SBS’ new online video service joins the ranks of ABC’s excellent iView and Seven’s slightly less sexy 7PLUS, but omits the catchy naming convention; it’s simply “On Demand”.
The 3D hype train keeps thundering along, but the number of content passengers riding it can still be counted on a single hand. But there’s good news for anyone looking for more 3D to watch on their new TVs, with Foxtel today announcing that the Universal animated hit Despicable Me will be available in 3D On Demand from January 27.
On the list of tech companies in need of mouth-to-mouth, Blockbuster and Motorola are pretty up there. So we can’t exactly believe that their new partnership is going to turn it all around.
Microsoft had too much news for the keynote, so they’re taking care of the spillover now: First up, full Xbox Live games on demand. That’s right, you can download Mass Effect, Bioshock and more. Using a real credit card—no Xbox Live points—with retail-like pricing. They’re coming in August.
We knew TiVo was beta testing Amazon HD VOD,so it’s not a huge surprise it’s actually official today. TV shows and Movies will be available in HD with most videos supporting 5.1 surround sound.
AU: In case you had any doubts – this is US TiVo only.
Blockbuster said today that getting the company’s OnDemand content to TiVos wasn’t the last step—they’re aiming for Apple devices as well. The Senior VP didn’t clarify or expand on this statement. [Reuters via Apple Insider]
TiVo just acquired the right to stream Blockbuster’s OnDemand content through Series2, Series3, HD and HD XL boxes.
Roku’s Netflix box is currently a one-trick pony, but it’s getting Amazon’s Video on Demand later this year, meaning you can soon buy or rent and instantly stream movies and TV shows from Amazon’s service.
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.
The polymorphous life of Akimbo came to an abrupt end this week, as the embattled video-on-demand turned white label video service was shut down for good. The surprising move went down just four months after Akimbo was given an additional US$4 million to fund its video services venture. Now the extra cash will go towards former employees’ severance packages. Let us reflect on the tumultuous past of Akimbo, after the jump.
