dvd

Et tu, Redbox? Coinstar, owner of the Redbox service, is raising DVD rental fees by 20 percent, due to an increase in operating expenses. Let's see if this stirs a Netflix-like outcry.

Netflix's decision over the summer to increase prices for those who had both streaming and DVD-rental plans was met with intense anger from subscribers. Those customers, who were previously paying $9.99 per month for DVD rentals and streaming, are now forced to pay $15.98 per month for the same level of service.

As soon as the price hike was announced, many subscribers loudly declared … Read more

The trouble with trying to adapt a big and growing business to disruptive technologies is that the process is... well, disruptive, as Netflix has demonstrated beyond the shadow of a doubt.

But "disruptive" doesn't mean "impossible," and it's way too soon to count Netflix out--although that hasn't stopped Wall Street from trying.

Since announcing yesterday that it shed 810,000 net subscribers in the third quarter, the purveyor of DVDs-by-mail and video-by-streaming has been the goat of Wall Street. Its share price plunged 35 percent today, to $77.37, knocking a cool $2 … Read more

Although the issues at Netflix are becoming extremely worrisome to shareholders, the company might still be a worthwhile acquisition target, Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter wrote in a note to investors today.

How bad are things? Just yesterday Netflix announced that during the third quarter of 2011, it lost 810,000 subscribers. Even worse, Netflix said that it expects that trend to continue, and by the first quarter of 2012, will report a net loss.

Although Netflix's share price had been declining prior to that news, its shares are plummeting now. As of this writing, Netflix is trading at just $… Read more

Wondershare's Video Converter Ultimate is, as its name suggests, the ultimate video utility for Windows users. But more than just a file converter, the program is a DVD ripper, DVD burner, Web video downloader, 2D-to-3D converter, audio ripper, and even a bare-bones video editor.

It's interface is simple and straightforward, as it has all the major functions laid out as icons along the top of the window. All of the controls are intuitive, and it even lets you drag-and-drop video files.

For the most part, Video Converter Ultimate performs exceptionally well. Exactly as advertised, it lets you quickly … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--In a quiet alleyway here, Ubisoft gave members of the media an early preview of Assassin's Creed: Revelations and the final travels of Ezio Auditore.

For the uninitiated, the Assassin's Creed series chronicles heroic members of a secret society of skilled professional killers that fight corruption and oppression. The games are deliberately steeped in historical research as each game educates players on the era it's set in and real power players of the period--if players choose to take a moment to read the game notes.

In the new game, Ezio, hero of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, leaves Rome behind for Constantinople in search of a weapon that could forever end a war between Ezio's assassins and the Knights Templar. Journalists had the opportunity to play the game for about three hours, uninterrupted--including the entire map of the great Middle Eastern city. … Read more

Nero 11 Platinum is a one-stop tool shop that lets you rip, burn, back up, convert, edit, and organize all of your digital media. We think it's a solid multimedia work flow solution for casual media enthusiasts and prosumers alike. But be warned--the installation file is massive, tipping the scale at pretty close to 1GB. And installation takes quite a long time as it takes up about 2.5GB of memory. But, with 11 programs making up the powerful multimedia suite, we can see why, and we aren't complaining.

One of our biggest issues with Nero 11 is … Read more

Every couple months, some software vendor I've never heard of pings me about a new DVD ripper or video converter that they're giving away. I always think there's going to be some kind of catch, like the program's in German or doesn't support Adam Sandler movies. (Actually, that wouldn't be a catch at all.)

Instead, it usually turns out to be a decent piece of software with no strings to speak of. And here's a fine example: From now until September 30, you can get uRexsoft DVD Ripper Platinum (Windows) absolutely free. … Read more

Dish Network unveiled today the "Blockbuster Movie Pass," a bundle of services that includes streaming video; DVDs; Blu-Rays and games by mail; and access to premium movie channels. The catch: you need to be a Dish Network customer.

The service will launch October 1. Existing Dish subscribers can sign up for the package for an additional $10 a month. New customers who sign up for Dish's America's Top 200 package for $39.99 a month get access to the service for a year.

"More Americans are demanding an easier way to view their video," … Read more

The Redbox app lets you easily find and reserve Redbox movies right from your mobile device. Just boot it up and scroll through the newest releases or perform a simple search. If you like, you can filter by genre or search only for Blu-ray discs. Tap on a title, then hit Find This Movie to pull up all of the Redbox machines in proximity. From there, you can reserve the movie if you have a Redbox account. If you don't, it's easy enough to register for one.

The Redbox app is easy to use, and perfectly reliable. Our … Read more