We mentioned Netflix during our IS 7010-T class discussion last Thursday. According to USA Today, Netflix has changed some of the restrictions on its broadband movie rental service yesterday, in anticipation of Apple’s entry into the same market.
Netflix will allow most of its customers to view TV shows and movies from its 6000-title library without the old cap of 17 hours usage per month. I would assume that most Netflix customers were under these limits in the first place.
Apple will roll out a 1000-title online library next month, and renters will have 24 hours to watch their video before it expires in a puff of DRM.
Netflix uses an on-demand model that lets viewers watch the title at their own pace.
While Netflix charges a stable monthly fee, Apple will charge a fee for each title viewed. The Netflixpricing model seems much more flexible to me.
Apple’s service will use QuickTime and iTunes, so it supports MacOS, Windows and AppleTV boxen.
The Netflix service requires Windows Media Player 11 and a Windows OS – it’s possible to run this software suite on an Intel-based Mac with some help from Boot Camp, or perhaps an emulator solution like Parallels Desktop.
Keep in mind that online movie distribution requires a great deal of bandwidth. Pricing is one way to manage viewer demand, of course.
Tags: Apple, bandwidth, broadband, DRM, Internet, mac, media, Microsoft, movie, Windows
0 responses so far ↓
Post your thoughts in the form below. Comments may be moderated by our content checking software.
Leave a Comment