Almost a decade ago, legendary director David Lynch railed against the idea you could truly enjoy a movie on a telephone screen.
In spite of the impassioned, expletive-laden rant, phone makers, networks and content creators are still looking at ways to get us to consume cinema designed for the big screen on our pocket-sized smartphones.
The latest initiative from Fox, announced at MWC this week (via The Verge), involves downloading the latest films in the background (using zero rated data) and then asking users to pay to unlock them.
This would give folks access to offline content on a whim, without having to hammer mobile data or ensure a steady Wi-Fi connection.
However, if the content was of relatively decent resolution, it would consume a couple of GBs of hard-drive or memory card space for a film (or films) you may never want to watch.
The information-gathering trial from Fox, Australian network Telstra, and Ericsson will last for the next month.
Movies available include The Martian, the atrocious Independence Day: Resurgence, The Revenant, Deadpool and Life of Pi.
Would you be open to a scheme that downloaded the latest blockbusters onto your phone on a pay-per-unlock basis? Drop us a line in the comments below.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
