Friday, November 16, 2012

WB Launches iOS app (I’m sure Android Will Follow Soon Enough) With Offline Playback, Feature I hope Others Duplicate


Source:  9to5Mac.

This is huge in my mind.  Warner Brothers launched a new called for next day viewing called “Day After Us”.  Yes, a studio launching an app like that.  What is more significant is the ability to download it for off-line viewing.

At first, I thought we’d have to pay a month subscription for that but apparently its free.  Maybe this is a test run and we will have to pay something in the future just like Hulu was pretty much free until, well, it wasn’t anymore.

I like to see Hulu and Netflix follow suit.  With the ability to download movies or TV shows for offline viewing, it would greatly help folks who travel or have kids they need to entertain on trips without the benefit of wireless connection.

Again, I say this:  this is a big deal.  This is the exact iTunes description for the app.  The link is here.  Big Bang Theory among shows that WB mentioned.
Watch the most current episodes of Warner Bros popular television series the day after they air in the United States! Catch up on these hot shows by watching episodes from previous seasons, all conveniently located in one mobile app. Download the app to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and watch the first episode of each series for free. For the complete experience, you can purchase individual episodes or save money and buy whole seasons as you unlock extra content.
App Features Include:
  • Offline playback: Download episodes directly to your device to playback at anytime
  • Steaming playback: Stream an episode instantly over Wi-Fi
  • Multiple languages: Watch the episodes in your language of choice
  • Real-time news: Live Twitter and Facebook updates
  • Explore WB catalog: Browse other app editions created by Warner Bros.
  • Localized audio dubs and dynamic subtitles are available in certain languages.
Again, see the offline playback.  This is something that I think Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and other streaming video services really should take advantage off.  In fact, this could be a whole new revenue stream for these companies.  Let’s suppose they offer this as an option for a fee.  It’s almost like rental, don’t you think?

For instance, say for $5 a month, you can download a couple of movies or TV shows at a time and you can watch them any time or as many times as you want.  But until you erase them, you can’t download more.  And they can even give the option of downloading more if the subscriber is willing to pay more for it.

I’ve thought find it insane that Netflix, the only streaming service I currently have, does not allow this options.  It should be available and something they could work with the content providers on.

Heck, even Google could offer the same service on Youtube.  Or Vimeo or anyone else.  For now, I like that WB is doing this for free.


Download app…now.




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