provider for new Trek series as original series download

[jefferiestubes8]

After creating the poll about what television channel should a new Trek small screen series be on I thought about this since we have new types of distribution now.

This Spring I mentioned the idea of serializing shorter small screen episodes so as to not just be 43 minutes like an episode of Trek TV series. Yesterday I posted about the alternative distribution available as downloads.

I've heard of two already:
Sony will have an 8-episode original programming series available this Winter exclusively on the Playstation Network

Sony is developing a reality show that will air on the PSN this winter.
a new reality show series called "The Tester", airing exclusively on the PlayStation Network. the show will air this winter.

September 4, 2009 source

PlayStation Network has partnered with reality programming veterans, 51 Minds Entertainment to produce “The Tester.”
The latest in a series of original programs designed exclusively for PlayStation Network, “The Tester” will debut this winter. Each episode of “The Tester” will be available in high-definition and distributed digitally through the PlayStation®Store. Episodes can be purchased individually or all eight at once through a season pass.

Sept. 2009 source

and this other one on XBOX Live

"Hip Hop - Up, Down, All Around, 360 Degrees" the first show in Gen2Media's growing line-up of planned
original programming produced specifically for the online social entertainment and gaming network's 17+ million Xbox LIVE subscribers.

Mar 23, 2009 source


Now I was surprised by the most people (as of Sept. 13) voting for a new Trek series to be on a premium subscription cable TV channel, Showtime.

Would a serialized 15-45 minute length episode Trek series be possible on the Sony Playstation Network via PlayStation Store or on XBOX Live Network or any of the other 8 vendors? Would you be willing to pay for it during its first run if it were not going to be broadcast with advertisements?
How many of those vendors would Paramount/CBS Television have to have a contract with for it to be successful exclusively as a paid download and not on advertising supported TV?

The genre-specific content of the above two examples aside
If you would you be willing to see an original new Star Trek series on the small screen exclusive with a paid season-pass subscription or by paying for each episode from which vendor if it were not broadcast on television or cable television?
[Assuming in the future all of the options offer 1080p HD video.]

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I'd just rent the DVD from Netflix. Paramount/CBS would never do this, though. Paid downloads/DVDs plus DVD rentals can't fund the production of a decent looking series and after Paramount spent hundreds of millions to buff up the Star Trek brand back to "premium" status, they aren't going to shoot themselves in the foot with a direct-to-DVD/download release that undermines their expensive brand-building efforts. Direct to DVD/downlad is for Asylum crap or stuff like you cited whose brand nobody has invested a penny in, and nobody expects ever to fill a premium brand slot.

There's a reason Mercedes doesn't make crappy cars for the low-end market, even though there's money to be made, or if they did, they sure wouldn't slap the Mercedes brand on it. Everyone has to start thinking of Star Trek as a product like toothpaste, dog food or cars. That's the way the people in control of its destiny view it.

If you want a low-end car, don't go into a Mercedes dealership. If you want direct-to-DVD crap, don't expect for Star Trek.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

IParamount/CBS would never do this, though. Paid downloads/DVDs plus DVD rentals can't fund the production of a decent looking series

If you want direct-to-DVD crap, don't expect for Star Trek.

I understand your take on this totally.
Programmed television will be around for a long time. Star Trek started on it and it has the potential to reach the largest audience for 'free' (17 minutes of sponsored advertising per episode in the USA).
Once any future Trek series it has it's initial TV run syndication will happen and also Blu-ray/1080p HD digital download/DVD will be available for purchase or rental.

 

[AviTrek]

JeffriesTube, with your fetish for video technology buzzwords you should understand that the quality offered by all those services is awfull. They may claim HD, they may even claim 1080p, but the video is compressed so much that calling it HD is worthless. It may look better than non-HD streaming, but it still can't even compete with DVD.

When everyone has fios and can handle high quality streams, you may be able to convince me of an online streaming option. Until that day, the only thing I'd consider is a DVD/Blu-Ray subscription. And as Temis said, direct to dvd is for 3rd tier properties. As long as there is money to be made on TV or movies Star Trek will never go direct to dvd.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

JeffriesTube, with your fetish for video technology buzzwords you should understand that the quality offered by all those services is awfull. They may claim HD, they may even claim 1080p, but the video is compressed so much

This is 2009.
Most agree on TrekBBS that we will not see a live-action Trek series until 2012 or 2013 after Trek XIII is released. 4 years is a long time in the Internet world and technology changes. I am looking down the road to an actual time period a Trek series will be out and it may be on television.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

For streamed digital content to reach core audience

Xbox 360 is in an estimated 16 million U.S. homes, the PlayStation 3 is in 8 million, the Wii is in another 20 million or so, making gaming consoles the leading Internet-connected device already hooked up to TVs. They’re expected to hold that lead until 2013 when connected HDTVs overtake them, according to Futuresource Consulting.


Studios say that both Xbox and the PlayStation are a key driver of digital movie and TV episode sales after Apple iTunes.
For studios, game consoles offer another advantage over other living room devices: access to the hard-to-reach and harder-to-market-to core male 28-year-old videogamer demo.


Magnolia Entertainment’s sci-fi Mutant Chronicles turned out to be a big seller on VOD, largely thanks to the Xbox.
“When you do deliver a young male title to us, our success in that demo tends to end with us punching above our weight,” Xbox general manager of content acquisitions and strategies Ross Honey said.

This article brings it to the point of this thread.

Science Fiction is mostly a male audience. Everyone knows it.
That whole Defying Gravity show was an anomoly with ABC marketing it as "Grey's Anatomy in Space" in the US market.

 

[Shazam!]

JeffriesTube

That should totally be a Star Trek themed YouTube.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

This is what I was getting at.
Youtube has not offered paid content yet.

Hulu is also exploring subscription areas of its service, which provides network TV content without charge to consumers.

http://www.trekbbs.com/showpost.php?p=3530089&postcount=74

Itunes has not offered a subscription, yet. Until mention of it today:

Apple’s iTunes Pitch: TV for $30 a Month

"multiple sources" tell him that Apple is shopping around a subscription service to TV networks that would give iTunes users a catch-all subscription for $30 a month.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

Comcast cable On-Demand - every TOS ep. & all Trek films in HD

Comcast offers every Star Trek movie ever made and every episode of the original star trek tv series


Star Trek Entertainment Package Includes 12 Movies On Demand - in HD and All Three Seasons of the Original TV Series on Fancast.com

WHAT:
all available in one place for the first time ever in HD
On Demand, along with every season of the original TV series available on Fancast.com.

The Star Trek entertainment collection is available On Demand and on Fancast.com today, December 16th.
The movie collection will be available On Demand now through January 13th

16 December 2009
via
http://trekweb.com/stories.php?aid=4b2992d522c07&topBrowse=all

I just checked and TOS's The Cage is not available to play. But 78 full length videos are.
The TOS page at fancast.com.

 

[Clancy_s]

Re: Comcast cable On-Demand - every TOS ep. & all Trek films in HD

I haven't followed all your links so forgive me if it's covered somewhere:

Whichever will allow subscriptions from people outside the US (big bonus if it will work under linux): I know we're a minority but it'd still mean extra dollars, tying it to local terrestrial networks is way outdated.

 

[Yug]

JeffriesTube, with your fetish for video technology buzzwords you should understand that the quality offered by all those services is awfull. They may claim HD, they may even claim 1080p, but the video is compressed so much that calling it HD is worthless. It may look better than non-HD streaming, but it still can't even compete with DVD.

When everyone has fios and can handle high quality streams, you may be able to convince me of an online streaming option. Until that day, the only thing I'd consider is a DVD/Blu-Ray subscription. And as Temis said, direct to dvd is for 3rd tier properties. As long as there is money to be made on TV or movies Star Trek will never go direct to dvd.

Give it a few years (or months), this technology doesn't stop improving, it only gets better. That's why we need to replace our computer systems and networks every two years or less...

I think it's funny that all these new technological worlds are opening up, but no one will believe it will ever be good for anything, y'know like televison in the fifties "it's a fad" they said. Same with computers in the sixties, "there so big !! and TOO expensive !!". Same with the internet, "no one's gonna us that"... Same with DVD's, so much resistance, even Quentin Tarantino hated the format...all actual conversations happening all thru hisory about every new technology. It's all about potential.

Someone has to be the first, and maybe it requires a brand like Trek to do it... wake up and smell the future.

 

[jefferiestubes8]

Common File Format - THE standard format for digital delivery

Not just for movies, this will become ubiquitous just like the cinemas now have a standard delivery format for digital project movies - DCI Digital Cinema Systems' audio & video & file format spcs for a DCDM = Digital Cinema Distribution Master


this is going to be coming for sure with any new Trek TV series now that there is a agreed standard.

A consortium of Hollywood studios and major technology and consumer electronics companies have agreed on a standard format and digital delivery ecosystem for movies, a move aimed at enabling consumers to watch digitally delivered video content on a broad range of devices regardless of which retailer they purchase those digital downloads and rentals from.

under the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem, the consortium of 48 studios, technology and consumer hardware and software companies, announced today that they have agreed on an open format, dubbed Common File Format,

1/4/2010
http://www.videobusiness.com/article/CA6713532.html

Standards are a good thing for things to move forward. After all look how consumer HD stalled with the HD-DVD & Blu-ray physical media format war. Once a "standard" [Blu-ray] was decided upon things moved forward in starting from February of 2008.
And most people will agree that digital downloads and VOD is the way of the future. It will change broadcast & cable TV and it will affect how the next Trek series's episodes will get to people.

 

[TJinPgh]

Didn't Sanctuary start out as a pay for download web series, then get picked up by SyFy after it's first season?

 

[jefferiestubes8]

Sanctuary TV series

Didn't Sanctuary start out as a pay for download web series, then get picked up by SyFy after it's first season?

Yes.

Unlike traditional TV series, the primary distribution channel for Sanctuary was originally the Internet. Episodes were sold directly to viewers on the official website. The web episodes or "webisodes", are about 15–20 minutes in duration and were released bi-weekly. The success of the webisodes led the Syfy Channel to commission a 13-episode season for 2008.[1] The first four webisodes were rewritten and reshot as a two-hour premiere episode, "Sanctuary for All". After the deal with the SciFi channel, the webisodes were moved to the Sci Fi network on Hulu.com.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctuary_(TV_series)

Actually I've never seen the show so you mentioning how this show took off really is interesting. In case you were wondering the DVD for season 1 has the original 4 webisodes as a special feature along with audio commentaries on all 13 season 1 episodes.

4-disc DVD season 1 set released September 15, 2009.
http://www.sliceofscifi.com/2009/08/20/sanctuary-season-one-coming-to-dvd/

One of the reasons I started this thread is that with the television landscape changing I think the next Trek series will actually be on television but also digital downloads will be available the same week as the first run episodes from a number of sources.
Star Trek is not that small of a brand to just be sold direct-to-consumer. It will have a television channel home in the USA but as with most shows being downloaded or streamed and watched within 3 days (or within 7 days) of the original broadcast date many people will watch a new Trek episode but just not in the traditional way.

 

[TJinPgh]

It's interesting that they only included the first 4 on the DVD, since the original web run was 8 episodes.

 

[AviTrek]

I think this series is a good indication that straight digital will not last. The show was started as a cheap online webisode. Then SyFy decided it wanted more money and made a real TV series out of it. After that experience, why would you think they will make another web series instead of going straight to TV. And Star Trek is starting with a much larger mainstream audience than a SyFy original series.

 

[TJinPgh]

While the Sanctuary web series was written and produced by the people behind Stargate (hence Amanda Tapping's original involvement) I'm not certain SyFy had anything to do with it's original web run.

I'm of the impression that they didn't sign on until the series was already getting a positive buzz from the web.

Anybody have any links to whether or not that was the case?

EDIT:
According to an interview with Amanda Tapping, they never had any thoughts about the show ever being on TV. Although, she admits that they didn't really make any money from the initial 8 webisodes due to pirating.

She said they still envision returning to the web at some point with original content, though.

 

[TJinPgh]

A side note on this is that Sanctuary shows how a show can be heavy on special effects and still be cost effective.

It costs less than half (per minute) to produce an episode of Sanctuary than the average TV sitcom. According to SyFy, it costs about half as much to produce an episode of Sanctuary as it does Eureka.

Something to consider with respect to the other thread about doing TNG era programming for DVD and whether or not it could be profitable.

 

[JoeZhang]

A side note on this is that Sanctuary shows how a show can be heavy on special effects and still be cost effective.

It costs less than half (per minute) to produce an episode of Sanctuary than the average TV sitcom. According to SyFy, it costs about half as much to produce an episode of Sanctuary as it does Eureka.

Something to consider with respect to the other thread about doing TNG era programming for DVD and whether or not it could be profitable.

Yes but it looks like ass - who wants to watch a Star Trek show that looks like it was made for next to nothing, we already have fan fiction shows for people who like that sort of thing.

 

[TJinPgh]

Yes but it looks like ass - who wants to watch a Star Trek show that looks like it was made for next to nothing, we already have fan fiction shows for people who like that sort of thing.

Well, first of all, it hardly "looks like ass." There's absolutely nothing wrong with the visuals for Sanctuary. They are as good as anything that has been in a Trek series over the last decade. And, probably as good as anything Paramount would put into a Trek series any time soon. From what I read about the series, most of what you are probably complaining about is intentional. They were supposedly going for a Van Helsing/300 sort of feel. I think they fairly well achieved it.

But, to answer your question, I'd watch a series done with five year olds with sock puppets if it was better written than that last movie was.