DVD
Kaleidescape Cinema One, If Money Grew On Trees
Kaleidescape, best known for industry skirmishes related to DVD decryption and archival, is out with the new Cinema One. Unlike the rest of Kaleidescape’s product line, the budget priced Cinema One can be picked up at any Best Buy Magnolia outpost for a mere $4k – without the expense or inconvenience or going through their … Read more
Redbox Instant Sets Rates
While Verizon and Redbox’s joint venture may be running a bit behind schedule, the Netflix competitor teased us today with program details. As expected, Redbox Instant will stream video from a number of distributors to a variety of mobile and television devices — Â including smartphones, tablets, connected Blu-ray players, and Google TV. The all-you-can-eat movie-centric … Read more
Walmart Disc-to-Digital Not Ready For Prime Time?
Wal-mart’s Disc-to-Digital service, launching under the Vudu brand, became available today. That’s the theory anyhow. Unfortunately, reps at two different local Walmart outposts tell me they haven’t yet been trained and I was unsuccessful in getting my discs “converted” during lunch.
Backing up a bit, this new service falls under the studio-backed UltraViolet initiative — which aims to provide a global content licensing and streaming catalog. Buy a DVD, get a digital copy. Buy a digital copy via Flixter, watch it on Vudu. Etc. And, while I had some initial doubts, it seems as if the component partners and pieces are actually starting to coalesce nicely. However, you’ll forgive me for remaining skeptical and apprehensive in the licensing of digital content… given the abandonment of other relatively prominent solutions, such as Yahoo Music or Microsoft PlaysForSure. Not to mention my less-than-stellar experience today.
Why Is Verizon Sweating Netflix?
Click to enlarge.
Apparently Verizon didn’t get the memo: If it’s Netflix versus cable, the MSOs have won. Verizon seems to think Netflix is some sort of competitor given recent FiOS TV customer outreach. As you can see in the photo at the bottom, for months, Verizon has run video on demand television commercials that prominently display their new release titles are available 4 weeks before Netflix DVD rentals. And today, I received the email below with a subject line that reads, “Want to know how FiOS beats Netflix?” Verizon does score a few points for calling out Netflix’s upcoming boneheaded division of services:
Netflix now makes you go to two places and pay two prices to watch movies on both streaming and DVDs.
Irrespective of Netflix’s upcoming split, for most of us, they’re just not direct competition to a cable company’s video on demand offering. There’s a sizable and growing contingent of cord cutters who utilize Netflix, amongst other services and other-the-air broadcast, to round out their entertainment options. But for those of us who subscribe to both cable and Netflix, the streaming service primarily and economically augments pay TV with a wide array of supplemental content — including back catalog movies or more obscure content and entire television seasons.
Redbox Coupon Codes
Given Redbox’s national expansion into gaming and the Netflix price hike, I’ve been paying more frequent visits to my local disc dispensing kiosk. And there’s really not much to say… Redbox kiosks are super efficient and disc rentals are extremely economical, even if the selection is sometimes limited. But, to avoid disappointment, one can browse their … Read more
Redbox Kiosk Game Rentals Launch Nationwide
After nearly two years of regional testing, Redbox kiosks nationwide are now offering $2/night video game rentals in addition to DVD and Blu-ray discs. Because it’s getting real in the Whole Foods parking lot, I instead swung by my local Harris Teeter this AM to check it out. Initially, it seemed as though Redbox might have … Read more
DISH Network To Acquire Blockbuster
DISH Network has won the bankruptcy court auction of Blockbuster in a transaction valued at $320 million. Although they’ll surely invest much more as they attempt a turn around of the sullied but “highly recognizable” brand. At first blush, their play struck me as highly bizarre. However, acquiring a streaming video solution and 1,700 brick & … Read more