Unlimited VM HD Movies-On-Demand for Â£5 per month - Page 3

nialli · 02-07-2009, 14:23

Really? Hmm - the Virgin press release said:

Quote:

Most of the PictureBox films will be available in HD and many will not yet have been seen on free-to-air television in the UK.

Maybe the reason they haven't been shown on fta TV is that nobody wanted them...
Are any in HD? I'd consider watching Mystery Men and Jaws in HD, but won't be tempted on the strength of this selection

TheDon · 02-07-2009, 14:30

Around half of them are in HD.

jamieh1979 · 02-07-2009, 14:40

Does anyone have any idea what the launch date will be?

TheDon · 02-07-2009, 14:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamieh1979

Does anyone have any idea what the launch date will be?

Today.

ozsat · 02-07-2009, 15:21

It is available now with 20 films in HD - a little under a half of them

batchain · 02-07-2009, 15:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by nialli

Really? Hmm - the Virgin press release said:

Maybe the reason they haven't been shown on fta TV is that nobody wanted them...
Are any in HD? I'd consider watching Mystery Men and Jaws in HD, but won't be tempted on the strength of this selection

Sky has first pay TV rights, Picture Box secondary pay TV rights (for Universal releases), both enjoy a period exclusivity before they can be shown on FTA TV. Like Sky Movies, Picture Box also relies heavily on older non-exclusive library titles. About half of the available titles are in HD, Jaws included.

Film rights window;

Months 0-3. Cinema
Months 3-6. DVD / Download to own
Months 6-9. PPV (FilmFlex / SBO)
Months 9-12. No new release window
Months 12-27. 1st Pay TV window (Sky Movies)
Months 27-36. Second Pay TV window (Picture Box)
Months 36 onwards. Free TV window / Library VOD titles

Horace · 02-07-2009, 15:31

It's all a matter of taste but the list does have a "Woolies bargain bin" feel to it. They should really of negotiated with Picturebox for much stronger (newer, better known) titles on launch where they will inevitably get the most attention. I may subscribe since Â£5 is pretty decent value even if only 2-3 HD films are watched.

LiamTG · 02-07-2009, 16:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Horace

It's all a matter of taste but the list does have a "Woolies bargain bin" feel to it.

LOL

Still it's been said. Â£5 per month is a bar-gain!

jab1990 · 02-07-2009, 17:30

It actually manages to make filmflex at Â£4 a pop seem like a bargain

sammyjayuk · 02-07-2009, 17:48

As has been pointed out already, Sky hold exclusive first subscription window SVOD rights for much of Hollywood's output, seemingly because the studios package them with the linear rights. Getting the studios to "unbundle" these rights currently appears to be Ofcom's preferred option, although they seem prepared to force Sky to wholesale them if it comes to it.

As for value, it depends what you want to watch. Even if you only find one film a week that you want to watch, it could turn out to be better value that the postal rental services, which tend to cap at 2 or so discs a month at this sort of price. It's also vastly more convenient. I can see 2, maybe 3 films I'd probably watch now, and 1 from each week's new titles. I don't think that's too bad, for a fiver a month.

I think this probably was the surprise, and unlike some, I'm not disappointed by it. I don't know whether I'd subscribe - adding it to the basket on VM's website suggests that I'd have to take it for 12 months, and also I had to relegate the V+ to SCART so I could connect the Sky+HD box - but it's not bad.

Perhaps the biggest surprise - given that PictureBox has been available on BT Vision, Tiscali TV and Top Up TV for a while - is that it took so long for PictureBox to appear on VM!

Sam

jamieh1979 · 02-07-2009, 19:16

Anyone got a list of what is currently on in SD and HD??
Seeing that I am not prepared to pay what Sky want for their movie package, this seems like a bargain!

---------- Post added at 19:16 ---------- Previous post was at 19:13 ----------

Found a listing

http://www.picturebox.tv/virgin.php

toady · 02-07-2009, 19:16

Does anyone know if you can watch them more than once in a month

jamieh1979 · 02-07-2009, 19:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by toady

Does anyone know if you can watch them more than once in a month

I am guessing you can watch them as much as you like if you pay the suscription.

nialli · 02-07-2009, 21:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDon

This is the actual list, and is exactly what is showing in movies on demand now.

The movies change tomorrow (Friday) - click Forward 1 Week to see the first batch on Virgin. I've published a list of the ones in HD on the VMHD blog (link in my signature).
If this is a typical week, I think it's good value for Â£5 unlimited viewing, especially for those without Sky Movies subscriptions.

SB_07 · 03-07-2009, 01:27

Dazed & Confused is classic!