Tag: amazon prime
0 Episode 120 – Maddi Hinton & Jack Lob
This week, Dan and Adam are joined by Maddi and Jack to discuss Streaming News, including new Hulu and Netflix content, the digital availability of Oscar flicks, and a head-to-head-to-head comparison of Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. From there, they play another round of “Movie Bluff”.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co. Studio, Minneapolis, MN on March 4, 2014.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 120 – 3/4/14 feat. Maddi Hinton & Jack Lob
0 Episode 116 – Curtis James & Drew James
This week, Dan and Adam are joined by Curtis and Drew to discuss tons of current streaming news. They talk about the unheard songs of Spotify, Pokemon on Hulu, and a potential Amazon Prime price increase. From there, they play another round of “Movie Bluff”.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co. Studio, Minneapolis, MN on February 4, 2014.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 116 – 2/4/14 feat. Curtis James & Drew James
0 Episode 114 – Alex “AJ” Johnson & Julia Nelson
This week, Dan and Adam are joined by AJ and Julia to discuss Hulu’s AdZone, which provides a one-stop spot for Super Bowl ads, and Amazon’s attempts to secure live TV streaming programming. From there, they play an adapted version of “Wise and Otherwise”.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co. Studio, Minneapolis, MN on January 21, 2014.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 114 – 1/21/14 feat. Alex “AJ” Johnson & Julia Nelson
0 Episode 109 – Andrew Nelson & Jeff Priesmeyer
This week, Dan and Adam are joined by Andrew and Jeff to new YouTube advertising tactics and the new content release schedules for original Netflix and Amazon Prime programming. Thereafter, they play “Build a Title”.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co. Studio, Minneapolis, MN on December 3, 2013.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 109 – 12/03/13 feat. Andrew Nelson & Jeff Priesmeyer
0 Episode 106 – Molly Kamph & Chris Loven
This week, Dan and Adam are joined by Molly and Chris to discuss new Netflix content, new Amazon Prime content, and Netflix’s road to the Oscars. From there, Dan hosts a round of “Movie Bluff”
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co. Studio, Minneapolis, MN on November 5, 2013.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 106 – 11/05/13 feat. Molly Kamph & Chris Loven
0 Episode 92 – Alex “AJ” Johnson & Julia Nelson
AJ and Julia join Dan and Adam in the studio to discuss Amazon’s plans regarding original content release schedules, compared to the binge-enabling of Netflix. They also discuss AJ & Julia’s take on the new “Arrested Development”, and childhood education experiences. Plus, a new game of Movie Bluff.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on July 9, 2013.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 92 – 07/09/13 feat. Alex “AJ” Johnson & Julia Nelson
0 Episode 88 – Maianne Preble & Dave Wheeler
Dave and Mai join Dan and Adam in the Wheels Brewing Co. Studio after Dave’s time spent in California to discuss the new season of “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee”, the season finale of “Doctor Who”, as well as Dave’s streaming experiences with Netflix and Amazon Prime. From there, Dave, Mai and Adam play another round of “Movie Bluff”.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on June 11, 2013.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 88 – 06/11/13 feat. Maianne Preble & Dave Wheeler
0 Episode 85 – Kaylyn Hum & Josh Mootz
Dr. Kaylyn and Mootz join Dan and Adam in the studio for a long overdue dual-newbie episode! They discuss their access to streaming media, including the Internet options of Alaska, and some streaming news as well. For Movie Bluff, Kaylyn and Mootz team up to take on Adam’s encyclopedic IMDB knowledge.
Taped at The Wheels Brewing Co Studio, Minneapolis, MN on May 21, 2013.
Check out photos and this week’s bonus tracks by clicking here.
Click here to listen: Episode 85 – 05/21/13 feat. Kaylyn Hum & Josh Mootz
0 Redbox Instant: All the hype with none of the calories … I mean, content
Through multiple press releases and interviews in 2012’s third and fourth quarters (July-December for you non-business folks), a number of high-ranking executives for Verizon and Coinstar (owner of Redbox) state that the Redbox Instant service, currently in customer BETA testing, would focus on quality over quantity.
“Do you really need 100,000 titles? I mean, really,” said Paul Davis, CEO of Coinstar.
As I wade through the RB Instant library, I’m glad Davis stuck to his word, offering such featured titles as “Soccer Nanny (unrated)”, “Demonic Toys 2”, and “Biebermania”. Upon further investigation into the library, which will be available to subscribers for $8 per month, I discovered the well-honed tastes of Davis and others comes out in spades with a plethora of B-, C-, and even D-list thriller and horror titles, with little else to distract viewers.
Alright. I jest. I have no idea of that which Davis calls quality entertainment. However, based on that which has been made readily available during this BETA test, it’s hard to imagine that RB Instant will pose any sort of threat to Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu (especially since Redbox currently has no plans to add TV shows to its concoction).
The service does offer a few recognizable titles (using “few” in its strictest definition), including “Thor”, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”, “Rango”, and the recent remake of “True Grit”. Sadly, (and I’m being 100 percent sincere about this) beyond those four films, there are only a handful of additional movies that I recognize. Plus, all four listed above are already available on Netflix AND Amazon Prime.
Before I rag on this service TOO much, there are two additional tiers to the RB Instant account: monthly Redbox kiosk credits, and the ability to pay-to-rent and/or purchase videos electronically.
First, the RB Instant subscription, as I’ve stated before, runs you $8 per month and includes four DVD rental credits to be used at any Redbox kiosk. At roughly $1.20 per DVD (plus tax), you’re technically investing more than half of that $8 on DVD rentals, while throwing $3.20 at the subscription service, which actually starts to explain the quality of films available for streaming. The RB Instant site really hammers it home that you will receive four free DVD rentals, which means you will most likely experience an additional charge if you opt for Blu-rays (usually about $1.50 at the kiosk).
From afar, this piece of the puzzle seems appealing, as everyone likes getting something for nothing. However, at its core, it is a contradiction to the service’s name: Redbox INSTANT. Through most of my Redbox kiosk experiences, very little has ever been instant. Limited and/or poor selections at my nearby locations, not to mention long lines, have deterred me multiple times from using the service spontaneously; in my world of movie consumption, pre-selecting and reserving a movie is like picking a restaurant for dinner at 12:30 PM. I really don’t know what I want until I’m hungry. That’s why I already ditched the Netflix DVD delivery service. I have yet to utilize the four credits bestowed upon me, but as you can probably understand, I’m hesitant. I’ll give it the ol’ college try this week and will give an update IF my experience differs from the norm.
The remaining feature is the ability to purchase or pay-to-rent films electronically. This service is not available on Netflix, but has been a part of Amazon Prime since its release and is also a large part of the Apple iTunes store experience.
The renting aspect is fairly straightforward: I would pay $X amount for a film, either in standard- or high-definition, and then I can watch it when I want within a 30-day window. As soon as I start to watch it, I have 48 hours to complete it as many times as I want. Standard stuff. However, there is little to no documentation as to the purchase process. From the looks of it, I’m not even sure the movie is technically downloaded. I believe, if I’m reading the site correctly, that it just goes into my RB Instant library, and can only be viewed with an Internet connection. Not much of a selling point there.
I also reviewed pricing, and found RB Instant tends to charge MORE for both rentals and purchases. I picked a few titles at random (“Ted”, “The Amazing Spider-Man”, and “Juan of the Dead” [yes, it’s a real movie]), and here’s what I found:
Across the board, RB Instant is more expensive than Amazon Prime and iTunes. In some cases, it is cheaper to rent or purchase the HD version from either Amazon Prime or iTunes versus the SD version via RB Instant. No points awarded there.
Before I wrap things up, I know some folks out there will want to know about the user interface, as the ease of use is a big part of the streaming game. Here’s my take: it isn’t bad, but there’s nothing new there. I tested the web site, as well as the iOS app, and I found nothing special about it. It comes across as cluttered, like most streaming sites, and includes the hover-over for cryptic descriptions.
I did find one major fault to the site that rubbed me the wrong way. Every time I performed a search query for a new movie, multiple entries for said movie would pop up, forcing me to sift between the physical, Redbox kiosk copy, and the digital copy, which was usually buried beneath the former. On some occasions, I had to run multiple attempts to locate that which I sought. As the search occurred on the Instant site, I had hoped (and assumed) that the digital copy would trump the physical.
Also, you cannot purchase or pay-to-rent movies on the iOS app. A lot of people will see value in that, so to prevent unintentional pocket purchases, but it stinks if you’re on the road, or out and about and want to watch something new. It’s a nit-picky issue, but it’s something that can be completed elsewhere through alternate services.
Based on the hype surrounding the service, as well as statements provided by leadership leading up to the release, I had high expectations for this service, and RB Instant has fallen short. Buffering does not yet have an in-house rating system, but RB Instant has set the bar for how low it can go. The most positive thing I can say about RB Instant right now is that the first month is free, and it includes the four DVD credits. However, I am setting a reminder on my calendar to cancel my subscription the day before my month is up, because I have no want or need to keep it.
My recommendation to you is to exploit the loophole, get four free rentals, and cancel it too. Otherwise, it is not worth your time. Most, if not all, of its library and features are available elsewhere.
0 Disney’s exclusive deal with Netflix
Netflix has returned from another content hunt with massive bounty as the result of a huge bidding war. They have locked in an exclusive streaming contract with Disney for a large catalog of content, including movies from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, and Disneynature, according to CNN Money.
The catch? Netflix users won’t see a lot of this content until 2016, when Disney’s current agreement with Starz (a la Sony) expires.
This reads a lot like the deal between Netflix and Dreamworks to post their computer animated library by 2013. It’s also mirroring that deal, as Disney has already provided Netflix with some recognizable and notable content, including “Alice in Wonderland”, “Pocahontas” and “Dumbo”, to name a few.
The deal also includes many sequel-heavy series, like the “Air Bud” sequels, and the “Brave Little Toaster” sequels, but not their originals.
A big piece of this agreement is that it yanks a lot of future content out of the hands of premium cable TV channels like HBO, Showtime and Starz, as they lose access to new Disney/Marvel/Pixar content released after 2016 that would usually linger on their channels between each film’s exit from the theater, but before they hit DVD/Blu-ray. It also blocks streaming sites like Amazon Prime and Crackle from access to the content as well.
It’s nice to see Netflix experiencing success through this agreement (including a recent rise in the company’s stock), but there will still be the gaggles of nay-sayers uninterested in waiting four years for the overall payoff.
At the same time, there are speculators wondering how this will affect Disney’s recently acquired gold-mine of the Star Wars universe. Although LucasFilm was not listed among the content providers (as far as I have seen), the release of Episode 7 in 2015 may lay the groundwork for future negotiations and deals to continue to feed us desired content.
I am, personally, among those excited now, as two of my childhood Disney favorites, “The Great Mouse Detective” and “The Rescuers Down Under” are among the titles already available on Netflix. The fact that the voice talents of Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor, John Candy, and Vincent Price are just a click away makes me wish I wasn’t at work so I could start a Disney binge right now.
Still, there are a number of additional Netflix releases to look forward to this month, as we’ve discussed on the show before, including “ParaNorman”, “Looper” and “The Campaign”. All three of these will be on Netflix around Christmas or New Years, according to movieinsider.com.
Looks like we have at least 1,121 days until we will reap the benefits of this deal, but we’ll keep an eye on things here in the Wheels Brewing Co Studio.
The Buffering Podcast 