Video Download services reviewed

I am finally please to see the dearth of online video services popping up this year. That being said we do not yet have a perfect service, but we are getting close. The main players in this market are iTunes, Starz, and Google.

There are Six main areas I judge a video service by and they are:

1. Video quality. I think Video quality is of utmost importance when I am paying for video content. Unfortunately many services think that since it is coming over the internet I am willing to pay for sub standard video quality, these providers need to re-evaluate this assumption.

2. Start Watching Now. When I decide I want to watch some content, I am usually ready to watch it at that point. Some of these services get that and others dont.

3. Interface. When it comes to video content not one of the major players have gotten the interface right yet. They just do not get that I want a really, stress the really, simple interface to my video and when I play it, I want the interface to go away until I am ready for it again. Further more none of the major players have provided a 10 foot interface yet.

4. Purchase vs. Pay per View. Most of the services seem to think that everyone wants to own everything they watch or conversely never want to own it. I don't know about you but there are many things that I watch that I do not care about owning and vice versa.

5. Pricing. Some of the pricing on these services are a little out of whack and some is fairly close. Most services are one size fits all pricing, which I don't get. Why would I pay 1.99 for a 45 minute show and 1.99 for a 3 minute music video or short movie? Oh, and why would I pay 4.99 to rent a new release on a download service when I can get the same video for 1.00 at a RedBox 2 blocks from my house?

6. Content. Many services think that you either want movies or television, but not all. Content is growing but you still cannot get just anything your heart desires right now. Though content is limited by what the studios and networks are willing to offer.

All that being said up front lets talk about some specific services. I will save the best for last so let's start with Google video.

Google Video: I must admit before I go too far that I have not actually purchased from Google Video yet. The front end is so bad I cannot bring my self to give them any money. I can say that their interface is terrible, and there is so little information that you cannot make a decision on whether to buy or not. The first question that comes to mind when you click on a video is, "is the purchased video quality going to be a terrible as the preview quality?", and there is no answer to that question on their site. Oh and full screen does not mean maximize the window. So aside from having an interface that not even a mother could love and video quality that makes over the air channels look down right good, Google Video does have some good points. You can start watching now, assuming the purchased videos work like the rest of videos on Google Video. They have both Purchase and Pay per View on many selections and they have variable pricing. Google Video is also the only one of the services mentioned here that offer both movies and television, though I doubt any one reading this will have much interest in the movies they are offering. Their Pricing model could pull them to the front of the line, if they improved their video quality.

iTunes: Apple is supplying a competent offering here though far from everything I would wish for in an online video service. Their content has the best offering for television, but no movies. The iTunes interface is not ideal for video, it has been retro fitted into an interface that was designed for music and is there for not the best for video. As far as using it as a 10 foot interface it will never make it. The video quality of iTunes videos leaves much to be desired, the compression is just too high, so it can be bother some with shows like Battlestar Galactica where there is a lot of black. They only offer shows for purchase and a one price fits all pricing model. They have the defacto market for downloading media but will likely lose the video market unless they improve their offering.

Stars/Vongo: This is by far the best service available, though still not perfect. The Vongo interface is nice and well suited to a video service, though everything is till too small and complex for use as a 10 foot interface. They are in bed with Microsoft so I would not be surprised if a plug-in for Media Center PC comes out soon, to fix the 10 foot interface issue. You can start watching the videos you select usually within 30 seconds of selecting the video. The video quality is the best of any service I have ever looked into. Vongo offers a subscription and Pay per View pricing model but no purchase option. Though they do not offer any television at this time their movie selection is very nice. The biggest flaw with the pricing is that they do not compete with Block Buster, let alone RedBox with their Pay per View pricing, though I think the subscription pricing is a good value.

Over all I think 2006 is shaping up to be a very good year for internet video and I think the future is bright.

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