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“Our continued goal is to expand the breadth and timeliness of films and TV shows available to stream on Netflix,” said Netflix official Ted Sarandos in a statement. “Historically, the rights to distribute these films are pre-sold to pay TV for as long as nine years after their theatrical release. Through our partnership with Relativity, these films will start to become available to our members just months after their DVD release.”
Blu-ray, We Hardly Knew Ye
So where does this leave Blu-ray? The high-def successor to DVD has its proponents certainly, some of whom see the format as a great way to bring 3D entertainment to the home. But the consumer demand for 3D TV remains questionable, and Blu-ray is increasingly looking like an anachronism in today’s online-oriented world. Content deals like today’s Netflix-Relativity pact highlight the growing importance of the Internet as an entertainment-delivery system. It also gives consumers yet another reason to pass on that bargain Blu-ray player at Costco.
The fact that many new Blu-ray players have built-in Internet streaming (with Netflix access) is a good indication of their true value. Soon, I suspect, they’ll be used more as set-top boxes to access online content rather than as disc players.
I have an upconverting DVD player and the results are pretty good. Titles are cheap and plentiful.