Intel’s service enables users to enjoy feature films streamed to their PCs.
When chipmaker Intel rolled out its online movie and video service, dubbed Intel Insider, they were serious about a piracy-free content delivery system that would provide blockbusters in high-definition.
In the company’s own words: “Intel Insider is a service that enables consumers to enjoy premium Bollywood feature films streamed to their PC in high-quality 1080P high-definition.” The Chipzilla has built the Intel Insider feature in its 2nd generation Intel Core processor and has tied up with Hungama.com for HD movies — expected to be priced between Rs 99 and Rs 499.
Hungama Digital Entertainment will offer a selection of popular Bollywood and international movies, including box-office hits from Yash Raj Films, Paramount Pictures, T-Series and Reliance Home Video. R Sivakumar, managing director (Sales & Marketing Group), Intel South Asia says: “Intel Insider keeps the data safe from pirates, but still lets you enjoy your legally-acquired movie in the best possible quality.”
With tablet PCs drawing a lot of consumer attention, Intel, which gets more than 90 per cent of its revenues from computer chips, seems to have made up its mind to promote PCs and laptops more as content consuming platforms. Sivakumar says: “Intel Insider will also debut on tablet PCs but initially we are keen to see how PC and laptop users in India consume entertainment data. We will also look to offer premium content beyond films, like edutainment, songs and sporting events, among other things.”
An interesting feature that is sure to encourage users of Intel Insider is the “proactive queue” technology, which will enable them to pre-download films ahead of their release dates by purchasing them, securely, even if they are not connected to the Internet.
“The data, once purchased, will be queued to users PC and they can start watching these movies immediately on the release date without waiting to download during peak traffic times,” explains Intel’s George Thangadurai, general manager, PC Client Services.
So, if you’re running a computer with an Intel’s 2nd generation Core processor, you will be able to safely stream high-definition movies starting next month. You can either opt for pay-per-view or subscribe for a specific number of movies from Hungama’s library.
Even though consumers may not welcome the ability to download a movie that’s locked to their PC, they can use Intel’s Wireless Display (WiDi) to stream high-definition movies from a PC or laptop to an HD television, without cables. “The idea was to make content viewing hassle-free for an average user who now needs to just pay, download and view,” says Neeraj Roy, managing director and CEO, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment.
Online distribution prompts growth
Intel looks positively inspired by a recent report from ComScore that listed online video viewership on YouTube.com accounting for 780.7 million videos (that represents 44.5 per cent of all videos views in India) in January 2011. On an average, an Indian viewer consumed 58 videos and watched five hours of video content during January 2011.
Intel, which has tie-ups with movie studios in Hollywood and Bollywood, including Warner Bros Digital Distribution, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Image Entertainment, Yash Raj Films and UTV Motion Pictures, hopes that content can be made available at the same time as the DVD or Blu-ray release of the film.
Roy from Hungama is bullish about sourcing content beyond movies -sports, education, songs and games. He notes: “We have seen a huge demand for songs and games on our portal where the price starts from Rs 5. But since HD content is where Intel-supported PCs excel, we will primarily source HD premium data from content providers.”
Experts are already emphatic on the future of online videos in the country. “Online video viewing is quickly becoming a central activity for Internet users in India. As broadband penetration in India continues to increase, we expect to see online video continue to grow and become an increasingly important channel for marketers to reach audiences in the burgeoning Indian online market,” says Joe Nguyen, vice-president, ComScore Southeast Asia.
Intel has also been able to convince studios about the in-built security layer that protects movie streams. Anand Gurnani, GM (Internet and New Media), Yash Raj Films says his company no longer had excuses for withholding high-definition content from PCs.
“There was no reason for us to not put our movies on platforms like Intel Insider and sites like YouTube. We have to wait and see how Intel Insider fares with the audience before we sign on for first-day-first-show movies on the platform.” Gurnani, however, did not comment on licensing content to other chip makers.
Studios seem to find an agreeable solution in online delivery. “The new-age film consumer wants the flexibility to be able to access high-quality content and pay a premium to access content as early as possible, on his or her preferred mode of viewing at that time,” says Amrita Pandey, senior vice- president, UTV Motion Pictures.
