The Future of Home video

Money's tight. Where it used to make sense to buy the DVD at $12.99 or $14.99,because once you paid the late fee, or the gas to get to the store, you could have purchased the movie, now those extra bucks don't exist anymore.
A good many people use a subscription service like Netflix or Blockbuster where late fees aren't an issue. Another good many people use on demand from cable or satellite, and those left behind might browse a video store or use the newest thing in home video, vending machines.

In the Atlanta area, Red Box machines are popping up everywhere and boy are they convenient and cheap! One dollar plus tax- per night. Get movie back by 9pm the next day and it cost you a whopping $1. Now, I haven't actually been in a Blockbuster store in a while, but I went over the weekend and noticed that it was $4.99 plus tax to rent a video. That makes it over 5 bucks for one video, so using Red Box saves $4.00, provided you get the movie back the next day. At 2 days, it's still half the price of Blockbuster. This is a no-brainer, especially right now. I've been pleased with the selection at the Red Box machines. I even rented Doubt, an artsy fartsy movie from Red Box. No complaints here.

Some movie studios see the future and are working to provide Red Box their new releases when they are new. Some studios are suing to keep distributors from selling DVDs to Red Box because of the ultra low price point. The big issue isn't rentals, it's DVD sales, which are in the toilet this year, lets say beyond the toilet and near the sewer. Purchasing a home video is an obvious luxury. While folks still go to the movies and the box office is breaking records (because of price inflation- not attendance)people aren't picking up DVDs willy nilly and taking them to the check out stand. This is taking a big bite out of bigger budgets at the studios. They had banked on home video being a cash cow for years. Read the headlines folks, that cow is now hamburger, never to return. In fact the whole home video model has gone the way of newspapers.

Enter Roku, it's a Kindle of sorts. For $99 you can buy a Roku and stream movies on to your big screen TV, instantly. Or if you have an X-box or TiVo, you don't even need a Roku to stream movies. A good deal of the Netflix library is available to watch instantly. In the coming months and years, all of it will be. The days of finding the little red envelope in your mailbox and opening it like it was Christmas day are waning.

My point to the studios is, for $14.99 a month, unlimited views, and movies that don't even have to be shipped anymore, why would I ever purchase a copy of DVD? Let's say your kid is hooked on Cars, or Wall-E, with the Roku, you can watch Wall-E over and over again, with out a single little thumbprint on a DVD. If I ran a movie studio, I would stop counting on DVD sales and focus on getting my entire library available for a hefty price. In the mean time, I would start trimming movie budgets and A list salaries. It's a waste of time to sue Red Box and give them all that free publicity. All studios are doing is alerting people that there is a dirt cheap, legal way to get the same entertainment. Let the free market work. If $1 is the going rate, the $1 it is. There will always be folks who rent videos. Let them work it out. As for me, Roku is high on my Christmas list.

More Free Movies

Atlantic station free movies run through October.
And Movies by Moonlight kicks off in Sandy Springs.

Leadership Sandy Springs presents a family-oriented outdoor movie series serving the Sandy Springs community. The movies are free and take place in the heart of Sandy Springs on the terraced lawn of Sandy Springs United Methodist Church’s Hitson Activity Center. Food, concessions, and local entertainment are offered before each movie, beginning at dusk. Past crowds have numbered 1000 to 1500. Guests are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets to sit on the lawn.

2009 Sandy Springs Movies by Moonlight schedule:

September 11th - Night at the Museum (Battle @ Smithsonian)

October 2nd - Inkheart

October 9th - Monsters vs. Aliens
In case of uncertain weather on the day of the movie, please call 404-256-9091 for an update. Information will be posted around 6:00 pm that day. Look forward to seeing you at the movies!

More Free Movies

Free movies at Atlantic Station. Plenty of parking underneath and lots of great vendors and restaurants. Here's the list...
Movies & The Market at Atlantic Station
Atlantic Station is located in Midtown Atlanta. Movies are shown in Central Park. They begin at dusk.

August 13: “Legally Blonde”
August 20: “Monsters, Inc.”
August 27: “WALL-E”
September 3: “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”
September 10: “My Fair Lady”
September 17: “Roman Holiday”
September 24: “Sabrina”
October 1: “The Goonies”
October 8: “Madagascar”
October 15: “Men in Black”
October 22: “Ghostbusters”
October 29: “The Wizard of Oz”

These are outside and not in the Regal theatre at Atlantic Station. Enjoy!