Qflix, hmmm, sounds familiar but you just can't place it? That is most likely because it is a new technology (to be introduced tomorrow at CES) that will
allow digital movie downloaders to burn DVD's of their downloaded movies and play them on their home DVD player. Qflix is a way for studios to appease the angry mobs who are screaming at them to give their viewers some way to get these DVDs off their computer. It will be restricted of course (so the DRM isn't going away) to burning a limited number of times or limiting the number of times the DVD will play. Thanks for the nod, but no smoking
gun DVD-burning drive yet. Sonic Solutions (of Roxio fame) is the company behind the Qflix technology, and the rumors floating around say that they are planning to give customers the option of burning a movie at a kiosk (most likely in a Walgreens store near you). Not a bad idea, only if they still plan on offering a downloadable version you could burn at home in addition to the kiosks. Can you say "the death of Blockbuster?" This idea might actually have legs if they don't limit the times it can play (which would enrage consumers), but limiting the number of times you can burn it is fine by me. I don't need four copies of anything, really. It isn't perfect, and it isn't ideal, but it may work as enough of a compromise between consumers and the tight-fisted studios. Oh yeah, did I mention the movie studios have approved its use? That is another reason this one might actually make it on the small screen.
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Tags: burn, commercial, dvd, kiosks, movies, news, qflix, studios
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Comments
8
Subscribe to commentsLonnie McClureJan 7th 2007 9:39PM
I don't see how this is much of a threat to Netflix, since this is a download to own service, no doubt with a charge per download, whereas Netflix is a flat fee to rent service.
What will replace Netflix for me would be a service that offers the same benefits, but with downloading and de-authorization replacing receiving and returning discs in the mail.
Give me a cheap or free settop box that attaches to my broadband modem and TV, a $9.99 per month plan that gives me at least 5 rentals (about as many as I can realistically get from Netflix, unfortunately), and then you'll have a convert.
PeterJan 7th 2007 9:39PM
If I'm going to spend MY time downloading it, use MY computer, MY DVD burner, and burn it to MY media, the price had better be pretty low. There is no way I am going through all that nonsense to save 2 or 3 bucks.
How much can they possibly charge when I can buy the molded and packaged disc for $20? Or I can get it from Netflix for part of my flat fee. How many movies would you actually buy anyway?
Seems like the only "angry mobs" you speak of are the pirates who just want to download everything for free.
CatweazleJan 8th 2007 12:18AM
Peter, why would it be any cheaper? You aren't paying for the plastic disc when you buy a movie retail, you are paying for the content. It does not matter if you use your connection and your burner, what you're paying for is the movie itself. If the plastic disc was worth anything AOL wouldn't be mailing out millions of them for free.
PeterJan 8th 2007 1:50PM
Catweazle - It should be cheaper because the movie companies don't have any manufacturing costs.
Don't be naive, of course you are paying for the plastic disc when you buy a rental, it's built into the cost. The same way the cost of the return postage is built into the Netflix price.
If they can make the disc, put it in a pretty case, ship it to Best Buy and let Bet Buy get their cut for $20, charging me $17 to download it when they have none of those costs is too much.
JamesJan 9th 2007 6:02PM
So I can pay Napster a flat monthly fee and listen to as much music as I want, for as long as they can still charge my credit card, right? Why not for movies?
Oh, right, because as archaic as the music industry is, and as slow as it has been to adapt to change, the movie industry is at least an order of magnitude worse. Silly me.
Seriously, I saw a DVD at Barnes and Noble of All The King's Men or some such (not the Must-Own Epic Of Our Time, I think we can agree) for 30 bucks -- and there was room on the shelf as if one were missing, implying that somebody actually paid that much. That's the cost of a steak dinner for two at a sit-down chain restaurant, for a DVD you *might* watch twice, or three times if a friend comes over that hasn't seen it. I guarantee that this time next year, the same thing will be in the $5 bin (maybe the $8 bin) at Wal-Mart, but people pay what's charged because they just don't seem to know any better. Until that changes, all-you-can-eat movie services probably won't be coming our way any time soon. Just my 2 cents.
scs68Jan 9th 2007 6:52PM
Why would anyone pay to download and burn-to-DVD a movie with DRM restrictions when that same movie will be available on DVD (sans DRM) at Target for $9.99 in a 2-3 months? I'm old-school, but I don't see the value. In any case, no rental service will pose a legitimate threat to Netflix until it can match Netflix' staggering library of 60,000+ titles.
Bill KisseJan 17th 2007 8:34AM
The Qflix idea is a sound concept.
This means that your 4,000 square foot blockbuster that holds 5,000 titles (?) and employs four people per shift will now be 1,000 square feet and have 100,000 titles available anytime all serviced by one or two customer service reps.
It's an idea whose time has come - to have a virtually UNLIMITED inventory burned by small-footprint kiosks.
You can either go online and order these for virtually immediate pickup or go to the store and view trailers at a kiosk and queue for burning.
It will also allow the use of burn-on-demand kiosks at virtually ANY retail location with a high-speed data connection and local hard drive storage.
I believe a price of $7-8 dollars for instant gratification for a current-run title (and keep in mind this business model will also work for hi-def titles) is a good value.
At least until the next-generation of media delivery comes along.
I predict that this will mature in the next 12-18 months then adios the really large Blockbuster stores and certainly Netflix will change, too (as their stock price has really taken a hit in the past 18 months).
Gale TeschendorfJan 18th 2007 2:19PM
If I can get the movies at a rental price of $3 or a monthly NetFlix/Blockbuster by mail price $10 to $18 per month then I could drop the cable movie packages and save money.
Cable TV packages will be doomed as soon as content is available via the internet. I do not need 500 channels - I only need the one I am currently watching.