The sharing economy comes to video

I had a chance to try VidAngel this weekend and I am pretty impressed with the company’s business model. You purchase a movie online, stream it to various devices and sell it back within 24 hours and get a credit from the company. Effectively this means you pay $1 for an SD movie and $2 for an HD movie.

If you have an Apple TV, Google Chromecast or Roku box, you can also watch movies on your TV.

The company has dozens of filters you are forced to choose from before you watch. Examples include no profanity, no sex, etc. You must select at least one filter to begin watching.

I streamed Star Wars Phantom Menace in HD last night and the quality was good but there were many instances where the movie had to pause and buffer requiring a browser refresh. Also, action scenes were sometimes choppy.

The only other downside is you get a credit to use on the service, not a refund. In other words a $20 HD movie gives you an $18 credit. It’s worth a shot if you watch a lot of movies or you want to catch up on the old Star Wars series and not break the bank.