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I just had my first experience with Target Ticket, and it's not good.
I've been dreading this latest streaming service, especially after my bad experience with Best Buy's CinemaNow. Look, the space is crowded, Amazon, Vudu, iTunes, and Sony Pictures, are all in this market. Some movies are only available on certain services, for example iTunes does not have The Raid 2, and I believe House at the End of the Street was not available on Vudu. The latter is because the code I got on the Blu-Ray only worked as an iTunes download, so I am assuming it is exclusive to the iTunes marketplace. Of the two services that I will put time into are: Vudu and iTunes, simply because between the two they have the majority of titles.
Now you add Target into the mix, and they bring absolutely nothing new to the table. Target Ticket is not available anywhere (no PS3, PS4, just to name the two main devices I use to stream movies). Even though you can't watch Target Ticket anywhere (except for the iPad?), they will still seemingly force you to use Target Ticket anyway.
I just bought the Exclusive Target Edition of the Walking Dead: Season 4 and the digital code I got had instructions only set for Target Ticket... which I am assuming will only work with Target Ticket. So I created an account just to redeem this code... and guess what? The code they provided with the Blu-Ray did not work. Calling them did not resolve the problem. Emailing them, I got a canned answer, "did you try typing it in correctly?"
After going back and forth, Target tells me I had to take it up with Anchor Bay/Starz, who produced the Blu-Rays. Starz already is aware of the problem and said they are working on it.
UPDATE: Starz's servers are now back online, they were under a cyber attack, as were many big companies like Sony and Xbox. I was able to redeem the code using Vudu, instead of Target.
I know this is real "first world problem", but this is the reality of the digital world we live in. When you buy digital-only movie, it sometime will work and sometime it won't. Plus, even if you "own" the digital copy, the movie producers may change their mind and take it back (see Amazon's 1984 digital recall) or the movie service may go away and you're left with nothing.
Thank goodness there's always the physical disc thing. It works and it's reliable. The disc just plays at full resolution ... unlike streaming with may or may not play right away due to poor internet connection and/or poor service or able to play at HD at all.
My point is that digital movies, with all its restrictions, are just not quite there yet.
Of the various variant editions, I believe the Walmart edition may be the best as it includes a nice Alex Ross cover, a prison key, and the soundtrack. Unfortunately, it is also really expensive ($84 retail price, on sale for $46). The most expensive version is the $129 retail price for the Walking Dead Tree Walker (but it does come with the Alex Ross cover). The Best Buy edition is the lamest, it just has a Lenticular cover ($45).
The Walking Dead Season 5 starts October 12th on AMC.
Watch the unboxing of the Walking Dead: Season 4 Edition.
I've been dreading this latest streaming service, especially after my bad experience with Best Buy's CinemaNow. Look, the space is crowded, Amazon, Vudu, iTunes, and Sony Pictures, are all in this market. Some movies are only available on certain services, for example iTunes does not have The Raid 2, and I believe House at the End of the Street was not available on Vudu. The latter is because the code I got on the Blu-Ray only worked as an iTunes download, so I am assuming it is exclusive to the iTunes marketplace. Of the two services that I will put time into are: Vudu and iTunes, simply because between the two they have the majority of titles.
Now you add Target into the mix, and they bring absolutely nothing new to the table. Target Ticket is not available anywhere (no PS3, PS4, just to name the two main devices I use to stream movies). Even though you can't watch Target Ticket anywhere (except for the iPad?), they will still seemingly force you to use Target Ticket anyway.
I just bought the Exclusive Target Edition of the Walking Dead: Season 4 and the digital code I got had instructions only set for Target Ticket... which I am assuming will only work with Target Ticket. So I created an account just to redeem this code... and guess what? The code they provided with the Blu-Ray did not work. Calling them did not resolve the problem. Emailing them, I got a canned answer, "did you try typing it in correctly?"
After going back and forth, Target tells me I had to take it up with Anchor Bay/Starz, who produced the Blu-Rays. Starz already is aware of the problem and said they are working on it.
UPDATE: Starz's servers are now back online, they were under a cyber attack, as were many big companies like Sony and Xbox. I was able to redeem the code using Vudu, instead of Target.
I know this is real "first world problem", but this is the reality of the digital world we live in. When you buy digital-only movie, it sometime will work and sometime it won't. Plus, even if you "own" the digital copy, the movie producers may change their mind and take it back (see Amazon's 1984 digital recall) or the movie service may go away and you're left with nothing.
Thank goodness there's always the physical disc thing. It works and it's reliable. The disc just plays at full resolution ... unlike streaming with may or may not play right away due to poor internet connection and/or poor service or able to play at HD at all.
My point is that digital movies, with all its restrictions, are just not quite there yet.
Of the various variant editions, I believe the Walmart edition may be the best as it includes a nice Alex Ross cover, a prison key, and the soundtrack. Unfortunately, it is also really expensive ($84 retail price, on sale for $46). The most expensive version is the $129 retail price for the Walking Dead Tree Walker (but it does come with the Alex Ross cover). The Best Buy edition is the lamest, it just has a Lenticular cover ($45).
The Walking Dead Season 5 starts October 12th on AMC.
Watch the unboxing of the Walking Dead: Season 4 Edition.
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