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What Are Movie Download Services?

Movie download services are exactly what they sound like: a service that allows you to download movies from the Internet onto your hard drive or a DVD. Though this isn’t a new concept, it is relatively new to the legal world of consumerism. Though ‘pirates’ have been making free download of movies available for quite some time, movie studios are now getting in on the action and offering access to their movies for download the day they hit the stores in DVD format – for a fee, of course.

Who’s Who In Movie Download Services?

In the relatively new world of legitimate movie download services, there are surprisingly many players, but only a few of them are major. There’s Movielink and Sony’s CinemaNow which offer old and new movies for purchase or 24 hour rental. Rental fees are comparable to the local video store but purchase is more expensive than if you were to buy the DVD. ClickStar, backed by Danny DeVito among other big names in Hollywood, is another up and comer in the world of movie download services, but this one’s draw is that it will offer movies for download while they are still showing in the theater. It will also feature a streaming channel devoted to documentaries.

AT&T is teaming up with Vongo, another movie downloading site, to offer its DSL service in concert and duo promotions. Different from Movielink and CinemaNow, Vongo is a subscription service offered for a monthly fee which allows its members unlimited access to movies, videos, and a streaming Starz channel. Pay per view movies are available as well for an additional fee.

Movie Download Services: The Nitty Gritty

• Price – Ranging anywhere from $10-$20, the irony is downloading movies legally isn’t cheap. In order to appease the retailers who make big bucks on DVDs released in stores, the online downloading services are keeping their fees in the clouds. Which of course, doesn’t hurt their pocketbook, either.
• Availability – It depends. Different services have different deals with different movie studios. As for old movies, those are being added all the time. But the nice thing is, if they have it, you can get it – instantly.
• Space – You will need between 1200 and 2000 MBs of free space to store your movie. Depending on your system, this may be a lot or a little. Some services may allow you to burn your download to a DVD, but only if you’re buying the movie and even then, most won’t.
• Download Time – This is no time for dial-up, that’s for sure. Anything DSL and faster should get you your movie in under an hour with an average of 35 to 40 minutes, and that’s if you want it fast and grainy. If you’re willing to wait a little longer, say, up to two hours, you can download a higher quality version. A nice feature that some services offer is the ability to start watching the movie while it’s still downloading.
• Technical Requirements – At least Windows Media Player 10, fast Internet connection, Internet Explorer 6.0, Windows XP. You might be able to get away with older versions, but it isn’t recommended. And yes, did you note – it’s all PC and no Mac. That’s right. PC users only, please.
• Computer Viewing Only – Currently, that’s the state of things. That is, unless you choose a service that allows you to download it to some other electronic handheld device of your choosing, like PSP or iPod. Of course, you could always use an S-video jack to hook your computer to your TV and watch it on the big screen. Some services allow limited DVD burning, but they may restrict the DVD to playing only in the computer to which the movie was downloaded, allowing your fancy DVD player to gather dust.
• Buy Versus Rent – It’s a strange situation at this point, but different studios offer different services different licenses to different movies. So, you may only be able to rent a title through one service that another is offering for sale. Other services may not have any access to certain titles while others do. There’s no standard just yet, so it’s a bit of a crap shoot.

What’s the Benefit of Movie Download Services?

Convenience! Forget long lines at the theater, the video store being out of a new release, or waiting in virtual queue to get your mailed DVD through a subscription service. No more concern about court cases and legal fees for downloading movies illegally or spyware from file sharing applications that will slow down your computer if not cripple it beyond repair. Then, of course, there’s the fact that you can watch the newest movies as many times as you like on your personal computer and instantly upon purchase – no waiting and no driving to the store.

What’s the Downside of Movie Download Services?

At the moment, cost and restricted viewing access. You may not necessarily want to watch a movie on your computer when you just invested $2000 in a big screen HDTV. And you may not want to invest $20 in a movie that you can’t even resell online if you don’t like it. If you have a slow internet connection, the download time may be a bummer, too, especially if you’re trying to use your computer for other things while the process slows your computer to a painful snail pace. And if you use a Mac, well, obviously, the downside is that movie download services simply don’t exist. Then, what if a virus infects the computer where all your movies are stored? Yup. Have to buy them all over again.

Movie Download Services – Yay or Nay?

The state of affairs being what they are – that is, in their ugly braces and zits prepubescent stage – probably nay. Remember the first BETA machines? Or the $700 CD players back in the ’80s? When movie download service lowers their prices and speed up the technology, allow for actual DVD burnings that include the extras and TV viewings as well as access to films that are still in theaters, then yay! In the meantime, sticking with higher quality DVDs that don’t discriminate against Mac users and big screen television sets and allow for resale later on. Unless you have to see the movie This Very Second, movie download services are not yet the incredible service they have the potential to be in the future.

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1. A Difficult Process

Finding good tennis instructors and tennis coaches is difficult. The vast majority are former college or high school players who look reasonably good hitting a ball, but have little actual teaching experience.

Indeed, they’ve seldom studied basic principles of education, read books about proper technique, taken courses in the basic principles of teaching progressions and tennis coaching, or attained certification by either the PTR (Pro Tennis Registry) or USPTA (US Pro Tennis Association).

Always ask your potential Tennis Instructors their NTRP rating, if they are nationally certified (which association and level: low, medium, or high), whether they have ever been ranked highly in the USTA, the number of years they have been teaching professionally, the ages and levels of the students they have taught, the types of locations at which they have taught (year-round indoor centers vs. part-time outdoor summer camps), and which notable authors they have read.

And, while you’re talking to your potential Tennis Coaches, try to gain an understanding of their level of professionalism, dedication, level of maturity, type of personality (personable; gregarious), and their ability to communicate clearly and effectively.

2. Expect RAPID Results

You’re paying good money to take tennis lessons, and you’ve got a right to expect good results soon. If you have difficulty understanding your Tennis Teachers during your tennis lessons and have been progressing slowly, stop crossing your fingers hoping you’ll one day have a magical epiphany and suddenly improve.

Instead, demand results NOW while you’re on-court, and not at some later time. If your Tennis Teachers are truly worth their grain of salt, you’ll start improving with your very first tennis lesson, and will continue to improve with each successive tennis lesson.

A good Tennis Teacher is absolutely worth the price. A poor Tennis Teacher simply waists your time and money.

3. National Certification

While certification does not guarantee a GREAT Tennis Coach, it certainly guarantees a reasonable minimum level of expertise. It’s unfortunate, but the vast majority of Tennis Coaches are unable to measure up to this requirement.

Always ask your potential Tennis Instructors and Tennis Coaches if they are nationally certified, and to which level.

The PTR and the USPTA are the only two well-respected, USTA-sanctioned, certifying bodies in the USA, and both have been certifying Tennis Coaches for almost 35 years. They certify Tennis Instructors to essentially three ascending tennis coaching levels (low; medium; high).

Good Tennis Coaches always work and study hard to periodically retest and elevate their certification to the highest level.

4. NTRP Level

It’s simply impossible for a Tennis Teacher to teach you to do something he/she can not already do him/herself, regardless of what he/she might think or claim.

So, if a Tennis Teacher only has an NTRP of 4.0, he/she can not teach you to play at NTRP 4.5 or higher. If you happen to improve beyond your Tennis Teachers NTRP level, it is solely due to your own abilities, not your Tennis Teacher’s.

Always ask your potential Tennis Teachers their NTRP level. It is ill-advised to settle for a lower NTRP level for the sake of a lower price. You will only get what you paid for, with little or no lasting improvement. Instead, demand a high NTRP level to better assure yourself of more rapid improvement.

5. Ranking in the USTA

While a higher USTA (United States Tennis Association) player ranking is no guarantee of getting good tennis lessons, it certainly does help. Tennis Instructors who have never been ranked, or have never even competed for a USTA ranking, should be avoided.

Always ask your potential Tennis Instructors about their current and/or past rankings: The higher, the better.

6. Years and Kind of Experience

There’s no substitute for experience. But, tennis teaching experience can be gained in a variety of settings. These include year-round indoor and outdoor facilities, as well as outdoor summer-only institutions such as adult and junior camps, recreation department programs, and country clubs. The tennis teaching experience a Tennis Instructor gains at a summer kids’ camp is greatly inferior to that gained at a year-round club. This impacts directly on the quality of your tennis lessons.

Always ask your potential Tennis Instructors exactly where they have gained their experience.

7. Experience Teaching Different

Ages, Levels, and Groups: Different ages and levels require different approaches and techniques when it comes to tennis instruction.

If your potential Tennis Instructor has spent the bulk of his/her time teaching children, he/she will be hard-pressed to provide proper tennis instruction to you as an adult. The skills required to teach privately to a single person are very different and more demanding than teaching a group.

Always ask your potential Tennis Instructors how much time they have spent teaching people of your own age and level, as well as whether they have taught group and private lessons.

8. Expert Knowledge of Proper Technique

Knowledge is critical, and a great Tennis Instructor gains it only from the great effort he/she has made to educate himself/herself. He/she needs to have read a large quantity and variety of tennis instruction books, viewed a sufficient number of instructional videos, and attended many salient courses and workshops on proper stroke technique. There are no short-cuts.

Always ask your potential Tennis Instructor how he/she has gained his/her knowledge.

9. Communication Ability

Regardless of the depth of your Tennis Coach’s knowledge of proper technique, this information is useless if he/she is unable to communicate it to you clearly and concisely.

When you speak with your potential Tennis Instructor, always listen to the manner in which he/she expresses him/herself. If you are unable to clearly understand him/her during your initial discovery process, chances are you will be just as bewildered while on court.

10. Personality

Although Personality is presented here last, it is by no means less important than the other considerations. Indeed, a personable, gregarious, punctual, reliable, mature professional who is also upbeat, encouraging, enthusiastic, and animated makes for a fun time on the court.

When you have your initial conversation to discuss tennis lessons, always remember to look for these inviting traits.

For more information, visit the Tennis Lessons Boston website at http://tennislessonsboston.tripod.com

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