Netflix Application Available on iPad
by: Mandy Rodgers
When the iPad was first unveiled, the focus was not on movie watching as much as book reading and surfing the internet, but inevitably, thoughts went to the possibilities of watching video on the large-sized iPhone.
In January, Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, discussed the invention, calling it a cross between a laptop computer and a smart phone, and though he eventually played some YouTube videos on it at a San Francisco unveiling, the purpose of the contraption seemed to fall more on the Kindle-rival side of things. But all of that seems to be rapidly changing.
At the end of last month, Netflix revealed that it would allow streaming video on the iPad, a huge leap and bound in what the video aspect of the new gadget could lead to. The Netflix app is even free for those who purchased the product, so if you’re a Netflix subscriber, you get all of the “instant watch” options anywhere you take the iPad. The app will also hold your spot in a movie if you stop watching in the middle and allow users to manage their Netflix movie queue.
Reportedly, the iPad has a 12-hour window of continuous viewing time for things like film and video. Those who previewed and examined the device before it hit the market earlier this month seemed to enjoy its offerings, for what it is.
“If you’re mainly a Web surfer, note-taker, social-networker and emailer, and a consumer of photos, videos, books, periodicals and music—this could be for you,” wrote Wall Street Journal’s Walter Mossberg. “If you need to create or edit giant spreadsheets or long documents, or you have elaborate systems for organizing email, or need to perform video chats, the iPad isn’t going to cut it as your go-to device.”
Another technological guru in the writing world, David Pogue of the New York Times wrote: “And the techies are right about another thing: the iPad is not a laptop. It’s not nearly as good for creating stuff. On the other hand, it’s infinitely more convenient for consuming it—books, music, video, photos, Web, e-mail and so on. For most people, manipulating these digital materials directly by touching them is a completely new experience—and a deeply satisfying one.”
So what does this new way to view film mean for the era-defining medium? The more easy access given to movies, the more likely it is that the art of going to the cinema will become an increasingly rare occurrence.
On the other hand, the implementation of 3-D elements in film could keep sending audiences out to the theaters, as well as the larger-than-life IMAX screens that helped popularize films like “Avatar.” (Although, let’s be honest, “Avatar” was probably going to do just fine on its own.)
Now, filmmakers and producers are scrambling to keep up with technology and even creating 3-D versions of films post-production—something that many a film buff have qualms with and even everyday viewers are noticing the problems. (“Clash of the Titans” is an example of this after-the-fact rendering that many felt a waste of money and eye usage.) And though popular movie scholars dismiss 3-D altogether (Roger Ebert has continued to voice his distaste for the trend, calling it a “juvenile abomination” in one tweet), with the popularity of Netflix and things like the iPad where film viewing is literally at ones fingertips, it makes sense that new elements need to be incorporated to perhaps entice families into the theater seats.
When I was studying film at the University of Georgia, famed film theorist David Bordwell made a visit and had this to say in October of 2007: “The number of admissions today are falling. So what’s the answer? Well, 3-D is coming back big and showing regular theatrical releases in IMAX format. James Cameron is convinced that 3-D is the future of cinema.”
Hmmm…maybe this Cameron person is onto something.
