Prima Cinema Deploys First Movie Server

Wow! Sounds pretty awesome! I’d like to know more before throwing my opinion around too much, but I think I’d just get a media server like VidaBox, Mosaex, Fusion Research, K-Scape, etc.

The bang for the buck doesn’t seem to be there. Do you get to keep the movie? lol It doesn’t sound like it. Watching a movie a few months after it was in the Theaters is ok. PATIENCE! You better get popcorn and a full-body massage for that much!

Better than blu-ray? Surely only my friend Jesus can see that clear! lol

I think this could be awesome for actual movie theaters! Then again, they might be using something like this already for all I know.

Oh to be a celebrity with way more money than I would need….Anyway, in the words of Kim Kardasian, $35K and $500 to rent a movie for a few months is “so redic.”

Chris

what a cool product. I remember when kaleidescape servers were easily over $50K and that was just DVD’s, not blu ray. to Chris’s comment, money is realtive, you can drive a Prius or Ferrari, most people would choose the Ferrari.
The cool factor alone can be worth the price of admission for some clients. Spending $500 and having 10 people over to see a premiere on opening night with a better video and sound system over a commercial theater is a no brainer for me, really isn’t that steep at $50/person.

I am certain you can’t recoup your money by charging admission, but then again, maybe you can. I’d be interested to know. I doubt they would go for that sort of theater competition.

I definitely don’t want to argue. I appreciate your opinion. I suppose I disagree for the most part though. I am influenced by my area and demographic though. I don’t think I could sell a Kaleidescape in my area even if we through in a kidney. Especially with other alternatives available. Money matters around here.

Chris

If the hardware cost less it would take off faster.  id totally pay $500 to watch a movie at home.. i cant stand the theaters.. I prefer the way my theater sounds and my screen size to seat ratio vs a movie theater..

I am certain that this company is soon to meet its demise.  The idea of paying $500 per movie is certainly a niche market, targeting rich hipsters only.  The mass market is widely being neglected and Time Warner, Netflix, Google and Amazon are going to give this company a run for their money.  They missed they said launch of $5 billion in profits for their first year.  Founders will undoubtedly become wealthy through this but this will be short lived.

The future is here and we are just waiting for the studios to wake up and realize there is more money in on demand streaming than there is in this and the theaters.  Give us the options and take our money, something Amazon, Netlfix and Apple all discovered.

Gee - and I thought Junior Mints were overpriced…

An other Big Star for HomeTronics, Congratulations!!!
This is a must have solution.
Soon will se more and more in the REALLY Hi End Home Cinemas.
Best wishes!
Miguel

That’s the going rate for these products because of digital rights. They are geared toward studio execs. Runco, Barco, others have targeted this space as well.

See: http://www.cepro.com/article/runco_program_targets_studio_execs/

Congratulations to both HomeTronics and PRMIA.  This has been a dream of sorts since the early days of laser disc, Beta and every other format along the way.  There have been a few stabs at it but other than those with access to titles distributed to the Motion Picture Academy prior to the Oscars, PRIMA seems to have done the impossible.

While pricey for some, put it all in relative terms.  If you would pay $5 to watch a first run movie at home, ask yourself how you would feel if your income/net worth had say 2 or more zero’s added on.

I imagine among the high-end CEDIA type customers, this will become a must have, actually justifying the expense their ultimate home cinema.

Again, congratulations to all and continued success.

Sounds interesting, and the $35k price tag really isn’t that bad if you consider you are getting better quality than Blu ray (which the human eye at best can only see 88 fps) and the audio of lossless!  The only problem I could see running into is that of the $500 movie price.  I don’t know about the rest of you, but I can honestly think of too many people that would just jump at paying $500 to watch a movie and be jumping for joy at the same time.  If you stop and think about it, most people can go to the i-Max for $20 or less, and enjoy a 175’ screen in 3-D and a great sound experience to boot.  The price about getting your friends to come and pay a fee to be able to view the titles…  uhhhhh yeah…...No.  I truly believe that they MPIAA would have something to say about that!!?  Bottom line, good Idea, bad promotioning price…kinda reminds me of Bose!!!  <——Not quite the bang for the buck!

This is definitely not priced for wide adoption, and part of the whole appeal is the exclusivity. $500 per movie and $35K for hardware, you will never come close to breaking even economically vs going to a theater with the unwashed masses, just like hiring a helicopter pilot to get you to and from work isn’t economical either - but it sure is awesome.

The rental price is so high because the movie studios calculate the price based on how many butts will not be in seats because of this, and they probably figure that one Prima rental means 20-25 people that would have bought a ticket are now at someone’s home watching that movie.

Tack on the unfavorable economies of scale (very small market commercially speaking) and ongoing maintenance/infrastructure costs and you’ll hit $500 pretty quick.

A lot of you are missing the point of this product.  It’s definitely NOT for the masses.  But for really well known celebrities or major political figures…this will be HEAVEN!

These people don’t just pop into their local movie theater…they simply CAN’T.They can privately screen 1st run theatrical movies, on the day that they are released, in the privacy and comfort of their own home theater, with no difference in quality at home vs. what they would see in a theater.

This will be a HUGE deal for the high end dealers who support it.  There won’t be millions of sales, but there will be dozens, if not hundreds!

Good stuff!

Oh, and for those who think $500 for what amounts to an extended rental is high…first, the people who own such a system are going to regard $500 as pocket change…second, if you take a family of 5 to an IMAX movie and get snacks you are probably spending $200 or more already…so it’s really not all that expensive!

Sounds great, but doesn’t the lack of any kind of detail make anyone else suspicious?
Questions I’d like to understand:
1) What content is available?  I’ve only seen public info on a deal for some art-house style flicks (Cinedigm)
2) Under what terms is the content available?  Watch once? If so, not really a server, more of a player…
3) Pre-caching movies at 20GB/+ per movie, on the off chance you might watch it… your ISP will love that…!

1.) I’m not sure what can be said on a public forum yet, but major studios are on board, not just art-house and indie (Universal is a financial backer).

2.) You rent a movie and watch it. If you want to watch it again, rent it again - there is no “ownership” at this point

3.) You’ll need a business-class internet plan which includes a static IP and no bandwidth cap. Considering the target clientele, this is probably already in place for other reasons.