I report–you decide. Okay, so you can watch the new Jackass 2.5 at Blockbuster here for free. Forget the review, it’s more of the same stuff you love or hate with them. Like reality TV, it’s immune to any writers’ strike: no script needed. Problem wasn’t the stunts though, it’s the streaming technology they used to play the movie: Microsoft’s Silverlight. Twice I had to restart the movie from the beginning because the audio was out of sync in Firefox. (Couldn’t pick up where you left off either on reload.)While the picture looked clear enough, Blockbuster needs to get this worked out if they plan on competing in the online film space. Yeah the flick was free after registering your email, and I sound like a customer who complains about a bad steak yet still eats the whole thing, but if I had to pay $3.99 for their regular service? No way.
Blockbuster just did more in one film to convince me not to try it.
Why do developers insist on coming up with proprietary applications that are only 75% ready, release them as ‘Beta’ and then try and go for the IPO lottery? (Yeah, I know this is a MS product so they aren’t trying to do the IPO thing), but it highlights a developer mindset pervasive in the industry: let’s get something out there, anything, even if it’s not ready, and we’ll fix it later.
Geek squad: chicks would dig you more if you just made sure the apps worked better first.
Sucks for viewers because they have no other choice yet on how they stream it. What about QuickTime though? Even Flash. YouTube already uses it as the basis for their clips. It works. 987 billion uploaders of high school fight vids can’t be wrong. Why would Paramount take a chance on it’s first foray into the online streaming thing by using an unproven, unreliable tech on such a widespread basis right from the start?
Probably a moot point soon enough as someone either hacks the site or tapes the movie and posts it on YouTube.
Tags: Jackass 2.5, Microsoft Silverlight, Blockbuster, Paramount
3 comments:
Jackass are so awesome! Check out steve-o's place, he was on Mtv cribs.
Sooo funny.
I don't understand a couple of points you try to make. Specifically comparing Microsoft to an "IPO lottery." In particular, you state that MS is attempting to "get something out there, anything, even if it’s not ready, and we’ll fix it later." This approached seems to have worked for IE, Excel, Word, etc. MS is simply relentless in this fashion.
Also, "hacks the site or tapes the movie and posts it on YouTube." Sounds like you're in 1987?
Sorry, but there really isn't much substance in your article. If you don't like any of this, why don't you request your money back...oh, right, because it was free.
Sounds like perhaps you work at MS. All I will say then is when you stop avoiding the issue I raised about Silverlight, and instead choosing to be a cheerleader for MS Office products, then we’ll get somewhere.
“isn't much substance”
Free or not, the experience I had with it was very much a real one. Wen enough people go through the same thing, what will you say to them.
I didn’t set the price–MS/Blockbuster/Paramount did. If you have a problem with people complaining about a service that you, not the customer put out, then don’t get angry at them when it doesn’t work.
Fix the problem, or don’t release it.
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