Archive notice: This article was originally published on March 3, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
German online video library Maxdome will offer titles in HD quality. A new download function also enables videos to be used without an internet connection, including while travelling. The complete catalogue of 18,000 titles remains available for direct streaming, the company announced around the CeBIT computer show.
Maxdome plans to expand its service during 2009 with downloads and selected HD titles. Robert Hoffmann, spokesman for the management board of 1&1 Internet AG, announced the plans today at CeBIT for the joint venture between United Internet AG and ProSiebenSat.1 Group: “By adding HD titles and the new download option, we underline Maxdome’s market leadership in video on demand. The simultaneous introduction of the new mediaCenter HD box from 1&1 makes Maxdome particularly attractive to the many owners of HD-capable television sets.”
The HD strategy is also intended to distinguish the company more clearly from competitors. “Downloads and HD clearly define Maxdome’s premium positioning within our video strategy. With the specific HD service over DSL, we can also directly reach people interested in high-definition television,” explained Dr Marcus Englert, board member for New Media and Diversification at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG.
From the end of March 2009, selected Maxdome videos will be available through http://www.maxdome.de not only for direct streaming through Click&Play but also for temporary storage on the user’s PC through download-to-rent. A special download manager must be installed once, enabling progressive download over a normal DSL connection. At launch, around 4,000 of the total 18,000 titles, particularly feature films, can be stored on the user’s hard drive. They remain available for 30 days for a single 24-hour viewing period. The service is to expand continuously; download prices from EUR 2.99 match individual streaming rentals. Downloads allow films to be watched while travelling without a DSL connection.
Maxdome also plans to offer HD-quality videos as downloads in the second quarter of 2009. At launch, feature films including “Perfume” and “Alexander,” followed later by documentaries such as Discovery titles, will be available in 720p from EUR 2.99. The HD range comprises around 200 videos, can be used on PCs and will also be available on televisions through the simultaneously introduced 1&1 mediaCenter HD box.
Maxdome describes itself as Germany’s largest online video library. Owned by ProSiebenSat.1 Group and United Internet AG, it offers more than 18,000 feature films, series, comedy, sport, music and cartoons. Videos can be accessed individually or by subscription through http://www.maxdome.de and used repeatedly like a DVD. Maxdome can be accessed over any broadband internet connection on a PC or through a set-top box on a television.
