Apple Dominates Online Movie Sales, Walmart Is Catching Up

This past year we've seen the online space for filmed entertainment grow leaps and bounds with the further entrenchment of Netflix. It seems like all televisions and entertainment devices have either Netflix or some other connected provider for movies.

In terms of the online sales of movies, Apple currently is dominating the space with 64.5% of total consumer spending on online movies in 2010 according to a report conducted by IHS Screen digest. This figure is down from 74.4% in 2009. In second place, Microsoft is commanding a 17.9% cut of the market, which is up from 11.6% in 2009. Sony placed third with 7.2%, which shows they increased their share from 5.7% in 2009. Remaining competitors in the online movie sales space saw their growth increase from 8.3% in 2009 to 10.4% in 2010.

When looking at the figures, it is evident that the overall online movie market grew, so Apple earned more revenue with online movies in 2010 than it did the previous year, although it lost almost 10% in market share.

One of the biggest competitors to Apple is one that isn't even in the top three yet... Walmart. Industry insiders are predicting that if Walmart (following their purchase of online movie service Vudu) continues its momentum, it will soon be a major player in the online movie market. Walmart's momentum has been helped by the inclusion of the Vudu service in several Blu-Ray DVD players, game systems like the Sony PS3, and various set top boxes.

We'll have to keep our eyes peeled to see who gets the majority of our online movie funds this year. The physical DVD market continues to decline, while the online space continues to grow. As our habits continue to evolve, I hope that services continue to give us more of what we are looking for... current titles, back catalog, and high quality picture and audio.

What do you think about the available online movie services? Have you tried them, and if so, which one is your favorite? Please leave a comment below!

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$uper Bowl - The Epitome Of Excess

Here it is, $uper Bowl Sunday. Americans coast to coast take to firing up their grills, tapping beer kegs, and overindulging in homemade chili. Each year, the tradition repeats. Today pretty much showcases the amount of excesses American's partake in. For football fans, it is the culmination of the season. For large corporations, it is the chance to jockey for a lucrative commercial spot.

Watching football is not a regular part of my weekly routine. I am aware of which teams are playing in today's game. As far as players go, I am only aware of the Pittsburgh quarterback, and I know of him only because of the accusations he has faced off the field. Watching the game tonight, I will be hearing most players names for the first time.

As a child, I was a huge fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The days of Terry Bradshaw, Franco Herris, and Mean Joe Greene. The first football I ever had was a model that featured a phony Terry Bradshaw signature. Those days are long gone. These days, I rarely have the time or motivation to watch highlights from a football game let alone devote several hours to watch an actual game. I suppose I would watch a game if I had nothing else productive to do.

I'm not slamming football fans. In fact, I used to be a huge fan myself. I enjoyed playing on my high school football team as well. Out team was pretty pathetic back then, and although I liked to play, I certainly wouldn't call myself good at it. It's just that at this point in my life, I can't justify giving football the attention. However, tonight I will watch.

A good portion of the media attention leading up to today's game has been, as in years past about the types of commercials that will be shown, as well as what musical act (Black Eyed Peas) is performing at half-time. Spots featuring Angry Birds, the deal website GroupOn, car companies, and television shows are predicted to garner tons of attention. In fact, there are multiple websites dedicated to the display and popularity of super bowl advertising.

One of the most famous Super Bowl television ads in history was the Apple Macintosh "1984" ad that appeared during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII. It was directed by famed director Ridley Scott and its Super Bowl appearance was its only U.S. daytime televised broadcast. It is considered to be one of the best commercials of all time.Take a look at the commercial below.

As I mentioned, I'll be watching the game tonight. However, I will be paying close attention to the advertisements. I find the ads that run during the Super Bowl to be a fair gauge at what will follow in terms of consumerism in the remainder of the year. I feel that the commercial spots will do more in generating conversation in the long run that the actual action of the game will. I could be wrong... Maybe tonight's game will bring me back to the times of my youth when I loved the game. We'll see...

What are your thoughts on the Super Bowl? Are you looking forward to the football game, and are you a fan of the Steelers or Packers? Do you like the commercials? What are your favorites? Please leave a comment below.

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Angry Birds May Be The Highlight Of The Super Bowl

You may have not yet heard, but the cast of characters from the runaway casual gaming hit Angry Birds are getting a prominent spot in a Super Bowl advertisement. The Angry Birds ought to start smiling. They are pretty successful!

In what is to be the first Super Bowl commercial to include an embedded code, the characters from the Rovio's smash-hit game appear along side characters from the upcoming film release Rio from Twentieth Century Fox.

The commercial spot will feature an embedded code that gamers will be able to enter into the Angry Birds game and be taken to a special hidden Rio level in the game. The game level will also take you to a Rio sweepstakes. The winner of the sweepstakes will get to attend the premiere of the Rio film in Rio de Janeiro on March 22, 2011. Pretty unique marketing!

I've seen the Super Bowl commercial already, and characters from Angry Birds get significantly more screen time than the characters from the upcoming film. This definitely lends credibility to the popularity of this game. It is still the top selling app store item on Apple's iPhone and iPad, and has landed as a downloadable game on the Xbox 360 and Sony PS3 as well. Angry Birds will also be released for the upcoming Nintendo 3DS.

Have you played Angry Birds and/or the supplemental level game Angry Birds Seasons? I enjoy them, but I take my time trying to get three stars on each level before progressing. It's challenging, and it will definitely take me some time to get perfect scores on all of the levels as I advance. I'm in no hurry.

Are you a fan of the game? Have any tips or tricks? What do you think about this marketing strategy for promoting the Rio film?

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Will ISP Caps And Charges Conquer Netflix?

I love Netflix. other than DVR technology, no single service has changed how I consume video content. The capability to view movies and television shows on demand on many devices for one low monthly price is extremely useful and cost-effective.

In the last couple of years, Netflix has made a major push towards having its platform available on multiple devices including televisions, game systems, set-top boxes, and mobile phones. Along with inroads from other services such as Hulu, this effort has increased the popularity of streaming video content over the internet.

Netflix has consistently adding movies and television series to its streaming service. The only complaint I have is that there are many movies currently released on DVD that are not yet present. I realize that the entertainment industry is very strict with their release windows and that someday this issue may be resolved. I have found myself watching a lot of quality films that I hadn't heard of. Foreign thrillers are one of my new favorite film genres. There are a lot of great documentaries as well that I have watched.

Due to the nature of internet video streaming, consumers are generating much more demand on the connections of their Internet Service Providers (ISP's.) Due to this increase in traffic, there has been a lot of chatter about ISP's enforcing capacity ceilings on the amount of data consumers can use each month. There has also been discussion about implementing structures that charge consumers per gigabyte of usage. Potentially, those that utilize services like Netflix streaming could see higher internet bills than those that do not use the service.

In a letter (PDF) that Netflix distributed on January 26, 2011 to its shareholders along with its latest financial report, they claim that an obstacle to the success of their company is the potential "move by wires ISP's to shift consumers to pay-per-gigabyte models instead of the current unlimited up-to-a-large-cap approach." Netflix asserts that they hope that ISP's do not take that route, and will continue to promote the continuation of the unlimited-up-to-a-large-cap model. They further assert that wired ISP's costs to deliver one hour of viewing over their network costs them less than a penny, and that price is falling. This clearly says that the ISP's motive for pricing with a per-gigabyte model is economically unnecessary.

Personally, I don't want my ISP to charge me more than they already do. Leave my ability to enjoy Netflix alone!

What do you think about ISP's going to a per-gigabyte pricing model? Do you think it's fair? Do the ISP's make enough money as it is?  Are you a Netflix customer? Please leave your comments below! I'd love to hear from you.

The Future Of Television Convenience

How many times have you been watching a show on television, and have found yourself needing to head into a different area of the house to answer a phone, grab a bite to eat, or do something else briefly? Wouldn't it be nice if you didn't have to miss a minute of that great game or show that you were watching?

The time has finally arrived, and it's now possible! The new Samsung UN46C9000 TV is the first that I have seen that allows this capability. With the included Wifi Touchscreen remote control, not only can you change the channel, volume, and perform other television operations, but you can watch whatever is being displayed on the TV live on the remote itself! The remote has a display that resembles the size and resolution of a smartphone like the iPhone or Android phones.

Maybe you want to head out to the kitchen and get a beverage. I can think of several situations where you may need to leave the TV during a point in which you wish you didn't have to. Now, you can take the action with you and not miss a beat!

I haven't had the opportunity to see the television and remote in person, but it is now on the market and is currently available. The MSRP is $4999.99, but I have found some reputable places that are selling the unit with many additional add-ons for just under $3000.

The price may appear steep for a 46-inch LED backlit Television, but it is 3D-Ready, 240Hz, includes built in Internet TV capability for Netflix and other online content, can stream video and audio from DLNA-compatible Windows computers.

The deal that I found came with two sets of 3D glasses, a 3D movie, and a Samsung Wi-Fi Blu-Ray Player.

I would love to see how well the wifi remote works. Could this be the next step in home television convenience? I'm sure other manufacturers will come out with competing technologies that offer similar functionality, if they have not already.

What do you think? Is this new functionality something that you think will make television viewing more convenient?

Enjoying Your Favorite Holiday Films

Images Copyright Warner Bros.

I love the holidays. Other than the hustle and bustle associated with this time of year, I always look forward to the holiday season. Once the commotion is behind me, I find many opportunities to enjoy films and television that showcase holiday themes.

What do I  choose to watch this time of year? I have a pretty extensive collection of holiday themed films that range from classics like It's A Wonderful Life to modern fare such as the new CGI-laden remake of A Christmas Carol. It's amazing to look at some of the older black and white films and see that thematically they still hold up well.

There are a few films and shows that certainly make it into the viewing rotation every year in our household: Christmas Vacation, It's a Wonderful Life, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas, and of course A Christmas Story. Each year I view each of these titles multiple times, and I find that I never tire of them. In fact, I pretty much refuse to let anyone in my house watch any television on Christmas day other than 24 hours of A Christmas Story on TBS. As you can tell, I am pretty nuts about holiday fare.

In addition to the films and shows mentioned above, several others that I enjoy are Elf, The Year Without A Santa Claus, and Jingle All The Way, featuring one of my favorite comic actors, the late Phil Hartman. When I was very young one of my favorites was an Italian film called The Christmas That Almost Wasn't, and I have watched that occasionally as well.

Holiday films are just plain old fun for me. This time of year, my wife and I find ourselves frequently quoting Christmas Vacation, and then wanting to pop it into the DVD player one more time. Watching Emmet Otter brings back childhood memories and it is very nice to be able to share my favorites from my youth with my young kids as well. Watching them together is almost like passing the torch to the next generation, and I enjoy seeing them learn to appreciate these treasures.

What do you and your family most like to watch this time of year? Do you have any holiday traditions as far as viewing holiday themed movies and shows?