Consumers Not Down With Video Downloading

Parks found that users usually download video from two sources, peer-to-peer networks (p2p) that have unauthorized copies of movies or licensed services like iTunes.

Users who download video from sites that are unlicensed have low levels of satisfaction because the quality and reliability of the video is usually low. The research found that consumers who only downloaded from licensed sites also were generally not happy with the experience.

"People don’t see a reason to use video downloading services," said John Barrett, director of research at Parks Associates.

"Sure, it saves a trip to the video store, but it takes longer, looks worse, and you end up watching it on a 17" screen. No wonder consumers are dissatisfied with the experience."

He added that niche markets will emerge, but mainstream consumers attitudes towards downloading video will remain tepid.