Culture

Editors' Picks: Have on-demand movies finally become a reality?

Instant access to vast online movie library: We've heard promises. But with rapid broadband adoption, plus services aplenty claiming to offer just this, have on-demand movies finally become a reality?

Sept. 14, 2004 11:32 a.m. PT

5 min read

Editors' Picks

Have on-demand movies finally become a reality?

Editors' picks

Rumors that Netflix and TiVo executives are close to shaking hands on a deal to deliver films over the Internet may be premature, but they've once again galvanized a seemingly irresistible dream of instant entertainment gratification. That idea was summed up years ago in a Qwest Communications International commercial that featured a beleaguered motel clerk deadpanning: "We have every movie ever made, in every language, any time, night or day." Movie studios and distributors have a lot to gain if they can solve the considerable technical and business issues that stand in the way of Internet video-on-demand services. Is their evolution inevitable--or just another digital El Dorado?
September 10, 2004

TiVo/Netflix union?

Netflix and TiVo are cursed and blessed: Customers love their services, but that has put them in the crosshairs of large competitors. Netflix's DVD rental business faces competition from Wal-Mart Stores, Blockbuster and others. TiVo is finding that potential partners for its set-top box and programming service are deciding to go it alone. So it wasn't much of a surprise when reports surfaced that the companies may be considering jointly launching a movie download service. Raise your hand if you've heard companies pitching movies on-demand since, oh, about the time "Saturday Night Fever" was hot. Leave it up if you're actually using such a service. That's what we thought.

MSNBC Netflix, TiVo close to movie deal
CNET News.com Picture imperfect for Netflix, TiVo
New York Post Netflix, TiVo hookup close
Boston Herald Applause greets Tivo/Netflix tale
CNET News.com Five tech firms at a crossroads

Services spring up

For years, companies have promised to deliver a fast and convenient service that enables users to instantly access a vast library of movies online. But a number of hurdles have kept the technology from extending beyond the hype and into the average person's living room. As the adoption of high-speed Net connections quickens, and the legal issues surrounding movie licenses get resolved, companies are increasingly turning their attention to the potential boon these services could bring. Now there is no shortage of options for those ready to do away with trips to the local video store.

Wired News Real puts movies in the pipe
CBS News Hollywood studios launch joint movie download service
CNET News.com Movielink, Road Runner unite on Net movies
CNET News.com CinemaNow debuts download-to-own movies
Reuters Disney mulls tie-ups for Moviebeam, delays rollout

Roadblocks to adoption

Everyone seems to have a plan for piping movies into your home--either to your computer or to your TV. But several hurdles stand in those companies' way. Technology: Will the pipes be able to carry relatively large movie files? Digital rights management: How will the movie industry and tech firms ensure that movies can't be pirated? Licensing: What will the owners charge for the rights to beam a movie to a person's home? Consumer acceptance: If video on demand is just a marginal improvement to DVD rentals, cable TV or pay-per-view, will anyone really care?

CNET News.com Will HDTV antipiracy plan unplug digital networks?
CNET News.com Patent suits hit cable, satellite giants
CNET News.com For TiVo, a channel of one's own?
Wired Magazine Movielink: Long wait for films
CNET News.com Online casting calls snub Apple
Wired Magazine Want video on demand? Press pause

Dreams of the digital home

After years of being relegated to drab offices, the PC is making its way into the living room. Heavy hitters such as Microsoft, Intel and Sony promise a digital-home nirvana. From your stereo to your refrigerator, tech companies want users to go digital, and they have put big money into creating technology that can integrate media devices into an easy-to-use, high-tech entertainment system.

CNET News.com Media Center upgrade takes center stage
The Register The digital home cometh, says Intel
CNET News.com Google-like technologies could revolutionize TV, other media
CNET News.com Networked homes move closer to reality
Silicon.com BBC gazumped by Virgin Napster deal
IT World IP opens door to digital home

Audio and Video

The clock is ticking for set-top boxes
Digital cable-ready televisions are on the market, and they don't need separate set-top boxes to decode digital signals. Correspondent James Hilliard asks ABI Research's Vamsi Sistla for details on a new technology that still has a ways to go before entering the common living room.

A remote control for the digital home
ZDNet's Patrick Houston looks at the Linux-based iPronto digital display, which acts as a remote control and an Internet browser.

Gateway media PC entertains
CNET's Brian Cooley takes a look at Gateway's 610 Media Center, a computer that features Windows XP Media Center 2004 and aims to merge entertainment and functionality.