Redbox, HBO GO, and Netflix! Oh My!

Over the past few years we have seen a huge shift in how people are acquiring their media. We have moved past the stage of Napster, and now even PirateBay, both sites that allowed you to download content that you previously would have had to pay for. In those beginning stages, we had Audiogalaxy and Napster, which allowed you to download mostly just music. If you found the occasional video, that was a plus. Even just a year ago, we had multiple well-known and frequented sites that allowed you to download full-length blockbusters that (in some cases) had not even hit theaters yet. And even in the cases that you could not find the movie before it’s release, it was surely uploaded just hours after opening day.

With the ability to download almost anything (movies, music, term papers…) online these days, it seems near impossible for any company to make money off of the media industry. However, self-serve DVD rental kiosks and streaming movie/television platforms have been paving the way for a new, less expensive way to enjoy the latest films and television shows. In the realm of music, Spotify and Pandora have emerged as great resources for streaming music.

Have you used any of these services? What are you thoughts? Do you think they withstand the test of time? Or is there something even more useful on the horizon that will eclipse the streaming video trend?

popadminRedbox, HBO GO, and Netflix! Oh My!