Wow it has been a long time since my last update. No surprise though, since I shouldn’t even be writing this update. School is currently kicking my ass (but that is what it is supposed to do) so I don’t have nearly as much free time as I thought I would have.
Anyway, for those who know me, they know that I am a huge fan of Netflix. I think that has to be the best website ever created. In fact, if you have an extra $21 a month, and like watching movies, there simply is no better solution than Netflix. Seriously, hand down this is the best thing to ever happen to movie lovers. Anyway, I was a member of that website for awhile but had to cancel my membership when I moved (sad, very sad times). Anyway, last week sometime (or the week before that), Netflix announced that they are going to start offering movie downloads. I think this is both a good and a bad decision for Netflix.
The good is that everything is eventually going to go digital. There is no way around it. Websites like iTunes and Napster are already showing the high demand for digital audio, and this will eventually carry over into the video industry. Also, with more and more devices such as home stereos, MP3 players, CD players, car CD players, etc. being sold that support MP3, WMA, and ATRAC, the demand for digital audio is only increasing.
The bad, in my opinion, is that video isn’t ready for digital distribution. Audio works great because the file size is incredibly small and the quality lost is damn near unnoticeable unless you’re an audiophile, or, you have a multi-thousand dollar audio setup. Other than that, for almost all casual uses, there is no difference between digital audio and traditional (CD) audio.
However, video doesn’t get these benefits. The file size in video is incredibly huge. Even with 160GB HDs flooding the market, the time it takes to download a video is enough to discourage many people. A decent quality video usually ranges around 700MB+, and that will take a decent broadband user over an hour to download, and that assumes that he’s downloading as fast as his connection will allow, which, is unlikely. If you want a good quality video, then you’re looking at two or three times the file size, which means, you’re looking at two or three times the download time. And seriously, who wants to sit and wait for four hours while a movie downloads? I know I don’t. The biggest drawback of it all, is the video quality. What is currently available, and small enough in size to be downloaded is nowhere close to DVD quality. Also, it is no fun to have a group of friends sit in front of a computer screen (which aren’t that big) to try and watch a movie. Most people would rather venture into the living room and watch the movie on a decent sized screen.
Anyway, I need to stop writing and go do some homework. I might write some more about this later, but it’s not likely. Adios.
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