Download caps hurting VOD, unmetered partnerships needed!
In today’s hyper-connected world, the idea of having to drive to a video store the rent a movie and back the next day to return it seems pretty ridiculous, but in reality it’s often still the best way.
Video-on-demand movies rental services are everywhere these days, but how many people actually use them ? While the promise of having movies streamed instantly, no late fees and no car trips to deal with minimum wage video-store clerks sounds great, it’s often hamstrung by internet download usage caps.
Microsoft has the Zune Video Marketplace on Xbox 360, the Sony have Playstation Movie Store and TiVo has CASPA. Whilst there’s differences of price, resolutions, catalogue and instant-start vs download first, ultimately the only one that’s actually practical to use is CAPSA. Despite being a much smaller company, Hybrid Television Services, licencees of TiVo in Australia, have been able to successfully negotiate deals with key Australian ISPs to allow video downloads to go unmetered.
Sure CASPA only offer SD quality movies (at the moment), but wether its 2-3GB or 6-7GB your downloading, if it counts towards your monthly download cap, it will restrict your ability to use the service. By having an unmetered solution, the real cost of renting a movie is the rental price.
I’m a big fan of the 1080p instant-on streaming (when it works) that Zune offers, but realistically it means I have to then spend $5-$10 for additional data blocks. This means the real price for renting a movie wasn’t $5 or $6 but rather closer to $15. So the inconvenience of going to the video store may be a pain, but its still more economical that paying the real cost of convenience, plus you can rent the highest quality blu-ray version.
Given broadband data caps are a fact of live for most consumers, the real question here is how two of the largest tech companies, Microsoft and Sony, have been unable to achieve the same unmetered deals for all customers. Even ISPs like Westnet that have been able to negotiate unmetered Xbox demo’s, trailers, arcade games and updates have an exception that excludes Zune video.
If your hoping this madness will end with the introduction of the NBN, you’ll be sadly mistaken. The deals announced for the first rollout areas like Tasmania still maintain data caps. So the dream of instant on high definition video from the the comfort of your couch is still about as close as that magical unicorn with a money tree strapped to its back.
Leave a comment and let us know about your experience with VOD services and if you use them or still visit the video store.
Hands On: PS3 Movie Store (updated w/video)
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| Service | PS3 Movie Downloads | Xbox Zune Video Marketplace |
| Catalogue | Extensive | Growing, but limited. |
| Image/Sound quality | Excellent | Excellent |
| HD/SD | Both | Both |
| Rent / Buy | Both | Rent only |
| Pricing (A$) | $6.99 (HD) / $5.99 (SD) Older titles are $1 cheaper. |
$6.93 (HD) / $5.94 (SD) Older titles are A$4.95 (SD) |
| Time to watch after initiating playback | 48 hours | 24 hours |
| FAQ | PS3 FAQ | Zune FAQ |
While both services are similar in specs, the PS3 version is more expensive, however that’s counteracted by the extra time you have to watch the movie. Both options look and sound great and both can run into the occasional buffering even on ADSL2.
Personally I’m lucky enough to have both consoles, so it’s great to now have another option for on-demand digitally distributed movies. The choice of where to rent will likely come down to the library for me, given the experience is very similar. I do like that PS3 uses real dollar amounts rather than the Microsoft Points system on the Xbox 360.
For those who who have either an Xbox 360 or PS3, then your obviously stuck with what you’ve got, but those considering a console purchase, the good news is you now have a viable option regardless of whether you land in the Microsoft or Sony camps.
I don’t think many people will be buying movies on the PS3 Movie Store, cost wise you’d be much better off buying in a retail store – to buy HD movies cost A$32.99, while the SD version costs A$24.99.
One last thing you should be aware of is the data used when downloading / streaming a movie from the PS3 Movie Store. Whilst Microsoft has partnerships with a number of Australian ISPs to deliver the content unmetered, there’s no information about Sony doing the same. So make sure you check with your ISP, before burning through your data cap in an afternoon.
PS3 Movie Downloads are available now from the PlayStation store item on your XMB.
Video Walkthrough
iTunes Australia Day Sale
January 26th is approaching fast. Australia Day is the day where we celebrate everything that makes this great country awesome. Apple and more specifically iTunes is having a sale to commemorate the occasion.
“We all know “our land abounds in nature’s gifts but this year it also abounds in music, movies, TV, audiobooks, apps and podcasts. At fair dinkum prices, iTunes has pulled together the best Australia homegrown entertainment to help you celebrate the national holiday and commemorate our local legends. Browse through and make your Australia Day one to remember.”
The reality is your not gunna save much, but hey, if its a couple of dollars that can go towards some drinks or meat for the BBQ, then that’s gotta be a winner.
YouTube vs iTune Movie Trailers
For quite a while my go to place for movie trailers has been Apple.com/trailers. They offer high quality (up to 1080p) movie trailers and has been a great solution.. until now.
YouTube have launched their own movie trailer portal. Whilst they may not be 1080p, they are HD, which is more than enough for most people. Whilst it’s import for the movie itself to be in the best quality possible, the same can’t be said for a 2 minute trailer.
The YouTube community is already huge, a convenient movie trailer portal is just another reason to hit the site. I think this will be a very big success for YouTube.
I know if I’m ever looking for a movie trailer in the future, I’ll be heading to http://youtube.com/trailers.
More @ TechCrunch
Sony open Blu-ray plant in NSW, Australia – tonight !!
Tonight, Sony are opening a multi-million dollar Blu-ray manufacturing plant. Apparently us Aussies love our Blu-ray (I can vouch for that). Question is, are we going to see cheaper blu-ray costs if they don’t have to pay for international shipping ? Also I’m pretty much going to stop buying blu-ray once Microsoft’s 1080p on demand streaming arrives via the Xbox 360 later this year, so for me, Blu-ray is short-lived.
Anyway, check out the Sony Press Release for yourself below.
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Sony companies celebrate ongoing success of Blu-ray Disc format, as local production commences
NSW-based Sony DADC Blu-ray Disc plant, the only one in the southern hemisphere, set to support the continued growth in Australia’s demand for Blu-ray content
Sydney – 10 June, 2009 – The opening of a new, multi-million dollar Sony DADC Blu-ray Disc plant in Huntingwood, New South Wales, will be collectively celebrated tonight by the Managing Directors of Sony companies; Michael Ephraim, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, Carl Rose, Sony Australia and Kim Overall, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Set to be joined by Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy and Peter Colby, Managing Director of Sony DADC Australia, the occasion will mark a significant milestone in the adoption of the storage format, reflecting the continued growth in consumer confidence and demand for Blu-ray content, with disc production beginning in Australia for the very first time.
Launched in Australia in February 2007, Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium that is able to store up to 50GB of data on each disc, the equivalent of six standard DVD movies. This storage capacity allows more information to fit onto a single disc, enabling far greater picture and sound quality to deliver high definition entertainment in the home.
The new Blu-ray Disc plant is the only one of its kind in the southern hemisphere and includes three Blu-ray lines; one dedicated solely to the production of PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) games and two for movie and other content, with a production capacity between them of 12 million discs per year.
Michael Ephraim, Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment Australia and New Zealand, speaking on behalf of the Sony group of companies, commented, “Australian consumers are already adopting Blu-ray faster than DVD, pushing Australia forward as one of the global leaders of the format growth, with the third highest per capita attachment rate behind the USA and UK. Research shows that as a brand, Sony is by far the most associated with Blu-ray technology, leading the market. The opening of this local production plant should send a clear message to consumers that Blu-ray is now a permanent fixture on the format landscape and that their investment in Blu-ray hardware will be relevant for many years to come.”
Ephraim continued, “From a Sony Computer Entertainment perspective, PLAYSTATION 3 has played a critical part in the success of the format, both locally and globally, and has demonstrated its value in over half a million Australian living rooms as a true entertainment hub offering. Blu-ray games, only available on PS3, have shown consumers what an amazing experience the larger storage format can deliver and to date over 3.5 million have been sold in Australia. In addition, PS3 hardware has enjoyed numerous accolades for its capability as a Blu-ray movie player.”
Kim Overall, Managing Director of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE), said, “From a movie perspective, consumers are continuing to discover the benefits that the Blu-ray format brings to their home entertainment experience. SPHE is the number one distributor in the Blu-ray market, having enjoyed some great successes with recent titles like Twilight. In addition, once consumers understand that a Blu-ray player will not only play their current DVD collection, but will also upscale the picture quality, their investment in Blu-ray technology delivers some clear benefits.”
Carl Rose, Managing Director of Sony Australia, commented, “One in every three households now owns a high definition LCD TV and this growth has really helped drive Blu-ray player uptake. After investing in a high definition TV, consumers should make the most of this by enjoying the best possible content on their TV. Blu-ray delivers this rich experience.”
Get that fibre ready, 1080p Movies coming to Xbox Australia
Fantastic news today, we’re getting another video marketplace in Australia.. this time on Xbox. After Microsoft’s E3 keynote announcement that they were extending their video marketplace to markets around the world, it was unclear if Australia would be on that list. The good news is that we are !!
Current on-demand video stores include iTunes and Blockbuster On Demand are both only DVD quality. 1080p with 5.1 surround sound will certainly chew through the bandwidth so look to ISPs (Internode get on this..) to offer downloads unmetered.
The video store will be available later this year. Does this mean we’ll see an Australian ZuneHD launch as well ??
Iron Man 2.. oh Hell Yes !! [screenshot]
The first Iron Man is one of my favourite movies, so when news comes around that number 2 is in production, one can’t help but get excited. Especially when it features some ultra-cool semi-transparent futuristic monitors.
The screen above is the first from the new movie (which just started production), the bad news is the movie is still about a year away from hitting the big screen. I guess blu-ray will have to rely on Transformers 2 until then.
