Here's another good reason to consider powering up to broadband: a new subscription service for broadband users to download premium movies from the Internet was launched June 14 by cable television network Starz Encore Group and streaming media giant RealNetworks.
"Starting today, Starz and Real are delivering a breakthrough service that gives broadband consumers a new way to watch movies whenever and wherever they want," said Real founder and chief executive Rob Glaser, announcing the new service, called Starz! Ticket.
"[W]e're proud to be partnering with Starz to deliver yet another first to consumers," Glaser continued. "Our Rhapsody service has already given hundreds of thousands of broadband consumers the ability to listen to what they want, whenever they want it, for one simple monthly price. Starz! Ticket on Real Movies now offers the same great benefits to broadband consumers who love movies."
Several major Hollywood studios are supplying films to the new service, including Disney, Fox, MGM, Miramax, New Line, Revolution Studios, Sony, and Universal.
The new service will provide unlimited access to a rotating library of premium films for $12.95 a month, as opposed to a separate fee per film such as pay-per-view or video-on-demand services offer, the two companies said. The films will be offered through RealVideo 10 and RealPlayer, taking as little as 20 minutes per download depending on a subscriber's broadband speed.
Starz founder and chief executive John J. Sie said the "all you can eat" model is far more popular than the pay-per-view model in the cable and satellite broadcasting world, thus making it make sense to try it in cyberspace.
"We are pleased to bring consumers Starz! Ticket on Real Movies, which we believe will fit well with subscribers' viewing habits and drive deployment of high-speed broadband services," Sie said at the Starz/Real deal announcement. "We are also confident that the quality of the broadband-delivered product will live up to the high standards consumers have come to expect from Starz services."
Subscribers need a connection speed of at least 600 kbps to use the service, which provides features as DVD functionality including fast forward, rewind, and pause; an ability to view with RealPlayer in full screen or theater mode; flexibility in location; and the ability to download to as many as three personal computers, Starz and Real said. The content is protected with Real's Helix digital rights management program.
