Warner Bros. released the public beta of Flixster Collections, a new service that aims to help fans manage and share their movie and TV collections from one dashboard.
With the app, users can import movies and TV shows from their iTunes library, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon accounts. Users can also import data from their regular Flixster accounts (Flixster Collections is a separate product). Once movie titles are imported, users can create lists and share their collections with friends.
Users can also add titles to the app manually, by searching for a film or TV show and then checking a box to indicate if they own a copy of the film (and in what format) or if they have seen the film. Titles can also be added directly to a Netflix queue and there are direct links for purchase or rental in iTunes and Amazon.
First Signs of a Burgeoning Digital Strategy
In May, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group acquired Flixster, a popular movie discovery mobile app. In addition to Flixster, Warner Bros. also acquired movie aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.
At the time of the acquisition, Warner Bros. said that the two sites would remain “fully independent” but that aspects of the products and brands would be utilized as part of a broader digital content strategy.
That synergy is on full display with the new Flixster Collections beta. Flixster Collections, which looks like a slightly rebranded version of the Digital Everywhere app that Warner Bros. showed off in April.
Right now, the app is available for Mac and PC via an Adobe Air download, though AllThingsD says that mobile apps are in the works.
The idea behind Flixster Collections, as with Digital Everywhere, is to make content accessible across platforms. Warner Bros. and the other major studios are working on a cloud-based delivery system called UltraViolet. It lets consumers have access to content they have purchased — whether on a physical disc or as a digital download — on a multitude of devices and platforms.
We can see how Flixster Collections could integrate well with UltraViolet.
First Take Promising But Buggy
We spent some time using (or trying to use) the Flixster Collections app today. Because it’s based on Adobe Air, it doesn’t run as well on my Mac OS X Lion machine as we would like. The app frequently froze or locked up, especially when trying to import a large number of titles from a Netflix or Hulu queue.
Still, the idea behind the application is brilliant. Not only is it a great way to get a visual look at all the films and TV shows you either own or have watched, but it’s also a great way to get more information about specific titles and to get information about movies in theaters.
The design of the app uses a sliding panel system, something that should work extremely well on an iPad or Android tablet. It’s a nice way to quickly figure out what movies are available and where. We would like better Netflix integration for Watch Instantly titles — right now it seems tied to the DVD rental aspect — and we’d love to be able to launch a “watch now” button for Amazon, Hulu or Netflix, but we still like where the app is going.
We really like that the app can also catalog purchased digital content on your computer. It can even be set to watch certain folders for downloads or purchases.
The social integration of Flixster Collections is more limited right now — though you can choose to share titles and lists with friends. The app can be linked with Facebook and we imagine that it will gain greater social compatibility in the future.
For now, however, it’s still a smart start at visualizing, organizing and aggregating physical and digital movie and TV collections.
As part of a broader Digital Everywhere strategy, we think this could work. Just one request: Please develop a native Mac app.
Import Screen
Main Screen
Main Screen
Rental/Purchase Options
List Creation
Title Details
Related Information
Review Screen
Movie and TV News
Downloads, Coming Soon and In Theaters
Home Screen
Downloads
Explore Catalog
Add a Title
Find Digital Title
Let us know your thoughts of Flixster Collections and the ability to aggregate and link content from multiple sources in the comments.
More About: amazon, digital entertainment, Film, flixster, flixster collections, hulu, itunes, Movies, netflix, tv shows, ultravioletFor more Media coverage:Follow Mashable Media on TwitterBecome a Fan on FacebookSubscribe to the Media channelDownload our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
Posted on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 17:13:48 +0000 at http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/Mashable/~3/pfyS9FHpzko/
Comments: http://mashable.com/2011/08/04/flixster-collections/#comments
With the app, users can import movies and TV shows from their iTunes library, Netflix, Hulu and Amazon accounts. Users can also import data from their regular Flixster accounts (Flixster Collections is a separate product). Once movie titles are imported, users can create lists and share their collections with friends.
Users can also add titles to the app manually, by searching for a film or TV show and then checking a box to indicate if they own a copy of the film (and in what format) or if they have seen the film. Titles can also be added directly to a Netflix queue and there are direct links for purchase or rental in iTunes and Amazon.
First Signs of a Burgeoning Digital Strategy
In May, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group acquired Flixster, a popular movie discovery mobile app. In addition to Flixster, Warner Bros. also acquired movie aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.
At the time of the acquisition, Warner Bros. said that the two sites would remain “fully independent” but that aspects of the products and brands would be utilized as part of a broader digital content strategy.
That synergy is on full display with the new Flixster Collections beta. Flixster Collections, which looks like a slightly rebranded version of the Digital Everywhere app that Warner Bros. showed off in April.
Right now, the app is available for Mac and PC via an Adobe Air download, though AllThingsD says that mobile apps are in the works.
The idea behind Flixster Collections, as with Digital Everywhere, is to make content accessible across platforms. Warner Bros. and the other major studios are working on a cloud-based delivery system called UltraViolet. It lets consumers have access to content they have purchased — whether on a physical disc or as a digital download — on a multitude of devices and platforms.
We can see how Flixster Collections could integrate well with UltraViolet.
First Take Promising But Buggy
We spent some time using (or trying to use) the Flixster Collections app today. Because it’s based on Adobe Air, it doesn’t run as well on my Mac OS X Lion machine as we would like. The app frequently froze or locked up, especially when trying to import a large number of titles from a Netflix or Hulu queue.
Still, the idea behind the application is brilliant. Not only is it a great way to get a visual look at all the films and TV shows you either own or have watched, but it’s also a great way to get more information about specific titles and to get information about movies in theaters.
The design of the app uses a sliding panel system, something that should work extremely well on an iPad or Android tablet. It’s a nice way to quickly figure out what movies are available and where. We would like better Netflix integration for Watch Instantly titles — right now it seems tied to the DVD rental aspect — and we’d love to be able to launch a “watch now” button for Amazon, Hulu or Netflix, but we still like where the app is going.
We really like that the app can also catalog purchased digital content on your computer. It can even be set to watch certain folders for downloads or purchases.
The social integration of Flixster Collections is more limited right now — though you can choose to share titles and lists with friends. The app can be linked with Facebook and we imagine that it will gain greater social compatibility in the future.
For now, however, it’s still a smart start at visualizing, organizing and aggregating physical and digital movie and TV collections.
As part of a broader Digital Everywhere strategy, we think this could work. Just one request: Please develop a native Mac app.
Import Screen
Main Screen
Main Screen
Rental/Purchase Options
List Creation
Title Details
Related Information
Review Screen
Movie and TV News
Downloads, Coming Soon and In Theaters
Home Screen
Downloads
Explore Catalog
Add a Title
Find Digital Title
Let us know your thoughts of Flixster Collections and the ability to aggregate and link content from multiple sources in the comments.
More About: amazon, digital entertainment, Film, flixster, flixster collections, hulu, itunes, Movies, netflix, tv shows, ultravioletFor more Media coverage:Follow Mashable Media on TwitterBecome a Fan on FacebookSubscribe to the Media channelDownload our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad
Posted on Thu, 04 Aug 2011 17:13:48 +0000 at http://feeds.mashable.com/~r/Mashable/~3/pfyS9FHpzko/
Comments: http://mashable.com/2011/08/04/flixster-collections/#comments
