criterionforum.org

It will be interesting to see if what Criterion licenses from the studios for streaming corresponds to what they will/want to release on blu. There are so many phantom pages from their website....that I wonder if they'll match up with what's licensed for streaming to give us a sense of what the future holds for future special editions.

Criticize me if you must for this level of hyperbole, but Criterion's YouTube video about why one may want Filmstruck and why it's important in the timeline of what Criterion has always done was very convincing, and even emotional. I'm sold, I just wish I knew what streaming box to get. Yes, I have moved beyond frustration that I have to buy one and dedicate an HDMI slot to it, and am just mulling which to buy. Amazon Fire TV seems like the easy answer, but the latest Apple TV [& Roku, but "early 2017" means nothing to me] has a Giant Bomb app, which is something I would want/use. Can't stress this enough: I wish they'd emplhasized a desire to launch on multiple streaming platforms at once.

mfunk9786 wrote:& Roku, but "early 2017" means nothing to me

Black Hat stated that it would be January.

mkozlows wrote:Price seems very favorable compared to Hulu -- Hulu is $12 for the commercial-free version, $8 for the with-commercial version. This is $11 paid monthly, or $8 paid yearly, with no commercials in either case.

The Criterion films on Hulu don't have commercials with either version, so $8 a month in addition to occasional free-month opportunities made Hulu an excellent value if paying yearly doesn't appeal to you. That being said, Filmstruck's prices seem quite fair, though I'd prefer if they offered a Criterion-library only option too.

Buttery Jeb wrote:I think I also saw Nicholas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas mixed in there as well

Where it says "Indie Favorites"? That's Adaptation

mfunk9786 wrote:Criticize me if you must for this level of hyperbole, but Criterion's YouTube video about why one may want Filmstruck and why it's important in the timeline of what Criterion has always done was very convincing, and even emotional. I'm sold, I just wish I knew what streaming box to get. Yes, I have moved beyond frustration that I have to buy one and dedicate an HDMI slot to it, and am just mulling which to buy. Amazon Fire TV seems like the easy answer, but the latest Apple TV [& Roku, but "early 2017" means nothing to me] has a Giant Bomb app, which is something I would want/use. Can't stress this enough: I wish they'd emplhasized a desire to launch on multiple streaming platforms at once.

I hear you. I'd like to get an Apple TV not for just the video and game apps but music as well. I bought a Sony Blu-ray player in 2014 and it has a decent enough selection of apps, but limited.

mfunk9786 wrote:Criticize me if you must for this level of hyperbole, but Criterion's YouTube video about why one may want Filmstruck and why it's important in the timeline of what Criterion has always done was very convincing, and even emotional. I'm sold, I just wish I knew what streaming box to get. Yes, I have moved beyond frustration that I have to buy one and dedicate an HDMI slot to it, and am just mulling which to buy. Amazon Fire TV seems like the easy answer, but the latest Apple TV [& Roku, but "early 2017" means nothing to me] has a Giant Bomb app, which is something I would want/use. Can't stress this enough: I wish they'd emplhasized a desire to launch on multiple streaming platforms at once.

This one, it's a Chromecast on steroids!

For anyone who'd like to get in some free Criterion viewing before Hulu's Criterion channel expires on 11/11, Groupon is offering a free 45-day Hulu subscription.

EDIT: New accounts only. They really shouldn't bury that information in the fine print.

perkizitore wrote:

mfunk9786 wrote:Criticize me if you must for this level of hyperbole, but Criterion's YouTube video about why one may want Filmstruck and why it's important in the timeline of what Criterion has always done was very convincing, and even emotional. I'm sold, I just wish I knew what streaming box to get. Yes, I have moved beyond frustration that I have to buy one and dedicate an HDMI slot to it, and am just mulling which to buy. Amazon Fire TV seems like the easy answer, but the latest Apple TV [& Roku, but "early 2017" means nothing to me] has a Giant Bomb app, which is something I would want/use. Can't stress this enough: I wish they'd emplhasized a desire to launch on multiple streaming platforms at once.

This one, it's a Chromecast on steroids!

Are you saying this is a device that will support Filmstruck?

Yes, it's Android TV.

Is HBO Now available on Android TV?

flyonthewall2983 wrote:Is HBO Now available on Android TV?

Yes, on some devices.

They aren't any other official Android TV devices, the Xiaomi box is actually only the third and it just came out, so that is the reason it isn't listed.

This from the Wall Street Journal article on FilmStruck seems to be the first out-and-out thing saying there won't be any Turner content:

What’s not part of the service are the screwball comedies, gangster films and westerns that many film-lovers associate with TCM. Those will remain the bread and butter of its cable channel, which remains successful with older audiences. FilmStruck’s target age is 25 to 44.

TCM's on-demand interface blows, so that's bad news. I was hoping FS would be full of TCM and Criterion content. False advertising!

The article also sheds a little more light on the roll-out of streaming platform availability:

FilmStruck initially will run in web browsers and on Android and iOS phones and tablets. As a way to get its films on television sets, it will be available on Amazon’s Fire TV exclusively for one month, then expand to other gadgets, smart TVs and Blu-ray players.

Two sources have mentioned that FilmStruck will have 500 films, not counting the dedicated Criterion channel. That's a lot of movies if they're being rotated regularly. Are they all going to be tied to themes? Will there be varied rates of rotation: some films available for only a week or two, while others remain for months?

The FilmStruck ads that show up on Facebook highlight Ran, so they must have access to StudioCanal titles. It will be interesting how it (and other StudioCanal titles) will be in relation to the Criterion channel.

jmj713 wrote:TCM's on-demand interface blows, so that's bad news. I was hoping FS would be full of TCM and Criterion content. False advertising!

I don't know if I would go so far as to call it false advertising as they never claimed to have the full TCM library, and they've tried to emphasize the art house aspect of the service. Of course with TCM being prominently displayed in all the press about Filmstruck many people are going to be sorely disappointed when this launches and they won't be able to see the Bogart, Stewart, Hepburn etc. films that they thought they could see.

The launch of FilmStruck is now delayed until November.

Hello film fans:

We want to share some news that the launch of FilmStruck is delayed until November as we work to complete a seamless and easy registration process for subscribers.

Just like the final stages of completing a film, this additional time will allow us to put the finishing touches on FilmStruck in order to bring you a premium service with beautifully curated content and the largest streaming library of world-renowned arthouse, indie, cult and foreign films. Rest assured, we're working hard to bring you the high-quality streaming movie service you've been waiting for.

This sure is going swimmingly, eh?

And in typical Criterion form they wait until the absolute last minute to break the news on a delay.

Good thing they already had the launch party!

How difficult could a registration system possibly be? What a mess.

This is hideously embarrassing. I have to imagine they'll offer some kind of bonus to the trial to "make up" for this (extending it to 21 days or 28).

Somewhere, the ghost of the Auteurs is having a hearty chuckle

Always amusing to read defensive twitter replies along the lines of "I'm glad they're getting everything perfect for launch" as if this is some small labor of love and not a product from a giant conglomerate.