I have been amazed at how few people are aware of the new MovieBeam service.
If you own a HDTV or home theater projector, you will be addicted to this unit!

The box is the size of a 17" wide DVD player, has a small very easy to use remote, and comes from MovieBeam with 100 movies ready to go on a 250gb hd for just $99.
I found them at MovieBeam.com but they can be found at BestBuy also.

It ouputs SD, HD, 5.1 surround sound, component, composite, and HDMI (HDCP).
Disney, Intel, and Cisco invested 40+million in the kick off back in Feb and I got mine in March. It's easier to use than a TIVO!
You even get Movie Trailers that are running at your local theaters!
The 100 movies are also organized in categories under Drama, Comedy, Annimation, Documentary, etc.

The feature that we wear out most is the instant push button available 2 minute movie trailers that allow you to cruise through 5 or 6 films, and decide which one you like the most.

The thing I love is there is NO CHARGE for the service montly if you don't use it.
It only charges for movies when you watch them at only 1.99, or up to 3.99 on the newest releases.

We watched four GREAT movies last month, which were exactly what we wanted to see (thanks to the instant movie trailers and the total charge to my credit card was only $8! (1.99 x 4 movies) The rental time lasts for 24 hours.

This has eliminated trips to the video store, to pick up AND return, late fees, guess work as to what to rent, postage on shipping rentals by mail, etc., plus given us the choice of 100 films that cover anybodys tastes.

They also take off the movies you haven't watched after two or three months and add new ones. I get 1-2 new movies every day. Quality of the SD on a 138" screen is excellent and of course the HD looks superb!

You MUST be in a city that can receive a OTA local PBS channel in order for it to download the movies. They are using a digital side frequency of your local PBS tower.

We hung the antenna up on a bookshelf and started receiving new movies immediately!

Check it out if you don't have one, and I think you will be amazed at how convenient this new movie delivery system is.

I've had mine for 5 months now, and can't live without it.

Flashcube

This device has been covered here several times. I don't believe the moderators felt it belonged in HD reception hardware since there's only 6 HD movies available.

I don't see this service being better than Netflix.

FYI to the marketing person who did the writeup:

- Tivos aren't "fun to use," they're easy to use. The fun is watching the program.
- "newest boxoffice arrivals" It doesn't sound natural enough for a forum post. It sounds like a hollywood marketing term. Have them change it to "newest releases"

JMMHouston:

I'm new to the AVS Forum and don't know why you are not impressed with MovieBeam, but I have three other friends that have it too, and they are just as excited as I am about it.

Thanks for the compliment(?), but I am NOT a marketing person! I am a user having a blast with HD and home theater. I give MovieBeam a big FIVE STARS!

Flashcube

And if you don't want to go to the store or mail movies back cable companies has offered VOD rentals for some time already. And they have trailers as well. And you don't have to spend $99 to buy your own set-top box.

You can get the unit for $49 by using "PR49B" when you order. My unit cost me a grand total of $53 after tax! Getting this unit is a no brainer!

CD

Flashcube -

You post reads like a corporate plant....

Tell me what you don't like about the product....

Boy Flashcube, I think you need to cut back on the exclamation points and emphasizing words by writing them in uppercase. I've seen some of your other posts, and it just feels like I'm watching an infomercial every time I read them.

I know you don't work for Moviebeam, but the way you write sure makes it sound like you do.

Trancethereal:

I can't think of much to criticize about MovieBeam....
It is definitely filling in the gap on programming until more HD-DVD and BluRay discs show up.

OK, here goes.....

It's limitations are that:
• It does not work if you live out of range of a PBS OTA antenna.
• If you are in the middle of a movie and pause, continuing with FF or rewind is not as accurate on the remote, as say, the Dish 942 DVR playback is.
• I find the hdmi to be working fine with any HDCP device, BUT, I do not like the switch on the back that you have to throw when using component to the projector and previewing on a second monitor. For folks using only component, it would be easier to mount a push button on the front panel, OR, place that function on the remote control.

That's all I can find to pick at.

Oh, and there's one more...

There are so many movies being loaded onto the machine, I don't have time to watch them all.

Flashcube

Sure sounded like an infomercial to me.

The give-aways are:

"can't live without it"

"but I have three other friends that have it too, and they are just as excited as I am about it"

It will probably any where but this Forum. It's like trying to hold-up a police station. :)

Ein:

Could you retype that last sentence,... it doesn't make sense!

thanks,

Flashcube

As formatted now it may be headed down the road of Betamax. If they want to grab hold of our attention they need more HD offerings and more current releases (the latter being up to the movie industries greed).
They also need to activate the ethernet port asap for those that are not within range of a signal.
I do like that they have DD 5.1 as compared to 2 channel audio offered by online download services.
At least it cost less than the once mentioned samsung offering which may never become reality.

http://www.hometheaterblog.com/hometheater/2005/12/samsung_univers.html

Very good point!

I only counted 5 HD movies out of 100 last weekend on the system.
The SD movies look fine,... I'm just not sure if they are 480i or scaled up any. On a 138" screen, they are decent.
I suppose the small amount of HD might be due to limitations of space on the 250gb hard drive in the machine. Maybe they ought to reduce the quantity of SD movies to increase the HD.
I've heard rumors they will increase the HD content in the future.

Have had the moviebeam box for about 2 months. Got it for the coupon special. There are some good and bad...For $50 or so shipped and no monthly charges ...a great bargain and an alternative. But it would NOT be my only way to watch movies.

Some Highlights:

*Decent selection of movies in SD, however minimal selection in HD. Usually 3-5 movies and they are charging $1.00 more per movie for them. (BTW - Have never found the $1.99 movies - mine have always been 3.99 - 4.99)

* Some movies come out 1-2 weeks after typical release - about 10% arrive a week earlier. (Typically Disney)

*Not only must you have line of sight to the PBS station (my prior house did not), but the antenna is finicky. Moviebeam will come out and put an antenna up for you if you are having problems...but that certainly complicates things.

*Setup is pretty easy - customer service is actually quite good and for those with HD TV's it will upscale SD to 720p. There is a test pattern etc for use in calibration. Outside of that no other picture settings etc to tweak the picture (unlike most DVD boxes)

* SD is pretty good, HD movies are on par with DISH/D*TV types of HD movies - they are NOT the quality of say OTA HD, Discovery HD or the HD A1. SD upscaled is on par withmost upscaled DVD players - not the top tier such as the HD A1 or better DVD players.

*Aspect ratio's are all over the board - some are displayed correctly and some are not. The preview function does not preview in the aspect ratio for the movie - you are "stuck" once you order a movie, 75% of the time correct aspect, other 25% full screen or some other aspect. Due to this I tend to NOT watch "anticipated" movies this way. I know picky - but for those that do not like their movies displayed incorrectly this could be an issue.

*Preview of movies is a great feature. You can watch the trailers and get a good feel for the type of movie and whether you are in the mood for it or not. Very simple to use and probably our most used feature:) Especially when you have different memebers of the family in the mood for something or trying to get a consensus!

*You only get the movie for 24 hours. This sucks! Once I have paid for the movie - I do not understand why it cannot be available until it "drops" off. Since there is no way to record it and the box knows what you have rented and keeps a history - this would seem to be a feature we could use. Our family certainly could. It is one of the more irritating issues of the system.

* If you do not recieve a signal (via the antenna) or do not have it hooked up to your phone line for a period of time - you "lose" any movies that are made available in that time slot. Given that the antenna can be finicky - you may never get the movies for that week as the next time it "connects" it picks up from the current time period. Not a problem if you always have a strong signal.

* The remote is right up there with the stupidest remotes on the face of the earth. It is only about 4-5 inches and about 2-3 inches wide. We use a Harmony - but the moviebeam remote needs to go. Functions such as rewind and pause are okay - not near the level of a DVR or good DVD player.

So why bother....:) The best thing about moviebeam in our family is for the times when we don't feel like going out (blockbuster), have nothing in the house from netflix unwatched and want a recent movie to view. Or to watch something we might not have rented or discovered otherwise. Often times we'll sit down to watch a movie and spend 30 minutes just checking out the previews. Eventually watching something I would never have thought of to rent or buy.

As an augmentaion to other sources and for the $50 or so investment. A decent if not pretty good buy. The movie trailers and the ongoing preview is pretty good background too.

PQ is quite good - and acceptable for most instances...however for those very picky (I am) you will not want to watch or use this source for critical viewing. For kids this is a great box...allows them to watch a movie and have a source for stuff you might not feel like renting or buying. It's a real big hit for when their friends come over.

Therese

Therese:

At first, I also had a weak signal upon first installing and wound up running a cable outside the building. I'm in a metal building so any antenna source has a problem unless near the windows. After running the antenna outside the signal was great. I'm about 25 miles from the PBS antenna here.

I agree with you on the trailers.... there are movies I would have never know about, without the fast previews available on this system. In fact, that probably is the strongest point of this delivery system.

Just got Moviebeam installed at home. Very disappointed that I can't get HDMI working with the Moviebeam. I'm trying to run the HDMI through my A/V Receiver (HDMI Router) and the stupid HDCP looks like it has denied me HDTV.

Has anyone gotten Moviebeam HDMI to work through a A/V Receiver? The fact that you can't get 720p through the components is a huge limitation.

Just got Moviebeam installed at home. Very disappointed that I can't get HDMI working with the Moviebeam. I'm trying to run the HDMI through my A/V Receiver (HDMI Router) and the stupid HDCP looks like it has denied me HDTV.
Has anyone gotten Moviebeam HDMI to work through a A/V Receiver? The fact that you can't get 720p through the components is a huge limitation.

I have it running through my Denon 3805 and it works fine.
It did NOT work with my older projector (Sanyo PLV-70) except through component.
When I upgraded to the PLV-75 with HDCP it worked great using an HDMI cable to a DVI cable at the projector.
Keep in mind, that your HDCP has to be certified all the way down the line.
From the source (Moviebeam HDMI out) through your switcher and projector/TV.

We have found the component gives a very good signal on our 140" screen. Not as good as the HD they send out, but very decent. I've heard it's more like 480P scaled up, but not sure how MovieBeam does the compression.

Test your TV with another HDCP device,.. if the TV is more than a year or so old, it may have to be upgraded to get the copy protection unlocked. I complained a lot when I upgraded my projector, but now that I see the quality, I have to admit it was worth it! Although there are not more than 5-6 HD movies on the set coming in at this time, the 1080i over the HDMI output is absolutely gorgeous.

Flashcube

I have it running through my Denon 3805 and it works fine.
It did NOT work with my older projector (Sanyo PLV-70) except through component.
When I upgraded to the PLV-75 with HDCP it worked great using an HDMI cable to a DVI cable at the projector.
Keep in mind, that your HDCP has to be certified all the way down the line.
From the source (Moviebeam HDMI out) through your switcher and projector/TV.

We have found the component gives a very good signal on our 140" screen. Not as good as the HD they send out, but very decent. I've heard it's more like 480P scaled up, but not sure how MovieBeam does the compression.

Test your TV with another HDCP device,.. if the TV is more than a year or so old, it may have to be upgraded to get the copy protection unlocked. I complained a lot when I upgraded my projector, but now that I see the quality, I have to admit it was worth it! Although there are not more than 5-6 HD movies on the set coming in at this time, the 1080i over the HDMI output is absolutely gorgeous.

Flashcube

I'm using Marantz SR8500 which states it supports HDCP. I have a brand spanking new NEC Plasma which support HDCP also. If I connect the Moviebeam directly into the NEC Plasma it works. So obviously its an issues with my Marantz SR8500.

I'm using Marantz SR8500 which states it supports HDCP. I have a brand spanking new NEC Plasma which support HDCP also. If I connect the Moviebeam directly into the NEC Plasma it works. So obviously its an issues with my Marantz SR8500.

I would think that the Marantz would be ok too... most of the 1.0 and up HDCP works and is supposed to be backwards compatible. Have you tried playing with running the HDMI from the movie beam, and a separate audio line?
I once tried that with a HDCP nightmare and for some reason the Denon A/V saw it and let it pass. Might also try swapping a few HDMI cables and trying a shorter run. I have one brand that works with my HD-DVD and another same length of another brand that fails to pass the copy protection.

Ah,... the fun and challenges of HDCP.

I can't wait for HDCP 1.3!

Has anyone gotten Moviebeam HDMI to work through a A/V Receiver? It passes through my Yamaha RX-V2600 just fine. I would sometimes lose the HD options. I am guessing the Moviebeam didn't "see" a HD TV with the receiver off and turned off the HD options. If I cycled power to the Moviebeam my HD options came back. I haven't noticed that problem for awhile (maybe a month or two) so maybe a MB software update fixed the problem.

Matt

Wow...the firt post in 36 days in a forum full of early adopters! This unit must be great!!!! lol.

Wow...the firt post in 36 days in a forum full of early adopters! This unit must be great!!!! lol.

HA! I'm afraid that with 100 movies constantly being updated on the MovieBeam HD, you won't find too many of us on the internet as often,...
We're WATCHING MOVIES on our BIG SCREENS!

Went to Moviebeam website. Underwhelmed.
Movie selection poor.
Few in HD.
I don't get the point of the service.
Stick a fork in it.
J

Went to Moviebeam website. Underwhelmed.
Movie selection poor.
Few in HD.
I don't get the point of the service.
J

If you haven't tried the machine, it's hard to explain how its so useful.
I've had mine now about nine months, get about 4-9 movies in a week, and I consider the selection good. Out of about 100 movies on the box, about 5-7 at any time will be in HD. If you run the HDMI out to your projector or set, you will see a good quality signal even on the movies not in HD. It's similar to 720 and so much better than a standard DVD upconverted that I'm fine with it on a 140" screen watching from 16 feet back.
I like the fact that MovieBeam costs me nothing, if I don't use it for weeks.
I like the prices, $1.99 is CHEAP and some are $3.99 but that's the highest you pay.
It's a nice alternative to all the other services when you have seen them all, or just can't find a movie to watch.... The MovieBeam saves the day.
We run a lot of the trailers they send down between our HD-DVD movies and they are always fresh and something new. They download trailers from movies that are on at the current movie houses too, which helps us decide when going out.
Try it, you might just like it!

Flashcube

can anyone else confirm that MovieBeam is dead/dying in the LA area? I'd give it a whirl with their 30-day risk free trial, also does anyone have the service in the San Fernando Valley? According to their website the service is unavailable in my area, but i get good reception of KCET analog OTA, so i'd think of ordering it to a different address to try it out

MovieBeam is only available in about 30 US cities on the PBS stations.
To find out if it's in your area, go to the MovieBeam.com website and type in your zip code and it will do a search to let you know if its available there.

Flashcube

They're now up tp 8 HD movies. Apparently they cycle though them as they show a new one every week (at least the next couple).

I have noticed a few more HD movies added since they sold.
There is surely a limit on that hard drive, but as long as you are using HDMI output, the others scale up well to a large screen.

I received some new updates on my MovieBeam menus and found out that Disney/Intel/Cisco has sold the service to Movie Gallery. This apparently occured sometime in March of 2007.
From what I could find out, they seem excited about the acquisition and they have long term plans to improve the service, plus adding more digital content with their Hollywood Video and Movie Gallery stores.

I noticed the new owners have removed the menu that had the movie previews at the theaters and added more of their own movie rental previews.

Their HD output sure looks great on a 9' screen!

Flashcube

How much are they paying you to come here and astroturf?

How much are they paying you to come here and astroturf? Wow! .... a conspiracy theory.

How much are they paying you and where do I sign up to get on the payroll..........because I still use my Moviebeam.

Matt

How much are they paying you to come here and astroturf?

Yeah, the nerve. He found something to do with his HT that he likes and responds to posts about it. :rolleyes:

At least it's not HD-Lite (or is it?).

Oh gee I dunno, he joined in 8/06 and has been pumping Moviebeam with his first post creating this thread, and then with just about every other post made on the entire forum. Not a single negative word about the service and very little about any other topic at AVS.

Hmm...

it'd be great if someone cracked one of these units, not me of course, i'm not interested in that sort of thing!

Oh gee I dunno, he joined in 8/06 and has been pumping Moviebeam with his first post creating this thread, and then with just about every other post made on the entire forum. Not a single negative word about the service and very little about any other topic at AVS.

Hmm...

Hmmm... That does sound like a conspiracy.

Moviebeam is pretty much dead. They took all of their demos out of the stores here, and stopped taking new subscribers.

How would this be better than Xbox Live marketplace? Seems that the selection of movies might be slightly better on Moviebeam but Xbox Live only requires a internet connection with the free Silver account, and seems to offer more movies in HD plus a good selction of tv shows and Anime. Of course $99 is better than $399 but with the 360 you also get the best console gaming to date...and no antenna required.

X-box live sounds interesting. Maybe that could be my excuse to get an X-box. ;)

Moviebeam is a bit HD lite. It is certainly HD, but not the quality of HD-DVD or Blueray. It compares to HD off Direct TV.

It will be interesting to see what Movie Gallery does with Moviebeam. Will they start using the ethernet port for downloading movies? You would think with the analog turn off approaching in < 2 years they might want to get the ethernet going since the MB tuner is NTSC (analog).

I see there is a new software version and as Flashcube saw the coming to theaters section has changed. Of course there are still new movies arriving on it so it is still active.

Matt

You know, I considered signing up for Moviebeam. However, the requirement for a landline telephone was a show stopper. There's no way to save money if I have to add $25+ worth of ongoing monthly fees for just a handful of HD movies (in compressed 720p).

This concept had potential. However, the execution does not compare favorably to Xbox Live, cable VOD, and HD movies from Netflix or Blockbuster. It would be interesting to know what the engineers and managers who developed this product were thinking.

Transmit data on the analog channel from PBS (scheduled to shut down on Feb 17, 2009). Require use of a landline telephone, even though more people are going cell phone only or VOIP and your target audience is early adopters. Include an ethernet port, but don't use it to activate the service or to download movies. Oh by the way, serve only 30 markets in the U.S., but forego the ethernet port as a way of reaching the rest of the country. Sell the box for as little as $49, then raise the price to $149 (list $199).

There is a great business case study here on how to take a promising concept and absolutely foul up the execution. :confused:

The problem all these services are facing is bandwidth. I suspect Moviebeam's catalog is limited by what they can transmit over the air.

Transmitting movies over the internet has problems too. How long does it take to transmit a std def movie over a DSL connection? Isn't a HD movie in the 7-10GB range? That would flood a connection for many hours and then there would be the calls from customers bitching that their internet connection has been slow ever since they signed up for "internet movies".

What would you do if you ran an ISP and suddenly 15% of your customers start using ALL their bandwidth for the majority of the day and all your other customers started to complain that their connections are slow? Your choices would be:
Buy more bandwidth (can't charge your customers for that though) and make less profit or more likely lose money and go out of business.
Block access and have 15% of your customers get really mad.
Charge customers that fully use their bandwidth an additional amount. Try explaing that to an angry customer.
Do nothing and lose your customers thus profits and then go out of business.

Maybe you're able to buy more bandwidth. Then your ISP starts to deal with the same issues. Maybe they decide to charge you more. Can you then charge your customers more, even when they have the 2 year agreement?

Meanwhile the end consumer cancels their account or quits using it because they didn't have that movie they ordered for that Friday party. It turns out there was a router problem that disrupted transmission and the movie was only 47% done downloading. The good news is the router problem only affected 40% of your customer base. :)

As long as the majority of the country is stuck with the usual cable/DSL HSI duopoly (and the crappy and overpriced bandwidth that goes with it), we won't be seeing commercial HD content download services take off. Freebies like what ABC is going to offer, yes, but not anything widespread for sale or rent.

The only way this takes off(and for those of you that are offended, get your head out of sand):

Is if they offer PORNO MOVIES to be beamed to your home along with other movies.

Also, TV series on DVD as well to be beamed to your home.

And, maybe someday in the future, have current releases(ala Transformers currently as an example) to be released/beamed into your home after a month or two of it's initial release.

Until then(ESPECIALLY the first thing I mentioned) this service, which is an excellent idea I must say, will go the way of the DO DO Bird.

So how is MovieBeam coming along for you guys?

I notice they are offering a little more HD content

So how is MovieBeam coming along for you guys? I lost my Moviebeam signal when we had all the fires in the San Diego area. The analog KPBS station is back up, but the Moviebeam signal did not come back up. One of the guys I work with called and asked about the problem. MB customer service said they were working on getting the signal back.

With Movie Gallery (the new-ish owners of Moviebeam) in such bad financial shape, I wonder if they will follow through with the repair?

Matt

My Moviebeam started receiving a signal again about a week ago (San Diego). I was surprised, but happy.

Matt

Oh gee I dunno, he joined in 8/06 and has been pumping Moviebeam with his first post creating this thread, and then with just about every other post made on the entire forum. Not a single negative word about the service and very little about any other topic at AVS.

Hmm...Flashcube hasn't posted in 5 months, and he NEVER actually denied being affiliated with the company. I think you hit the nail on the head. He was here to drum up some interest in his product.:rolleyes:

Flashcube hasn't posted in 5 months, and he NEVER actually denied being affiliated with the company. I think you hit the nail on the head. He was here to drum up some interest in his product.:rolleyes:

Or maybe he was a new member that found a service he liked and was so enthused he had to let us know.
:rolleyes:

Looks like the gig is up. It was fun while it lasted.
Moviebeam is supposed to be shutting down December 15th.
http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/05/moviebeam-shutting-down-operations-on-december-15th/

Matt

Or maybe he was a new member that found a service he liked and was so enthused he had to let us know.
:rolleyes:Flash, come back! We need you to deny their imminent demise and astroturf them back into business!

Wait, uh oh yeah, you're not getting paid anymore. I hate it when that happens.

A little historical perspective. (http://www.welovetheiraqiinformationminister.com/mss_history.html)

Per his first post - "I've had mine for 5 months now, and can't live without it."

Maybe he's not with us anymore... ;)

Maybe he just got fed up with the helpful, friendly posts he got in response. :rolleyes:

So is Moviebeam dead now? We can bury it right next to DIVX.

So is Moviebeam dead now? We can bury it right next to DIVX.
Don't forget USDTV. Someone should create a museum for failed gadgets and marketing ideas for the digital age. According to the article that was linked to in the programming forum, Moviebeam had only 1800 (!!!) customers when they shut the business down this month.

I've had mine now about nine months, get about 4-9 movies in a week

So, let's say the average cost of your movie is $3.49, assuming it's more likely you will rent a $3.99 vs a $1.99 movie. If you rent 4-9 movies per week, your monthly bill range from approx. $60.28 (4 movies per week, 4.3 weeks per month) to approx. $135.06 (9 movies per week, 4.3 weeks per month).

How can you be so excited about paying that kind of money to rent movies? Have you considered NetFlix?

Flash was killed when his MoonBeam unit fell off a shelf and hit him on the head.

If you rent 4-9 movies per week, your monthly bill range from approx. $60.28 (4 movies per week, 4.3 weeks per month) to approx. $135.06 (9 movies per week, 4.3 weeks per month). I think Flashcube was talking about getting 4-9 "new" movies per week on the box.... not renting 4-9 movies a week. I think we are beating a horse after it is already dead.

So is Moviebeam dead now? We can bury it right next to DIVX. I am going to mount mine with the cover off on the garage wall. Should make a nice conversation piece.

Matt

So is Moviebeam dead now? We can bury it right next to DIVX.

RIP :o

OK, now the new thread needs to start on what to do w/ the old boxes!
We can't let a 160GB hard drive go to waste. :D

The hard drive is locked...but I assume there is a way to unlock it with a utility and linux.

Or will MovieBeam rise from the ashes of the Movie Gallery Chapter 11 restructuring? Does Flash know?? :confused::rolleyes::p
-Cam

OK, now the new thread needs to start on what to do w/ the old boxes!
We can't let a 160GB hard drive go to waste. :D

The hard drive is locked...but I assume there is a way to unlock it with a utility and linux.

Or will MovieBeam rise from the ashes of the Movie Gallery Chapter 11 restructuring? Does Flash know?? :confused::rolleyes::p
-Cam

I bought a moviebeam off ebay for .99 and minimal shipping after 12-15-07 kill date.... my unit was a radioshack demo model i guess, anyhow... i have $28.00 in moviebeam money to spend before it actually dies/complains it cant connect to the service...

my dad's moviebeam got a kill command sent to it from the service so he can no longer watch movies, just watch previews... as mine has been incommunicado with home base it is still useful for now.

I am hoping for that disgruntled/fired moviebeam engineer to release some sort of backdoor allowing people to access existing/upload their own content...... i have about 100 kids dvd's and videos I'd be happy to cram into a repurposed moviebeam so i don't have to deal with scratched/broken/ vhs and dvds.