FilmStruck

News on Criterion and Janus Films.
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movielocke
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:44 am

Filmstruck

#1176 Post by movielocke » Mon Feb 26, 2018 1:41 pm

mfunk9786 wrote:Four streaming-capable devices in my living room. No Filmstruck support. Killing me still that I can't just give them my money. They've removed the Xbox One and PS4 as upcoming streaming devices from their website too. And it's doubtful it'll ever come to my older Apple TV or LG OLED TV's marketplace, either. Having a 5th streaming option in one room because Filmstruck won't get its act together is just a bridge too far.
im guessing the venn diagram of American gamers (you have TWO current systems? Wow!), and people willing to pay $100 a year to watch subtitled films is about fifty people.

And they probably figure if gamers are willing to spend A thousand bucks on consoles and 2500 on a tv, those folks are probably the most likely group to also spend thirty bucks on a chromecast. Versus spending fifty thousand bucks developing a PS4 app, FilmStruck probably figures most people will just spend thirty bucks and buy a cheap streaming device, so they might as well save their money.

I would expect them to add Tv support based on the architecture of the tv streaming apps, for instance, my new Sony tv had an Android architecture so once I can figure out how to navigate he arcane mysteries of its app stuff, I might be able to find FilmStruck? I don’t know it’s a lot of work to mess with yet another interface, so I’m content to just use what works or spend thirty bucks rather than waste a lot of time doing intricate remote control gymnastics.

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mfunk9786
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Joined: Fri May 16, 2008 4:43 pm
Location: Philadelphia, PA

Re: Filmstruck

#1177 Post by mfunk9786 » Mon Feb 26, 2018 1:48 pm

If you search for "Filmstruck xbox" on Twitter there are myriad people who are in a similar boat, for the most part people who only have a game console to stream on.

I'm not sure how coming down on the side of "this shouldn't be on more devices" is something I could ultimately do. The only reason I mention having four of them is because it makes the prospect of purchasing a fifth seem ludicrous. Services like Filmstruck should focus their attention, as much as they can, on getting it in the hands of as many people as possible.

albucat
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 12:06 am

Re: Filmstruck

#1178 Post by albucat » Mon Feb 26, 2018 2:06 pm

I've only used game consoles for streaming for more than a decade, and worked as a film critic and columnist for most of those years. They're cheap, flexible, and yes some people enjoy movies AND games. Even my parents just use an old console for streaming. Honestly, I just find them to generally have easier browsing than most other options--using a joystick is nice. I don't think it's crazy for people to be unhappy about this because Filmstruck had been promising us support since before the site left Beta. I'm sure I'm not the only one who was holding off until it reached the ps4.

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Yaanu
Joined: Sat Aug 10, 2013 12:18 am

Re: Filmstruck

#1179 Post by Yaanu » Mon Feb 26, 2018 2:39 pm

Via Filmstruck's Tumblr:
Have you heard? Classic Hollywood films have come to FilmStruck! We’re so excited to announce a new curated bundle TCM Select:
  • A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (’35)
  • AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (’51)
  • THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (’46)
  • CASABLANCA (’42)
  • CITY LIGHTS (’31)
  • FORBIDDEN PLANET (’56)
  • FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT (’40)
  • FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (’53)
  • HIS GIRL FRIDAY (’40)
  • MARTY (’55)
  • NIGHT AND THE CITY (’50)
  • NOW, VOYAGER (’42)
  • ON THE WATERFRONT (’54)
  • REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (’55)
  • SEVEN DAYS IN MAY (’64)
  • STAGECOACH (’39)
  • SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (’57)
  • THE MISFITS (’61)
  • THE MUSIC MAN (’62)
  • THE THIN MAN (’34)
  • TO BE OR NOT TO BE (’42)
  • WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? (’66)
We’ll be adding a new title to TCM Select each week. We’re also adding hundreds of classic films over the next few months. Today you can already stream Star of the Week Bette Davis, Rogers and Astaire classics, and more!

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The Fanciful Norwegian
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:24 pm
Location: Teegeeack

Re: Filmstruck

#1180 Post by The Fanciful Norwegian » Mon Feb 26, 2018 3:45 pm

albucat wrote:I've only used game consoles for streaming for more than a decade, and worked as a film critic and columnist for most of those years. They're cheap, flexible, and yes some people enjoy movies AND games. Even my parents just use an old console for streaming. Honestly, I just find them to generally have easier browsing than most other options--using a joystick is nice. I don't think it's crazy for people to be unhappy about this because Filmstruck had been promising us support since before the site left Beta. I'm sure I'm not the only one who was holding off until it reached the ps4.
I'm one of those people who bought a PS3 for Blu-ray playback, and while I eventually stopped using it for that purpose, I continued to use it as my primary streaming device right up to the point it went kablooey (original-model PS3s that still function being as elusive as ivory-billed woodpeckers). My parents did the same thing. I've since moved on to an HTPC and my parents are now content to use their standalone BD player for streaming despite its slowness and general clunkiness, but I promise you there are lots of people using PS4s and XB1s as all-in-one boxes and some of them are people who would love to use Filmstruck or are already doing so on another device.

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mfunk9786
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Re: Filmstruck

#1181 Post by mfunk9786 » Mon Feb 26, 2018 4:24 pm

And with so much pedantry about watching movies on phones and laptops, I'm surprised not wanting to consume them that way is seen as so picky by those who'd propose that as a solution to this Filmstruck limitation. I don't want to watch any movies on my laptop, but particularly not these movies.

Thunderbald
Joined: Sun Sep 10, 2017 7:32 pm

Re: Filmstruck

#1182 Post by Thunderbald » Mon Feb 26, 2018 5:44 pm

They're already a niche product. They should be actively working to be in front of as many eyes as humanly possible, but they aren't. They should be on PS4 and Xbox One, they should be available to add as a channel through Hulu and Amazon, but they aren't. They don't seem interested. But they should be. And no, watching The Third Man on your phone isn't the best way to view it, but it's better than never seeing it.

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Kirkinson
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 5:34 am
Location: Portland, OR

Re: Filmstruck

#1183 Post by Kirkinson » Mon Feb 26, 2018 6:33 pm

Asking out of sheer ignorance, is there a notable loss in image or sound quality if you watch streaming content on an HDTV by connecting to a laptop with a mini display port-to-HDMI adapter?

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Ribs
Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2014 1:14 pm

Re: Filmstruck

#1184 Post by Ribs » Mon Feb 26, 2018 6:37 pm

No.

Generally, while people still do use consoles to stream, it's a decreasing share of the market as streaming via a Roku or Chromecast or similar phone-based service has become more common for the layperson out of convenience. I'm still utterly baffled by what they've done with this, but one day they'll sort it out and there'll be much rejoicing.

There's been a *big* positive reaction from Film Twitter about this, which is great but makes me really think they fundamentally misunderstood part of the commercial, film buff pitch of Filmstruck to have not brought actual TCM-style content onboard until nearly a year-and-a-half later.

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movielocke
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:44 am

Re: Filmstruck

#1185 Post by movielocke » Mon Feb 26, 2018 9:14 pm

My guess is that Warner archive streaming was kinda in a bureaucratic turf war over TCM films participating in FilmStruck. As in, WA thought we’ve been doing this for five years and are way better than this upstart, they’ll never match us.

But then the numbers came in and they’re brutal for WA in comparison and a corporate decision was made to merge the two, “if they can do these numbers without Casablanca and you can’t do these numbers with Casablanca...” sort of thing.

MongooseCmr
Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2012 11:50 pm

Re: Filmstruck

#1186 Post by MongooseCmr » Mon Feb 26, 2018 9:57 pm

Did they ever have Casablanca though? I remember searching through once and it was a lot of late John Wayne programmers and forgotten 70s cop shows.

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movielocke
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:44 am

Filmstruck

#1187 Post by movielocke » Tue Feb 27, 2018 2:25 am

Aha! My new Sony tv has “chromecast built in” So boom no need to worry about figuring out the spells to make the app thing work for the tv. Excellent .

And even better I don’t have to worry about plugging in my old chromecast and wrangling the stupid power cable.

albucat
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 12:06 am

Re: Filmstruck

#1188 Post by albucat » Tue Feb 27, 2018 1:37 pm

Complete list of films premiering on the Criterion Channel during March:

March 6
Art, Adrian Sitaru, 2014

March 13
Home, Daniel Mulloy, 2016

March 14
Science Is Fiction: 23 Films by Jean Painlevé

March 19
Frownland, Ronald Bronstein, 2007

March 20
The Colour of His Hair, Sam Ashby, 2017

March 22
Police Beat, Robinson Devor, 2005

March 27
Lira's Forest, Connor Jessup, 2017

March 29
Angela, Rebecca Miller, 1995
The Ballad of Jack and Rose, Rebecca Miller, 2005

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Ribs
Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2014 1:14 pm

Re: Filmstruck

#1189 Post by Ribs » Tue Feb 27, 2018 3:15 pm

Thrilled about the Painleve - despite being Janus titles these never came on Hulu and only individual shorts have appeared on Filmstruck before. Plus, I believe they're HD masters?

albucat
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 12:06 am

Re: Filmstruck

#1190 Post by albucat » Tue Feb 27, 2018 3:18 pm

Just going by memory, I think so--I remember them looking really good, though I haven't gotten the set off the shelf in years.

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fdm
Joined: Fri Apr 21, 2006 1:25 pm

Re: Filmstruck

#1191 Post by fdm » Wed Feb 28, 2018 5:54 am

Looks like there is no sorted by date listing of titles leaving Filmstruck any more. Only access to the expiration dates seems to be to look at each title in this alphabetized list, which probably still covers about a month's worth of expiring titles, and check the ones you want to know about one by one...

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TMDaines
Joined: Wed Nov 11, 2009 1:01 pm
Location: Stretford, Manchester

Filmstruck

#1192 Post by TMDaines » Wed Feb 28, 2018 9:04 am

mfunk9786 wrote:And with so much pedantry about watching movies on phones and laptops, I'm surprised not wanting to consume them that way is seen as so picky by those who'd propose that as a solution to this Filmstruck limitation. I don't want to watch any movies on my laptop, but particularly not these movies.
Plug your laptop into your TV with an HDMI cable? That’s the first step to joining the r/pcmasterrace.

I sympathise with you, but I concluded that a Windows-based HTPC was the logical way forward for the centre of my media hub, when assessing the streaming device options out there a few years ago. I don’t think there is any streaming service that is better on a third party propriety streaming device than in a browser and none that don’t have browsers as an option. Streaming devices - and software built into TV and consoles - are a good, cheap solution for very specific uses, but you are at the mercy of both the hardware and software developers.

Once you throw gaming into the mix - both modern PC gaming, mainly through Steam, and classic console emulation - being able to run a Plex media server to stream away from home, the ability to use fan subtitles with foreign DVDs and Blu-rays, and whatever else, there’s only one option: an HTPC.

ScottBateman
Joined: Tue Jan 23, 2018 6:42 pm

Re: Filmstruck

#1193 Post by ScottBateman » Wed Feb 28, 2018 12:31 pm

Hi! First time poster, long time reader (especially around the 15th of the month).

Man, I hope TCM Select will start a section like TCM Underground and bring the cult classics as well. I've never been able to find the delightfully bonkers 1979 STUNT ROCK since TCM aired it once at 3AM on a Sunday night. No one believes me when I try to describe it.

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The Fanciful Norwegian
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 2:24 pm
Location: Teegeeack

Re: Filmstruck

#1194 Post by The Fanciful Norwegian » Wed Feb 28, 2018 3:55 pm

Stunt Rock is included (in SD only, alas) as a bonus feature on the Australian Blu-ray of The Man from Hong Kong, along with four (!) additional Brian Trenchard-Smith films. It's a region-free disc and a few U.S.-based retailers carry it, but the first pressing had Stunt Rock in the wrong AR, so it might be safer to buy directly from the label.

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MichaelStockCA
Joined: Wed Mar 01, 2017 6:23 pm
Location: California

Re: Filmstruck

#1195 Post by MichaelStockCA » Wed Feb 28, 2018 4:53 pm

fdm wrote:Looks like there is no sorted by date listing of titles leaving Filmstruck any more. Only access to the expiration dates seems to be to look at each title in this alphabetized list, which probably still covers about a month's worth of expiring titles, and check the ones you want to know about one by one...
This is terrible. Do they consider it an improvement? With so many great films available it is hard to decide which one to watch next and an expiring-soon-list helps to prioritize (and not miss a good movie).

albucat
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2011 12:06 am

Re: Filmstruck

#1196 Post by albucat » Wed Feb 28, 2018 7:19 pm

I asked Filmstruck about the consoles, and they said that they're still developing them. Here's the exact quote:

We are still working towards offering FilmStruck on both the Xbox One and PS4, however we are running into more delays than initially anticipated. We apologize for those delays and will share more updates as they become available. Thank you for your patience!

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teddyleevin
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Re: Filmstruck

#1197 Post by teddyleevin » Thu Mar 01, 2018 12:07 am

MichaelStockCA wrote:
fdm wrote:Looks like there is no sorted by date listing of titles leaving Filmstruck any more. Only access to the expiration dates seems to be to look at each title in this alphabetized list, which probably still covers about a month's worth of expiring titles, and check the ones you want to know about one by one...
This is terrible. Do they consider it an improvement? With so many great films available it is hard to decide which one to watch next and an expiring-soon-list helps to prioritize (and not miss a good movie).
Seems this has been reversed. Was probably a glitch. I've had plenty on the site anyway.

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fdm
Joined: Fri Apr 21, 2006 1:25 pm

Re: Filmstruck

#1198 Post by fdm » Thu Mar 01, 2018 2:23 am

I kind of wondered, it being the end of the month and the date header still being there. Good to see the dates back.

ranaing83
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Re: Filmstruck

#1199 Post by ranaing83 » Thu Mar 01, 2018 12:04 pm

Are you referring to the leaving soon subsection on the Filmstruck and Criterion Collection pages? Or is there also a way to sort the entire Filmstruck library by the date that each title leaves? I see the former but not the latter and if it exists, that'd be quite helpful!

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MichaelStockCA
Joined: Wed Mar 01, 2017 6:23 pm
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Re: Filmstruck

#1200 Post by MichaelStockCA » Thu Mar 01, 2018 12:07 pm

teddyleevin wrote:
MichaelStockCA wrote:
fdm wrote:Looks like there is no sorted by date listing of titles leaving Filmstruck any more. Only access to the expiration dates seems to be to look at each title in this alphabetized list, which probably still covers about a month's worth of expiring titles, and check the ones you want to know about one by one...
This is terrible. Do they consider it an improvement? With so many great films available it is hard to decide which one to watch next and an expiring-soon-list helps to prioritize (and not miss a good movie).
Seems this has been reversed. Was probably a glitch. I've had plenty on the site anyway.
Ah, yes, glad to see the expiring dates are back. It's much easier to keep track. Especially for the films that expire on the Criterion channel.
Both FilmStruck and Criterion Channel have also a section for Leaving Soon titles, which helps as well.

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