eHomeUpgrade | Netflix Near Launch of Movie Downloads

eHomeUpgrade | Netflix Near Launch of Movie DownloadsNetflix Near Launch of Movie Downloads
Category: Content Providers - July 25, 2005
By Thomas Hawk [280 Reads]
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UPDATED: Netflix near launch of movie downloads - Yahoo! News: So it looks like Netflix could have more than just earnings to announce this afternoon. Rumor has it that they are close on the movie download thing. Could this finally be the TiVoflix deal coming to life?

One thing that will be imperative for this thing to have legs, will be for the service (if in fact it's coming) to offer a wide range of HDTV, yes HDTV!, first run new release movies. We will see.

"One industry source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the new Netflix service would be similar to fledgling, studio-supported ventures like MovieLink and CinemaNow. Those services allow people to rent copy-protected movies and television shows over the Internet and watch them on their computers.

Such services struggled because they offer a limited number of new releases. That is unlikely to change, so long as DVD sales and rentals remain the largest single source of revenue for movie studios."

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(New) Editor's Note: Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, in his investor conference call on 7/25, has announced that the highly anticipated TiVoflix service will be available by year's end. However, Hastings states "that it could be be 3, 5 or even 8 years before the major studios will accept a digital model leading one to assume that at least initially, TiVoflix may focus on more independent type titles." You can read more about it, here.