Module 5 Posting
When I began to work on my science fiction movie project in Module 4 of this class, the first thing I did was use Netflix to find a movie to watch. I never hesitated in doing this and thought it would be the easiest way for me to obtain the movie as well as take notes while watching. I also have the issue of not having many choices of movie rental places that have older movies in my area. The local Blockbuster video stores have all closed or are in the process of being shut down. My other option for obtaining the movies to watch would be purchasing my own copy at a local retail outlet.
My plan for obtaining a video on demand to watch for this project almost became a problem. The first movies I attempted to watch were only available for rental on DVD and not available for streaming. I began to panic when working on the assignment because I might have, allegedly, waited until the last day to get my work done. As movie after movie was not available for streaming, I got more and more nervous. Finally, I found Paycheck (not my 1st choice...or 2nd, or 3rd…) as a streaming option and was relieved. This experience of not having an entire library of movies speaks to the competition of streaming movies versus DVD rentals.
Thinking about how so many movie rental stores are going out of business and how providers of media are moving to streaming technology, I feel we are looking at increasing returns. With the increased bandwidth and computer capabilities, the market for streaming media has exploded. Instead of waiting for DVDs to be released months after a movie was first shown, consumers can now watch the same movie with less of a wait. Television shows that used to be compiled on DVDs for sale can now be watched almost instantly.
Streaming media is pushing DVD sales down while cutting costs associated with delivering the content. Producers can immediately stream media without having to pay for video conversion, the actual DVDs, cases, promotional materials, and the like which are often included in the package. Producers, at least on paper, should make more money because they would receive more of the profit from sales. It seems to make economical sense that media producers would want a greater share of the revenue and this could happen by eliminating the need to push products within stores like Wal-Mart or Blockbuster.
As I alluded to in my introduction, streaming video has its downsides as well and I do not think has completely obsolesced the DVD market. As there is an immense collection of media titles, I think it is hard to have every titled streamed on demand. Also, internet speed affects how crisp titles are delivered. Try downloading/streaming a television show while playing an on-line computer game at the time. There are choke points where the video quality drops or cuts out or the game experiences severe lag. Streaming is throttled by the speed at which individuals can receive content. Right now, most users have a decent speed for most internet use, but not enough for the quality experienced with DVDs or Blu-Ray.
Another issue with getting rid of discs is that there are many people who love to have an actual keepsake of their movie. I have copies of movies that I do not watch anymore. Either these movies have special memories for me or I fear I will never find them again on-line. Thinking of McLuhan’s tetrad, DVD discs enhance the quality of the movie. Individuals can quickly manipulate the movie (rewind, pause, etc.) which they could not do with traditional movies in theaters, film-strips, or VHS tapes. They obsolete the need for film-strip projectors and even going to the movies (although this may never go away). When pushed to the extreme, DVDs could allow for content than with other media like tapes. For example, there could be alternate endings of movies to be shown, more content added than before, and as we saw a new type of media Blu-Ray which can include extra features including interactive games.
Streaming media enhances the ability of users to watch almost any movie that has been put on the internet. There is a greater selection, assuming the movies are out there. I feel we are still increasing the virtual library and at some point will include all films. Streaming media is making VHS, DVD, and Blu-Ray discs obsolete. If you can get the same quality of media instantly, then these discs which your purchase or rent are no longer needed. However, this is still dependent on having a quality internet connection. I think streaming video has made piracy technology come back as well. Individuals used to share music files via Napster and other services. Now, with sites like MegaUpload (closed) allowing users to share all sorts of content, streaming video downloads could be shared with others illegally. Instead of buying seasons of Dr. Who, a user could illegally download them from another user. When pushed to the extreme, streaming video could be pushed to individual glasses people wear and can watch movies without having any large devices to plug into.
Reference:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Increasing returns. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Reference:
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Increasing returns. Baltimore, MD: Author.
