Former publicist Reid Rosefelt resurfaces today with the launch of SpeedCine, a site that acts as a database for legal film viewing and downloading on the web. It's a clever idea. You scan through the titles listed on the site, click one, and you're sent to a page with links to the various viewing options on the 'net. For example, say I want to watch Jeff Lipsky's Flannel Pajamas. One click and I see that I can instantly watch it on Amazon VOD or, if I have a subscription, via Netflix. I can also download to rent from Jaman or Amazon, or download to own from Amazon VOD. Antonioni's Il Grido? I can watch instantly at The Auteurs or download to DVD from EZTakes and iArthouse. Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks? I need a subscription to watch instantly or download at Movieflix.

The site is a database, not a search engine, ostensibly to prevent torrents from showing up in the results. Anne Thompson spoke to Rosefelt about the site over at her Thompson on Hollywood blog. From her piece:

SpeedCine is a small-scale demonstration model of what Rosefelt and Harris eventually want to do. This version boasts a selection of 150 feature titles (no shorts) that are available for free online. Later, when SpeedCine piques the interest of potential partners, Rosefelt and Harris will expand to the bigger better version, with a planned relaunch this summer. There, a film fan would register and type in their profile specs--say, PC/TiVo user looking to rent a video--and their search would come up. Ideally, that same user could travel to France and change their specs accordingly.

Rosefelt figures that once people see how the site works, venture capital will follow. He's hoping to build relationships and share data with sites such as Amazon, Netflix and iTunes, and generate revenue from driving traffic to his affiliates, as opposed to just selling ads. "This will work for the whole industry," he declares. "I believe that everybody will do better with this."

# posted by Scott Macaulay @ 3/11/2009 06:23:00 PM

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