Netflix

Netflix (http://www.netflix.com/Default?mqso=80010165) is really an ingenious business model. If you think about it, Netflix is simply the most recent in a long chain of increasingly easy access methods of cinematic experiences. Cinema started in the theaters, and eventually moved into the living room, allowing people to view their favorite movies easily and in the comfort of their home. The next step in this progression is video rental shops; now, not only could you view a movie in your living room, but you didn’t need to worry about it sitting on a shelf indefinitely once you lost interest in re-watching it. Furthermore, with the advent of video rental, many movies that would eventually come off store shelves were now still findable and could be picked up by newer audiences years after the movie’s original run. The most recent link in this chain is the advent of Netflix and related services. Now you can have all the advantages of rental without actually leaving the house to get your movie; now the movie comes to you. Furthermore, they also have an instant-view online service that features some 17,000 items that you can view instantly on a computer. If I had to guess I’d think the next logical step here is to simply do away with the dvd; make the entire movie library browsable online, instead of roughly 1/5 of it.