ClassicFlix

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moira finnie
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ClassicFlix

Post by moira finnie »

Here's a link to the Vivien Leigh Box Set mentioned by Kendra Bean in her Q & A thread which features her essay on the films Leigh made for Korda in the 1930s. It is set for release in November in a Region 1 DVD format:

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http://classicflix.com/The-Vivien-Leigh ... 30946.html
Avatar: Frank McHugh (1898-1981)

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ClassicFlix Streaming

Post by Maricatrin »

I was so excited to receive this email today:
Dear Classic Film Fan,

STREAMING IS COMING!

Last year we sent out a survey to our members to find out the streaming habits, if any, they had. The overwhelming sentiment went something like, “We love streaming, but no site has a good enough classic film selection to make it worthwhile. PLEASE START A STREAMING SERVICE!”

Now, following our recent redesign completion, we are ready to move full steam ahead with our plans to bring the same unparalleled dedication to classic movies and TV shows that we have in our DVD service, to streaming.

This is where you come in. Even though we’ve been in business since 2007, building a streaming platform and acquiring the best content is a very costly proposition and is beyond the means of our small company. To raise capital, we can either go the traditional and often lengthy process of pitching investors, or we can “crowdfund.” We have decided on the latter.

If you are not familiar with it, Crowdfunding is a process that allows a “campaign” to raise funds to be managed on a third-party Crowdfunding site like indiegogo.com or fundable.com. “Pledges” are made by supporters in exchange for what are called “rewards.”

In our case, we plan to start our campaign in January and offer rewards of free months of service (and more, depending on the pledge) once the service commences.

This not only allows you to “PRE-ORDER” your membership to our streaming service at discounted prices, but also gives you a chance to HELP BUILD THE ONLY STREAMING SERVICE DEDICATED TO HOLLYWOOD’S GOLDEN AGE.

Your answer regarding your participation in our upcoming crowdfunding campaign will be greatly appreciated and will help us plan our platform and content strategy going forward.

Sincerely,

David Kawas
President & CEO
ClassicFlix.com
This would seem to cancel out the biggest (perhaps only) problem with ClassicFlix --- the long wait in between titles. Right now Netflix is trying to entice me back with a free trial, but the moment ClassicFlix starts their streaming service, Netflix won't even tempt me. If only their servers hold up! (fingers crossed).
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Lomm
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Re: ClassicFlix

Post by Lomm »

Interesting. Netflix really has more classic films than one might realize, but they still are seriously lacking. I can get most releases on DVD from them, but they have few copies and there are often delays. Sometimes a movie just stops being available for no apparent reason. I know classicflix has a number of films I have been looking for that aren't available on Netflix...if they went streaming it might be enough to draw me in.
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Re: ClassicFlix

Post by RedRiver »

If I ever get a computer, this will be one of the reasons. Of course, you have to pay for the service. I don't mind that. But I'd want there to be A LOT of movies available. Is that the case with Netflix?
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Re: ClassicFlix

Post by Maricatrin »

RedRiver wrote:If I ever get a computer, this will be one of the reasons. Of course, you have to pay for the service. I don't mind that. But I'd want there to be A LOT of movies available. Is that the case with Netflix?
Trying out my freebie, I was shocked to see how many old films Netflix has taken off streaming since I left. And hardly any new (old) films added. They still have a decent classic TV section, but I have a lot of the shows on DVD already.

Netflix's DVD section is better, but as Lomm has said, some of the titles can be on wait for a loong time. I will say that once a title has shipped, I've always received it very quickly.

This is the rest of the ClassicFlix survey:
It is understood that your answer to this question will greatly depend on the type of selection we offer, platforms and price. Assuming we are able to start with a minimum selection of 500 titles (mostly licensed, many never previously released on DVD), streaming on our site and on Roku, and a price of $9.99/mo., which pledge amount are you likely to choose?

$5 Pledge (REWARD: Our thanks and you also get to participate in a survey to select our content. You’ll also be invited to help shape the design and features during the beta testing process.)
$12 Pledge (REWARD: One Free Month of Streaming in addition to the rewards for the $5 pledge)
$22 Pledge (REWARD: Two Free Months of Streaming in addition to the rewards for the $5 pledge)
$30 Pledge (REWARD: Three Free Months of Streaming in addition to the rewards for the $5 pledge)
$57 Pledge (REWARD: Six Free Months of Streaming in addition to the rewards for the $5 pledge. Plus, you get to submit a video intro of your favorite film for a chance for it to be played on ClassicFlix before the film)
$110 Pledge (REWARD: One Free Year of Streaming in addition to the rewards for the $57 pledge. Plus, a personally signed thank you letter from our founder)
$210 Pledge (REWARD: Two Free Years of Streaming in addition to the rewards for the $110 pledge. Includes Hi-Def – if available)
$520 Pledge (REWARD: Five Free Years of Streaming in addition to the rewards for the $210 pledge)
$1000 Pledge (REWARD: Ten Free Years of Streaming in addition to the rewards for the $210 pledge)
$4000 Pledge (REWARD: LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP in addition to the rewards for the $210 pledge)
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Lomm
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Re: ClassicFlix

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RedRiver wrote:If I ever get a computer, this will be one of the reasons. Of course, you have to pay for the service. I don't mind that. But I'd want there to be A LOT of movies available. Is that the case with Netflix?
There are LOADS of movies available for instant streaming, and almost everything is available on DVD (or Blu-Ray)...except the frustrating times when they aren't available, and they're a classic that I want to see. :) There are holes in their collection of Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn films even, which should just not be the case with stars of that magnitude. I'm sure there are a lot of classics that I haven't even noticed (yet) that are missing as well. That said, the selection of classics is still very good. If you go with no mailed discs at all, for $7.99/month you can stream as much content as you like. They even have a 30 day trial so you can try it out and see if you like what they offer. Can't go wrong with that!
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Re: ClassicFlix

Post by RedRiver »

I've had very good luck with Netflix for DVDs. I just don't know much about streaming.
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Re: ClassicFlix

Post by movieman1957 »

That's too bad, Masha. I've been a Netflix customer for years. Six, I think, and I've hardly ever had to talk to them. It's been years but I've only ever called their service line.
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Re: ClassicFlix

Post by MissGoddess »

I just re-joined Netflix for streaming but when I found out they don't have certain titles I'm looking for, I"m considering bailing again. It annoys me that what is on DVD is not on streaming and vice versa. They used to include both services in their basic packages but since splitting them up their service has gotten worse.
And, Masha, I can believe that they would not respond to your queries...they seem a corporate entity now with no real service-oriented ethic.

ClassicFlix tend to be very customer oriented, though they are of course much smaller. I just wish they would expand their classic TV show catalog.
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movieman1957
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Re: ClassicFlix

Post by movieman1957 »

They way I understand any of these services is that all they have to do for the DVD service is buy the DVDs. They can send them out and don't have to have a special contract to do that. Streaming, I believe, they consider it more like broadcasting so they do need a special contract to do those.

Sometimes they can't stream because other services are streaming and have an exclusive contract. Others everyone can stream the movies. Then you can get into things like provider bandwidth and carrying charges and all kinds of things I don't know how they come into play.

Wouldn't be surprised if I am off on this.
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Re: ClassicFlix

Post by Lomm »

movieman1957 wrote:They way I understand any of these services is that all they have to do for the DVD service is buy the DVDs. They can send them out and don't have to have a special contract to do that. Streaming, I believe, they consider it more like broadcasting so they do need a special contract to do those.

Sometimes they can't stream because other services are streaming and have an exclusive contract. Others everyone can stream the movies. Then you can get into things like provider bandwidth and carrying charges and all kinds of things I don't know how they come into play.

Wouldn't be surprised if I am off on this.
This is pretty much exactly it. They have to sign licensing deals with EVERY content provider separately, and for different shows and films there are different rates. Back in the day, streaming licenses weren't very expensive (relatively speaking), and no one was thinking much about it; once the big media companies saw the profit potentials, licensing costs suddenly went through the roof, making it more difficult to obtain the rights. The good news is that thanks to Netflix becoming ubiquitous and available on so many devices, more and more providers are interested in working out deals with Netflix - Disney has just signed a pretty good deal to stream their stuff, for instance - so it's likely that rather than more restricted we will start seeing more and more streaming available.
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