Cord Cutters News recently asked, “What was your first streaming player?” And, as one might expect, quite a few “civilians” replied with Roku devices. But all sorts of digital video products and services pre-date the very first Netflix streamer and it’s fascinating to reflect upon the various technological and corporate arcs. For example, one of … Read more
Just when you thought it was safe to salvage your Moviebeam box for spare parts, there’s new hope on the horizon that Moviebeam may once again be coming to a television screen near you. Like a zombie from a bad horror flick, Moviebeam continues to rise from the dead feasting on the rotted brains of … Read more
Several months after being acquired by video rental retailer Movie Gallery, rumor has it MovieBeam service is being shuttered next week. While I haven’t received a phone call or email notification (as a former customer), it wouldn’t surprise me if the service is killed – following in the footsteps of Akimbo’s dedicated hardware. MovieBeam, originally … Read more
Talk about irony… I was drafting a “How To Save Moviebeam” post, when low and behold they’re purchased by Movie Gallery. While an acquisition wasn’t on my list, an expanded retail presence (in video rental stores) won’t hurt — though Best Buy end caps and shelf space in Radio Shack hasn’t seemed to be of … Read more
If you recall, MovieBeam is the movie rental device and service spun off from Disney and backed by Cisco. Unlike Akimbo’s internet downloads, MovieBeam contracts local broadcasters to distribute films over the air. The box supposedly holds 100 movie rentals at any given time, including several offered in HD. A few weeks ago, MovieBeam lowered … Read more
MovieBeam, originally priced at $249 plus $30 activation, dropped to $199 without an activation fee about a month into sales. As I wrote, that price still struck me as barrier to entry given the per-movie rental fees. Well, how does 49 bucks sound? MovieBeam’s online media account manager sent me a note to spread the … Read more
I guess sales aren’t so brisk, as only a month after launch MovieBeam has dropped hardware pricing $50 (to $200) and done away with the $30 activation fee. Will it matter? Somehow I don’t think so… their pricing model needs some serious tweaking if they’re going to compete with a large, installed base of cable … Read more
PC Mag chimes in with a 3.5/5 review of the current iteration of MovieBeam. It’s not as critical as HD Beat’s take, but it’s probably also not as accurate focusing on convenience while discounting HD compression issues. MovieBeam is making a retail push as you can see from the pic I snapped yesterday at Best … Read more