FedFlix – National Technical Information Service Library of Commerce

FedFlix is a new initiative by the “National Technical Information Service (NTIS), a bureau within the Department of Commerce that operates on a self-sustaining basis without annual appropriations, and Public.Resource.Org, Inc.” The site allows you to peruse “588 Fine Federal Films” for your enjoyment. Some of the interesting ones include some pretty unintentionally hilarious docu-dramas called The US Postal Inspectors. There’s plenty of stuff to watch, so if you’re bored then headover to FedFlix.

Thanks to Hacking Netflix for the tip.

France to Shrink Theater -> VOD Window to 4 Months

It seems that the French are more readily accepting VOD, as the government and the film industry there formed an agreement to decrease the window of time between a film hitting theaters and VOD services from 7.5 months to 4. Dig it:

France on Monday narrowed the windows between a film’s release and its debut on other platforms.Titles will move to video-on-demand four months after they hit cinema screens instead of the present 7½ months under a new “media chronology” to which the industry and the government have agreed. The change puts VOD on a par with DVD release.

Pay TV webs will get titles 10 months after cinema release rather than 12 months. Free TV takes over at 22 months rather than at 24-36 months.

Gaul is unusual in having a highly regulated set of release windows overseen by the government and the industry, including exhibitors, distributors, producers, broadcast organizations and new-media companies.

Pretty nice that the whole industry has accepted the movement. Shame something like that isn’t happening in the US. Thanks Variety.

YouTube Welcomes the US Government to Their Service

YouTube has bagged another high profile exclusive: the US Government. In their latest blog entry, they go into detail on the new endeavor:

Our federal leaders and civil servants aren’t just on YouTube to distribute video; they’re here to engage with you in a way that only YouTube makes possible. So leave your comments, rankings, and ideas for these agencies on any of their videos to ensure that your voice is heard on the issues you care about. Reach out to your local government as well and encourage local officials to start posting footage to YouTube. By exposing everything from committee hearings to planning meetings, we can make our civic lives more open than ever before. Ultimately, it will help us hold public servants accountable for the jobs we’ve hired them to do. 

There’s already quite a bit of content available, from the President’s weekly addresses to the inner workings of a prostitution sting operation. Enjoy the “transparency”, and another pretty big precedent for VOD in general.