MediaMall Technologies today launched a new service called PlayLater, which allows users to record online video from sites such as Cartoon Network, Hulu, CNN, PBS and then watch the shows or movies when they want. The company has been testing the service for the past few months with about 10,000 users. And now with the official release, the company plans to charge new customers $7.99 per month for its package of services.
As a standalone product, PlayLater will cost $4.99 per month or $49 per year.
The launch will integrate the company’s PlayOn and PlayLater services, allowing users (only PC right now) to watch the recorded content from any device. The offering does require a software download.
In the past, PlayOn has been touted as a way for people to cut ties to cable providers.
PlayLater has no official agreements with content providers, but has the same idea as a DVR– people have “paid for the content and deserve the ability to place or time shift it,” said a company spokeswoman earlier this year.
Here’s CEO Jeff Lawrence talking about the service with Beet.tv, noting that PlayLater is targeted at frequent travelers. He also says that his hope is to turn PlayLater into a household name like Tivo.
