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Furthermore, the lawyers have viciously clipped the wings of the streaming-movie era. You have to start watching a movie within 30 days of renting it and finish

Furthermore, the lawyers have viciously clipped the wings of the streaming-movie era. You have to start watching a movie within 30 days of renting it and finish it within 24 hours. Which streaming service does this describe? The author paints "streaming" with an overly broad brush. Having only experience with Netflix, this quoted sentence describes a system I've never heard of - and saying Netflix's selection is from the Carter era is a gross simplification.

evilduck 16y ago
Playstation Network rentals have those time restrictions.
- brown9-2 16y ago
  Do other services as well or is this the only one? If it's the latter then this article paints with an even broader brush than I imagined.
  - adamc 16y ago
    Amazon video on demand has the same restrictions, I think.
bgentry 16y ago
AppleTV rentals have the same restrictions
modeless 16y ago
Amazon, Apple, Zune, Vudu, CinemaNow. Netflix is unique, though Amazon Prime is just getting around to trying a similar model. The real problem with online rentals isn't the rental period, though; it's the ridiculous price. In a world where Redbox rents new releases for $1 who would pay $4 each to stream crappy catalog titles?
- georgekv 16y ago
  Well, the price is ridiculous in relation to the 24hr viewing period. $5 for a 5 day viewing window would be more reasonable. Honestly, don't any of these people have children? Kids don't always go for something in one take.