New startup wants to offer movie rentals the same day as release

Screening Room, a new startup backed by Sean Parker, wants to offer rentals of movies day and date when they hit theaters.

The company also promises completely secure anti-piracy technology for the releases, although there has yet to be a truly "uncrackable" protection for movies and streaming media.

Sources say Screening Room will charge $150 for the proprietary set-top box to play the movies, and then $50 for the 48-hour rental. Anyone who rents will also get two free tickets to the film at any theater of their choosing, helping to make the price more reasonable.

Parker and other reps for the company have been meeting with all the major studios and exhibitors for months, and there is a feeling that AMC could be ready to make a deal. The exhibitor could make as much as 20% of the revenue while the studios make an additional 20%. Of the majors, Universal, Fox and Sony are said to have shown sincere interest in the program.

For now, talks are in the early stages, but we may be on the verge of a true home theater experience.

Source:
Variety

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 10 Mar 2016 23:21

rdn98

Wouldn't it be cheaper to just go watch the movie at the theatre?

11.3.2016 01:01 #1

biver

Its never going to happen... It would make it way to easy for pirating.

11.3.2016 10:05 #2

harhumph

High quality screeners for everyone!!!! Let's support this and just say yes! Hahahahahahaha

11.3.2016 11:01 #3

hearme0

Perhaps I'm thinking incorrectly here but 150 for the set-top box is understandable HOWEVER, 50 bucks for a 2 day rental is F'ing INSANE.

This will never launch!

11.3.2016 14:21 #4

aw2600

These days it costs at least $30 for two people to see a movie in the theater and to buy a few snacks. For $50 I could have some friends over, use my 61" TV and surround sound system, sit in a clean seat, use a clean bathroom, make popcorn for $0.50, have a few beers and come out ahead. I wouldn't do it all the time, but for blockbusters it's a good deal. With a 48 hour rental I could even watch a movie twice if I wanted to. (Throw in an HDCP stripper and the benefits go up.)

11.3.2016 15:16 #5

hearme0

Originally posted by aw2600: These days it costs at least $30 for two people to see a movie in the theater and to buy a few snacks. For $50 I could have some friends over, use my 61" TV and surround sound system, sit in a clean seat, use a clean bathroom, make popcorn for $0.50, have a few beers and come out ahead. I wouldn't do it all the time, but for blockbusters it's a good deal. With a 48 hour rental I could even watch a movie twice if I wanted to. (Throw in an HDCP stripper and the benefits go up.)

This is a seriously bass-ackwards approach to TRYING to put a positive spin on something. In addition, your point has little merit and frankly, is a rather lame comment.

You say for 50 bucks you can have friends over but you must buy them the food and booze which now ups you way past 50 bucks. Watching it twice is certainly not a reason to spend 50 on a movie.

Theaters aren't that dirty and the screen is a little bigger and more attractive than a 61" and the surround at a theater can't be compared to a home setup.......ever.

May I remind that people do the theater for the experience 98% of the time and those that rent.............will NOT pay 50 bucks despite your nonsense circular logic.

12.3.2016 23:16 #6

Clam_Up

Originally posted by hearme0: Originally posted by aw2600: These days it costs at least $30 for two people to see a movie in the theater and to buy a few snacks. For $50 I could have some friends over, use my 61" TV and surround sound system, sit in a clean seat, use a clean bathroom, make popcorn for $0.50, have a few beers and come out ahead. I wouldn't do it all the time, but for blockbusters it's a good deal. With a 48 hour rental I could even watch a movie twice if I wanted to. (Throw in an HDCP stripper and the benefits go up.)

This is a seriously bass-ackwards approach to TRYING to put a positive spin on something. In addition, your point has little merit and frankly, is a rather lame comment.

You say for 50 bucks you can have friends over but you must buy them the food and booze which now ups you way past 50 bucks. Watching it twice is certainly not a reason to spend 50 on a movie.

Theaters aren't that dirty and the screen is a little bigger and more attractive than a 61" and the surround at a theater can't be compared to a home setup.......ever.

May I remind that people do the theater for the experience 98% of the time and those that rent.............will NOT pay 50 bucks despite your nonsense circular logic. I don't know... people pay more for a boxing match on Pay Per View these days, and in some cases that nets them a measly round or two.

If you're judging audiophile-grade systems by what you hear in the average theater you're really missing the boat. Some high-end systems put together by the right people blow theater sound systems out of the water. It's not just about the equipment either. If your theater is within five miles of an airport like ours is, for example, your audio experience can be ruined every few minutes.

When laws allow unlimited ownership of ideas, it is to a society as iron fusion is to the core of a star.

13.3.2016 21:56 #7

aw2600

Originally posted by Clam_Up: Originally posted by hearme0: Originally posted by aw2600: These days it costs at least $30 for two people to see a movie in the theater and to buy a few snacks. For $50 I could have some friends over, use my 61" TV and surround sound system, sit in a clean seat, use a clean bathroom, make popcorn for $0.50, have a few beers and come out ahead. I wouldn't do it all the time, but for blockbusters it's a good deal. With a 48 hour rental I could even watch a movie twice if I wanted to. (Throw in an HDCP stripper and the benefits go up.)

This is a seriously bass-ackwards approach to TRYING to put a positive spin on something. In addition, your point has little merit and frankly, is a rather lame comment.

You say for 50 bucks you can have friends over but you must buy them the food and booze which now ups you way past 50 bucks. Watching it twice is certainly not a reason to spend 50 on a movie.

Theaters aren't that dirty and the screen is a little bigger and more attractive than a 61" and the surround at a theater can't be compared to a home setup.......ever.

May I remind that people do the theater for the experience 98% of the time and those that rent.............will NOT pay 50 bucks despite your nonsense circular logic. I don't know... people pay more for a boxing match on Pay Per View these days, and in some cases that nets them a measly round or two.

If you're judging audiophile-grade systems by what you hear in the average theater you're really missing the boat. Some high-end systems put together by the right people blow theater sound systems out of the water. It's not just about the equipment either. If your theater is within five miles of an airport like ours is, for example, your audio experience can be ruined every few minutes. Hearme0 - please relax. I'm not trying to put a positive spin on the idea. I'm just stating that the market may be receptive. As Clam_UP said, people pay big bucks to watch boxing and MMA on Pay Per View already. Would I, personally, play $50 to watch a movie at home? Probably not. That being said, my girlfriend and I went to see the new Star Wars movie twice. The second time we took my adult kids. It would have been cheaper to pay $50 and watch at home. I could have even sold the two theater tickets (part of the proposed $50 offering) on Craigslist and made it even cheaper.

There are lots of Hollywood big shots that are behind this initiative. While it will likely have a limited audience (no pun intended) the idea has some merit.

14.3.2016 16:29 #8

8686

Id say cinavia is a pretty uncrackable protection. It doesnt stop piracy but it is not crackable either. I agree with those that said $50 is too much to pay for a movie rental. Unless 5 people are coming over and everyone chips in, I would never pay it. Its bad enough we have to wait to rent until the "purchase-only " period passes.

Gigabyte 890FXA-UD5
AMD Phenom II X6 1090T 3.2GHz
Sapphire Radeon HD 5770
G.SKILL Ripjaws 8GB DDR3 1333, Corsair 750TX PSU
10 TB Wes Dig. 64G Corsair SSD

20.3.2016 00:54 #9

AfterDawn: News