A new online movie streaming service will be available to those in the residence halls at the start of next year.

Mark Hudson, the director of Housing and Dining Services, announced this service would be replacing the current movie channel service at no additional cost.

Hudson said Resident Select, the program, will be akin to Netflix or iTunes.

With the help of student feedback, Hudson said 16 movies will be available every month and it will accumulate until the end of the semester. By the end of the semester 80 movies will be available for students to stream. It will reset after each semester. Hudson added these movies, which will be available in high definition will be ones that have not come out for rent or on Netflix.

“We will get them out months ahead before they are out there,” Hudson said.

Students will be able to access this service on the computer, laptop or tablet.

The details of how the residents might access the program have not been finalized, but they working on it.

The service will be come from an on-campus server so that it does not hinder bandwidth as well.

Jarad Jarmon can be reached at 581-2812 or jsjarmon@eiu.edu.