Coming soon: Movies on flash memory cards

[stiltman]

http://www.news.com/Coming-soon-Movies-on-flash-memory-cards/2100-11398_3-6232651.html?tag=nefd.lede

GALWAY, Ireland--PortoMedia is probably the only start-up in the world inspired by the movie Carlito's Way.
Company founder Chris Armstrong explains: Four years ago, he set out to his local DVD store to rent a movie. First, he stopped at the ATM to get cash. The store didn't have Twelve Angry Men, the movie Armstrong wanted. He settled for Carlito's Way instead. He then waited in line, paid for his rental, and returned to his car.

Then he remembered another movie, Gone in Sixty Seconds, the title of which got him wondering why the process of renting movies, from start to finish, can take so long.

While other companies see the Internet as the answer to that question, Armstrong has another idea. PortoMedia is setting up kiosks that will let consumers download movies to a flash memory key or portable hard drive.

The kiosks will be packed with hard drives that can hold 350 to 5,000 titles. Users then plug in a memory device from the company, enter a PIN code, and buy or rent a movie. When consumers get home, they simply slide the memory device into a dock connected to a TV.

The key to the service is a proprietary USB interface that transfers data at a faster average rate than standard USB devices. A standard-definition movie can be loaded onto a memory device in 8 to 60 seconds, depending on the length and chip speed. High-definition movies, which won't be available initially on the service, can be downloaded in 18 to 45 seconds. The USB interface works just fine with the USB slots on PCs and notebooks.

The company did a trial run in Dublin at the end of 2007, with plans to go live in four U.S. cities toward the beginning of the second quarter, though Armstrong declined to name the cities. Two retailers have signed on to put the company's MoviePoint kiosks in their stores.

More importantly, major studios have agreed to let the company rent standard-definition movies out of the kiosks, he said. Getting permission to build a library of high-quality content has been the bane of several would-be Blockbuster killers. Armstrong wouldn't divulge the name of the studios, but said they were major and well-known.

continued....

[mats.hogberg]

Great if it works, but I personally doubt it will fly. If Sony had been behind it - Sure!, but not "PortoMedia".
These kinds of kiosk things have come and gone from the mid 80's - to last 6 months tops.

/Mats

[Xylob the Destroyer]

I wondered how long it would take....
When I saw an 8GB USB flash drive at OfficeDepot, the first thing I thought was 'I could rip 2 movies onto that with no compression and watch on a laptop during a flight!'

[cal_tony]

I love flash memory.
My video camera takes SD cards and nothing could be simpler. Pop the cards in and use the camera for videos or pictures. Pop them out and stick them in my TV or with a USB adapter device ($ 15.00), use them anywhere USB is accepted.
Cool Cool Cool.
I'm sure in time something else will impress me as much as the higher capacity SD cards, but right now, they are really impressive.

Tony

[Epicurus8a]

I remember reading this prediction in a science magazine a couple of decades ago and simply couldn't imagine how it would be possible to achieve. Flash forward to 2002, I began to wonder how long it would be until this prediction came true. Now in 2008 it might just happen. Technology seems unstoppable.

[MOVIEGEEK]

It's about time somebody started this service,I've been wanting movies on flash for a long time.
I wonder if they would work on an OPPO 980?

[painkiller]

Gee, I wonder how long it would take before someone (attempts to) steal one of those kiosks?

Just sayin'.

[olyteddy]

Holy Kiosky Batman. It's like RedBox without polycarbonate!

[paulw]

Great if it works, but I personally doubt it will fly. If Sony had been behind it - Sure!, but not "PortoMedia".
These kinds of kiosk things have come and gone from the mid 80's - to last 6 months tops.

/Mats

If Sony were behind it them there would be a root kit, regional coding, DRM rites license, crippleware in the flash and an internet connection so that it can fone home..

[mats.hogberg]

If Sony were behind it them there would be a root kit, regional coding, DRM rites license, crippleware in the flash and an internet connection so that it can fone home..

...which it likely already is (minus the root kit). It takes a special USB stick, a special "player", "Movies rented from the service will comply with Microsoft DRM standards.". I doubt any major studio would allow any rentals DRM free.

/Mats

[raffie]

I think music & movies on flash cards has the potential to beat piracy. Memory cards I believe are far better protectable then optical discs.
IMHO thats where the future lies for movies (im talking post-blu-ray), and not downloads, wich will stay more of a geek thing I think.

[SatStorm]

Downloading movies is a modern alternative of renting movies. You don't own those movies that way, you rent them just to watch them.
The market for this distribution channel, is obvious: Areas far away from rental stores, like countryside. Not anybody lives in a City! Also, it is a great distribution method, for the less commercial releases. And a cheap way to have an international presence at low cost.
On other words, downloading is here to stay and they have their place in the market.

Now: Movies on solid memory cards, can be a great alternative for renting movies on the cities. You go to the terminal, load the movie to your card, pay instantly and go to your house and watch it. Much faster than downloading it. And there is no way you won't find it on the store! The movie is always there.
I can see a market for this.

[disturbed1]

Great if it works, but I personally doubt it will fly. If Sony had been behind it - Sure!, but not "PortoMedia".
These kinds of kiosk things have come and gone from the mid 80's - to last 6 months tops.

/Mats

If was Sony, then it would need memory stick, then in 2 weeks, memory stick could only be used for certain movies. You would then have to use memory stick pro. Then after a month memory stick pro would also no longer be supported and you would have to get memory stick pro V2. But memory stick pro V2 would only be compatible with movies that were authored using version 6 of the Sony software, and the Kiosk devices would also need firmware upgrades and new licenses for all movies. And finally after two years Sony would drop support for it and put it on a shelf next to mini disc, and all of their other failed formats


The idea is neat. But the biggest flaw is the the human interaction. Humans are generally stupid people and would not be able to grasp the idea of formating a flash drive. Even if it was simply plug and go. Too many idiots would screw it up. Imagine all of the broken devices. Most people can't even keep a simple DVD from getting scratched.

[mats.hogberg]

Great if it works, but I personally doubt it will fly. If Sony had been behind it - Sure!, but not "PortoMedia".
These kinds of kiosk things have come and gone from the mid 80's - to last 6 months tops.

/Mats

If was Sony, then it would need memory stick, then in 2...

OK, ok, you seem to think I'm supporting Sony - I'm not. I'm just saying that a small upstart company will fail, in an area already monopolized by a few giants, no matter how much I like the idea.

/Mats

[disturbed1]

Great if it works, but I personally doubt it will fly. If Sony had been behind it - Sure!, but not "PortoMedia".
These kinds of kiosk things have come and gone from the mid 80's - to last 6 months tops.

/Mats

If was Sony, then it would need memory stick, then in 2...

OK, ok, you seem to think I'm supporting Sony - I'm not. I'm just saying that a small upstart company will fail, in an area already monopolized by a few giants, no matter how much I like the idea.

/Mats

I know, it was a joke

An upstart would flat out fail. Something like this with lots of money, PR, and a name behind it has the potential to take off.

I'd just hate to be the person in charge of customer service. Perhaps in large US metro areas it would have a chance. In my city (~1.5million) these hillbillies would break the thing. It happened recently to automated postage stamp machines. Some of the POs replaced the old fashioned machines that take money to all electronic one's with credit card only inputs. They were robbed and vandalized. One person that was caught stated he did it because he got frustrated and couldn't figure out how to work the damn thing


I'm a firm believer in the future of renting/watching movies will be through your TV provider with On-Demand service. There's nothing to it. Hit guide, select a movie, press play. If the companies would get off their asses and upgrade the backends to support the technology that's already been here for over 10 years, that would be great.

[bbanderic]

USB flash drives would be my ultimate choice for movie storage/playback. Solid state, no moving parts but the problem is price, they're way too expensive. The 8gb flash drive are priced anywhere from $45-$75. How many gig's does the average Blu-ray/Hi-Def disc consist of, 15-20 gb? The price would have to come WAY down for USB flash drives to become practical for movie distribution.

[mats.hogberg]

The price would have to come WAY down for USB flash drives to become practical for movie distribution.

Not for rentals. I'd say it's the ideal device for carrying your movie home from the rental kiosk, especially if the USB memory will sell for $50 as stated.

/Mats