MOVIES ON DEMAND WOULD BE WAY COOL (10-2003)

Like most people, I have always enjoyed listening to music. And, like so many others, I had a
rather substantial record collection when I was younger. We just called them records, albums, or
45s, because there were no CDs yet. So we didn't have to designate them as "vinyl." It was a
given.

Back then, one of my daydreams was about owning a home jukebox. I could then select any
number of songs simply by pushing a button, then I could sit back and enjoy the music in my
play list. Instead, I would have to get up and manually change the album every time I wanted to
listen to a different artist.

Well, sometime during the late 1990s, my former daydream became a reality. By then, it had
become commonplace for those with a computer to "rip" songs from a CD or download them
from the Internet. Songs could then be compiled by title, artist, or album and stored on the
computer's hard drive.

Any number of software titles could then be employed to play the songs. Using one of those
programs, I could arrange a list of any number of songs by any artist in any order I wanted. My
home jukebox wish had come true.

It's now possible to take the "jukebox" with you. With portable MP3 players, you can carry all
your favorite songs with you in your pocket or your car, and listen to them discretely and
privately.

Now, I dream about the day when we can do the same thing with our favorite movies.

It's getting close. Already, there are portable DVD players that allow you to view your favorite
movie from any location, as long as you own it on DVD. And, of course, home video players and
DVD players have been around for years.

There are also the pay-per-view movie channels on satellite TV and some cable systems. All you
have to do to watch a movie is push a few buttons on your remote control. The movie will play
on your TV, uncut and without commercials, in theater-quality surround sound. And the charge
for watching it will be added to your account balance.

The problem with pay per view is that you can watch only the movies that are being shown that
month and only at the time of day the provider decides to schedule it. And the problem with
watching movies on DVD is that you have to go and buy or rent the title you want to see,
assuming it's in stock.

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to sit down in front of the TV at any time, night or day, and dial in
whatever movie you wanted to see, from the classics to the recently-released, with just the push
of a button on your remote?

In Japan, four electronics companies are launching a service that will do that with music, but not
movies. The companies will be selling stereo equipment with a built-in connection to the
Internet. 

Owners of the devices will be able to play regular CDs and tapes just like with any other stereo.
But they will also be able to download the songs they do not already have and burn them onto
their own CDs using the new equipment. 

There are no plans as yet to offer the new stereos in the U.S. But if it is successful in Japan, it
won't be long until it spreads to other countries.

The next logical step would be to offer the same service with movies. To listen to whatever song
you wanted, when you want to hear it, and to be able to watch any movie ever made from your
own living room with just the touch of a few buttons is my idea of the ultimate in home
entertainment.