Comcast has begun an initiative to bring films to On Demand the same day they’re released on DVD. It is an attempt to increase sales of it’s pay per view service. The experiment is currently running in Pittsburgh and Denver. It allows viewers to watch movies for $4 a piece.
This kind of service is a bit of a no-brainer, but I’m glad to see Comcast starting it. Considering how many people already have the equipment in place to get movies in this capacity, it makes perfect sense.
If more providers hop on board, it could feasibly change the way we watch movies. More likely though, they’ll slack ass and someone like Microsoft will gain dominance in the field by forcing people to purchase extra equipment (see: Xbox 360) to get the same service they would have been able to get with On Demand.
On Demand and on DVD at the Same Time [NY Times]