Epix Launches New Premium Movie Channel For TV, Web
October 30th, 2009 by Jeffrey L. Wilson
Hulu may be the face of the TV-on-the-Web movement, but the one aspect of service that’s severely lacking is the movie selection. Sure, you can watch cult classics like the unintentionally hilarious Troll 2, but if you’re looking for Hollywood’s finest selections, Hulu’s a wasteland.
Enter Epix, a new premium cable TV movie channel (available to FIOS customers) that’s a joint venture between Lionsgate, MGM Studios, and Viacom. The channel will also be accompanied by a web portal that will allow those subscribers to view content online. Epix will offer over 300 movies when it launches this weekend (including recent hits like Iron Man and Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull), which will scale up to 720p resolution depending on a subscriber’s connection speed.
Having such close Hollywood ties means Epix will receive content faster than rival channels; you can expect movies to show up 9 months after their theatrical runs, as opposed to a year with HBO. Epix will also include behind the scenes interviews and features, as well as original content.
One of Epix’ coolest features is the ability for a FIOS subscriber to watch a movie with up to five other friends, even if they aren’t FIOS customers. The host has the ability to control the video playback.
Intrigued? You can sample Epix by requesting a three-day pass here. It’s not quite cutting the cable cord, but service does present more options that traditional movie channels.
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