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Google Videos rental app makes fleeting cameo in Market, portends of an imminent release
The original Google Videos is going to be mighty huffy about this. Not only has it endured repeated attempts on its life following Big G's acquisition of YouTube, but now its very identity has been humiliatingly copied and pasted onto an entirely different service. The new Google Videos is a movie rental app that will give Android users in the US mobile access to the 3,000+ premium titles that are already available to rent on a desktop. So far, no one has been able to break out the popcorn except a few lucky Xoom owners, but last night the app mysteriously became available to everyone else in Android Market, too. Unfortunately, those quick triggers who managed to install the app before it disappeared were rewarded with a riveting succession of server errors, but at least it gives us hope that the real-deal will be with the masses in short order. Google Videos is dead, long live Google Videos.
Movie download service on its way to PS3, PSP "really soon"
Peter Dille, Sony's VP of Marketing, confirmed that a downloadable movie service would make its way to the PS3 and PSP very soon. Not only that, but Sony recognizes the potential of such an application and are really concentrating their efforts on it: "I can tell you is we're working on it, we see that it's critical, not just for PSP but also for PS3, and it's something we know is super important to get right." It would be pretty cool to download a movie onto your PS3, activate Remote Play, then go watch the movie on your PSP in the middle of a mall or whatever it is kids do these days.You may think Sony just started working on this feature, but according to Dille, it sounds like it's been in the pipes for a while. "If we launch it and it's not right, we're going to get creamed. So we want to make sure we get the consumer experience right, get the right content, and we're working really hard on it. And I don't think we're talking about years, I think this is something we could get behind really soon." If they plan to launch it soon, that would be fantastic! Could this be another feather in their Tokyo Game Show hat? We guess we'll have to wait until mid- or late September to find out!
Hollywood wants PSP to compete with iPod
In a recent CNET article, Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey explains Sony's lost opportunity to capture the media download market. Due to their fixation on UMD, Sony has let Apple hold a near-monopoly on digital downloads. "The thing is, Sony could have been all this. The Sony PSP is one of the best portable entertainment media devices that anyone has come up with in years. It has a relatively big screen, plays video beautifully, has good storage and audio. It could have been the first big mobile carrier for TV shows and movies."Even now, Sony continues to stand by UMD, instead of offering a true video download service for the handheld. Sony seems content with their position: their attempts in Japan have been lackluster at best, and PSP's video playback remains crippled due to incomprehensible video restrictions. "You got a company here that's pushing its own approach on every level, and as a result nobody is using its memory stick or video format," McQuivey said. "So you don't have the same robust market that you could have had if you said, 'We're going to open this up. You can put your Windows Media files on here. You can put your QuickTime files on here.'"All hope is not lost, however. A Hollywood executive spoke anonymously to CNET, noting that many Hollywood executives are "pulling for the PSP to emerge as a competitor to the iPod." Many executives are afraid that Apple will maintain a monopoly over movies as it has had over music. Competition is good for the consumer, and the companies making the content. A PSP video download service makes so much sense, but it won't happen until Sony stops making lame excuses. "But Sony has been so dysfunctional and clueless when it comes to the Internet," said the executive. "We keep hoping they pull themselves together ... with the PSP video, we're hoping they create a forward-thinking strategy and stick to it."
Lionsgate joins the iTunes multiplex
While it's unclear how long it'll be able to keep it up, Apple looks to be making iTunes Movie Store announcements a monthly occurrence for the time being, following up January's news of a deal with Paramount with word of Lionsgate joining its ranks this month. That means that starting this month you'll be able to snag Total Recall, Terminator 2, and other movies that may or may not star future governors of California for $9.99 apiece (for the most part), currently playable in iTunes or on your iPod, and soon to be streamable to your Apple TV. All told, some 150 of Lionsgate's movies are set to be ready for download by the end of the month -- yes, that includes Rambo. Of course, this news doesn't exactly come as a surprise, given that none other Lionsgate's CEO Jon Feltheimer confirmed that the company would be offering iTunes downloads last year. No word on what's taken them so long.[Thanks, Adam W]
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DISH Network looking to offer movie downloads via IPTV?
With all the zany competition going on in the television world, it's not too surprising to see DISH Network hopping on the (quickly growing) movie download bandwagon. Apparently, the satellite provider is readying an IPTV service to offer "SD and HD quality movies, music, adult programs, entertainment news, and other services such as CinemaNow." While some of the content would presumably be free, other things like download-to-keep films would demand a one-time charge, and while the on-demand offerings could be accessed whenever you desire, "certain programs such as international channels and music services will be streamed in real time." Of course, the eventual success (or failure) of the program will likely depend on how zany (or reasonable) the pricing structure ends up being, and if all goes as planned, the service will reportedly go live on February 15th, 2007.[Via PVRWire]
Amazon "Unbox" download service due to launch today?
The word is out on Amazon's movie download service. After plenty of rumorings, it doesn't look like Amazon will be able to keep mum on the subject for long, since they're expected to launch "Unbox" today. The word on prices isn't exactly wonderful: rentals should go for about 4 bucks, while permanent downloads are hovering at $15. TV shows are matching the $2 iTunes pricepoint, and should be available the day after they air. As for studios, Amazon is purported to have Warner Bros., Fox, Paramount, MGM, Lionsgate, Sony and Universal all signed up, but Disney is said to be holding out for iTunes at this point. Picture quality is supposed to be DVD-ish, and videos will be playable in Amazon's Windows-only Unbox player (pictured), or on your TV or portable device. So far the amazon.com/unbox URL is redirecting to a plain-vanilla DVD page, but if all this word on the street proves true we should be seeing it up in the next few hours.Read - Unbox rumor roundupRead - Unbox screenshotsRead - Amazon.com/unbox (not yet live)
Lionsgate CEO confirms iTunes movie downloads
There's no telling exactly how close we are to an Apple iTunes movie store service, but it's become pretty clear of late that we are due for one sooner or later. The greatest confirmation yet just came from the loose lips of Lionsgate's CEO, Jon Feltheimer, during a financial earnings conference call. He stated that the independent studio has reached digital delivery deals with CinemaNow, Movielink and iTunes, and Lionsgate president Steve Beeks followed that up by stating that iTunes movie downloads should be launched before the end of the year. Think Secret is also reporting that iTunes downloads will be rental only, but we're not sure where they're getting that info. Of course, Apple isn't the only company these days that can't seem to keep a lid on their movie download plans. Amazon was recently subjected to a drive-by Google-caching (pictured), revealing similar confiscatory rates to what we're used to by now for downloaded video content, and potential TV show downloads. Netflix is also hitting the rumor mill with reports of 1.5TB of server space being staked out at the high-end Isilon hosting service. Good times indeed for the download crowd, we just hope one of these providers can manage to drive the price down a bit.[Thanks, CoreyTheGent]Read - Lionsgate signs up for iTunes movie downloadsRead - Amazon movie download screenshots
Netflix to release set-top box by the end of the year?
We've been hearing about Netflix's plans to deliver movies via the web for quite a while now, and it turns out they might be doing it through a proprietary set-top box before the end of this year. During a panel discussion at an Independent Film & Television Alliance meeting, Netflix's VP of original programming, Eric Besner, reportedly revealed plans for a device that will enable customers to add movies to their queue and download them overnight, presumably to an internal hard drive. An official statement from the movie rental powerhouse to the SEC suggests, among other things, that nothing has actually been decided yet, and that if the box is real, it will only be part of a much larger plan to deliver downloaded content. It looks like we'll have to wait a while for details -- like if download-and-burn will become a reality -- but a report is apparently on the way in early 2007, describing what the company has come up with after investing somewhere between five and ten million dollars in research this year alone. So sit tight and enjoy your new Vongo subscription or wait patiently for Steve Jobs to lock down the iTunes movie store and we'll give you a heads up when we have more info. [Via Zatz Not Funny]
