Imagine being able to filter out harmful content, before watching a new flick.
At only $1 a day, VidAngel allows me to edit out harmful content before I watch. Thank you VidAngel!
Have you ever watched a movie and said to yourself, “ Wow, that would be have been a great movie if not for X.” Or better yet; have you ever sat down to watch a movie with your family, only to have your child traumatized by the that graphic decapitation scene you forgot about. If you’ve ever wanted to tweak and adjust your favorite movies and shows, then keep reading; you’re going to want to hear about this.
What is VidAngel?
VidAngel is Video-On-Demand service that not only let’s you rent movies for $1 a night. This new service also lets you set custom filters to screen out content you might not like or find objectionable.
Here’s what VidAngel Co-Founder Neal Harmon told NASDAQ: “…you can watch any movie you own on any device you want to and customized the way you want to watch it… If you don’t want to see nudity in Game of Thrones, you can cut that out. You have the power to watch the movie however you want.” Read the full article
Harmon even goes so far as to claim that you can filter Jar Jar Binks out of the Star Wars Prequels, but I’ve yet to test that. If you’ve tried to filter out Jar Jar using VidAngel, let me know on in the comment section or send me a shout out on social media.
On the flip side, some directors are not as thrilled with the idea: “To alter these and then put them out with our names still on the product is not only fraud, but it’s artistic rape,” L.A. Confidential director Curtis Hanson told an interviewer in 2002, colorfully stating what many filmmakers felt to be a violation of their commercial and artistic rights. Quartz.com
VidAngel Filters
Ultimately, Harmon hopes that users will be able to create and share their own custom filters and tags. But for the time being, the filters for VidAngel are created by a small and dedicated team scattered across the country.
For now, users can create basic filters based on five tag options (sex, language, violence, drug use, and miscellaneous). While you don’t have an option to literally turn a movie from R to PG-13, the basic filters do a good enough job.
How do they do it?
If you’re wondering how VidAngel is able to do this legally, you’ll be pleasantly surprised that many of the major television and film studios seem ok with the idea.
More from Harmon: “We’ve communicated with all the movie studios about what we are doing about how we make them money about how our system works and the reaction has been professional. So far the studios have not had any complaints.”
How much does VidAngel Cost?
Now let’s talk about price. Whereas most digital download services allow you to rent a movie for anywhere between $5-$6, VidAngel rentals tend to be much cheaper; usually $1 a night for SD and $2 for HD. How do they do it?
By using a buyback system. With VidAngel, you don’t rent a movie as much as you purchase them. You pay an initial $20 for the movie, but you are given the option to “sell” it back. The sell-back price is $19 for SD and $18 for HD, and that number goes down by $1 or $2 every day you keep it.
VidAngel Supported Devices
- Roku
- Chromecast
- Android Devices
- Apple TV
- iPad and iPhone
- Amazon Fire TV
- Coming Soon
- PS4
- Xbox One
I’ll be honest, the process may take a bit of time to get use too; but if you can get past that, VidAngel is an intriguing service. And I can’t wait to see how this service develops over time because the possibilities are endless. After all, in this ever-increasingly digital world, everything is customizable; so why not our movies and film?
Try your first movie rental today! Click here to learn more.
Are you like me, and interested in more ways to protect your family from harmful content? If so, then check out:
- SETTING UP YOUR STREAMING SERVICE PARENTAL CONTROLS
- COMMON SENSE MEDIA OFFERS MOVIE REVIEWS FOR PARENTS!
- EDUCATIONAL CARTOONS WITH NETFLIX
What are your thoughts on VidAngel?
Let us know in the comment below!
VidAngel
Pros
- Price
- Features
- New Releases
Cons
- Upfront Cost