Ghostbusters is the First Film to Be Released on a USB Stick
Posted 09/04/08 at 12:21:15 PM | by Paul Lilly
If nothing else, give PNY points for creativity. In an attempt to differentiate its USB keys from other companies, the memory maker will attempt to sell a 2GB USB flash drive with the movie Ghostbusters pre-installed.
"As a market leader in the USB market, PNY's focus is to offer consumers added value by providing enjoyable blockbuster content on their USB," said Stefanie Summerfield, UK and Nordic sales and marketing director for PNY Technologies.
It remains to be seen exactly how many people will be interested in receiving a free 20-year-old movie with their USB key, but if it proves popular enough, it's conceivable that the partnership between PNY and Sony could lead to more flicks on more flash drives. That's assuming consumers won't be put off by the DRM scheme. According to a PNY spokesperson, customers will be able to download Ghostbusters to their laptop or PC, but they'll have to have the USB key plugged in if they want to watch the movie.
Is PNY on to something here, or are pre-loaded movies ultimately just a marketing gimmick? Hit the jump and post your toughts.
Image Credit: PNY
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hmm
Submitted by Trever on Sun, 2008-09-07 05:08
You are all right, Drms and spyware etc but heck i would love to see them to start putting hole seasons and stuff on those usb i like the thought. KUDOS to PNY.
First, I'd buy one. But
Submitted by Shalbatana on Fri, 2008-09-05 08:53
First, I'd buy one. But only because I need a 2gb stick at the moment, and I love that movie. Especially if I could drag that movie off onto an HD or disc and store it.
Second, look at the bigger picture. You want to see a movie. Why buy a DVD that can get scratched and you have to return? Buy a USB movie, plug it into your USB flavored TV player and watch, when you're done, store the much smaller and more rugged key in a case, or erase it and use it for something else.
What if this years box office hits were released in this fashion, would you buy it then?
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DRM
Submitted by patrickmaher on Fri, 2008-09-05 12:10
If it's DRM protected requiring software to be loaded on the computer in order to watch the movie file, then you likely wont be able to watch it from a TV's USB port.
I think that my pressed movie DVDs will last longer than any hard drive or flash drive I currently own. Of course you could have a secondary copy somewhere in case you loose the flash drive, but the article says the DRM requires the flash drive to be connected to the computer.
2GB flash drives are cheap compared to what they are trying to charge for these. You would be better off buying a normal flash drive and then buying the movie on DVD. Then rip the movie to a video format you can play from any device.
Submitted by patrickmaher on Thu, 2008-09-04 16:22
Doesn't seem like something anyone would buy. I guess if they made about 5 different models each with a different popular movie they could have success selling them in airport gift shops.
Submitted by skhills on Thu, 2008-09-04 13:33
When digital content distibution is designed with consumers in mind, I'll jump on the wagon. I'm still buying CD's and DVD's.
The whole enjoy-blu-ray-on-your-pc-if-you-buy-a-compatible-drive-graphics-card-and-monitor setup is just frustrating to consumers who don't get the whole equation just right.
Even current decade movies on a USB drive will not replace DVD's because who wants to huddle a group of friends around their PC for a movie night. If they LOSE THE DRM and you could take the movie from the drive to the TV, flash could be a valid distribution method over optical discs since prices are now low enough.
They lost me at DRM
Submitted by franktank on Thu, 2008-09-04 13:05
I thought this was a great idea util I read DRM... it's soooooo silly. I'd pay an extra few bucks for a copy with no drm, I'd like to get all my movies this way =)
Submitted by brainwins on Thu, 2008-09-04 11:48
Drop the DRM, print the Ghostbusters logo on the stick and I'll buy 4 of them. It's a great gift idea. But I don't want to infect my friend's computer with I don't know what shaddy software you have there.
Perhaps if it wasn't laden
Submitted by atomaweapon on Thu, 2008-09-04 11:14
Perhaps if it wasn't laden with some crappy drm it be a nice little bonus. Why in god's name would I want to watch ghostbusters on a crappy usb key?
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Not that I don't agree on
Submitted by jwalch.hawk on Thu, 2008-09-04 23:54
Not that I don't agree on principle with you about the DRM, but you're not actually playing it off the USB key. According to the article, you can download it to the PC - you just need the drive actually inserted to be able to play it (meaning you're not going to be having issues with being throttled on the USB bus). I'm guessing it will be done via checking the hardware signature somehow - I'm sure as hell not going to claim to be an expert on the details. I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think that implementing this is actually going to require a rootkit or spyware... So that's good at least, even if the DRM in principle is kinda obnoxious.
maybe it should come with a
Submitted by sirphunkee on Thu, 2008-09-04 10:55
maybe it should come with a copy of 1984
Submitted by dcrail on Thu, 2008-09-04 10:44
The inquirer.net has the msrp at £30, which is roughly $53. Even assuming that they would drop that price to $49.99, or even $39.99 that is a rediculus price for a 2gb usb key. And no I'm not forgetting that they added a DRM laden 20 yr old movie. The DVD is available for under $20, and a 2 gb usb key can be found in most cereal boxes. Who thinks of this crap?
Hellooo spyware!
Submitted by Aeshir on Thu, 2008-09-04 10:30
Hellooo spyware!
EDIT: And oh yeah, it's a gimmick.
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