Turns out, the so-called Netflix box could be even cooler than initially thought.
The tiny black device from Roku was introduced to the world in May as the first box that could stream Netflix's "Watch it Now" option directly to a television.
But the company is saying there could be more where that came from.
(Credit:
Roku)
Roku's vice president of consumer products, Tim Twerdahl, said Wednesday that, yes, more content partners are coming, but, no, he's not saying who just yet. That makes the $99 price tag look that much more attractive.
So who will it be? YouTube seems obvious, as they've been partnering with a bunch of hardware makers lately: Panasonic, Sony, Apple, Hewlett-Packard.
Or what about Hulu, as my colleague and CNET's resident home theater expert John P. Falcone suggests?:
The Netflix vids use the VC-1 codec, but the box can handle H.264 as well. Of course, because all of these players--Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, and Sony--are already trying to sell you videos, it's unclear why they'd want to provide a free competitor that's just a click away. So even if a Hulu option is technically feasible, business considerations may keep it relegated to the drawing board. But hey, we can dream, can't we?
Either way, Roku will have to differentiate. Rumors are flying fast that at E3 next month, Sony or Microsoft (or maybe both) will announce support for Netflix's "Watch it Now" feature as well, for the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, respectively.
And though far more expensive than $99, both game consoles have large install bases, and are also far more functional beyond just streaming video.
Blockbuster announced Tuesday it's teaming up with PayPal to offer users another payment method for purchases off its Web site.
Under the arrangement, consumers can use their PayPal account to pay for their online movie rental subscriptions. And later this summer, Blockbuster expects to launch its downloading service for movie rentals and purchases.
Eventually, Blockbuster expects to make PayPal available for use to purchase other things off the Web site, from gift cards to new and used DVDs.
Blockbuster is offering users a $10 cash back to their PayPal account, if they sign up for a new online Blockbuster rental subscription.
In the opening scene of The Player, Tim Robbins' character is meeting with writers who are pitching movie ideas they hope the Hollywood producer will agree to make. One idea is pitched to him as, "It's Pretty Woman meets Out of Africa, without stars."
(Credit:
Blockbuster)
Applying that Hollywood approach, the latest idea from Blockbuster can best be described as "Netflix meets YouTube, without the convenience." That's basically the pitch Blockbuster Chairman and CEO James Keyes made at his first annual shareholders meeting on Wednesday when he unveiled an in-store kiosk he hopes consumers will use to download movies.
The plan, as outlined by The Hollywood Reporter, is for consumers to bring portable devices into Blockbuster stores and download movies, usually in about two minutes. Blockbuster expects to begin testing the kiosks, which were produced by airline-kiosk maker NCR, in about three weeks. Initially, the system will work only with Archos devices, but Blockbuster expects the kiosk to be an "open system" that is compatible with a range of devices. Keyes declined to predict how many titles will be available on the kiosk, noting that Blockbuster was still in negotiations with the major studios for content.
I wasn't at the meeting, but I have to wonder if reporters giggled at this idea:
Keyes acknowledged that the kiosk pilot is likely coming well ahead of broad consumer demand for such services and should therefore only be seen as one additional distribution channel for the company as it tries to offer entertainment content whenever consumers want in whatever form they want.
"Well ahead of broad consumer demand for such services." Huh?
Talk about an innovative idea. Amazon.com, Microsoft's Xbox Live, and Netflix already deliver movies directly to PCs; TiVo, Vudu, and Apple TV, as well as cable and satellite services offer video on demand to TVs; and electronic copies of movies are being sold alongside DVDs. So what makes Keyes think people want to leave their homes to drive to a store with a laptop-size device to download movies from an ATM?
People don't want to make the trip to the video store. Convenience is why Netflix is kicking Blockbuster's butt. Blockbuster seemed to have a road map for getting back on top with its acquisition of movie download service Movielink in 2007, and its idea for a set-top box for streaming video seemed to show promise (Indeed, my colleague Greg Sandoval reports that Netflix sees video streaming eventually overtaking physical DVD rentals). But this is also the company that has been kicking around the idea of buying electronics retailer Circuit City for $1 billion.
I could see these kiosks appealing to airport travelers, but otherwise this strikes me as an expensive remake of a soda machine.
Apple drew a lot of attention when it announced that it will offer movie downloads the same day they come out on DVD, but the deal won't mean a windfall for Apple--at least initially.
The reason for that is Apple will lose money on every sale, a source said.
Apple announced on Thursday that it had reached an agreement with a group of film studios, including the six largest. Apple said that starting this week, iTunes customers will be able to purchase newly released movies for $14.99, while most catalog titles are $9.99.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is paying the studios nearly $16 for each sale, but a source close to the negotiations told CNET News.com that Apple is paying closer to $15.50 than it is $16.
It's not uncommon for retailers to sell a new product at a loss. The question is whether Apple will eventually boost the prices or if the company can convince the studios to take less.
The only way a dialogue like that would even begin is if Hollywood sees boffo sales out of Apple.
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