Video on Demand From the Public Library

ye oulde library lover writes "In light of the recent story about Wal-Mart and movies on demand, readers should know there is a free service available from some public libraries that lets you download movies and tv shows. The service is just beginning, so selection is pretty mediocre, but the sponsors, Recorded Books and PermissionTV, make some big promises. If your library ponies up the dough for the top service, you will be able to download movies on the same day as their dvd release. All you need is a library card. You can see one of the early adopters — Half Hollow Hills Community Library in the library's blog. Look for MyLibraryDV."

Doesn't this exist already?

[Bin Naden]

Don't torrents pretty much do that? So when it's a community initiative, it's piracy, but if the goverment does it, it's ...

Why is it for individual libraries?

[CastrTroy]

Why would individual libraries be doing this? Wouldn't make more sense from a power by numbers point of view to have 1 online library that holds and distributes all the content? Kind of like the library exchange program. If my library doesn't have a book, then I can get to have it shipped from another library that does have the book. There's no reason why each library should have to have their own system. There should be at least a state level (province level cause I'm in Canada) if not national level program. If they really got their act together they could have 1 huge international digital library. With ebooks and everything.

I Love Libraries

[rueger]

A good public library is one of the great resources anywhere. I love them.

Entertainment, information, fun, enlightenment, all for free.

Plus, even in these Internet days, you can still phone the library with a question and they will look up the answer!

Our local library has a really amazing collection of DVDs, both recent and classic and foreign films. Kind of like NetFlix without paying a monthly subscription fee.

It is inconceivable that one could create such an institution these days. No politician would ever - EVER - support the idea today. Can you imagine how the MPAA or RIAA would fight to prevent the free loans of their products? Could book publishers be far behind?

Libraries - gotta love them.

Such a deal

[DerekLyons]

If your library ponies up the dough for the top service,

Great. Now my local library, already facing a funding crunch to purchase non fiction books... Has yet another way to waste scarce cash on entertainment. Libraries are supposed to supplement Blockbuster and Netflix, and do the things they won't because there's no money in it - not compete with them.
 
Libraries in their race to become relevant - are becoming meaningless.

Re:Library?

[Guppy06]

As a government institution, they are what the people want them to be. I can still remember the 80's when my local library had audio cassettes and even betamax movies available.

Either way, they continue to function as a repository of recorded media, be it printed or otherwise.

Re:Doesn't this exist already?

[geekoid]

legal, is te last word you're looking for.

Yes, funny thing, Libraries have been given special permission to lend things.

You should go to one some time.

Re:Why is it for individual libraries?

[Guppy06]

"Why would individual libraries be doing this?"

Because public libraries are local institutions, rather than federal.

"Wouldn't make more sense from a power by numbers point of view to have 1 online library that holds and distributes all the content?"

Who pays for it? Local governments pay for their own.

"If my library doesn't have a book, then I can get to have it shipped from another library that does have the book."

I'll bet this only works in the same county (i. e. under the authority of the same local government).

"There should be at least a state level (province level cause I'm in Canada) if not national level program."

So will you be raising federal taxes to pay for it or reducing funding to healthcare?

"If they really got their act together they could have 1 huge international digital library."

As others have pointed out, I believe that's called "BitTorrent."

Re:Doesn't this exist already?

[Anonymous Coward]

IMO, for the sake of their employer's image, all good library employees should know how to spell and punctuate before they go on a worldwide forum to make comments.