April, 2006 – Online video site 4Flix.Net has launched its FREE*PASS annual subscription service, which allows unrestricted access to hundreds of feature-length movies, TV shows, cartoons and independent films for a full year. At a blockbuster introductory price of just $99/year, it provides a wealth of media to the consumer, and features dozens of new titles added each month. Subscribers also receive access to an exclusive suggestion form, providing them with a voice in selecting the type of content added over the course of the year.
By avoiding cumbersome Digital Rights Management (DRM) schemes, 4Flix.Net’s FREE*PASS subscription plan offers a huge advantage over other video subscription sites, which offer only streaming media or restrictive DRM systems, and when your account expires, you lose access to those files.
According to Cory Doctorow, former spokesman for the Electronic Frontier Foundation and writer for the influential technology blog BoingBoing, there are several reasons to choose to 4Flix.Net’s DRM-free content over the competition: ”If you amass a video collection of DRM video from Microsoft, Apple, Google, Yahoo or other restrictive suppliers, you’re dooming yourself to either throwing out all your movies when you want to change platforms, or keeping multiple players and libraries from these competing companies that are attempting to woo the entertainment companies to licensing content for their locked-down platforms by promising ever-tighter restrictions in their players. With 4Flix, you get great movies and a great investment — because the movies arrive without DRM, you can be sure that you’ll be able to play them back on devices and players from lots of companies for the rest of time. You can give them to your kids in your will or donate them to a school library. They’re yours, and you can use them as you see fit.“
With 4Flix.Net’s FREE*PASS, the files are downloaded to your hard drive for viewing at any time on your computer, television or iPod, with no expirations or DRM hassles. These high-quality H.264 MP4 Files can also be burned to DVD for backup and even viewed on upcoming high-definition DVD players, providing a great investment value for the long-term.
H.264 video is the next generation video entertainment standard and offers much higher efficiencies than the MPEG2 standard currently used in DVD videos. H.264 content is visually compelling and allows 4Flix.Net content to be played back on a wide variety of platforms, such as:
* Macintosh, including Apple’s new “living-room ready” Mac Minis and iMacs
* Windows, including Microsoft’s upcoming Origami Ultra Portable PCs and Intel’s VIIV digital entertainment platform
* Apple’s 5th Generation video-capable iPod
* Sony’s Play Station Portable (PSP)
* Blu-ray, including Sony’s upcoming PlayStation 3
* HD-DVD, such as Toshiba’s recently launched HD-XA1 HD DVD player
4Flix.Net’s new FREE*PASS subscriptions are available immediately from
http://www.4Flix.Net/freepass/
Launched in 2005, 4Flix.Net has been featured on BoingBoing.Net and dozens of other websites across the internet. The site has served up video downloads to over 70,000 visitors from 80+ countries worldwide since launch. A selection of shorter titles are available for download at no cost, and visitors can also subscribe to a free Video Podcast featuring regularly updated short films and animations. The 4Flix.Net Video Podcast is also accessible directly from Apple's iTunes Music Store by searching in Podcasts for "4Flix.Net".
We've made a lot of improvements to 4Flix.Net since our launch, so we thought we'd send out a St. Patrick's Day greeting to keep our PodCast subscribers up-to-date, along with a $2 coupon good for a FREE movie download anytime this weekend.
Over 60,000 internet users have visited our site, due in no small part to the fantastic online publicity we've received. We were featured on the BoingBoing.Net homepage as well as mentioned in various media articles and blogs around the web. We even had two TV spots on our local news, which we have made available for viewing on our site. We are compiling an ongoing list of "4Flix sightings" in our Links area, so if you see us mentioned anywhere and we haven't listed it, please let us know! It's been very exciting for us, and we greatly appreciate the traffic!
If you haven't been to http://www.4Flix.Net lately, come check us out again. We offer instant downloads for hundreds of feature-length movies, as well as television shows and cartoons, and we are adding dozens of new titles monthly. Among the dozens of new titles made available in March are television specials from Fantasy Island, Gilligan's Island and the Incredible Hulk, along with cinema classics such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Dick Tracy vs. Cueball. And we're proud to announce our first FREE Indie Films, featuring Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg and the hilarious Jack Black.
On the technology front, our DRM-free content will work GREAT in the living room on Apple's newly announced media-savvy Mac Mini and Microsoft's Origami Ultra Mobile PC, as well as Intel's new VIIV digital entertainment platform and due to Blu-Ray support of H.264, even on Sony's upcoming PlayStation 3! So when you buy 4Flix.Net files, they go wherever you want to watch them! Gotta love media without limits!
We are looking for some potential beta testers for an exciting new feature we will be rolling out shortly. We don't want to reveal too much quite yet, but it's going to be a great way to save some money on filling up your video iPod. If you are interested in participating, please contact us via our online form or reply to this email with your hardware/internet connection setup information.
Thanks again for supporting 4Flix.Net, and please spread the word about us!
PS- Check out our sister-site for DRM-Free mp3 audiobook downloads: http://www.UnabridgedBooks.com
February 2006
- - 4Flix.Net has
announced that hundreds of DRM-Free movies, animations
and television shows are available online at
http://www.4Flix.Net for immediate downloading onto
personal computers and the new video iPod.
A selection of Romantic comedy titles are available at
no cost this month, allowing consumers to freely add
romantic Valentine content to their new video iPods
while sampling the high quality of 4Flix.Net's advanced
video encoding. Visitors may also subscribe to a free
Video Podcast featuring romantic videos throughout the
month of February. Prices for the remaining catalog of
available works match the iTunes Music Store's
introductory pricing of just $1.99 each. Gift
certificates are available as well, allowing thoughtful
Valentine purchasers to add value to new iPods
purchased as presents for friends and loved ones,
without the hassles of Digital Rights Management (DRM)
limitations.
Digital Rights Management, or DRM, refers to
restrictions on the ability of purchasers to make
copies of digital media files once they have bought
them. All of the video available from 4Flix.Net is
DRM-free, allowing consumers to freely and easily copy
them from their computers to any other playback unit,
including portable players, other computers, CD-Rs or
DVD-Rs owned by the original purchaser.
4Flix.Net visitors have instant access to hundreds of
movie and TV show selections, all priced at $1.99 or
less. Customers may immediately download their
purchases to their computers and then move the files
freely between viewing devices, including portable
media players such as Apple's upcoming 6th Generation
video iPod and living room-based media centers
including Intel’s new VIIV digital entertainment
platform, providing unlimited viewing options for
family enjoyment. The service is currently available
for broadband subscribers worldwide at
http://www.4Flix.Net/
Launched in November 2005, 4Flix.Net has been featured
on BoingBoing.Net and dozens of other websites across
the internet. The site has served up video downloads to
nearly 30,000 visitors from 80+ countries worldwide
since launch, allowing consumers to sample the
sites’ high-quality, multi-pass encoded AVC/H.264
media while loading up their new video iPods. This
advanced video compression codec allows for high
resolution at lower bitrates, which enables smaller
filesizes with superior quality. Besides the video
iPod, the DRM-free media files are cross-platform and
play on any Mac or PC with Apple’s free Quicktime
7 installed.
A selection of shorter titles are available for
download at no cost, and visitors can also subscribe to
a free Video Podcast featuring regularly updated short
films. The 4Flix.Net Video Podcast is also accessible
directly from Apple's iTunes Music Store by searching
in Podcasts for "4Flix.Net".
###
Innovative New Video Download Service Features Windows, Mac, iPod Compatibility
January 2006
- - 4Flix.Net has
announced a new video download service that delivers
hundreds of feature-length movies, TV shows,
independent films and other video content over the
Internet for playback on Macintosh, Windows, and the
video iPod without cumbersome Digital Rights Management
(DRM) restrictions.
4Flix.Net is not the first online movie download
service -- various Hollywood studios-backed sites have
been offering films over the Internet for some time
now.
But it is one of the first commercial sites to provide
downloadable video files free of Digital Rights
Management (DRM) encoding designed to limit
consumers’ use of the downloaded files. Many DRM
schemes are “Windows-only”, whereas digital
media content from 4Flix.Net is compatible with
Macintosh, Windows, Unix, the video iPod and
Apple’s upcoming media-savvy Mac Mini.
"Everyone in this industry is familiar with the phrase
'Content is king', and yet there is a shortage of
convenient, portable, DRM-free video" says Dave Holst,
founder of 4Flix.Net. "As other cyber-rights advocates
have pointed out, there really is no market demand for
DRM. Nobody woke up this morning and thought: ‘I
wish there were more restrictions in place so that I
could do LESS with the media I buy.’ Our service
helps to break the 'content logjam' by providing
consumers with control over their digital media,
enabling them to watch whatever, whenever and wherever
they want, WITHOUT the inherent hassles of DRM
limitations.”
4Flix.Net visitors have instant access to hundreds of
movie and TV show selections, all priced at $1.99 or
less. Customers may immediately download their
purchases to their computers and then move the files
freely between viewing devices, including portable
media players like the video iPod and living room-based
media centers such as the new media-savvy Mac Mini,
providing unlimited viewing options for family
enjoyment. The service is currently available for
broadband subscribers worldwide at
http://www.4Flix.Net/
Launched in November 2005, 4Flix.Net served up free
holiday video downloads to nearly 20,000 visitors from
80+ countries worldwide throughout the month of
December, allowing consumers to sample the sites’
high-quality, multi-pass encoded AVC/H.264 media while
loading up their new video iPods. This advanced video
compression codec allows for high resolution at lower
bitrates, which enables smaller filesizes with superior
quality. Besides the video iPod, the DRM-free media
files are cross-platform and play on any Mac or PC with
Apple’s free Quicktime 7 installed.
A selection of shorter titles are available for
download at no cost, and visitors can also subscribe to
a free Video Podcast featuring regularly updated short
films. The 4Flix.Net Video Podcast is also accessible
directly from Apple's iTunes Music Store by searching
in Podcasts for "4Flix.Net”.
________________________________________________________________________________
Source:
Word.Net Communications Public Relations
417.894.3166
custserv (at) word.net
Web site:
http://www.4Flix.net/
December 2005 - 4Flix.Net has nearly tripled the number of movies, cartoons and television shows available online at http://www.4Flix.Net for immediate downloading onto personal computers and the new video iPod. The catalog now features directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, Francis Ford Coppola, Frank Capra and Orson Welles. Actors featured include John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Marlon Brando, Vincent Price, Frank Sinatra and Fred Astaire, as well as pioneers of early cinema such as Buster Keaton, Faye Wray, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff.
Nearly a dozen Christmas titles are now available at no cost, allowing consumers to freely add classic holiday video content to their new video iPods while sampling the high quality of 4Flix.Net's advanced video encoding. Visitors can also subscribe to a free Video Podcast featuring a dozen Christmas videos throughout the month of December. The 4Flix.Net Video Podcast is also now accessible directly from Apple's iTunes Music Store - just search in Podcasts for "4Flix". Prices for the expanding catalog of available works are all under $2. Gift certificates are available as well.
All of the video available from 4Flix.Net is encoded in pristine, multi-pass AVC/H.264 MP4 format, allowing for high resolution at low bitrates, which enables smaller filesizes with superior quality. Besides the video iPod, these MP4 files are cross-platform and play on any Mac or PC with Quicktime 7 installed. The files are also DRM-free, allowing consumers to freely and easily copy them from their computers to any other playback unit, including portable players, other computers, CD-Rs or DVD-Rs owned by the original purchaser.
Media analysts predict that mobile video will be one of the fastest growing content segments in 2006. As the demand for mobile entertainment grows, 4Flix.Net will continue to expand its catalog into categories such as film noir, classic Hollywood movies, cutting-edge independent films, early animation and silent cinema.
Visit www.4Flix.Net today to check out the expanded selection online.
_______________________________________________________
New media site provides feature-length movies, classic
TV shows and animations as high-quality downloads for
personal computers & video iPods
December 2005
- 4Flix.Net has announced that dozens of Christmas
movies, cartoons and television shows are available
online at
http://www.4Flix.Net
for immediate downloading onto personal computers and
the new video iPod.
A selection of shorter titles are available at no cost,
allowing consumers to freely add classic holiday video
content to their new video iPods while sampling the
high quality of 4Flix.Net's advanced video encoding.
Visitors can also subscribe to a free Video Podcast
featuring Christmas videos throughout the month of
December. Prices for the remaining catalog of available
works match the iTunes Music Store's introductory
pricing of just $1.99 each. Gift certificates are
available as well, allowing thoughtful holiday
purchasers to add value to new iPods purchased as
presents for friends and loved ones.
Apple's 5th generation iPod, released in October 2005,
allows users to play back video in addition to music
and photos, but thus far video choices have been
limited primarily to iTunes music videos and select TV
shows, all encumbered with Digital Rights Management
(DRM) protection.
"As the saying goes, 'Content is king', but customers
are starving for convenient, family-friendly, DRM-free
video" says Dave Holst, founder of 4Flix.Net. "We want
to help break the 'content logjam' by providing an
affordable, safe and simple way for new iPod owners to
'feed their need'. For folks without a new iPod, our
video files play great on any Mac or PC with QuickTime
7 installed. All of our titles are encoded in the new
AVC/H.264 MP4 format, which creates high-quality video
in amazingly compact file sizes. And we're proud to be
one of the very few content providers distributing
DRM-free media, which is very consumer-friendly."
Digital Rights Management, or DRM, refers to
restrictions on the ability of purchasers to make
copies of digital media files once they have bought
them. All of the video available from 4Flix.Net is
DRM-free, allowing consumers to freely and easily copy
them from their computers to any other playback unit,
including portable players, other computers, CD-Rs or
DVD-Rs owned by the original purchaser.
Leading analysts predict that mobile video will be one
of the fastest growing content segments in 2006. As the
demand for mobile entertainment grows, 4Flix.Net will
offer more titles tailored specifically to categories
that consumers are the most interested in. The site
plans to greatly expand its catalog in the coming
weeks, including film noir, classic Hollywood movies,
cutting-edge independent films, early animation and
silent cinema.
For now, just visit
www.4Flix.Net to "feed your
video iPod" with a wide selection of holiday video
classics.
_______________________________________________________
SAN JOSE, California—October 12, 2005—Apple today introduced the new iPod®, featuring a gorgeous 2.5-inch color screen which can display album artwork and photos, and play stunning video including music videos, video Podcasts, home movies and television shows. The new iPod holds up to 15,000 songs, 25,000 photos or over 150 hours of video and is available in a 30GB model for $299 and a 60GB model for $399, with both models available in stunning white or black designs.
“The new iPod is the best music player ever—it's 30 percent thinner and has 50 percent more storage than its predecessor—yet it sells for the same price and plays stunning video on its 2.5-inch color screen,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Because millions of people around the world will buy this new iPod to play music, it will quickly become the most popular portable video player in history.”
The new iPod plays music, audiobooks, audio Podcasts, video Podcasts, home movies, music videos and popular television shows like “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives.” The unrivaled combination of iPod and iTunes® 6 now provides customers with a seamless experience for buying, managing and playing video as well as audio content, including over 2,000 music videos, six short films from the Academy-Award winning Pixar Animation Studios, and five television shows from ABC and Disney Channel, including the immensely popular “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives.”
The new iPod combines all of the ground breaking features that have made the iPod the best music player in the world with revolutionary new features such as the ability to view video content on a larger stunning color display. The new iPod features Apple’s innovative Click Wheel for precise, one-handed navigation and the portable design is ideal for putting music, Podcasts, photos, audiobooks, home movies, music videos and popular television shows in a pocket for on-the-go viewing. iPod users can also watch their video content and slideshows of their photos on a television via optional Apple accessories.
Featuring seamless integration with the iTunes Music Store and the iTunes digital music jukebox, iPod features Apple’s patent pending Auto-Sync technology that automatically downloads digital music, Podcasts, photos, audiobooks, home movies, music videos and popular television shows onto the iPod and keeps them up-to-date whenever the iPod is plugged into a Mac® or Windows computer using USB 2.0. The 30GB model features up to 14 hours of battery life for music playback and the 60GB model features up to 20 hours of battery life for music playback.*
Pricing & Availability
The new iPods will begin shipping next week for a suggested retail price of $299 (US) for the 30GB model and $399 (US) for the 60GB model through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. All iPod models include earbud headphones, USB 2.0 cable, case, dock insert and a CD with iTunes for Mac and Windows computers.
Optional accessories designed for the new iPod include: Universal Dock for $39 (US), giving users easy access to a USB port for syncing, IR support to work with the Apple Remote and a variable line out and S-video connections for integration within the living room; Apple Remote for $29 (US), providing wireless integration to the Universal Dock and quick and easy access to controls from across the room; Apple iPod AV cable for $19 (US), enabling television viewing of video content in full-screen; the iPod Camera Connector for $29 (US); and Apple Socks for $29 (US) providing six vibrant color socks to dress up and protect your iPod.
iPod requires a Mac with a USB 2.0 and Mac OS® X version 10.3.9 or later and iTunes 6; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows 2000, XP Home or Professional (SP2) and iTunes 6.
* Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. See www.apple.com/batteries for more information. Music capacity is based on four minutes per song and 128-Kbps AAC encoding; video capacity is based on H.264 750-Kbps combined with 128-Kbps audio; and photo capacity is based on iPod-viewable photos transferred from iTunes.
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning desktop and notebook computers, OS X operating system, and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital music revolution with its iPod portable music players and iTunes online music store.