Moviebeam (available again and is different from original) and TiVo should merge!

[alienxg7]

Hey!

I think it would be great if TiVo could merge with MovieBeam. MovieBeam was pulled from testing (quite a while ago I believe) but has now relaunched and is different than the original.

I believe TiVo should use MovieBeam as part of their software. There is an antenna involved with the regular service (as well as a set top box), but I believe TiVo could somehow put moviebeam's features on their boxes (even by connecting an antenna to the tivo box or something if the moviebeam uses "special" wireless signals).

The website is: http://www.moviebeam.com ... it sounds like a great product and I like the idea that movies will be downloaded automatically every once in a while (and replace some older ones). People then purchase each movie for a fee and are able to watch it (I believe 24 hours.) This would be much more convenient than netflix in its convenience.

But I don't know much about it yet, I just recently found out about moviebeam.

This would really be a great thing for VOD on TiVo!

The MovieBeam website boasts in addition to movies from hollywood studios, the moviebeam also has FREE previews, trailers, and other extras.
There's also NO subscription fees! Just pay for the movies you watch! ($1.99 generally but $3.99 for new releases I believe).

The moviebeam is connected via a phone line in order to bill people's accounts. (the website says it doesn't tie up the phone line, that's good) The moviebeam antenna is where the movies come through.

Sorry for such a long post, but this is an exciting technology! There are other similar offerings, but none like MovieBeam! TiVo should look into it!

M.B. also has High Definition available!

Patrick

[xnevergiveinx]

man o man...just wait till someone cracks that moonbeam so you don't have to pay for movies.
it looks like it works with an HD antenna...

[PhillyGuy]

As it exists, I don't see a future for MovieBeam. It costs $250 upfront. You can only rent a movie for 24 hours. It's limited to 100 movies and only 10 of those are in HD.

There are several major limitations. First, it only supports HDMI, not even DVI/HDCP. I would say most of the people with HDTV today don't have HDMI. Second, it only has a 160GB harddrive, which means that each SD movie is only 1G in size. That significantly limits the picuture. People who have tried MovieBeam confirmed it's poor PQ. Third, it relys on analog over the air signal for reception through National Datacast Service. Who knows what's going to happen in a few years.

[megazone]

I agree, I don't think MovieBeam will catch on. Akimbo is a better system for distribution, and they never set the world on fire either. MovieBeam, like Akimbo, is Yet Another Box that you need to buy and drop into your entertainment center, with a very limited feature set. TiVo can do what they do (broadband content - the S3 for HD), AND is a DVR, and more. For the price I'd want a box that does more for me. Otherwise, for $250, I can go buy 15-20 DVDs, let alone the monthly fees. Based on advance producing, I might even be able to get 10 HD-DVDs or BDs instead. Broadband and VOD will sink MovieBeam.

[davezatz]

MovieBeam’s online media account manager sent me a note to spread the word about an online forum & blog special they are running — just enter code PR49B at checkout to get the deeply discounted rate! At $49 a pop, I can see them selling enough units to reach a critical mass, perhaps allowing them to recoup infrastructure investments and hardware costs through movie rentals.

Unlike Akimbo, MovieBeam has a retail presence (Best Buy) and big time investors (Disney, Cisco) which should help them prosper. Since I don't have a cable box and TiVo hasn't delivered yet, this seems like a reasonable price/service for me. I'm in! :)

[classicsat]

Trouble is Moviebeam, at least in my interpretation of the product, would not work at all with current Series2 standalone hardware.

[BriGuy20]

A while ago, TiVo and Netflix signed an agreement for potential distribution. I think the combination of those two would work well as a movie distribution/rental platform. Not sure if the deal is still in place and/or any work is being done on it, though.

[davezatz]

Several months ago Netflix said the deal was dead. That doesn't mean TiVo VOD is dead and that doesn't mean it's dead forever. We shall see... (I'd really like VOD through my TiVo! Until then, Moviebeam is pretty cool.)

[megazone]

NetFlix didn't say it was dead - but that it was on hold because of licensing issues, and the two companies were still planning to work together, at some point.

[davezatz]

The exact words from the October Netflix conference call were:
“no work going on”
“no content”
“no point”
"the content climate begins to thaw and it becomes possible to develop a compelling consumer experience"

It may only be on hold, but during the October conference call it sounded dead and I don't recall mention of future collaboration.

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=124596&p=IROL-BasicWebCast&EventId=1137943&WebCastId=477812&StreamId=592347

The good news is that Netflix has amassed distribution rights to a stockpile of about 90 independent flicks. In fact the press release yesterday regarding SherryBaby specifically mentioned "download" rights. Also the studios seem more willing to play ball these days... Disney signing on with CinemaNow is one example. There's still hope for movie download via Netflix and/or TiVo, but no telling what form(s) it will take.

[jfh3]

Unless they have some really good content license agreements with the studios, I can't see ANYTHING that MovieBeam would offer Tivo.

[davezatz]

Unless they have some really good content license agreements with the studios, I can't see ANYTHING that MovieBeam would offer Tivo.
MovieBeam was spun off from Disney and they do have distribution rights with many major studios (and Magnolia, a smaller one).

If anyone is interested in seeing what MovieBeam looks like, I went ahead and posted a little video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1BT5xOq8XA

There's a decent selection of SD flicks. I've been pleased with it so far. I'm hopeful they'll expand the HD offerings and improve the quality, but the upscaled SD movies look very good on my 30" HD set in the den.