Amway

 

Last month, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings set off a tech media firestorm with the announcement of a split between the company’s streaming business, which would bear the original Netflix name, and its DVD by mail business, now known as Qwikster. Much of the discussion centered around two parts – the first being Netflix’s price increases announced this summer, and the second, focus on the name of the new business, which sounded way too much like Amway’s sub-brand, Quixtar. But both flareups circumvented the real trajectory of Netflix making a choice to decrease its attention on the physical media world, one I publicly said I walked away from this Spring. With a smart combination of online video properties, including Netflix, YouTube, iTunes and Hulu, you can have your entertainment needs satiated practically any time. However, there remain gaps of content and availability from site to site, thanks to exclusivity deals with entertainment owners, copyright and who knows what else.

Apple’s initial foray into renting movies (and later television shows) online, combined with the release of Apple TV units, made it easy for me and my family to select movies on demand, and watch them almost instantly. After some buffering, the selected title would be in our living room and could play that evening. Back in 2007, when Netflix was not streaming, the opportunity was available, in my opinion, for Apple to seize the market, through introducing a subscription service. (See: How Apple Could Crush Netflix Now) But it didn’t happen. Apple didn’t go the subscription route, Netflix evolved, and no doubt Hollywood studios were afraid of Steve Jobs having as much power over their titles’ success as he did in the music business. In time, Netflix figured out streaming, kept the subscription model intact, and presented another choice for online video. Even better, Netflix did something that Apple chose not to do – embracing the Web by allowing for in-browser movie plays, and releasing mobile apps for practically every phone and tablet. (See: Netflix Edges Closer to Making the Perfect Web Video Site)

While Apple did a great job of bringing films and TV into my living room or laptop, Netflix did a better job of making them portable. In addition to box office wins, I’ve seen full seasons of shows like Dexter and Mad Men through Netflix, available on any laptop and through most connected TV devices, such as Google TV, TiVo and the Nintendo Wii. Netflix gets the Web, and is so simple to use that my 3 year old twins spend a lot of time running the Netflix app on our iPads. I’m often amused to see the recommendations that come my way from Netflix after Matthew or Sarah have spent an hour with Nickelodeon and Sprout shows for toddlers.

Similarly, YouTube’s tie-in with the Android Market has also embraced the cloud for streaming video. As I wrote in June, you can rent films on the Android Market, and watch them on YouTube from any computer. That too is very convenient, and there’s no entrance fee requiring subscription. Meanwhile, Hulu has access to some shows (like my personal favorite, Peep Show) that you can’t get anywhere else – and there’s the catch. Much like in the old days of instant messaging, where services were splintered without standards for interoperability, consumers are left to have multiple accounts from multiple places and remember which shows and titles are where. An evening’s entertainment can come down to which device you have in which room, which services are supported and which titles are available for which place. It’s easier to deal with for the cloud-backed properties, like Netflix and YouTube, but less great for the others. Nobody’s yet got it 100% nailed.

Additionally, what all of these services miss is the opportunity to satisfy the home viewer who wants to see movies currently playing in theaters. I’ve been begging for this for more than three years now. (See: Think Apple Would Dare To Take On the Movie Theaters?) As a parent of three kids three and under, planning for a babysitter to cover the hours when my wife and I would attend a movie is a challenge, one that will no doubt cost much more than the face value of the tickets. So most of the time, the theater experience is unavailable. Meanwhile, most families’ home theater systems are getting even better. I would have to bet the availability of in-theater titles to play at home would have real value and I know I would pay a premium for it. I would have seen Moneyball this weekend, if it was available, but being homebound means either we have to wait, or we have to seek out illegal downloading alternatives – which aren’t ever a good option.

Spotify delivered the reality of a near-infinite music library on demand. Practically any title in the world (or so it seems) in high quality with no downloads or delays. The movie equivalent is still missing. No doubt this is a harder quest, but it’s one worth conquering. Any time you see knowledgeable people debating Netflix’s streaming movie inventory online, you hear concerns about its library. The company is closing deals to make that better, but they’re quite expensive. Apple hasn’t budged on a subscription model. YouTube remains best known for amateur videos, while that’s expected to improve. And who knows what’s happening with Hulu? Not me.

As broadband becomes more ubiquitous, and traditional entertainment leaders get innovative on their own about reaching customers, partnering with all services, I expect the portable cloud model to win, as it always does. Things are much better now than they were two or three years ago, but there’s much more room to go. I hope in two or three more years in the future, we’ll be laughing about how hard it was to get the titles we wanted anywhere.

Disclosures: I work at Google, of course, and you can decide if that impacts how I discuss Google TV, Android, YouTube or any of Google’s perceived partners or competitors.

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Photo: “Vibe Vixen”

Seems like Rihanna may be listening to too much T.I. (or is that T.I.P.?) lately. In the August/September issue of Vibe Vixen, the cover starlet told the magazine about resolving her own split-personality issues, one being her crafted stage persona, Rihanna (her actual middle name), and the other being her given namesake and usual self, Robyn. “It wasn’t that [my management or the label] told me what to do,” she explained. “It was more of what I couldn’t do. I couldn’t wear red lipstick. I couldn’t wear my hair in a ponytail; all kinds of stupid things. Being ‘Rihanna’ wasn’t natural. So I rebelled. I’m doing me. Now, Robyn and Rihanna are much more similar.” In the issue, hitting newsstands August 7, the Bajan singer also addressed the Jay-Z rumors once more, revealing at one point she couldn’t even look him in the eye she was so embarrassed by all the gossip. But, according to Rihanna, Jay approached her and told her to just ignore the lies. ” ‘It is what it is,’ ” she quoted him as saying. … On Thursday (July 26) the Santa Monica Police Department in California released the 911 call made by the mother of Lindsay Lohan‘s former personal assistant — in the three-minute call, which was made at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, the woman begged for help after a GMC began trailing her and appeared not to know that Lohan was driving it. When the dispatcher asked where she was, the woman said she was heading to the police station, and she wound up parking at the nearby Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Muffled yells can be heard near the end of the call, after which the woman can be heard apparently identifying people to the police. According to The Associated Press, police said Lohan and the woman were having a heated debate when they showed up, and that two men had accompanied Lohan in the car. … The Lohan debacle is getting even messier: In an e-mail sent Wednesday to 24/Sizzler’s David Caplan, Ali Lohan defended her mother against father Michael Lohan, who has been making the media rounds to comment on Lindsay’s arrest. “My father is telling all lies to people and saying he was such a great dad and was always there for us, my father was never there for us. I think that the whole reason why my sister is upset with herself and not as confident is because of my dad not being around and always staying out late and not coming home for days.” … And Dina Lohan isn’t too happy about Rob Schneider spoofing her daughter Lindsay on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” Tuesday night. A statement issued to “Access Hollywood” and attributed to “Dina and family” reads: “We have a great respect for Jay Leno, but we are disappointed in the path he chose to allow a guest to make light of a very serious situation concerning Lindsay. Thank you to Craig Ferguson for not making a mockery of such a serious situation to which teens and young adults are facing across the country.” … Maroon 5 have been tapped to join previously announced performers Alicia Keys, Usher, Avril Lavigne and Fall Out Boy at this year’s Fashion Rocks event, taking place September 6 at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. The event will be hosted by “Entourage” star Jeremy Piven and air the following day on CBS at 9 p.m. ET. … Chuck D handed out vouchers for free copies of Public Enemy‘s new album, How You Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul?, at Union Square in Manhattan, New York, on Thursday (July 26). The project, due August 7, is being released by the PE frontman’s label, SlamJamz Records, and TuneCore, a digital distribution company that offered fans at the event a chance to make their own music available on online stores like iTunes. … Island Def Jam Records launched a campaign on Thursday for Ronald “Mr. Biggs” Isley in hopes of securing an executive pardon for the singer, who was indicted on tax-evasion charges in September. A federal judge originally ordered Isley to three years in prison, but his sentencing hearing had been postponed until next month. The label is citing Isley’s declining health and his efforts to pay down the IRS debt as reasons for the pardon. … Don’t expect to see a sexy starlet in the new Marc Jacobs ad campaign — Michael Stipe is doing the honors, RollingStone.com reports. The bare-and-hairy-chest R.E.M. frontman wears baggy blue pants in the ad. He’s not the only rocker cropping up in clothing ads these days: John Mayer is part of the new Gap ad campaign. … Jamie Reynolds of the Klaxons broke his leg stage-diving at a show in France over the weekend, and the band has had to table four concerts in Australia as a result, according to its MySpace page. … Take a bite out of this: Apple shipped 9.82 million iPods last quarter, helping boost profits 73 percent. The company expects to ship 1 million iPhones this quarter. … A man who demanded $1 million not to publish stolen photos of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes‘ wedding has been arrested, The Associated Press reports. David Hans Schmidt was caught Tuesday, a bail bond was set at $100,000 and he is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles. The FBI had been contacted after Schmidt approached Cruise’s representatives six weeks ago with the photos. … Naomi Watts gave birth to a baby boy on Wednesday. The dad is longtime boyfriend and actor Liev Schreiber. … Izzy Stradlin fan site ChopAway.com says the guitarist sent along an e-mail letting it know that he might turn up for the 20th anniversary celebration of Guns N’ Roses‘ Appetite for Destruction, set to take place Saturday at West Hollywood, California’s Key Club. In the note, Stradlin added that Appetite drummer Steven Adler will be performing, and, according to RollingStone.com, L.A. Gun Tracii Guns will also be there. The site reports that Slash and Duff McKagan are “maybes.” … To mark the 30th anniversary of the release of the Sex Pistols‘ Never Mind the Bollocks … Here’s the Sex Pistols, the band is planning to release a special edition of the LP on October 29 — but not on plastic. The album will be reissued in heavyweight vinyl with a 7-inch insert of “Submission” and a poster — just as the record was originally released October 28, 1977. The Pistols will also reissue their four classic singles “Anarchy in the U.K.,” “God Save the Queen,” “Pretty Vacant” and “Holidays in rhe Sun” on vinyl as well throughout the month of October. … Veteran rock/industrial drummer Martin Atkins, who has played with Ministry, Public Image Ltd. and Killing Joke, has compiled his 30-plus years of knowledge about how to survive on the road into a 530-page bible called “Tour: Smart … and Break the Band.” Due in September, the book has tips on everything from how to write contracts, pick tour vans and market yourself to making a guest list, decorating the stage, getting paid and what to do when your gear gets stolen. Among the contributors to the book are Steve Albini, Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman, Henry Rollins and former Marilyn Manson guitarist Zim Zum. 07.25.07 Don’t believe Kanye West has a sense of humor? He’s posted a hilarious new “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” clip, starring underground comedian Zach Galifianakis and indie-folkie Will Oldham, on his site. According to Billboard.com, the hilarious low-budget clip — which features Galifianakis and Oldham mouthing the words to the song while they hang with cows and gyrate against tractors — was filmed at Galifianakis’ farm in North Carolina. Galifianakis also made a memorable appearance in Fiona Apple‘s “Not About Love” video, but he recently told Impose Magazine that it was his clip for Anita Baker‘s “You Bring Me Joy” that won over West. … Beyoncé took a big spill at her concert in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday night, tumbling headfirst down 12 steps at Amway Arena. Video capturing the gaffe is making the rounds on the Web — even though the singer told the crowd not to post the clip on YouTube. “Beyoncé’s fall onstage last night … was a case of her coat’s hem getting caught in her shoes,” her publicist Yvette Noel-Schure said in a statement issued Wednesday (July 25), “but Miss Knowles picked herself right up, without missing a beat, showing to all that she is the best.” … The Backstreet Boys have pegged October 30 as the release date for their new, yet-untitled album, which will be led by first single “Inconsolable,” Billboard.com reports. Don’t expect to hear Kevin Richardson on there, though — he left in June 2006 (and wasn’t replaced). … Wyclef Jean has snatched up Akon, Lil Wayne and newcomer Niia for “Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill),” the first single from his forthcoming album Carnival II (Memoirs of an Immigrant). The Columbia release will hit stores in November. … Has “Deathly Hallows” left you with a question or two? You might be able to get an answer from the author herself — on Monday, “Harry Potter” publisher Bloomsbury will hold a live chat with J.K. Rowling on Bloomsbury.com. In other Potter news, publisher Scholastic says a few hundred of the 12 million copies of “Deathly Hallows” are missing pages, The Associated Press reports. The company said defective books can be replaced by bringing them back to point of purchase, but some fans are stowing them away as keepsakes. … Lindsay Lohan might have even more problems on her

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Fernando Medina/Getty ImagesThe Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard dunks over the Nets’ Johan Petro tonight.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Brook Lopez is a better player than he was the last time the Nets played in Central Florida.

Dwight Howard may need some convincing, though.

Howard once again dominated his matchup against Lopez, and the Magic used a late 13-0 run in the fourth quarter to fight off a comeback attempt and knock off the Nets, 95-85, tonight at the Amway Center.

With Deron Williams still in street clothes on the bench for the Nets, point guard Jordan Farmar had 15 points and 16 assists, but Howard was too much handle as he scored 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

Lopez had 10 points and two rebounds.

Lopez scored 10 points in his last game in Orlando, on Nov. 5. In that game, he missed his first 13 shots and finished 3-for-17; tonight he took only eight shots, making four.

“Howard is tough on everybody,’’ Nets coach Avery Johnson said. “He had a couple of shots that didn’t go down.â€

Down 48-38 at halftime, the Nets fought their way back into the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Magic 25-18 to get within 66-63.

Anthony Morrow, who scored a team-high 19 points, got hot in the third, scoring eight as the Nets shot 10-of-16.

The Nets finally took the lead, 68-66, on a 3-pointer by Sasha Vujacic with 10:09 left in the fourth, but ex-Net Ryan Anderson answered with a 3-pointer on the next possession, which started a 13-0 run by the Magic, who took a 79-68 lead.

“That’s what really great playoff teams and perennial playoff teams and teams that are led by Dwight Howard do,†Johnson said. “They put a lot of pressure on our defense. We couldn’t score anymore.â€

The Nets responded with an 8-2 run, but Howard got behind the defense for an uncontested dunk to make it 83-76 with 2:57 left. The Nets then went to the “Hack-a-Dwight†defense, fouling Howard, a 59.1 percent foul shooter, whenever he touched the ball.

Howard missed five straight free throws in the fourth quarter, but with 2:13 to go and the Nets down, 84-80, the strategy backfired. Howard missed the second of two foul shots and Anderson grabbed the rebound, which led to a 3-pointer by Chris Duhon that opened up an 88-80 lead.

“That was really deflating,” Farmar said.

Kris Humphries, who had another double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds), had the ball in his hands but couldn’t hold it.

“I had two hands on the ball,†Humphries said. “I think I actually somehow hit the ball into the rim and it popped loose. It was kind of a weird thing, and Ryan (Anderson) was able to get it behind me. So I’ll take responsibility for that. It was a tough night.â€

While most of the media think it’s a foregone conclusion that Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose will win the Most Valuable Player award this season, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy thinks Howard should get the award.

“Dwight affects more possessions than anybody in the game,” Van Gundy said. “I understand I’m biased, but I also watch it every night.

“He’s a big part of every play offensively, whether he gets the ball or not, because of the attention the defense gives him. And defensively, he can defend every situation on the floor, and it’s hard for people to get easy stuff around the basket on us, which (makes him an influence) on virtually every play at that end of the court, too. And to me, that’s what makes him the most valuable player.”

“Dwight Howard is definitely one of the best in the game,” Farmar said. “He — like Derrick Rose — is the focal point of his team. Everything runs through and around him and he makes it all happen.

“Guys are getting open shots because he’s setting screens and rolling hard and posting and rebounding — he’s definitely the centerpiece here. It’s a good argument.

“I think Derrick Rose is having a better MVP-caliber season, but they’re both right there.â€

For more Nets coverage, follow Colin Stephenson on Twitter at twitter.com/ledger_nets

Colin Stephenson: cstephenson@starledger.com