Where Have All The Video Stores Gone?
Last week the Jumbo Video store at Stafford and Pembina began to sell off its movie stock and prepared to close their doors for good. You may have noticed that there are fewer video stores in your neighborhood as they find it harder and harder to compete with online offerings and the looming switch from DVD to Blue-ray discs.
Does this mean that you will finally have to give up your VCR and purchase something new? Well, yes and no. If you are looking for movies to rent you figured out a few years ago that all the video stores had switched over to DVD. But if all you want to do is record your favourite TV show, videotape is fine and there is no indication that videotape will become harder to find.
If you currently own a DVD player will you have to invest in a Blue-Ray player this year? No, Sony’s Blue-Ray has just won it’s protracted battle with it’s rival Toshiba’s HD-Disc and customers have been sitting on the sidelines waiting for there to be a clear winner before investing in either technology.
If you still have a standard tube TV blue-ray is not for you. This digital format is for High-definition TV sets. What you do need to realize is that HD (high definition) is coming and if you are looking for a new TV this year you need to ensure that it is HD compatible. The new flat screen Plasma and LCD TV’s are all HD for the most part. But there are a few HD tube TV sets out there too.
But this still does not answer the question why the rental stores are closing? They can see the writing on the wall. iTunes in the USA has begun to offer movie rentals through your computer. Prices are cheaper, 3.99 for new standard definition releases and $2.99 for catalogue titles. Add a buck if you want the HD versions. You have 30 days to watch your rented movie and 24 hours to finish it before it disappears. You can watch it on your living room set if it can be attached to your computer or watch it on your iPod. Apple has a device they call Apple TV that lets your computer send files to the TV without wires so that you can watch movies, Youtube videos, photographic slideshows, or TV episodes on the big screen.
Apple’s iTunes site is not the only way to get movies or TV to your computer. You can stream video from some local broadcasters (CTV.ca) or you can download episodes from some American sites.
But this is not where the bulk of the downloading is coming from. Most of it is illegal downloading using a “bit torrent” which is a file sharing, peer-to-peer software that allows users to find and draw down large files from many sources. Just as music was being shared illegally back in the early part of the decade now movies and TV shows are being shared using this new technology. High-speed internet connections has made it possible for packets of information from a variety of sources to be grabbed off the internet and reassembled in your computer into a complete file ready to be watched on your computer.
You can convert these files to formats that can be burnt to DVD and watched on a DVD player, but most users are simply getting a larger monitor for their computer and watching their movies off their computer, laptop, or iPod. It’s a brave new world folks and video stores are starting to get the message.
Blue-ray discs have begun to appear at your favourite Blockbuster video store and if you want a player the cheapest and best way to grab one is to purchase a Sony Playstation gaming console which has a brilliant blue-ray player included. You Grandkids will love you too as they play games on your Playstation hooked up to your big screen TV.
Apple discussion sites online are filled with speculation about just when Mac computers will come equipped with Blue-Ray disc players. Will this happen? No doubt it will. When will it happen is open to debate.
Chris Brown
Does this mean that you will finally have to give up your VCR and purchase something new? Well, yes and no. If you are looking for movies to rent you figured out a few years ago that all the video stores had switched over to DVD. But if all you want to do is record your favourite TV show, videotape is fine and there is no indication that videotape will become harder to find.
If you currently own a DVD player will you have to invest in a Blue-Ray player this year? No, Sony’s Blue-Ray has just won it’s protracted battle with it’s rival Toshiba’s HD-Disc and customers have been sitting on the sidelines waiting for there to be a clear winner before investing in either technology.
If you still have a standard tube TV blue-ray is not for you. This digital format is for High-definition TV sets. What you do need to realize is that HD (high definition) is coming and if you are looking for a new TV this year you need to ensure that it is HD compatible. The new flat screen Plasma and LCD TV’s are all HD for the most part. But there are a few HD tube TV sets out there too.
But this still does not answer the question why the rental stores are closing? They can see the writing on the wall. iTunes in the USA has begun to offer movie rentals through your computer. Prices are cheaper, 3.99 for new standard definition releases and $2.99 for catalogue titles. Add a buck if you want the HD versions. You have 30 days to watch your rented movie and 24 hours to finish it before it disappears. You can watch it on your living room set if it can be attached to your computer or watch it on your iPod. Apple has a device they call Apple TV that lets your computer send files to the TV without wires so that you can watch movies, Youtube videos, photographic slideshows, or TV episodes on the big screen.
Apple’s iTunes site is not the only way to get movies or TV to your computer. You can stream video from some local broadcasters (CTV.ca) or you can download episodes from some American sites.
But this is not where the bulk of the downloading is coming from. Most of it is illegal downloading using a “bit torrent” which is a file sharing, peer-to-peer software that allows users to find and draw down large files from many sources. Just as music was being shared illegally back in the early part of the decade now movies and TV shows are being shared using this new technology. High-speed internet connections has made it possible for packets of information from a variety of sources to be grabbed off the internet and reassembled in your computer into a complete file ready to be watched on your computer.
You can convert these files to formats that can be burnt to DVD and watched on a DVD player, but most users are simply getting a larger monitor for their computer and watching their movies off their computer, laptop, or iPod. It’s a brave new world folks and video stores are starting to get the message.
Blue-ray discs have begun to appear at your favourite Blockbuster video store and if you want a player the cheapest and best way to grab one is to purchase a Sony Playstation gaming console which has a brilliant blue-ray player included. You Grandkids will love you too as they play games on your Playstation hooked up to your big screen TV.
Apple discussion sites online are filled with speculation about just when Mac computers will come equipped with Blue-Ray disc players. Will this happen? No doubt it will. When will it happen is open to debate.
Chris Brown
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