Over 100 Sony Movies for Sale at GUBA.com

[BJ_M]

why do i think this will fail ?





Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and GUBA Pioneer Online Movie Distribution Deal

CULVER CITY & SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) and GUBA (http://www.guba.com), a leading online multimedia entertainment site, today announced the immediate availability of more than 100 feature-length movies from Sony Pictures on the GUBA Premium online video service.

The launch makes GUBA the first video sharing community to distribute Sony Pictures movies online. Among the diverse slate of more than 100 titles that will be available for digital downloading at GUBA.com are "Underworld: Evolution," "Memoirs of a Geisha," "Hitch" and the classic "Bridge on the River Kwai." SPHE will steadily increase the number of films available for Internet sales over the coming months, with an expected 500 films, including day and date releases, being offered to consumers within a year.

GUBA users can purchase films as of today on a download-to-own basis. New releases are priced at $19.99 and catalog titles will retail from $9.99. All video content can be downloaded and played on compatible home computers. Some titles will also be available for rental on a Video-on-Demand (VOD) basis.

"We are open for business on the Internet. GUBA is a powerful user-generated community and this deal demonstrates our strategy to find the best ways to make our content available to consumers online," said Benjamin S. Feingold, President of Worldwide Home Entertainment, Digital Distribution and Acquisitions, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. "This is consistent with our studio's history of bringing the finest entertainment to people through new technologies and channels."

"Our partnership with Sony Pictures is another major validation of our platform and a significant effort by Sony to make online distribution of film attractive to the Internet audience," said Thomas McInerney, CEO of GUBA. "Sony has shown a clarity of vision when it comes to portable media and entertainment. GUBA was one of the first companies to make user-generated videos available for the PlayStation Portable. We look forward to further collaboration with Sony Pictures and to making movies and TV shows distributed online, easily viewable in the home and on portable devices."

Sony Pictures Entertainment continues to be a leader in digital entertainment and distribution. Sony Pictures was one of the first to move to DVDs and to offer television shows for sale online, one of the creators of Movielink, the first studio to sell movies to consumers to watch on mobile handsets and the first and only studio to offer movies embedded on PC hard drives.

GUBA has been distributing video online for eight years. It has tackled a number of key challenges this rapidly-evolving medium involves, from copyright protection, to video transcoding, to content portability. GUBA's intuitive interface allows consumers to access content in a simple-to-use and legal manner.

"With one of the most digitized film libraries in the world, we want to give people as much choice as possible in how they access and use their favorite movies," added Feingold. "That's why we are working to make it possible for consumers to be able to see movies purchased online on a number of their media devices, from televisions to computers to other kinds of portable players."

Technical requirements -- GUBA's service uses Digital Rights Management (DRM) copyright protection software developed by Microsoft. Only devices with current Windows Media technology can play Sony's content. This includes most Windows PCs.

Restrictions -- The Sony Pictures Home Entertainment content is only available to users in the US due to international copyright ownership restrictions. Purchased videos are owned in perpetuity but cannot be burned to DVD due to current restrictions of the DRM software.

About Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. SPE is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.

About GUBA
GUBA is a leading online entertainment destination helping you find digital content that will entertain and captivate you. On http://www.guba.com you can easily browse, download and share video, and buy feature films and TV shows from quality producers, such as Sony and Warner Bros. GUBA has an intuitive search interface that enables rapid download to the PC, iPod, PlayStation Portable, and other portable devices. Users can watch video in Flash, QuickTime, and Windows Media formats, and can stream video in their home network using Windows Media Center and Apple's Front Row.

GUBA accepts video submissions from users in all commonly available formats, indexes video from parts of the Internet that major search engines do not search, and licenses feature films and TV shows from major studios and independent producers.

[festmaster]

why do i think this will fail ?

Because for $19.99 you can get a factory pressed copy of a new release that is compatible with all DVD players and for $9.99 you can get an older movie that is compatible with all DVD players.

iTunes works because people can buy the one song they want off an album for $ .99 versus $15 for the whole CD. If downloaded movies are going to work, there is going to have to be a discount for the added hassle of DRM and lack of portability.

[somebodeez]

why do i think this will fail ?

Because for $19.99 you can get a factory pressed copy of a new release that is compatible with all DVD players and for $9.99 you can get an older movie that is compatible with all DVD players.

Exactly.

"Purchased videos are owned in perpetuity but cannot be burned to DVD due to current restrictions of the DRM software. "

Not good enough.
They're going to have to go back to the drawing board and come up with something a heck of a lot better than that if they ever want to win me as a customer.

[BJ_M]

you would think that after spending millions to launch this this -- someone would have thought of these points

[Seeker47]

. . . GUBA has been distributing video online for eight years.
About GUBA
GUBA is a leading online entertainment destination helping you find digital content that will entertain and captivate you. On http://www.guba.com you can easily browse, download and share video,
GUBA accepts video submissions from users in all commonly available formats, indexes video from parts of the Internet that major search engines do not search,

Wait a minute: didn't these folks become a major internet player via the user exchange of amateur PORN ? On a humongous scale. So, now they're trying to turn the corner, reinvent themselves, take a stab at general respectabiilty here ??

[MOVIEGEEK]

Oh the humanity!

[Supreme2k]

Because for $19.99 you can get a factory pressed copy of a new release that is compatible with all DVD players and for $9.99 you can get an older movie that is compatible with all DVD players.

Even better than that is that most new releases are in the $15-$18 range. Not only do you get all that you mentioned, but also extras (bonus material), better quality, menus and chapter links, a storage case w/ artwork, etc., etc..



Music is going digital and works as a download because of the proliferation of the players. Movies are generally not best utilized in the portable market, but even then, the DVD format is the most versatile.

It seems like they're trying to get you to pay more for (much) less.


Did anyone else think that guba looks rather sketchy, especially with Sony backing? It looks extremely amateurish and warezy to me.

[dafoe]

I own 700-800 DVDs. Funny thing is, I don't generally rewatch movie. I enjoy collecting. I like the box, cover art and insert. Half of the fun is collecting a tangible product.

Most importantly, I can count on one hand the number of times I've paid $20 for a single DVD. Unless it's something I really want to see, I wait until I can find it for $10 or less on Ebay. Also, Walmart routinely sells Blockbuster new releases at rock bottom prices (well below $20) whe
n they first come out before raising them to the normal price.

It's about time one these companies offered something like this. Unfortunately it so half assed it is doomed to spectatcular failure.

The only way I would consider paying $20 for a movie download is if it were available at the cinema release date and IO could burn it to DVD.

I got screwed a couple of years ago buying a baseball game from mlb.com. It had DRM and I will never go anywhere near anything that has that crap on it again.

I just don't understand how these Hollywood people can be so oblivious. At what point does a sane rational person say "Let's sell our movies at more than the cost of a DVD (tangible product) and force people to waste time downloading them. Then, we will give them no special features and force them to watch it on their tiny PC monitor. It should sell like hotcakes!" And I'll be damned if another human didn't agree with him/her. That's the truly scary part.

This just blows my mind.

[ROF]

This is great news and a good price too.

[lordsmurf]

This is great news and a good price too.

Alright, now you've said a lot of crazy things on this site in the past.
But this is a stretch even for you...

Rationale, sane people do not consider $20 a "good price" for a downloadable movie.
Especially not when it is more expensive than a pressed officially released disc.

Even for something unreleased, this would not catch on.

[ViRaL1]

This is great news and a good price too.

How do you figure?

[Laddydaddy]

Purchased videos are owned in perpetuity but cannot be burned to DVD due to current restrictions of the DRM software.

This means it will also sit on your hard drive in perpetuity in order for you to watch it in perpetuity. Thanks, but no thanks.

[CBC]

This is great news and a good price too.

How do you figure?

ROF - always the iconoclast.

[ROF]

This is great news and a good price too.

How do you figure?

Time is money. Movies on a network. No conversion/ripping time. Saved shelf space. No pesky discs to scratch. Nobody coming over and borrowing your movies.

Less Headaches, Less Money, Less Time, Convenient Shopping, More Shelf Space. Great News at a Good Price!

[ViRaL1]

This is great news and a good price too.

How do you figure?

Time is money. Movies on a network. No conversion/ripping time. Saved shelf space. No pesky discs to scratch. Nobody coming over and borrowing your movies.

Less Headaches, Less Money, Less Time, Convenient Shopping, More Shelf Space. Great News at a Good Price!

Headaches? - Downloading? DRM? Storage? Backup?

Money? - Cheaper than buying pressed DVDs with bonues etc?

Time? - Again, Downloading? Backup?

No pesky discs to watch on a regular DVD player or at someone else's place.

Shelf space? No.

Storage space? Yes, lots of it. Last I checked, I could squeeze more DVDs into $50 of shelf space than I could $50 of hard drive space.

[ROF]

It is just an opinion. Get over it. It's not your opinion obviously.

This is a great idea at a good price value.

[ozymango]

Rationale, sane people do not consider $20 a "good price" for a downloadable movie.
Especially not when it is more expensive than a pressed officially released disc.

I totally agree. But as H.L. Mencken once said, "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public."

EDIT: Anybody actually interested in renting/buying movies on-line might wanna check out www.movielink.com, they've been doing this kind of stuff for a while, and they have the option of "renting" ($4.99 for 24hours) or "buying" ($19.99 for up to three computers) a bunch of different movies ...

[jagabo]

Purchased videos are owned in perpetuity but cannot be burned to DVD due to current restrictions of the DRM software.

This means it will also sit on your hard drive in perpetuity in order for you to watch it in perpetuity. Thanks, but no thanks.

And what happens when you get a new computer or you replace your boot drive or you have to reinstall Windows?

[Rich86]

It is just an opinion. Get over it. It's not your opinion obviously.

This is a great idea at a good price value.

Now that ROF has weighed in favoring this product launch in spite of the completely mindless pricing and value proposition offered to customers by GUBA - you know this product will fail miserably.

[ROF]

It is just an opinion. Get over it. It's not your opinion obviously.

This is a great idea at a good price value.

Now that ROF has weighed in favoring this product launch in spite of the completely mindless pricing and value proposition offered to customers by GUBA - you know this product will fail miserably.

OK! If you use reverse logic for all your purchases, Next gen DVDs are doomed to failure.

Subliminal: Buy 5 next gen DVD devices this year.

[somebodeez]

And what happens when you get a new computer or you replace your boot drive or you have to reinstall Windows?

Good question. Or when your hard drive goes belly up?

[ROF]

And what happens when you get a new computer or you replace your boot drive or you have to reinstall Windows?

Good question. Or when your hard drive goes belly up?

What happens when your television set dies? What happens when you drop your dvd disc and it shatters? What happens when your transmission goes in your 10 year old vehicle? You are given the option to buy a new replacement one or go without. Should this be any different?

[Laddydaddy]

jagabo wrote

And what happens when you get a new computer or you replace your boot drive or you have to reinstall Windows?

You're SOL.

[somebodeez]

For any "shattered" DVDs, I'd have a backup

[ROF]

For any "shattered" DVDs, I'd have a backup

In which case, you would be lucky. Most people don't have that luxury.

[akrako1]

What happens when your television set dies?

You, eh, buy a new one. This doesn't effect the media you've purchased, and the rights you have when you purchased it.

What happens when you drop your dvd disc and it shatters?

Well yeah, if you've already backed it up, you're fine. But since you're pro-DRM, then this is a no-no. So, you are outta luck. The rest of us are fine.

What happens when your transmission goes in your 10 year old vehicle?

How does this apply to this situation? At least if your transmission goes and you junk the car, you can still pull out your stereo system and other upgrades, and they're not lost. Or, you can replace the trans, and lo-and-behold, everything works exactly as before. Not the case with this DRM crap.

You are given the option to buy a new replacement one or go without. Should this be any different?

You don't seem to get it. Unless you're talking about broken discs, replacing any other component shouldn't make you have to get new media. Think of it this way... Your transmission dies, but for some stupid ass reason, your car stereo, car dvd player, or engine will only work with that one transmission. You replace the trans, and then you're forced to spend more money replacing things that should still work fine....

[Supreme2k]

What happens when your television set dies? What happens when you drop your dvd disc and it shatters? What happens when your transmission goes in your 10 year old vehicle? You are given the option to buy a new replacement one or go without. Should this be any different?

Yet another incorrect analogy.

It would be more like saying that:

1. Once your television dies (or you get a new one), you cannot watch the same programming on the new one.
2. You should be able to have a backup of either (drop it from where? an airplane?!)
3. You have to throw away any personal belongings if your car/transmission dies.

Basically, the media is portable. You shouldn't be tied down to keeping it in one place. If your DVD is on a chair and you notice someone getting ready to sit there, you can reach over and move the disc. Not true with drm. You can't take it with you.

[ROF]

You are given the option to buy a new replacement one or go without. Should this be any different?

You don't seem to get it. Unless you're talking about broken discs, replacing any other component shouldn't make you have to get new media. Think of it this way... Your transmission dies, but for some stupid ass reason, your car stereo, car dvd player, or engine will only work with that one transmission. You replace the trans, and then you're forced to spend more money replacing things that should still work fine....

OK! Think of it this way. You have a power surge and lose everything inside your computer(hardware and sofwate). Should you be entitled to get all new replacement hardware from each individual manufacturer and software provider?

BTW, Most people do not backup their DVDs. Most don't even know how. Quite a few of those don't even know that you can. And of course, there are way more people who own a set top dvd player but do not even own a computer DVD drive.

[ROF]

Basically, the media is portable. You shouldn't be tied down to keeping it in one place. If your DVD is on a chair and you notice someone getting ready to sit there, you can reach over and move the disc. Not true with drm. You can't take it with you.

Actually, it is you who has your analogies backwards. You are thinking of the media as a piece of physical hardware. That concept is so 1990's.

[somebodeez]

Well, it's a non-issue for myself anyway
There's just no value there and it's not practical. I'm not one to throw hard earned $ away on such things.