Lionsgate first to sign content deal with XStreamHD
XStreamHD is the videophile's digital distribution dream, but a dream is what it has remained for almost three years. The bad news is the 1TB Whole Home Media Server and clients aren't shipping yet, but the good news is one of the big studios has signed a deal with XStreamHD to distribute titles day and date with DVD, as well as access to 12,000 catalog titles. This, of course, has to be one of many such deals if the service is to be successful -- high quality 1080p video and DTS-HD alone won't be enough. The content isn't the only thing that concerns us though, as the up front cost for hardware (we admit we really like the user interface) and the $9 monthly service fee is a lot to swallow for the privilege of renting movies at $3 to $6 a pop. We'll reserve judgment until we get to play with it for ourselves, but distribution deals like this and a great demo is a good start, if you can call it at start after all this time. The full details are tucked in the press release after the jump.
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XSTREAMHD SIGNS DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH LIONSGATE® TO DIGITALLY DELIVER THE LATEST FULL HD MOVIES TO CONSUMERS
XStreamHD Offers Consumers the Ultimate Convenience with Access to Thousands of Cinema-Class Quality Titles in the Comfort of Their Homes
McLean, VA and Santa Monica, CA – July 14, 2010 – XStreamHD, an emerging leader in the delivery and distribution of Full HD entertainment directly to the home, announced that it has entered into a long-term Electronic Sell-Thru and Video-on-Demand home entertainment distribution agreement with Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the leading next generation studio and distributor of motion pictures. The agreement will enable XStreamHD to offer its customers the ability to digitally purchase or rent, the latest HD releases from Lionsgate, as well as provide access to Lionsgate's content library of over 12,000 titles.
XStreamHD's ground-breaking whole-home HD entertainment system delivers Full 1080p HD video and up to 7.1 channels of lossless DTS-HD Master Audio™ directly to the home via satellite, enabling consumers to enjoy the very latest entertainment, in uncompromised Full HD, exceeding the quality of physical media. Additionally, every XStreamHD customer has exclusive multi-room access to Pre-Fetched Entertainment (PFE), which provides unparalleled convenience by automatically delivering just-released HD entertainment directly to each user's personal library based upon their individual user preferences and advance title selections.
"Our partnership with XStreamHD presents us with a new opportunity to distribute our content in the digital marketplace," said Lionsgate Executive Vice President of Distribution and Digital Jon Ferro. "Our decision to distribute our titles through XStreamHD reflects our commitment to offer consumers the highest quality home entertainment and access to our enormous library of titles."
"We are excited to provide our customers with access to Full HD digital cinema, on the DVD release date, from the Lionsgate library of daring, original and high quality titles," stated George Gonzalez, president and CEO of XStreamHD. "Our customers will enjoy unparalleled digital quality, access and convenience to HD entertainment without the hassles associated with slow Internet downloads or limited retailer inventory."
Consumers can pre-order either XStreamHD's FAST Start or PRO Start packages to receive priority shipment of the first release systems at HYPERLINK "http://www.XStreamHD.com" www.XStreamHD.com. The XStreamHD FAST Start package includes one HD Media Server with 1TB storage, one HD Media Receiver, RF One Remote Control, and all of the accessories, including one 3m High-Speed Cat2 certified HDMI cable and two 3m Cat5e Ethernet cables. The PRO Start package includes all of above plus customers will receive an upgraded HD PRO Media Receiver, which replaces the HD Media Receiver. The FAST Start package is priced at only $399 while the Pro Start package will be offered for $499. 2TB and 4TB storage configurations are also available with both starter packages.
