Popcorn Time!

No, I'm not about to sit down and watch a movie.  I'm talking about a new piece of software that has the potential to influence the Movie Industry's movie distribution method similar to how Napster affected the Music Industry.

Popcorn Time was developed in a relatively short time (~4 weeks) by programmers located around the world.  It's main function is to provide a way for users to stream a movie of their choice, similar to Netflix.  The major difference between the two is how the movie is streamed and shared.  Netflix hosts the movie that you want to watch and streams it to your player when you request it.  Popcorn Time(PT) uses peer-to-peer sharing as its method to stream the movie, essentially the same system that torrents use.  Only with PT, it streams the movie instantly (2-3 minute buffering delay) instead of having you wait until the whole file has downloaded.  PT's library includes movies from the recent Oscar winners to classics, basically if PirateBay(NSFW) has it, then PT has it.

PT's interface has caused a lot of buzz.  It's slick, smooth, and really reminds you of Netflix.  You can search by title or genre to find a movie that hits the spot.  Movie information, images, and the file are all loaded behind the scenes to present a polished experience, but that takes about 2 minutes at load time.  (Depends on your computer)

The software is not without it's hiccups.  After I searched for a movie, the software struggled to let me go back to viewing movies by genre.  After a small delay it worked itself out, but then when I clicked on Movie A, Movie B started playing.  A quick restart of the software fixed the problem.  The movie I chose streamed at 720p (every movie is going to be different, but most are 720+).  At the start there was some slight pixalation, but that was only for about the first 30 seconds and then the picture was comparable to something from Netflix or Hulu.  I watched for about 50 minutes without any problems.

The main reason the developers took on this project was to allow for easy distribution of movies to those who did not currently have access to them.  According to the developers, Argentina has movies like Something about Mary being advertised as a New Release there.  Its nearly 20 years old!  Most of the users of the software have been outside of the U.S. and the developers claim that it has been "downloaded in every country on the planet, even in two countries that don't even have internet."

So, where are we now?   The original developers have walked away from the project, with their reasons explained here.  Other developers have stepped in to continue the project and it is now hosted on GitHub and can be found on other websites as well.  The current developers are attached to a torrent site, so I believe they will support the software indefinitely and continue to provide improvements.

So who is going to use this?  Intermediate to Advanced pc users who know how to mask their internet connection and provide a level of difficulty that would make pursuing them not impossible, but just financially impractical for the movie industry.  If a user is just watching a single movie at a time, its unlikely (still possible though!) that they would be drug into court and prosecuted.  International users who do not have access to these movies, or a streaming service, are the biggest potential user base.

Torrents have been around since Napster(late 90s), what's the big deal?  Providing software that gives the end user the chance to stream virtually any movie that has an active torrent is a library that dwarfs any current pay to stream service.  Imagine Netflix with more movies, (and its FREE).  How can that be legal?  It's not. The developers of the software claim that, in and of itself, the software is legal.  What they don't say is that how you watch the movie is no different than how a torrent works. (Illegal)  As I watched my movie, my computer was also sharing that same movie to others who wanted to watch or download it.  That means that I would be violating copyright laws and could get sued/prosecuted, just as people who used Napster were.

We all saw how Napster changed the music industry, leading to Steve Jobs and Apple creating iTunes.  iTunes does carry tv shows and movies, but isn't available in every county, has a smaller library then Popcorn Time, and doesn't include movies that are newly released in theaters. Same with Netflix, their services are mainly in the western hemisphere with a couple of European countries as well. (map)  Someone in Hollywood could very easily end PT by just creating something similar that people in other countries can use to watch their movies and charge a reasonable amount.  Netflix has proven this works, but Netflix has struggled as of late in keeping their library, as content creators have realized that they could cut out the middle man.  PT's library is virtually endless and has some movies that are in theaters.  PT may usher in a new era of direct to stream technology for newly released movies, but movie theaters will be sure to battle that in the U.S. as their sole income is from people going to the theaters and buying the $10 popcorn.

Movie theater chains need to look at providing new releases via a stream service like Netflix, but do it at a premium price.  I love seeing new movies in the theater, but with a 4 month old, its not as easy as it once was.  Give me the option to watch a new release the same day it comes out in the theaters for $15 with the ability to start it when I want to and I'd pay it!  Hell, I'd be saving money!  ($10 movie, $10 popcorn and drink)  Just treat the watching of the movie as a movie "ticket" and pass the $10 onto the movie's creators and keep the other $5 for yourself.   Sure, you didn't make a killing off the concessions from me, but I also didn't take a seat in your theater, flush your urinal,  or need you to cool the place down to 40 degrees (F) for me.  Of course there would be some cannibalization, but it would be more than offset by the 34 Million households in America that have kids under the age of 18.(2012 Census)  These are families that need to hire a babysitter to go see any movie not age appropriate.  Add in the ability for me to re-watch a movie that is out in theaters without having to go again, think Avengers, or for kids to watch a new favorite movie before it comes out on DVD. (Imagine if Frozen was available on-demand immediately)  A streamable service also provides the potential to bring in revenue 24/7.

Eventually, something will change to allow for larger movie libraries and new releases to be consumed at home.  The major question is, who is going to recognize the potential and then profit from it?