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Redbox now has an app for Android, updated app for iPhone
Redbox quietly updated its official iPhone app to version 2.0.1 a few weeks ago and today announced a version for Android devices. It appears that the functionality and look is the same across both apps and should be familiar to any Redbox user, find nearby boxes, browse their contents and reserve discs on the go. There's also the ability to map a route to the nearest box is needed, and CNET notes the websites been upgraded to allow users to reserve up to 5 movies at once if necessary Check the gallery for screens from both or just head to iTunes or the Android Market to grab the one that fits you best. %Gallery-116943%
Amazon agrees to buy UK movie streaming and rental service Lovefilm
Amazon has just announced it has agreed terms to buy up all the remaining shares of Lovefilm it didn't already own. The British outfit operates a subscription-based movie rental and streaming service in its home market along with Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, and should give Amazon a very solid base from which to build its presumably Netflix-besting ambitions. Lovefilm has been just about the closest thing Europe has had to the ridiculously successful North American movie distributor and Amazon is arguably getting in just in time, given Netflix's overtures toward expanding into the UK. Customary closing conditions will need to be met before the final stamp of approval is applied, but the acquisition is expected to complete by the end of Q1 of this year. Amazon's wading into yet more content distribution, who'd have thunk it?
Blockbuster partially reaches back to the 90s, announces 3-day in store rentals with tiered pricing
Right on the heels of announcing that its on demand service was available on over 100 devices, Blockbuster has officially reduced in-store rentals periods from five to three days and established new pricing tiers. "Just arrived" Blu-rays and DVDs now cost $4.99, making them competitive with Redbox on a cost per day basis, especially when you consider the red vending machines must wait for up to 28 days later in some cases to get newer titles. Recent releases in circulation longer than six weeks cost $2.99 along with frequently rented "Top Picks," while older, and less popular titles -- think Weekend at Bernies -- have bottomed out to $0.99. According to company rep Patty Sullivan, these changes should help Blockbuster "continue to be a competitive force in the media business" and "simplify the rental experience." That sounds a lot like the same stance it took with the now dead no late fee scheme -- but who's keeping track? It also still seems expensive for frequent movie watchers compared to Netflix's basic $10 a month plan, which includes one rotating mailed disc along with unlimited streaming. So call us crazy, but somehow we don't see this move solving the company's bankruptcy woes anytime soon.
mSpot brings movie rentals to the iPad, works just fine over 3G
If you find yourself a little unimpressed with Netflix's Instant selection and you're needing to rent something a bit newer right now, the new iPad-optimized version of the mSpot movie streaming app should fit all up in your niche. For between $2.99 and $3.99 you can rent and watch a movie streaming right to your little slab of delight over either 3G or WiFi, though we're told those who do it via 802.11 can expect higher quality. You can also rent movies on your home computer, pause them there, and then resume playback on your iPad right where you left off. Handy when it's time to run to the train and you just can't wait to see whether George Clooney's Up in the Air character manages to find room for true companionship in his backpack.
Sony's connected BRAVIA HDTVs score Netflix streaming, PS3 left in the cold
It's with mixed emotions that we present to you Netflix's latest partnership with Sony, which is awesome, but could be so (so!) much more. Today, the world's leading online movie rental service inked a deal that'll bring instant Netflix streaming to Sony BRAVIA Internet Video-capable HDTVs this fall along with older BRAVIA models that are compatible with Sony's BRAVIA Internet video link module. Sadly, the PlayStation 3 is glaringly absent in the announcement, which is a golden opportunity missed in our humble estimation. Ah well, at least there's PlayOn, right? Full release is after the break.
Samsung launches its own movie download service for Europe
For phone manufacturers, it seems like having a decent multimedia ecosystem tied to your devices is nearly as important to success these days as the platform you're running, and Samsung wants in on that action -- at least in Europe. The company will launch its Acetrax-powered Samsung Movies service in the UK and Germany first (it's already live in beta form) with more launches elsewhere in Europe down the road, offering 2,000 movies and TV shows from Warner Bros., Paramount, Universal and Momentum Pictures by mid-year starting at £2.49 ($3.60) for a 24-hour rental and £4.99 ($7.22) to buy the goods outright. Sammy is tying the service into its recent and forthcoming OLED launches, implying that the screen tech is the perfect way to enjoy movies on the road. Eventually, the company plans to expand the service to PMPs and connected TVs, but for now, you'll have to struggle along with your Omnia HD, you poor baby, you.
The 13 Netflix DVDs still featuring ARccOS copy protection
We hoped that we had pretty much heard the end of Sony's ridiculous ARccOS copy protection -- which added in corrupted sectors in order to prevent copying (and legitimate playback in a myriad of players) -- but sadly, not all wishes are granted. Dave Zatz noticed an announcement on Netflix's website which spells out the remaining DVDs in which ARccOS is still in play, with 007: Casino Royale, Black Christmas, The Grudge 2, Pursuit of Happyness, Stranger than Fiction, The Holiday and a smattering of other halfway popular titles in the mix. It also shows the list of players known to be affected by the DRM, so you may want to take a peek before renting any of the aforesaid titles. Thanks, Big Content!
LG's BD300 Netflix & Blu-ray box lightly stroked
Need some early impressions of how LG's BD300 Blu-ray / Netflix combo player feels from the couch? Crave got some seat time in front of the device last night, finding its handling of Netflix streams basically the same as the Roku Netflix Player, unfortunately with a much larger price tag. The remote's home button may also link up to music and photos from a PC or the USB port, while BD Live support is present and accounted for. Hit the read link for a few more details ahead of the September launch, and hope "well under $500" is more like $399 at most.
VUDU's v1.5 firmware update brings along costly rental extensions
One thing's for certain: VUDU doesn't let a firmware update get stale. Just two months after v1.3 hit the scenes, v1.5 has already been detailed / spotted. The big hitter in this update is the Discounted Extended Rentals, which enables users to extend the viewing window of a 24 / 48-hour rental within seven days after the conclusion of the original rental. Once extended, you get the same "privileges" as before -- you can store it for up to 30 days with 24 / 48-hours to watch it once you've started it. The rub is the pricing: you only get $2 off when extending $5.99 HD rentals, $1 off most everything else and $0.50 off of $0.99 rentals. Oh, and you can only extend once. Other changes include full-screen trailers, parental controls for browsing and revised sort functionality. Check the read link for the full changelog, and feel free to twiddle your thumbs waiting for the update to be passed on to your STB.[Via Yahoo]
iTunes Store adds 99 cent weekly movie rental specials
Along with the iTunes update we noted earlier, Apple has introduced a new weekly special movie rental for 99 cents. Macrumors reports that each Thursday Apple will make available a new movie at the special price, good until the following Monday. You'll have the standard 30 days to watch it. The first special this week is The Hours (iTunes link).This looks like a clever move to jump start the movie rental business. We can only hope that they'll also consider adding HD versions through Apple TV as well.[via Infinite Loop]
iTunes movie rental fire gets a poke: Warner Bros, Fox, Disney, Paramount and Lionsgate all on board?
Rumors have been swirling that Apple will be offering movie rentals over iTunes for weeks now. Now it would appear that Warner Bros have joined Disney, Twentieth Century Fox, Lionsgate and Paramount in the initial launch. This, according to sources speaking anonymously to Bloomberg. The announcement is expected to be made on January 15th according to the report, presumably during Jobs' MacWorld keynote. Both new releases and older titles will rent for $3.99 for 24 hours. Bloomberg's sources also indicate that Fox may join as a supplier of movie downloads. While the details may change, an iTunes rental service announcement on Tuesday seems a near certainty given the recent multi-source, confluence of data.[Via Appleinsider]
Apple video rental service coming in autumn?
Apple is back in the news this morning with more salacious tattle. This time, it's none other than the lady in pink herself -- London's Financial Times -- wagging her tongue about a supposed video rental service due out this autumn from Apple. One studio exec is quoted by the FT as saying that the service would "compete against cable companies and anyone else offering VOD into the home." The $2.99 downloads would be viewable for 30 days and playable on at least one other device like an iPod or iPhone. No mention of AT&T's involvement with the service. Nevertheless, we were already wondering what we'd do with all the capacity on Apple's recently updated, 160GB Apple TV. Maybe, just maybe, we'll hear a little somethin' somethin' about this during Steve-o's keynote later on today. Stay tuned, as they say.[Via MacRumors]
Netflix to release set-top box by the end of the year?
We've been hearing about Netflix's plans to deliver movies via the web for quite a while now, and it turns out they might be doing it through a proprietary set-top box before the end of this year. During a panel discussion at an Independent Film & Television Alliance meeting, Netflix's VP of original programming, Eric Besner, reportedly revealed plans for a device that will enable customers to add movies to their queue and download them overnight, presumably to an internal hard drive. An official statement from the movie rental powerhouse to the SEC suggests, among other things, that nothing has actually been decided yet, and that if the box is real, it will only be part of a much larger plan to deliver downloaded content. It looks like we'll have to wait a while for details -- like if download-and-burn will become a reality -- but a report is apparently on the way in early 2007, describing what the company has come up with after investing somewhere between five and ten million dollars in research this year alone. So sit tight and enjoy your new Vongo subscription or wait patiently for Steve Jobs to lock down the iTunes movie store and we'll give you a heads up when we have more info. [Via Zatz Not Funny]
