How NOT to Do VOD

We are big proponents of Video on Demand around here. I’ve had a lot of conversations with you guys agreeing with my point of letting us watch a movie on our couch instead sending us to an uncomfortable over priced theater. Slowly but surely you are starting to see some big names trickle into this type of media service, some are doing well, and some are basically a how not to type of scenario.

The Movielink announcement last month about releasing VOD movies for purchase left me with a lot of unanswered questions. First, who the hell would pay for this? Why would you spend $20 for KING KONG on your computer when you could go to Wal-Mart and buy the DVD for $14 and watch it on your computer, TV, portable DVD player, etc. What’s the appeal of owning an electronic-only version of a film when you can own an actual transferable copy of a film. All the major studios, minus Disney for the time being, have bought into the service so it must be something someone thinks is a good idea. I couldn’t wrap my head around so I figured what better way to figure out the benefits than to give it a go myself. So on Tuesday night, I set out to legally download my first movie from the web courtesy of Movielink. And as luck would have it, I kept a running diary.

If nothing else, it really is a funny read. I also think maybe 20 bucks is a bit high on the price point too.