Netflix streaming has been making waves with its wide, fast integration into just about anything that’ll have it, and the reception has been generally positive. As has been the pattern for the last decade, Blockbuster is slightly but embarrassingly behind: according to company Chairman Jim Keyes, we’ll be seeing Blockbuster’s download-to-rent service in a Blu-ray player by Q1 of next year. It’s not clear if this will come in the form of a firmware update for existing hardware or as part of a new player, but it’ll need to be fairly ubiquitous (and probably lower its rental prices) to have a fighting chance against the ‘Flix. AU: Important to note that here in Oz where we don’t get Netflix, BlockBuster is partnering with TiVo for their video on demand service which is already running in limited form and is set to expand in May next year.
Blockbuster may be planning in-store download kiosks, but their recent beta-testing of Movielink downloads seems like they’re aiming for at-home downloads as well. They’ve picked 500 Total Access customers to test out the US$2 rental, US$8 purchase system from Movielink, which will allow customers to rent when flicks hit video-on-demand, and buy when they hit DVD. It’s fairly interesting that Blockbuster will charge extra for movies when Netflix is going with a free, albeit limited, streaming service. We’d like Blockbuster to follow suit. [Dallas News]
