[U.S.]VIDEO ON DEMAND: STILL NOT PRIME TIME

With video on demand, the cable TV industry thought it had a blockbuster
service that paid off for everybody but the local video store.

The new technology gave consumers the ability to start, pause, replay and
fast-forward movies without having to run back and forth to Blockbuster. And
it promised to generate more money for cable operators and movie studios
than pay-per-view services, which have attracted only a tiny audience.

Despite the upsides, however, video-on-demand services are off to a slow
start. Some in the cable industry say Hollywood is hamstringing them, and
studio executives say cable operators have only themselves to blame.

The main complaint from the cable side is that the studios withhold movies
until long after they've been released on DVD and videotape. The average
delay is about seven weeks, but delays often reach three months.

To video-on-demand advocates, the wait smacks of the entertainment industry
obstructing new technology, just as it did initially with VCRs.

The ultimate vision for video on demand is to give movie fans access to any
movie whenever and wherever they want. Although technology can fulfill much
of that promise today, the major studios have tucked all the on-demand
services into the same slot as pay-per-view.

That means the services have to wait for films until well after they have
appeared in theaters and discount cinemas, on airlines, in hotels and
finally in video stores.......


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Details:
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/business/7429823.htm
More news:
http://www.auspaytv.com.au/forums/ipdl.php

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On cable TV they have a weather channel - 24 hours of weather. We had
something like that where I grew up. We called it a window.
-- Dan Spencer