Issue Date: July 20, 2003
Movies by mail
The Internet promised many things. Most of them, as you know, have not come true. We still shop at malls and watch TV on a TV set, and many of us actually communicate face to face. But as we've seen with music and MP3s, movie distribution is a corner of the Net that's starting to show signs of fulfilling its early promise.
You already know about Netflix.com, the online site that delivers movies right to your door. The service, now a million subscribers strong, has set in motion a powerful trend that's given consumers plenty of options. Blockbuster recently got its own similar DVD mail system, FilmCaddy.com, as did Walmart.com. Then there are CafeDVD.com and Qwikfliks.com.
"With the competition that has entered the market and the sheer amount of subscribers, it's clear this service is gaining serious steam," says Netflix CEO Reed Hastings.
One benefit with these services -- and it's a huge one if, like me, you procrastinate so much you wind up returning movies unwatched: There are no late fees. For around $20 a month, I can get three movies -- new releases, foreign films, oldies or cult classics.
While video stores like to stock their shelves with titles that reflect local tastes, these online rental services have it all. Netflix and Wal-Mart each carry more than 13,000 DVD titles (by contrast, Blockbuster stores stock roughly 4,500 DVDs total, including duplicates).
Then again, if renting is not for you, Movielink.com lets you download movies directly to your hard drive, like an MP3. But with current Internet connections and movies taking up much more bandwidth than songs, few want to deal with the sluggishness of getting a film this way. Maybe when your cable connection becomes less clogged, or your DSL has more juice, then we'll be onto something.
-- David Lipschultz
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