NEWS: Tivo and Netflix to Join Forces?

GEEK: Tivo and Netflix to Join Forces?

Rumour has it that Tivo's digital recording and Netflix online rental are striking a deal that could make video on demand what it has always promised to be. By combining the huge number of titles Netflix has in its catalogue, with the conveinience of Tivo's hard disc based storage, you might soon be able to watch whatever movies you want, whenever you want to.

I'm going to have to raise an eybrow at this one, although it seems like the perfect solution, but would surely require the go-ahead from more than just these two companies.

Netflix can rent you DVDs because, under US law, they're allowed to do whatever they want with the DVD after they've bought it, but that permission only extends to the single physical copy, not the copyrighted material on it. To allow for the media to be downloaded Netflix would have to make a digital copy, which would be illegal without the approval of the copyright holder ie: the studio.

Who thinks they'd happily let that happen without getting a piece of the pie for themselves?

So is this story just wishful thinking, have Netflix and Tivo managed to get the studios to agree on pricing, or is their partnership just the first step on that road? It would appear they could be a perfect partnership, but I suspect money issues will grind this great idea to a halt remarkably fast.

This sounds great! But I think this is how it's going to go down.

1) NetFlix and TiVO annouce partnership: Already happening now.
2) Movie companies get wind of this. They either shoot it down or attempt to work with NetFlix and TiVO. But either way this won't be easy to do.
3) Cable companies see the hype. And think of better ways to do video on demand that might include non-subscribers to at least rent movies via the wires that are already in their home.

I think much in the way Napster spurred the online music craze but died (yeah, it's still "alive" but it's not the same), this partnership will spur true on demand video service that the 800 pound gorillas will eventually dominate.

See, now, I've been perfectly happy with my current video on demand system, which has made available at least TWENTY movies at any one time, including the new hits and such classics as Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey and and Dracula, Dead and Loving It.

TiVo could install a mandatory purge device of al the memory after say, one month. that way you cant keep the material... hmmm?

So, no one's ever heard of Movielink before? I've been renting videos over the internet for two years.

Tivo and Netflix.

Greatest superhero duo ever.