Yep, you read the headline right. By now most of us have dvr's(Digital Video Recorders) setup at home and many of us might go as far as saying that we probably couldn't live without one. In fact, I work with a guy who rents three of them a month and he figures that he watches an average of five hours a tv a day. That is crazy!
Anyways, a recent article on Yahoo News reviews a new service that will allow you to record a streamed movie off of many of the popular video sites. It will work with Netflix, YouTube, Hulu and it is called PlayLater.
For $5 a month or $50 a year you can record a streamed movie off of one of the aforementioned sites or other sites like ESPN, MTV or even CBS. According the the article the quality isn't as good as it would be if you were just going to watch the original stream. Movies on the internet are already compressed files and its being re-compressed by the recording so its losing quality.
The idea behind this is great. We all watch streamed movies and to be able to skip commercials or save it for when you don't have access to the internet makes this very intriguing. The example the article gives is being on a plane and not having anything to do, you could watch a recording of a streamed movie.
The article also talks about the legalities about PlayLater. Right now there is no way for these companies to block the recordings or take action against them. Digital Video Recorders are considered legal and therefore they probably won't be able to do much to stop these services.
Right now its only available on PC's and not Mac's, if it was I think I may look into it, I think it sounds like a good idea. What about you, would you give it a try? Did I mention you can try it for free for two weeks?
I currently do not use any source of DVR because I am limited due to dorm living. However, I know many people who have looked into it and found it a hassle or not worth the work. Others absolutely love the freedom of coming and going and knowing their favorite show will always be there waiting. PlayLater sounds like its a step in a good direction for the company; people everywhere love the convenience of "record now, play later." It's only a matter of time until programs like this one completely control our world -- many can't live without a television or instant watch on Hulu. It's sad, but true.
ReplyDeleteI am not fully sure I understand the concept behind this PlayLater service. I have had Tivo in the past and LOVE IT. It works great for when I am working I just come home and watch the show I want to watch and fast forward through commercials. If services like Hulu and Netflix are "on-demand" services, I fail to see how it is important that we record these movies to watch later. Can't we watch them whenever we want already? The only thing I can think of is if they are trying to make a way for you to essentially have a movie indefinitely from Netflix and then just cancel your service. I would def try it out but I probably would not subscribe.
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