Vongo

Vongo was a video on demand service, owned by Liberty Media's Starz Entertainment, parent company of the Starz network, that allows users to download and view movies for a fixed price per month. As of August 1, 2008, Vongo stopped accepting new subscribers and the service will be discontinued on September 30, 2008. [cite web |url=http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/12/vongo-dies-very-few-notice/"|title=Vongo dies, very few notice]

Service provided

Vongo is a service that allows users to rent movies by download. It provides access to the Starz television channel, and contains a small library of movies. It also includes a Pay Per View option. Starz Vongo has a small and growing selection of titles; more movies added weekly; satisfactory video quality; compatible with Portable Media Center 2.0 devices; some movies available with DVD-like bonus materials.cite web |url=http://reviews.cnet.com/online-software-services/starz-vongo/4505-9239_7-31952123.html"|title=CNet Review of Vongo]

In October 2007, Starz Entertainment acquired Internet distribution rights for more than 100 feature films from Screen Media Ventures including films by Will Ferrel, Angelina Jolie, Peter O'Toole and Mariel Hemingway.cite web|url=http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6485973.html?industryid=47199|title=Starz Inks Screen Media Deal For Vongo]

The statistical make-up of Vongo video offerings during January 2008:
* 1526 titles provided
* 88% provided for download in portable format
* 9% provided in widescreen format
* 8% provided with a Pay-Per-View fee
* By Genre: 40% Drama, 24% Comedy, 13% Action, 12% Westerns, 10% Music, 8% Family, 8% Romance, 8% Sci-Fi/Horror (Note: same title can appear in multiple genres)
* By Rating: 25% R, 17% TV14, 14% TVPG, 13% PG-13, 12% TVMA, 11% PG, 4% TVG, 3% G
* 53% are rated under the MPAA rating system
* 47% are rated for TV broadcast

Technical overview

Vongo uses Adobe/Macromedia Flash softwareFact|date=April 2008. The software is compatible with PCs running Windows XP or Vista and now supports Windows XP X64 and Vista X64 edition. Movies can be transferred and played on up to three devices but cannot be transferred to external drives or other storage media.

Movies downloaded through Vongo are viewable within the confines of a certain time period; most newer movies are available for 4-6 months, while other programming can be as long as 12-24 months. Once a movie expires, it is automatically deleted from the user's hard drive. There is an average download time of 30 to 40 minutes on a 90-minute movie.

Movies downloaded on Vongo can be transferred to portable devices such as ARCHOS 405 and 605WiFi and the Creative ZEN, ZEN Vision: M, and ZEN Vision W.

Vongo also runs inside Windows Media Center. Vongo films are then available on Microsoft's Xbox 360 and other Windows Media Center Extenders.cite web|url=http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/portable-media/starz-vongo-v20-supports-new-pmps-and-media-center-extenders-314958.php|title=Starz' Vongo v2.0 Supports New PMPs and Media Center Extenders]

upport

Vongo has a tiered support structure. Initial support is provided through the website through "Ask Vongo" which provides answers from the support knowledge base. If this does not solve the problem, a log of your "Ask Vongo" session is issued to Vongo technical support staff will email back in 24 hours. If the email does not resolve the issue, the email recommends calling 877-866-4621 between 8 am-midnight (EST) any day of the week. If tier 1 phone support can not resolve the problem, then it is logged for a tier 2 support staff member to get back to the customer. Tier 2 should usually call back in 1-3 business days. Unlike Vongo tier 1 support, the tier 2 support does not work on weekends.

Criticism

Vongo comes preinstalled on HP and Compaq Computers, and users have found the program to be nearly impossible to remove without making registry edits.Cite web |url=http://forums.cnet.com/5208-7587_102-0.html?forumID=69&messageID=2163108&threadID=201778 |title=Vongo removal from HP laptops |publisher=CNET Laptops Forums |accessdate=2008-03-11]

References

External links

* [http://www.vongo.com/ Home page]
* [http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2078467,00.asp Extremetech review of Vongo]
* [http://reviews.cnet.com/online-software-services/starz-vongo/4505-9239_7-31952123.html CNET review of Vongo]
* [http://www.vongo.com/vista/ Overview of Vongo 2.0 with Vista and Xbox 360 Support]
* [http://www.VONGO.com/vongoclient/qwest/VongoSetup.exe Vongo Application]