Old Dogs, New Tricks and Modern Technology

I have watched more and more local video rental stores close in the recent past, with such services as Netflix becoming a preferred method. I used to be a member of the local Blockbuster, and have been for years and years. Then they started doing the online movie queue and rental feature. It worked and in the beginning had cool features like the ability to take mailed movies into the store and trade them in for an on-the-shelf movie, making it the best way to go. Over a short amount of time, the features began to dwindle, unless you paid more and more for them, and the customer service became worse and worse. So, after being a long time customer, I jumped shipped and moved over to Netflix.

The advantage with Netflix was the ability to not only rent through the mail as with Blockbuster, but also to have access to thousands of movies that you could watch at anytime online to be streamed right to your TV, and all built in to the lower price. For the past few years, Pay-per-view channels allowed you to also pay a rental fee to watch a movie on your TV when desired. Now, the technology has taken the next step, with moving similar technology to your computer. Now, Google just recently announced these features are soon coming to portable systems, like Android phones, and tablet systems, meaning you can now have movies just about anywhere you are.

What will all of this do to the companies that manufacture DVDs for in store sale and rental? I guess the same questions were raised with music being downloadable online, yet while CD sales have declined, they still seem to be worth the trouble of companies that manufacture them.

I guess I am an "old dog," I still really enjoy the feel of a physical item in my hand, and of being able to stand back and view my CD collection of over three thousand pieces, which continues to grow. Plus the cost of digital downloads is often not much cheaper than the physical CD which comes with inserts, lyrics and photos, and has an actual resale value in the future.

The same with the eBook market for me, because as an avid reader, I am more comfortable with a book in my hand, than to read electronically. Plus, with many eBooks also, the price is not much cheaper than the actual physical item, so I prefer to stay with the physical item; yet the eBook market recently had sales above an beyond physical book sales.

I have made some music download purchases, but only when the price is drastically cheaper and worth it. So who knows, maybe this old dog will eventually come around and learn to go with some new tricks like these. This new prospect of online movie rentals through the Android phones and tablets will be welcomed, as I do own an Android phone, and could see myself taking advantage of that if the price is right.

Jeff McCormack resides in Virginia Beach, VA. where he works as a web designer by day. In his off time he is a husband, father, mail order book store manager, and musician. Aside from being a freelance writer for this Tech Careers blog, he also seeks to assist in career choices and information by contributing to other Nexxt blog sites.