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Nickie Koskinen
So much for my bet that Netflix would come to the Wii before the PS3. Today, Netflix and Sony announced that sometime next month, Netflix streaming will come to the PS3. Initially, users will be required to insert a Blu-ray disc in the PS3 which will take advantage of Blu-ray's BD-Live technology to access the Netflix interface.
The disc, which is free for all Netflix members and can be ordered at www.netflix.com/ps3, is a temporary solution, but Netflix is not disclosing when the embedded PS3 solution will replace it. While the PS3 is clearly a great fit for Netflix streaming, I'm still surprised that Netflix would raise their fourth quarter guidance based on this news. With the streaming not due until sometime next month, and users having to first order the disc, I can't imagine that so much streaming takes place in about a six week window, that Netflix things it will impact earnings. To date, Sony has sold just under 9M PS3 units in North America and it's going to be really interesting to see the customer adoption percentage of Netflix on the PS3 in this quarter. It took about three months for 10% of Netflix's members to use the Xbox 360 which has an install base of about 6M more units than the PS3.
The fulfillment time for streaming video course requests varies greatly by supplier, their average response time, and whether the library needs to negotiate a new license for the video. Typically, streaming videos fall under one of three scenarios:
The Marian K. Heilbrun Music and Media Library holds a leading academic media collection, with approximately 30,000 DVDs, 2,700 Blu-rays, and thousands of titles in other formats such as VHS, laserdisc, and 16mm. The Oxford College and Law libraries also contain substantial DVD collections. All are searchable in Library Search.
The Music and Media Library maintains a comprehensive collection of feature films, documentaries, television programs, performing arts videos and educational titles. It also holds a number of rare and unique titles.
A number of DVDs in the Music and Media Library collection are imported, non-Region 1 (U.S.) discs to support teaching and research needs. They may not play in standard U.S. DVD players. A variety of playback options exist for these titles; see below under Playback Support.
The Music and Media Library supports playback of almost all video formats in their collection, both in individual viewing carrels and in the Group Viewing Room. It also circulates portable DVD-ROM drives for laptop playback.
Classroom Technology supports a large number of formats in Emory College classrooms. Please contact them in advance to ensure that you have the classroom equipment and technical support that you need.
About 1 million of the subscribers are requesting Blu-ray discs instead of standard DVDs, and Blu-ray discs cost about 30% more. That means Netflix's profit margins are being squeezed as it expands its high-definition inventory.
Renters who pay $14 per month for Netflix's two-DVD package will have to fork over another $3 if they want Blu-ray discs. Under another popular plan that costs $17 per month for three DVDs, customers who prefer Blu-ray discs will have to pay an additional $4. Subscribers who have more expensive rental plans will pay even more for the Blu-ray luxury.
All monthly fees will remain the same for customers who exclusively rent standard DVDs. Netflix is trying to make it easy for people to avoid the new surcharges by disabling the Blu-ray preference in their rental accounts.
The higher Blu-ray fees come at a time when Netflix's subscriber growth has been accelerating, partly because more households have been gravitating toward relatively cheap forms of home entertainment to save money.
For those of us who remember this practice (which Netflix did for years before streaming was a thing), it's time to say goodbye. CEO Ted Sarandos wrote in a company blog post on Tuesday that Netflix will ship out its final DVDs on Sept. 29. The move comes after a quarter century of Netflix sending discs to people.
Netflix started out in 1998 as a mail-order alternative to video rental stores like Blockbuster, Hollywood Video, and Family Video. Instead of physically traveling to a store and hoping they had whatever you wanted to watch in stock, you'd request something and Netflix would send it to you.
Some 5.2 billion (according to a graphic in Netflix's blog post) shipments later, it's coming to an end. Streaming has obviously become ubiquitous in the last decade and physical media has become the domain of purists. That said, there are still lots of movies that are only available on DVD and can't be easily streamed, so this is sort of a bummer in that respect.
The best way to have your students access streaming media is asynchronously, i.e. assign viewing/listening to be done prior to synchronous/in-person online class time. Contact your subject librarian or the Library Help Desk for support in providing stable links to assigned streaming media.
If you require students to view a DVD or VHS video that is not commercially available in a streaming format, the Library can convert it to a streaming digital copy so it is accessible to students in URCourses.
Please place the request in QuickFind or email the library for more information. Please be aware that digitization of DVDs depends on the availability of the material and can take two to four weeks, so plan ahead!
Traditionally, viewing media in class has been a good way to ensure all students have seen the same media in the same way. However, streaming movies on Zoom has several technological and legal copyright hurdles that showing media in class does not.
When you stream media over Zoom, you are no longer simply "showing a video in class". From a legal perspective, streaming media over Zoom is a broadcast and could fall under different copyright rules. In addition, the technologies differ from platform to platform as to whether they have the capacity to be broadcast over Zoom.
It is for these reasons that we highly recommend relying on asynchronous viewing for your classes; ie/ asking your students to watch media for discussion prior to the scheduled class time. As such, library staff cannot troubleshoot problems with streaming over zoom if you choose to go that route.
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