Kiosk.net

VOD is a strange bag. On the one hand, it seems like everything we’ve ever wanted: watch anything at any time with the push of a button. On the other hand, things haven’t quite worked out that way. Studio restrictions have severely limited the content on VOD, making it a poor man’s DVR for many.

Still, Comcast has delivered a strong showing. They reported their one billionth VOD download this month. Reuters:

Cable giant Comcast Corp. said its On Demand service has logged more than 1 billion views of its programs so far this year, well ahead of schedule.

The Philadelphia-based company, which has made a heavy investment in VOD, had said that it would record 1 billion VOD views in 2005. On Demand logged 567 million VOD views last year. The service was launched in late 2002 in Philadelphia and has been rolled out to about 93% of the company’s markets.

“The reason that we’ve done better is because of the programming we’ve added over the course of a year,” said Page Thompson, vp and general manager of On Demand.

However, like many, the Mercury News is not particularly interested.

To be sure, VOD has made a big splash. Comcast Corp., the nation’s largest provider of cable-TV service, announced Thursday that it had served up one billion VOD programs since the service debuted in 2002.

But VOD’s arrival has been rendered less grand by other technologies, including digital video recorders such as TiVo. The technology also faces growing competition from video on the Internet, which is one reason Comcast is considering joining with Google Inc. to buy AOL’s video-rich Internet Web site.

Video-on-demand and TiVo both let viewers watch the programs they want when they want to watch them. But TiVo and other DVRs can be easily programmed to record any program on television, allowing viewers to watch at their leisure.

VOD is by no means in the toilette; there have been over a billion downloads, after all. But Mercury News does make an interesting point: It’s not the great technology we hoped it would be. Essentially, it’s another example of the big studios shooting down a technology because it’s not as profitable as DVD sales. Another example of this would be the poor selection of programs on Akimbo. They’re improving, and so is Comcast On Demand, but it’s still not DVR watch everything on TV whenever you want it. It’s not something I really gave too much thought about before, but I think it’s true. So far, VOD is for Discovery Channel shows, DVR is for Desperate Housewives.

In a move both interesting, yet somewhat ill-conceived, Two British entrepreneurs have launched the first broadband service to offer Bollywood films to subscribers over the internet, Bollywood.tv. The endeavor is the first of its kind, allowing subscribers (10 pounds/month) to download and watch full-length Bollywood features.

According to co-owner of the site Nigel Regan, “The quality of the movies is superb, and you would never know you were not watching a DVD. Without any doubt at all, this makes Bollywood more accessible than ever before.”

The service may have appeal to those fans who love Indian cinema, but do not have access to Bollywood rental stores. The down side? Only 65 titles. So, for almost twice what you would pay for a Netflix account (50,000 titles), you can sign up get less than 100 movies. The site will be adding more titles in the future, hundreds according to this article, but really, couldn’t you just download and watch their entire library in a few months? After that, there’s not much reason to stay on. Plus, even if you are a hardcore Bollywood fan, you probably won’t be interested in watching every last one of the movies offered on the site.

Bottom line, if they increase their library by a factor of about 10, it might start to make sense. Bollywood produces more films than any other place on Earth, so it shouldn’t be that hard, right?

Fresh on the heals of the iPod Nano, Steve Jobs has announced a new Video iPod that is capable of showing downloaded television content.

In order to bring content to consumers, Apple has partnered with ABC/Disney to allow for fast downloading of TV shows. Lost, Desperate Housewives, and many others will be available for download, commercial free, for $1.99 at the iTunes store. You can watch the shows on your iPod, on the TV via an adapter cable, or on your computer in iTunes itself.

Along with the new mp3 player, Apple has also announced its version of the media computer, an iMac with front row software and a remote control. If Apple’s media track record holds up, it’ll be leagues ahead of the Wintel version.

According to Video Business Online, a new, fully automated store is selling DVDs in Fredericksburg, VA. Unlike simple kiosks, these new stores are operated by robot arms and provide a selection of up to 10,000 discs to customers. The discs are selected via a touch screen, then picked up at a drive-thru window.

“One of our stores can make more money on less [revenue] than a typical Blockbuster,” Nehrboss said.

That’s because DVDs On the Run spends 90% less on labor costs than a typical video store. The touch screens also recommend catalog titles when a customer types in a rental, which helps to increase catalog rentals and overall profitability, Nehrboss said.

DVDs On the Run customers drive up to a window, type in their movie rental requests on the touch screen, swipe their credit card and wait for a robotic arm to grab the title. The store charges $3.29 for one-day rentals, $3.69 for a two-day rental and $3.99 for a five-day rental. Customers are charged a $1 a day late fee up to the cost of the movie. The store operates 24 hours a day.

“We can watch revenue come in when everybody else is closed,” Nehrboss said.

During its first three months of operation, DVDs On the Run has had 2,000 unique customers, with no marketing. The store is on the same street as a Hollywood Video, Blockbuster Video, Movie Gallery and Video Club.

Beats the hell out of the McDVD, that’s for sure. However, and this is one of the reasons why video rental stores are still kicking around, people will always want to go into the store and see the DVDs in person. Oh well, as long as it doesn’t ask for my clothes, my boots, and my bike I’m game.

Read the whole article here.

Blockbuster Video, whose online business “isn’t growing as quickly as they expected” has stooped to an all time low. In a move that’s basically the hi-tech version of taking a delay of game penalty to run the last 45 seconds off the clock, Blockbuster has redirected a phantom site, “Netflex,” to their own Blockbuster.com.

From Hackingnetflex–I mean FLIX–.com:

Riante reports that someone has registered the domain Netflex.com and redirects it to Blockbuster.com. The Netflex.com domain is registered to Domains-Company.com, LLC, and is a “private” registration. Why would someone besides Blockbuster register the domain and redirect it?

The practice of registering a domain that is a common mispelling of a word is known as “typosquatting.” The Wikipedia page on typosquatting says that this practice is typically used to redirect users to “pornographic websites” or “…to distribute viruses, adware, spyware or other malware,” but I think Blockbuster just wants to get a few people who thought they were going to Netflix.com.

Pretty repugnant, I think. Then again, desperate times call for desperate measures. Right, Blockbuster?

…

UPDATE I did a little snooping and made some discoveries of my own. It seems that the server that hosts Netflex.com also hosts somewhere on the ups of 500 other websites, which makes it highly unlikely that Netflex is a Blockbuster-owned URL. Furthermore, according to this post on Binary Rock back in May, Netflex.com used to redirect to Netflix.com via a frame (the same method used now to redirect surfers to Blockbuster). The evidence suggests that a referral company is actually behind the redirects, which, incidentally means that Blockbuster is indirectly responsible, since they’re paying the company. Whoever owns Netflex.com, they’re not redirecting to Blockbuster out of the goodness of their hearts.

And as fast as you can say “worst idea ever,” Microsoft has denied its existence. As you may recall from an earlier kiosk post, Microsoft has been throwing around the idea of implementing DRM software on special DVDs that can only be played once before they self destruct like in mission impossible. They’re now saying that that was a lie. At least I think that’s what they’re saying…

Here’s the official statement:

“It appears there is considerable confusion coming from [the] article in The Business about features within Windows Media DRM that allow for single-play of promotional digital materials,” a Microsoft spokesperson told me. “This has been an option for content owners to use for some time with the Windows Media format–but not for the MPEG2 format found on DVDs. Windows Media DRM technology allows for a wide range of business models and scenarios, but it’s important to realize that this is at the discretion of the content owner to implement and that the market will dictate whether or not these features are compelling enough for consumers to make a purchase.”

I’ll make another post on the topic as soon as I figure out exactly what the #&$% that was supposed to mean. For now, you can click here for the somewhat fuller report.

Or at least that’s what they what they’d like you to believe. It is true that the universally-loved conglomerate Microsoft is releasing a cheap, self-destructing, one-play only DVD (which you need a special DVD player to watch). Here’s the pitch:

A normal DVD cost $15, and you can watch it again and again. These special DVDs cost $3, about the price of a rental. You can only watch them once, but you choose when and where. Then you throw it out. Therefore it’s more convenient than going to your nearest Blockbuster (although I’m not sure how much longer that’s even going to be an option for), and even has a leg up on Netflix: the nearest trash receptacle is certainly closer than the nearest mailbox.

But, it’s from Microsoft, so there’s bound to be drawbacks. First, as Mike from Hackingnetflix.com says, the disposable DVDs are a not-so-welcome addition to the ever changing landscape of our dumps and landfills. Second, you must, indeed, purchase a special DVD player that can view and destroy the discs. Why you would want to do this when your existing DVD player can view and NOT destroy regular DVDs is beyond me. Third is how evil Microsoft is.

Gates pitched Hollywood with the proposition that only Microsoft could solve its piracy problem by making its DRM software a standard across every home entertainment playback and recording device. By installing its DRM software in every device used to play or store movies, Microsoft plans to dominate the home entertainment industry in the same way it does the desktop computer software market.

I highly recommend you click the above link for a crash course in Digital Rights Management software. And yes, you may remember about two years ago when Microsoft originally started talking about doing something like this with another universally beloved and not-at-all-evil company, Disney. What all this means is basically Microsoft wants to tell you where, when, how, and on what devices you can view protected content, and wants you to pay for the privilege. The worst part is, that none of this will really do anything to stop piracy. At the same time, the producers of the content, i.e. studios, insist that said content be protected somehow. So far, the majority of people haven’t yet been exposed to the uglier effects of DRM, such as buying a CD only to find it can’t be ported onto their MP3 player, or buying a DVD only to find that their PC can’t play it. But look for more and more cases of situations like this in the next 5 years or so. I’m willing to bet that honest consumers will not consent to being treated like criminals or being punished for actually buying the material instead of pirating a free version with the DRM software removed.

Always something new on Netflix. Check out these kiosk-approved flicks for a fun weekend of staying in and watching DVDs…

The Interpreter
Silvia Broome’s (Nicole Kidman) job is to translate for her assigned delegate the complex issues faced by the United Nations. But the interpreter’s daily challenge turns epic when she accidentally overhears details of a plot to assassinate a high-ranking government official. Suddenly, her existence is overshadowed by danger, and she must unravel an intricate yarn of intrigue with the help of an FBI agent (Sean Penn) in order to save herself.

The Amityville Horror
Hapless home-buyers George (Ryan Reynolds) and Kathy (Melissa George) Lutz discover their dream home is possessed by evil spirits in this terrifying remake based on the popular book. The story begins when the Lutzes purchase a home with a bloody history: Ronald DeFeo killed his entire family in the same home just a year earlier. Soon after moving into the house, George, Kathy and their three children are terrorized by demonic forces.

House of D
Set in New York, House of D is the multilayered story of a man (David Duchovny) coming to terms with his past and present and resolving his relationships with the people who helped make him the man he’s become. Along the way, he recalls the special bond he shared with a retarded janitor (Robin Williams) who worked at the elementary school he attended. Co-stars Tea Leoni and Anton Yelchin. Duchovny also directed and wrote the screenplay.

Cinderella: Special Edition
Disney’s animated version of the beloved children’s tale about a gentle-hearted girl who attends the palace ball, where she meets her prince with the help of a benevolent fairy godmother, is fully restored and released with plenty of bonus features in this platinum edition. Kids will delight in the story of hope, which also features many hummable tunes such as “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes,” “So This Is Love” and “Bippity Boppity Boo.”

My Summer of Love
Director Pawel Pawlikowski’s BAFTA award-winning film juxtaposes the secret longings of two very different young women: the smart Mona (Natalie Press), who’s deeply bored and tired of the poverty of her everyday life, and the rich Tamsin (Emily Blunt), who’s long ceased to be impressed with her well-heeled life. When their worlds collide unexpectedly, they sense an immediate attraction, but can their unusual friendship survive their differences?

Into the West
Steven Spielberg executive produced this TNT miniseries about American Westward expansion during the 19th century. Told from both the perspective of the white Wheeler family and the Native American Lakota tribe, the 12-hour epic follows the clans as they struggle to find their place in a country confounded by turmoil and change. Historical figures and fictional characters interact in the gold fields, over railroad tracks and in battle.

Jiminy Glick in La La Wood
Martin Short reprises the role he made famous, that of showbiz maven and combustible talk-show host Jiminy Glick, in this offbeat comedy. Glick is soaking in the atmosphere at the Toronto Film Festival, where he’s determined to make his mark. When he snags an interview with superstar Ben DiCarlo (Corey Pearson), Glick’s profile receives a much-needed jolt, but matters turn seamy when an aging actress is found dead in his bed.

Drawn Together: Season 1
Tongue placed firmly in cheek, this animated series first broadcast on Comedy Central takes a page from the rash of reality shows that have hit television airwaves. The premise: Cartoon characters echoing true animated favorites are thrown together in a house to see what madness ensues. Episodes from the first season include “Clara’s Dirty Secret,” “Requiem for a Reality Show” and “The One Wherein There is a Big Twist.”

Dracula A.D. 1972
Devil-worshipping hippies revive Dracula (Christopher Lee) in this groovy 1970s Hammer Studios horror flick set in London. Thinking Dracula’s one cool cat, Johnny (Christopher Neame) and his psychedelic gang resurrect the count. The powerful creature of the night awakens with a mission: to destroy his archnemesis Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing). It’s good vs. evil as Van Helsing faces Dracula in a thrilling final showdown.

Monster High
In this kitchy send-up of high school-themed cinematic romps, everything’s out of control at the titular institution. Two camps are battling for supremacy at Monster High: humans and phantasmagorical, supremely diabolical creatures. So when one regular student dares to stake his and the rest of his ilk’s lives on a basketball game, mayhem explodes. Could the monstrous Syridium Damianus Hectophantasmigona be behind the drama?

Pippi Longstocking
The first in a line of four Pippi Longstocking films follows the precocious girl (Inger Nilsson) as she takes over an abandoned house called Villa Villekulla, moving in with her horse and pet monkey, Mr. Nilsson. None of the neighbors know what to make of it — especially Tommy (Pär Sundberg) and Annika (Maria Persson), the children who live next door. But the trio soon forms a fast friendship, and the good times begin!

The Jet Li Collection: Evil Cult / Dr. Wai
Jet Li’s unique brand of jet-fueled martial arts makes him one of kung fu’s biggest names and the first action star to emerge from mainland China. Li’s championship-winning martial arts skills first brought him fame in Asia and then spread his legend around the world. In these two powerful kung fu films (Evil Cult and Dr. Wai), you’ll see exactly why Li is often considered heir to the mantle of Bruce Lee.

Pink Floyd: London 1966-1967
At this juncture of their career, iconic band Pink Floyd had nearly perfected their sound, as evidenced by their performances seen here at London’s Sound Techniques Studio, laying down tracks for Peter Whitehead’s movie Tonite Let’s All Make Love in London. Next is a trip to the “14 Hour Technicolor Dream Extravaganza” gig, with a glimpse of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Also included are interviews with Mick Jagger, Michael Caine and David Hockney.

Count Duckula: Season 1
This clever animated series from creator Brian Cosgrove takes Daffy Duck and blends him with Count Dracula to get the incomparable Count Duckula, a web-footed ex-vampire who’s replaced his thirst for blood with a serious yen for veggies (the result of an accidental ketchup transfusion). Accompanied by his butler, Igor, and his maid, Nanny, Duckula stalks the globe in search of the perfect adventure — and he usually finds it.

If you love Pink Floyd like I do, you’ll definately want to check out the Floyd documentary. If you have a sick fascination with bad cartoons from your childhood like I do, you’ll want to check out Duckula.