Magazines in the Digital Age
Those stacks of magazines look very unwieldy.
I used to subscribe and get various magazines in print form delivered to my house. This was fine until I wanted to bring them with me or I didn’t have time to read them. I would have a stack of magazines in my bag or pilling up on my desk. This presented a problem for me. I want to have my magazines accessable in the same manor as my books on my kindle are. I take my kindle everywhere and I can read my books on the go no matter what I am reading. I have instant access to any book I own right on my kindle. I want the same thing for magazines. I only see two options to complete this. Read more
The Digital Lifestyle
Right now we are at a crossroads with our media. Over the past 50 years the way we consume and create content has changed. If we look back at how we watched movies this is a prime example. In the 1960′s we went movie theaters to watch shows. In 1982 we could watch movies at home with VHS tapes. In the 1990s we could watch movies that were no bigger than the size of a CD. Now we can just turn on our TVs and the movies are delivered right to the set either through our cable provider or an internet streaming company. With the rise of Netflix we ask ourselves how much physical media or discs do we need? If we can get the movie we want to see delivered to our door do we need to take up space with the plastic disc we will use on occasion? For most people the answer is no.
The Digital Lockdown
Today we are a highly digital society. We are beginning to move away from the physical and more to the digital. I know my media buying habits have changed. I buy my music and books digitally. I buy the books I want for my miniature gaming in pdf format. Movies I still buy in physical formats because Hollywood hasn’t caught up with technology. They are packaging in a digital copy of the movie you just bought in new releases, but you are restricted to viewing it on a PC or approved mobile device that works with their DRM scheme. Thus your options are a Windows Media file or an iTunes file. This seems so backwards to me. Read more 
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The Kindle Goes On Fire
Amazon announced the new kindle line-up last week. The new e-ink kindles got updated with touch and no keyboards, but the real star of the show was the kindle fire. This is Amazon’s answer to the Nook Color. They are about a year late to the 7 inch tablet market, but they look like they are ready to make a big splash. The kindle fire looks like a refined Amazon experience. Read more
The Netflix Split
This past week has been very interesting in digital media. The main topic is that Netflix is splitting off its DVD-by-mail service. The new service is called Qwikster. They have decided to go all in on the streaming media. This is can be both good and bad. With Netflix streaming only they will have a chance to expand their catalogue. The DVD section while not a black hole on the company will at some point become one in the future. The problem is though right now no one can predict what the future holds. Read more
Netflix rising cost
This week we learned that Netflix will change its pricing structure. The DVD service is increasing its pricing by about $3 and then you will have to add in the streaming option. If you have the base DVD/Streaming option the price will go from $10 to $16 a month. While this is not a large jump in price it will make people who don’t use the DVD portion of the service to think about if the increase is enough to keep the dvd by mail service.
The price increase email
Many people who comment on this are threatening to cancel their Netflix subscription. To me this is a rash decision. I don’t mind paying for quality service and I find Netflix to be a quality service. My current plan with Netflix is the DVD/Streaming for $10 a month. I haven’t used the DVD portion in a while and mostly get DVDs from a local Redbox. I am probably going to drop to streaming only when I am forced to choose in september. I have a Netflix DVD sitting at home just collecting dust since sometime last year. In the end Netflix will still be receiving my money and I will be very happy with their service, plus they will save on the shipping costs. I do expect that the streaming cost for the consumer to increase in the next several years and I hope that Netflix will increase their streaming catalog aswell.
