
A Netflix for Film Geeks? - smacktoward
http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-netflix-for-film-geeks-1476395406?mod=e2tw
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sroerick
This is _brilliant_. (Mubi is apparently similar, which I hadn't yet seen.)

From a user's perspective, this is ultimately the best case scenario for
siloed content. The editorial perspective offered by the steaming service
provides a value added that Netflix demographic research just cant -- it
offers, to some extent, access to _the canon_. Also, this eliminates the awful
feeling of browsing endlessly looking for something to find.

From the companies' perspective, this allows them to pick and choose which
films they acquire the steaming rights for, and to do it for only a limited
time, similarly to how TCM and Criterion operate in today's market. They're at
a HUGE financial advantage to Netflix. They aren't trying to cater to tons of
demographics, they're offering a critical perspective.

What would be truly interesting is if one of these smaller, more nimble
streaming services started to get involved in the actual production of film (a
la Netflix), rather than just film criticism.

Netflix Originals are great, and they've done amazing work, but ultimately
they suffer from the same fatal flaw as the film studios, the same failure to
produce mythology. Films produced through demographic research and testing
ultimately can never transcend commerce; they can only tell viewers things
they want to know.

~~~
cm2187
Mubi has its benefit. It is great for the "show me something new" / "surprise
me" approach. Discovering new genres, new films, new directors.

But if you decide you want to watch all the Brian de Palma movies you haven't
seen, then neither Mubi nor Netflix or any competitor will satisfy this
demand. Right now only the Pirate Bay will (or Amazon if you are happy to wait
a couple of days to receive a DVD, and if you still even have a device that
plays DVDs).

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gcb0
unfortunately mubi, Netflix, etc have really bad quality. Netflix is ahead,
obviously. specially in sound. buy any fast horizontal pan scene and
compression ruins everything.

mubi sometimes has sound so badly compressed i just give up watching.

also, accessibility and original sound. Netflix decides if you're going to be
able to hear the original language or not. some movies have all tracks, some
have only the one in the language of whichever country you're at the time.
some have subtitles in the local county language. some have deaf cc subtitles.
mubi has zero regard for the deaf. Netflix has zero regards for the deaf
overseas, in the US it's pretty good though.

bottom line is, all the talks that Netflix et al are the answer to piracy are
wrong if the user is minimally self respecting. i will stop writing now
because typing on mobile in this tiny box is also bad for self respecting me.

~~~
extra88
> Netflix has zero regards for the deaf overseas, in the US it's pretty good
> though.

Sure, because the National Association for the Deaf sued them to get them to
do it. [0] It's an important case for online businesses because the judge
concluded that the ADA applies to them, too (which is sort of on obvious
conclusion but it hadn't be tested in court).

Captions already existed for the large majority of TV shows and movies Netflix
was licensing, they just needed to get them from the studios though may have
needed to be recreated if they weren't saved in text form, DVD and Blu-ray
captions are stored as images on the discs. Of course for their original
programming they would need to have them created, for a ballpark figure of
$2/minute of content.

Outside the U.S., I assume it depends on what captions already exist and what
local laws require.

[0] [https://nad.org/news/2012/6/landmark-precedent-nad-vs-
netfli...](https://nad.org/news/2012/6/landmark-precedent-nad-vs-netflix)

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ricardobeat
This is _sad_.

We are going to end up with something very much like what cable TV is - paying
an aggregator service for a collection of different providers and premium
channel subscriptions.

How different is that grid of ten different streaming apps in your device from
a cable channel guide?

~~~
ZenoArrow
What would you prefer instead? Everything to be available via Netflix?

~~~
ekianjo
The solution would be for the content to be decentralized and simply available
through an API with licensing fees for each program you want to watch, and
stores would basically talk to each API and would be dissociated from the
content distribution. That way stores could compete on the better UI and
payment systems and everyone could have access to the same movie collection.

I don't think this is going to happen, though. Companies love walled gardens
too much.

~~~
jhbadger
If you want the pay-per-view model, Google, Apple, and Amazon all feature this
today with a much larger library of films than are on the subscription
streaming services.

~~~
ekianjo
But the prices are ridiculous.

~~~
jhbadger
The prices for "purchasing" often seem absurd -- as much as buying a DVD, with
no guarantee that the service will have the movie forever. But rental is
typically only $2-$3 dollars -- basically what renting a movie from a video
rental store used to cost, so not that unreasonable

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JohnnyConatus
If this appeals, check out Mubi. They're basically an arthouse Netflix.

~~~
icebraining
As a non-US citizen, the Mubi website is annoying. They have a single list
with the thirty "now showing" movies, yet they say in the FAQ that each
country has its own unique line-up, so I'm left wondering what would actually
be available here.

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endymi0n
Have a look on [https://www.justwatch.com](https://www.justwatch.com) in the
country you want to know and filter for Mubi!

Disclosure: I'm Cofounder there :)

~~~
dominotw
this looks really useful. I like the clean UI.

Maybe I missed it but is it possible to look for TV shows or documentaries or
is it just movies.

~~~
OJFord
TV shows are in there, there's a 'TV' icon in the top right of the cover to
distinguish. There's 'Movies' and 'TV series' filters on the left of the
filter bar too.

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sotojuan
FilmStruck is the service I am waiting for the most. As someone who used to
pirate terabytes of films from Karagarga and other "good film" trackers, I'm
happy to be able to support Criterion and Turner in this endeavor.

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codemac
This used to be the DVD form of Netflix! The community function especially. I
still miss it :(

It's so sad what they've become, I plan on cancelling in a bit, as amazon
prime is free 2 day shipping + a batch of binge watching crap as well.

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lobster_johnson
There's also Fandor [1], which has a ton of indie/art house content and covers
the major festivals (though lagging by >1 year -- they have almost nothing
newer than 2015). They have apps for AppleTV, iOS and probably other systems.

But I'm definitely looking forward to FilmStruck launching. Criterion access
alone is worth the subscription price.

[1] [https://www.fandor.com](https://www.fandor.com)

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douche
I just want a netflix of the Turner Classic Movies catalog.

I was so pissed when Comcast dropped TCM and left me with 100 other garbage
channels I don't watch.

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Syzygies
[http://www.filmstruck.com/](http://www.filmstruck.com/) is the streaming
service in question.

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personlurking
Great to learn about all the other services in the list of competitors. Some
years ago, I did an Ask HN about why there wasn't a specialized "Netflix"
(akin to an indie movie rental store). It only got a few answers but they all
said, if memory serves, it wouldn't happen.

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RichardCA
Fandor is pretty good.

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vermooten
Shame I'll have to go through proxy from UK to get this.

~~~
fittom
You don't have to. Click the "web" link on top of this page, and then click
the first google result.

Update: oh sry, you meant the movies...

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a3n
It will be perfect if they don't repeat every movie in every category listing,
a la Netflix.

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sergiotapia
On the complete other-side of the spectrum we used to have Cinemageddon. :P

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quinndupont
Canadian availability?

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jconway45
mubi.com

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teh_klev
Archive.is for those who can't get past the paywall using the usual tricks:

[http://archive.is/5ZmFH](http://archive.is/5ZmFH)

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telesilla
FYI This link (from outside the US) was requiring a subscription. I copied the
URL into Google and was able to read it in its entirety with this method.

~~~
intopieces
This is what the "web" link below the HN headline does.

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hullsean
I thought the Netflix for film geeks was Mubi.com ...

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shmerl
If they target geeks, they should start releasing films DRM-free.

~~~
chakalakasp
Different kind of geek. There is the film buff geek and there is the burn-
your-DRMbra computer geek, and while there is some crossover the Venn diagram
is far from a total eclipse.

~~~
shmerl
GOG tried to cater for both. But the effort was stalled by retarded paranoia
of control freaks.

[https://www.gog.com/forum/general/introducing_gogcom_drmfree...](https://www.gog.com/forum/general/introducing_gogcom_drmfree_movies/post499)

~~~
shakna
Two years on... No one wants to be the first.

This is depressing - because it has the exact flexibility that so many people
want.

For example, one of the first questions I get asked when introducing an older
person to Netflix is, "Can I play it on X?"

Sure, if it can run the app. Oh, just a TV? Let me get you Y hardware so it
will.

~~~
shmerl
Yet, pirates provide this flexibility of DRM-free films for years already. So
not competing with them is simply dumb as anyone understands. This "no one
wants to be first" just doesn't make any logical sense, since they aren't
first by any means - they are very late. As you can see from that story, even
studio execs admit all that. But their lawyers just can't admit how dumb this
is. It's some kind of mind sickness of those who are obsessed with control.

