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Blockbuster UK finds a rescuing buyer, keeps staff and stores afloat
When Blockbuster's UK brand entered administration at the start of the year, there were concerns that it would ultimately prove just another casualty of the inexorable move toward online video. Not quite: Gordon Brothers Europe, a private equity firm known for rescuing troubled companies, has bought Blockbuster's British assets. The acquirer isn't disclosing the cash involved, but it plans to keep 2,000 workers and 264 stores in full swing while it plots a turnaround. That recovery is only described in vague terms at this stage, however -- Gordon Brothers plans to bring "new products" and "new technologies" to the bruised retail chain. While we're glad to see a one-time cornerstone of video rentals get a second chance, we hope that its bounce-back strategy involves a more futureproof selection than aisles full of plastic discs. [Thanks, Steven]
Blockbuster On Demand gives streaming a second chance, with odd limitations
Blockbuster hasn't had much success shifting from physical rentals to digital, even under Dish's wing. Nonetheless, it's betting that the umpteenth time's the charm with a relaunch of its Blockbuster On Demand streaming movie service. The revamp ticks many of the checkboxes for a modern by-the-title rental store with 1080p and 5.1-channel surround sound as well as apps for 2012 Samsung Smart TVs, Android and Roku 2 boxes. However, there's a number of curious choices, and we don't just mean the omission of a subscription model. It's missing an iOS app, emphasizes apps for desktop viewing and leaves no way to watch HD video on anything but a TV -- our mobile and PC screens have advanced in the past several years, Blockbuster. Idiosyncrasies notwithstanding, the rebirth presents more of a unified front than the one-time giant has offered in the past.
Amazon quietly introduces Kindle rentals for US readers, bases prices on duration (updated)
Think you can finish a 168-page novel in a month? It might pay to opt for Amazon's new Kindle rental feature, now available on an incredibly limited number of titles. A few options published by Princeton University Press appear to represent the site's introductory offering. The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking isn't exactly a bestseller -- we weren't able to locate any eligible books from that list -- but it's a popular enough title, with a current rank of 1,432 (if the rental option takes off, that position's likely to change). You can buy it outright for $9.99, or you can instead opt for a 30-day rental. Prices there start at $5.50, increasing by pennies each day until you reach the buy price (in this case, that'll happen at the end of June). This new rental option certainly seems appealing, unless you're the type who slowly makes your way through a text over the course of a year. The feature appears to be open to any US-based Kindle owners, though you'll need to do quite a bit of digging before you locate any titles with the rental option affixed. In fact, if you wouldn't mind, do us a favor and share your findings in the comments section after the break -- we have quite a few bookworms on staff who wouldn't mind saving a buck or two. Update: It's likely that the book rentals currently available have been internally categorized as textbooks, which is prompting such an offer to appear. We've reached out to Amazon and are awaiting confirmation.
Xcom Global starts renting Nexus 7 and 10 tablets, lets us keep the laptop at home
International data services give us the freedom to leave our carriers' roaming plans at home, but that's only so much consolation to travelers who have to lug a giant laptop or cater to a digitally savvy family. Xcom Global is gambling that some of us want more portable (or just additional) gear for our travels: it's offering daily rentals of the WiFi Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 as a complement to its usual hotspot deals. Paying $2 or $3 per day for the respective slates will give a big-screen fix to those who can't get by on smartphones alone. Although the Nexus 10 isn't available yet -- something to do with the tablet only just shipping -- Xcom Global is currently discounting the tablet rental rates to $1 and $2 to lure us in. Any reasonable extra fees might be worthwhile if they let us pack light.
Vimeo pay-to-view service launches in private beta with procrastination-ready long rentals
The market for paid movie rentals from predominantly free video services isn't a very big one. For most of us, it amounts to YouTube... and YouTube. Vimeo is planning to shake up that small category with its own pay-to-view service. A just-started private beta stands out mostly through rental windows that won't leave us scrambling for spare viewing time. While there's a 48-hour rental, there are also 72-hour, 1-week and 2-month periods that let even the perpetually busy get through a full showing. Vimeo's current selection is limited to six documentaries at between $5 to $9, although that thin selection is acceptable given the test phase. The real demand for content will come with the official pay-to-view launch for Vimeo Pro subscribers in early 2013 -- whether or not Vimeo needs a YouTube-sized catalog, there's only so many skiing documentaries we can take.
ITV Player revamp brings ad-free TV rentals, keeps the free catch-ups
As a profit-driven network, ITV has its work cut out in the online streaming world when the BBC's iPlayer looms overhead. How do you compete with a cultural institution? Its solution these days is one of sheer choice: it's launching a publicly available beta of its ITV Player refresh that offers TV show rentals. While viewers will have free, ad-backed viewing for the last month's worth of programming, they'll also have the choice of renting 30-day access to archived episodes at 49p (79 cents) each without the pesky commercials in between. Anyone who just can't get enough Collision can spring for a 90-day rental of a whole series at a lower total price, and the broadcaster is even planning trials of streaming-first episode premieres -- if only we were so forward-thinking in the US. We'd question the wisdom of anyone who really, truly needs an uninterrupted The Only Way is Essex, but at least those who want fodder for water cooler chats can blast through their pseudo-reality TV at a record pace.
Warner Bros. to ditch 28-day release delay for rental stores?
Warner Bros. may have doubled its 28-day embargo on new releases for kiosk operators (even if they side-step it), but endangered bricks-and-mortar rental stores could be treated to the exact opposite. A rumor coming from Home Media Magazine's unnamed sources suggests the WB is going to ditch the embargo for these locations altogether, starting on October 30th. We have no idea why this break would be offered to the relic stores, although we doubt they care if it gets a few more bodies through the door. Warner Bros. has a recent habit of quiet implementation, but just to be sure, we've reached out for confirmation and will update you if-and-when we hear more.
Google Play Music and Movies purchasing reaches Google TV, patches a media strategy hole
It's been one of the more conspicuous omissions in the media hub space: despite Google Play being the cornerstone of Google's content strategy, you couldn't truly use the company's music or movie services through Google TV without depending on content you'd already paid for elsewhere. As of a new upgrade, the ecosystem has come full circle. Viewers with Google TV boxes can at last buy or rent directly from Google Play Movies and Google Play Music, and the content will be indexed in the TV & Movies section alongside third-party video services and traditional TV. The upgrade also helps Google's TV front end play catch-up with its mobile counterpart by adding automatic app updates and subscriptions. While device owners may have to wait a few weeks as the upgrade rolls out, the addition signals a big step forward for a platform that has normally leaned heavily on others for help.
Fox kicks off its Digital HD initiative by joining Google Play and YouTube, offering movies early
Fox embraced a radical thought when it outlined its Digital HD initiative earlier this month: customers are more likely to buy digital movies if the content isn't artificially delayed and priced to match the releases on conventional discs. The studio is about to see if that gamble on common sense pays off. As of today, you'll find 600-plus Fox movies ready to buy or rent in HD across every major digital video store in the US, with many downloads cleared to arrive ahead of their physical counterparts at lower prices that reflect a disc-free reality. The media giant has also decided to play nicely with Google after a longstanding absence, putting its movies and TV shows on Google Play Movies and YouTube. Its tentpole movie release Prometheus is unsurprisingly being used as the prime incentive to try Digital HD; the title is available online three weeks before the Blu-ray launch at a more reasonable $15 price. The sci-fi thriller is even Fox's first movie destined for UltraViolet cloud lockers. Only Americans will have expanded access to movies and TV at first, but it shouldn't be too long before many countries can be creeped out by Michael Fassbender's android -- including on their Android devices.
Sky+ update allows undeleting recorded shows, more on-demand and future Catch Up TV
Sky+ has been on a bit of a tear refreshing its set-top boxes, and it's not about to stop now. When ready, a new update for the satellite TV provider's devices will let you undelete recorded programs; deleted shows are now moved to a separate space and only removed permanently either through age or if you really, really don't want to watch. If you're more interested in watching content that's always available, both Anytime and Anytime+ will be rebranded as On Demand, while the Sky Guide is adding a dedicated store tab for movie rentals. Catch Up TV is also nearing with the update and should aggregate the last week's worth of shows from Sky in addition to BBC iPlayer, Demand 5 and ITV Player. The gotcha, as we know all too well from these kinds of firmware revisions, is the timing. You'll have to have either a Sky+ HD 1TB box or the Sky+ HD DRX890 to get the upgrade early on, and Sky is staggering its deployment in a move that could leave some subscribers twiddling their thumbs.
Google patents buyer-specific price drops for follow-up sales, can tell if you're a cheapskate
Ever been tempted to rent a movie again, but thought the price was just a little too dear? Google may soon be willing to haggle a deal. One of its newly-granted patents could automatically lower the price of repurchase-friendly content, such as a Google Play Movies rental, depending on how likely you are to pull the trigger. Its algorithm weighs your personal tastes and repurchasing habits against those of your peers: if the code senses you'll be relatively stingy, you'll get a better discount. The analysis could even factor in the nature of the content itself. A thoughtful movie, ownership of the soundtrack or just a lot of related searches could lead to a repurchase at the usual price, while a simple action flick with no previous interest may bring the discount into effect. We don't know if Google will offer these extra-personal discounts to the public at any point in the future, but if you suddenly notice a lot of follow-up bargains in Google Play, you'll know how they came to be.
BMW DriveNow EV car sharing comes to San Francisco Bay Area, ParkNow follows suit
BMW kicked off its DriveNow car sharing service in its home country last year to see if urban EV rentals would catch on. Something must have clicked in Germany, as the automaker is exporting the concept to the San Francisco Bay Area as of September. DriveNow's initial fleet of 70 ActiveE vehicles will rely on a different business model after getting its American visa: the service drops the strictly by-the-minute model of the German operation in favor of a $12 base fee for a half-hour's trip, with a 32 cents per minute rate kicking in only during longer drives. Travelers will have to drop off the cars at specified stations, too. There's a consolation for the trouble through a ParkNow reservation service, which locks in a parking space at a guaranteed rate and navigates there through an iPhone app or the web. Just be aware that those spaces will be limited -- only eight DriveNow stations and 14 ParkNow lots are active, which doesn't afford a lot of free roaming even after discounting the lack of immediate plans for other US cities. We're nonetheless glad that Bay Area locals without their own ride will have an easier time staying green for their cross-city jaunts.
Amazon begins renting paper textbooks
Amazon has been renting out Kindle editions of textbooks for sometime now, but not all the educational tomes you need may be available in electronic form. And, believe it or not, some people just plain prefer paper to E-ink -- especially since its much easier to take notes in the margins. Now many of the more expensive texts on the site also feature a rent option. Most are in the $30 to $60 range and are rented by the semester, which Amazon counts as 130 days. Should you need it for a bit longer, you can extend your rental period by 15 days, but only once. On the plus side, Amazon will pay for the shipping on the return of the books. For more info, check out the FAQ at the source.
Google TV update touts Google Play and YouTube movie rentals, distinct lack of popcorn
If you own one of Sony's Google TV devices, it's now considerably easier to curl up with a flick or two. Google has just pushed out a 2.1.1 update that allows watching movies rented through Google Play as well as in the browser, with YouTube. The update rollout should grace both Internet TVs and Internet Blu-ray Disc Player owners within the next two days. Logitech Revue viewers aren't quite so well off: Google is only asking them to "stay tuned," which to us is a sign we shouldn't give up Netflix just yet.
Digiboo kiosk video service launches, opts for USB drives instead of DVDs
Judging by its quirky name, you'd think Digiboo is anything but an à la carte video service hoping to fight it out with the famed Redbox, or even Qwikster Netflix. The outfit's kiosks allow you to grab a two-day rental from a 700-plus film menu for $3.99, while $14.99 makes any title yours to own. Here's the interesting part -- rather than getting a DVD for your cash, though, you'll insert a flash drive to download your movie in as little as "30 seconds." Digiboo's setting up shop at airports in Portland, Seattle and Minneapolis-St. Paul to start, but mum's the word on its plans for expansion. Taking a trip over to P-Town anytime soon? Be sure to let us know your results if you happen to try it out.
YBUY allows impulse tech buyers to wonder, 'Why not?'
It's always helpful when tech start-ups scheme new ways for you to burn through that bank account. Like YBUY, the membership-only site that charges a monthly fee in exchange for trying out the latest and greatest in gadgetry, like an iPad 2 or Xbox 360, sans shipping fees. The fresh-out-of-beta portal offers approved users the ability to return or purchase the pre-selected goods after a 30 day trial period, with that recurring charge going towards the full retail price if you choose to opt-in. Its co-founders claim to curate the ever-changing roster of high-end kit, taking into account the best product reviews (ahem) and even featuring certified refurbs. So, what's the catch? Well, there doesn't really appear to be any. It's simply up to you to curb that tech enthusiasm and keep your credit card balance resting peacefully at zero.
YouTube extends movie rental service to the UK
YouTube -- no longer the favorite repository for cats playing pianos -- has launched its movie rental service for folks across the pond. Previously available in North America only, web denizens in Ol' Blighty will now have access to brand new flicks for 24-hours at $3.99 a pop. Looks like all Mountain View needs now is Hulu to fully control the play-shifted portal.
Editorial: Reed Hastings' Netflix spinoff isn't about DVD success, it's about hedging the stream
If you've just casually glanced over the mass reactions to Reed Hastings' decision to split the DVD-by-mail business of Netflix into its own brand and company, you've probably been duped into thinking that it's the second questionable move that the world's most famed movie delivery service has made this year. But is it? Is a man who turned a red envelope into a symbol of near-immediate gratification really a moron? Did he really just bury the company he worked tirelessly to create? I highly, highly doubt it. Knee-jerk reactions are always fun to watch, but they're rarely on-point. As with most things in life, the truth usually resides somewhere in betwixt the extremes. And in the case of Qwikster -- the DVD-by-mail service that precisely no one asked for -- the truth is hiding in exactly the place that Reed said it'd be: the future.
Dreamworks animated films now available on iTunes
After quite a wait, Dreamworks Animation has finally relented to allowing its movies on iTunes, which means the company's catalog is more or less up for grabs. Kung Fu Panda is one title customers have been waiting for, and Monsters vs. Aliens, Bee Movie, and Madagascar 2 are available as well. Shrek the Third is the only movie of that series available at the moment, unfortunately, and there's no sign of Megamind or How to Train Your Dragon, so the catalog isn't complete by any means. Still, progress is progress, and this deal means you and your kids have a few more options when you jump into iTunes to find a movie to watch. Whatever issues there were between Dreamworks and Apple have apparently been worked out, to some degree at least.
Apple stops renting TV shows in iTunes, could be working on a new kind of video service
Apple has pulled the plug on TV episode rentals via iTunes, abruptly leaving customers with only the option of purchasing per episode -- good thing you can watch those on your Apple TV streamed from the cloud -- or a Season Pass where available. AllThingsD has a quote from spokesman Tom Neumayr indicating this was in response to customers that "overwhelmingly prefer buying TV shows." Making the timing of the move particularly curious are once-again renewed rumors of an Apple HDTV and a WSJ profile of new CEO Tim Cook that indicates the company is "working on new technology to deliver video to televisions, and has been discussing whether to try to launch a subscription TV service." Like Google, any move depends on its success in negotiating a new delivery model from the networks, who so far have been averse to anything that threatens their existing relationship with pay-TV providers. It appears 99-cent rentals didn't move the needle, so we'll wait and see what the folks from Cupertino have up their sleeve next. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
