Digital Lifestyles Reference Guide

Aug 27, 2004

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CinemaNow was among the first companies offering subscription movie content, with a Premium+ subscription offering which included access to older titles, a few live concert videos and adult content. Being a subscriber also meant discounts on pay-per-view access to releases concurrently available on DVD. This was recently revamped and re-named Platinum Subscription, which offers older movie titles, adult content, a better selection of live concert videos and ABC news for approximately $30 per month. Assuming you have video card with S-video or RCA out, you can connect your PC and TV to watch video in standard definition full screen glory. The quality of video encoding on titles is widely varied, with massive pixilation and dubs from low quality originals on some of the older titles, but overall, viewing on TV is decent. Pay-per-view titles tend to be much higher quality than the catalog options. Depending on the licensing arrangement CinemaNow has with a particular content provider, you can either download or stream videos (in some cases videos offer both options). The "See It In Seconds" feature they tout on the site almost always takes twice as long as what is predecited, but still requires only a 1-2 minute wait on a broadband connection. One disadvantage is downloaded movies from the Platinum Subscription require an Internet connection for playback, so you can't download the movies and watch them on a plane. CinemaNow is available either via Windows Media Player 10 or through your Web browser. DRM used to prevent copying is not Mac or Linux compatible.

Starz Ticket

Starz Ticket represents the potential for replacing the video store and premium movie channels in your cable package. For $12.95 per month, Starz offers up to 300 movies per month, which likely amounts to more than a family of four could ever consume in a 30 period. A 14-day free trial is a quick solution to check out the service; just make sure you cancel if you don't keep it because you will be charged automatically. The one thing I don't like about Starz Ticket is the requirement to sign up to see what movies are available as part of the package. The movies vary from month-to-month, similar to the schedules on premium services available through cable providers. Unlike CinemaNow and Movielink, Starz Ticket doesn't offer every new release the moment it hits the DVD release date. In addition to viewing up to 300 movies monthly, the service also builds in access to Starz live feed, providing the familiarity of plain old cable TV when connected to the Internet.

Court TV Extra

If Michael Jackson and O.J. Simpson are your favorite actors, this may be the perfect subscription companion. For $5.95 monthly, the service offers exclusive trials not shown on Court TV, in addition to the standard channel offerings. News clips, police footage and additional trial video are available. If you have an Internet connection, you have access to Court TV. In addition to watching the programming, Extra makes trial exhibits and documents available for viewing so you can play armchair juror.

MLB.com

The players aren't the only thing juiced up in Major League Baseball. Similar to the satellite Sunday Ticket for NFL, MLB.com offers a $100 super pass to watch and listen to any games not broadcasting on television in your local market. As a way to appease the TV network, MLB still requires New Yorkers to watch the Yankees on the tube, but nothing stops them from downloading the latest Mariners game (unless it's vs. the Yanks). One nice feature is compressed highlight reels of completed games, with more footage than ESPN Sport Center for every game in baseball.

ESPN Motion

This is the one free subscription offering mentioned here. ESPN Motion is a downloadable standalone player with dozens of ESPN video clips updated throughout the day. This one is definitely meant for viewing on your PC only as the clips are generally low resolution. Each clip is accompanied by advertising which is generally worse than using Tivo or a Media Center to record the same shows and news updates.

Tivo Video Download

Having a Tivo box and active subscription is required to participate in Tivo's new download partnership with the Independent Film Channel. Presumably this is the beginning of further downloadable content from Tivo, bypassing traditional distribution via cable and satellite. At $12.95 for a Tivo subscription, it's unknown whether this download service will remain a bundled option or if we will see additional fees in the future. If you own a Tivo, it certainly offers an added incentive to derive value from a service that's essentially like renting a small hard drive.

Movielink

Movielink doesn't really qualify as a subscription service. It's a pure on demand Pay-per-view option. I'm including it here because the title selection includes Discovery Channel, National Geographic, BBC and Sundance Channel offers not included in some of the other services. Movie rentals range in price from $4.99 to under $2.00. They frequently offer discounts, which makes it worth seeking out specials online before renting. Movielink represents a great way to dip your toe in the water to sample online rental offerings before spending money on additional services.

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