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Netflix: Not Just About DVD Rental Anymore
Online Movie Rental: Finding the Movies You Never Even Knew You Wanted
The Future of Online Movie Rental
As the leader and innovator in online movie rental since 1997, pretty much everyone in the
However, as Netflix continues to evolve and adapt to the wants and needs of consumers, it has taken on new roles within the entertainment industry as well. Red Envelope Entertainment, a recent expansion of Netflix, is taking the company into the realm of movie distribution and, in some cases, production of original movie content. By working to acquire and fund films that might otherwise be available only in small theatrical houses, Netflix can now actively increase the variety of films available to the broader movie viewing public. To date, Netflix has been the distributor of at least 100 indie and foreign films that might have otherwise gone unnoticed by the masses.
With Netflix in the role of movie distributor, there are benefits to the movie viewing public and for filmmakers as well. Not only will there be a wider variety of movies for viewers to select from but the quality of the offerings should also be enhanced as the movies Netflix chooses to either distribute or produce will be those which match up with the viewing interests of consumers. As Netflix customers view movies, they can go online and rate/review those that they have seen. The rate of participation in the movie review process is high as Netflix now has billions of reviews from which to pull their information on viewer preferences. The Netflix review system has consistently received high praise for it's accuracy in pinpointing viewer preferences based on the data collected. By using this data to determine what movies to distribute, the end result will be greater availability of movies that viewers want to see versus those that simply have the backing of a major studio.
For filmmakers, Netflix can provide real opportunity for new talent or an outlet for the types of films that have an audience outside of that which is typically targeted by the major studios. Netflix is able to offer the visibility and mass distribution that can mean the difference between obscurity and success. The process can be as simple as submitting a film to the Netflix site for consideration.
It would appear that the Netflix foray into movie distribution should provide a richer selection of entertainment. In addition, this seems to signal that the evolution of Netflix is not complete and its influence in the entertainment industry will continue to grow.
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For countless years, consumers would wander into the local video store in search of movies to take home. For some, selecting a movie was a process which often ended in disappointment. Guided by the words of a handful of movie critics or a paragraph written on the film covers sitting on display, there was uncertainty unless the selection was based on movies the viewer had already seen at the theaters or on television.
For others, the local video store seldom offered the selection that they craved. These viewers knew what they wanted; from indie films or anime to spiritual based offerings or Sci-Fi, but with a total selection of 10,000 to 15,000 titles the likelihood of finding a movie suited to their tastes each week was remote.
For movie fans there had to be a better way; a way to have a broader selection and a method of discovering movies that had the potential of becoming favorites.
Then in 1999, Netflix rolled out their online movie rental subscription service and movie selection has never been the same. Without the constraints of walls and floor space, an online movie rental service is capable of offering any DVD made. For Netflix customers, this translates into over 70,000 titles to choose from among hundreds of genres and subcategories of films.
With online movie rental the choices suddenly expanded from basic drama, comedy, action, and Sci-Fi to selections as specific as British Comedy, Russian Foreign Films, African-American Documentaries, Latin Pop, or Belly Dancing Whether a viewer simply wants to experiment and expand their horizons or knows exactly what they want, the Netflix library should offer much greater satisfaction.
With the vast selection however, comes a tough choice for those who don't spend their time staying in-the-know about every new movie release. Here is where some of the true advantages to the Netflix online movie rental service come in to play.
As customers view movies with Netflix, they provide ratings/reviews online. Users can add Friends with similar tastes as well as refer to critics reviews. With a database that is currently 1.5 billion reviews strong, there are good statistics to guide users in making their movie selections. The Netflix online movie service will also guide users by examining their own rental and review history to predict what other choices will be to their liking.
Certainly, the options for movie fans have expanded with the introduction of online movie rental services. With a vastly expanded selection of films and services to assist users in discovering movies they never even knew they wanted, Netflix has moved consumers on to the next level of home entertainment.
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Since 1999, movie fans have had the luxury of selecting movies for viewing from the comfort of their home computer and then receiving them at their door through the mail.
Online movie rental services allow users a huge selection and affordable prices as well as convenience. Perhaps the only drawback to these services has been the wait between returning movies and receiving the next ones in the queue.
It appears that those movie fans who prefer more immediate gratification may soon see the method of movie delivery begin shifting in their favor. Netflix has announced on their website that they are beginning to phase in electronic delivery of movies to their subscribers. Switching service over to internet delivery exclusively will take a number of years as the online movie rental service has over 70,000 titles to its credit and the readiness of many consumers and the film industry is still a step behind. However, some current subscribers will begin seeing at least 1,000 titles available for immediate viewing in January 2007 with additional subscribers having the service added each week through the end of June 2007.
In its infancy, the new Netflix "Watch Now" feature will allow viewing of movies on personal computers/laptops that have a high speed connection and a Microsoft Windows operating system. However, the company reports that the future goal is to make their movies available on all internet connected screens; for instance on cell phones, iPods and computers with Apple OS.
The electronic delivery offered by Netflix offers some advantages over many download services as it is a real-time playback technology and allows viewers to begin viewing films as they are received versus waiting for the download to occur. Although meeting the demand for greater immediacy is a primary advantage to the Netflix "Watch Now" option, some convenience features will be welcomed by subscribers as well. After a 60 second browser applet installation, subscribers will even be able to pause and move forward within films using a simple position bar, giving viewers greater control.
Current subscribers to the Netflix online movie rental service will have access to view up to 48 hours of films per month on the internet streaming service based on the plan in which they participate; the more films per month included in their plan, the more streamed movies they will be able to view. There is no additional charge for viewing streamed movies versus those delivered through the traditional mail method.
Obviously, this news offers current Netflix customers a great new option for getting movies delivered into their home. For those who aren't current customers it certainly demonstrates that the future of online movie rental is firmly headed in the direction of electronic delivery.
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