from driving to Blockbuster to ordering movies through Netflix and Blockbuster Online…

http://www.blockbuster.com/

) or even watch your own tv from across the globe

http://www.slingmedia.com/indexb.php

You can get what you want faster and in formats that allow you to watch it at home, take it with you (video IPOD)

You can move to Netflix Online, announced this January.

http://www.tjacobi.com/50226711/finally_netflix_movie_download_service_is_coming.php

Or, as today’s WSJ article says: download with Blockbuster!

As a gadget freak I love all the options and I eagerly snap up every new toy that comes along. I didn’t realize though I was ready to dump my cable service or dish service or Netflix account and jump into the world of online movie rental, storage and playback. Who knew I needed access to movies so badly and so often that my cable company couldn’t keep up with demand!

The studios would like me to make the jump. That’s why they are selling the service to Blockbuster.

Apple is telling me I am crazy if I don’t; afterall, I have the playback device in my pocket everyday.

And of course even Walmart is a player.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/carroll/?p=1642

But the real question I have….is what am I going to do with all my DVD’s and the portable DVD player I bought?

Guess it goes on the shelf next to the obsolete CD’s and portable CD player I bought.

And going to the movie store is soon to be right there in the folklore I tell my kids about the good old days when we used to go to the record store.