CinemaNow is (primarily) an online service where you can view movies for a fee. Part of Sonic Solutions, the site offers both purchase and rental options. With its ties to the Sonic Solutions software business, you can even purchase a movie and burn it to a DVD. CinemaNow offers a library of more than 14,000 [...]
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HDTV Almanac - CinemaNow in the News
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alfredpoor
- Major Contributor
- Posts: 1805
- Joined: Wed May 13, 2009 9:27 am
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alfredpoor
- Major Contributor
- Posts: 1805
- Joined: Wed May 13, 2009 9:27 am
Re: CinemaNow in the News
Thanks for the comments, Tim. (My first feedback on HDTV Magazine!) You make good points.
You're right about the Samsung (and Panasonic) rear projection HDTVs; they've had 3D support for years, with little to show besides PC games. The shutter glasses are available now, but the rear projection curse is a brake on progress, and as you point out, we need more standards. The demand is growing, however, and I expect the dam to break on 3D before too long. Hollywood is cranking out too much 3D content and they are going to need to sell it in more places than just the local cinemas in order to recoup their investments, so the studios will start backing home 3D before long.
And remember that hardware always preceeds software in the technology market. We had USB connectors on computers for years before there was much useful that we could do with them. Now we take them for granted and use them for everything.
I think that the CinemaNow pricing and business model will have to change if it's to grow huge. Netflix and Blockbuster both offer some form of all-you-can-eat subscriptions, and that's what consumers appear to want. Don't nickel and dime each transaction; pay a monthly fee like a cable bill and watch all you want. (And with cable moving to distribute their content over broadband, that will be the competition, not the local rent-one-at-a-time DVD store.)
Yes, CinemaNow has a pitiful collection of HD titles, but the key point here is that they have them. They have the platform and the technology to deliver them. So they are in a position to grow their HD collection if the demand is there. Half of success these days is to be nimble and ready to act.
All the best,
Alfred
You're right about the Samsung (and Panasonic) rear projection HDTVs; they've had 3D support for years, with little to show besides PC games. The shutter glasses are available now, but the rear projection curse is a brake on progress, and as you point out, we need more standards. The demand is growing, however, and I expect the dam to break on 3D before too long. Hollywood is cranking out too much 3D content and they are going to need to sell it in more places than just the local cinemas in order to recoup their investments, so the studios will start backing home 3D before long.
And remember that hardware always preceeds software in the technology market. We had USB connectors on computers for years before there was much useful that we could do with them. Now we take them for granted and use them for everything.
I think that the CinemaNow pricing and business model will have to change if it's to grow huge. Netflix and Blockbuster both offer some form of all-you-can-eat subscriptions, and that's what consumers appear to want. Don't nickel and dime each transaction; pay a monthly fee like a cable bill and watch all you want. (And with cable moving to distribute their content over broadband, that will be the competition, not the local rent-one-at-a-time DVD store.)
Yes, CinemaNow has a pitiful collection of HD titles, but the key point here is that they have them. They have the platform and the technology to deliver them. So they are in a position to grow their HD collection if the demand is there. Half of success these days is to be nimble and ready to act.
All the best,
Alfred