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Apple pulls 99-cent iTunes TV show rentals
Apple has pulled all US$0.99 TV show rentals from the iTunes Store and Apple TV. As first noticed by AppleInsider, all mention of TV show rentals has also disappeared from Apple's knowledge-base articles. One titled "iTunes Store: How to rent TV shows" has been completely removed, though you can view a cached version of it here. Apple's Apple TV page has also been updated, removing all mention of TV rentals. An Apple spokesperson confirmed to All Things D the reason: iTunes customers have shown they overwhelmingly prefer buying TV shows. iTunes in the Cloud lets customers download and watch their past TV purchases from their iOS devices, Apple TV, Mac or PC allowing them to enjoy their programming whenever and however they choose. When Apple announced TV rentals last year Fox, ABC, the Disney Channel and BBC America were the first to offer them. However other media companies including NBC, Time Warner, and CBS were reticent at the time. I think $0.99 is a great price for TV shows, but not to rent -- to own. A few days ago I tweeted that the day Apple and the studios start selling HD versions of TV shows through iTunes for $0.99 is the day I leave my cable company behind. Besides, it's kind of ridiculous that I can buy a high definition season of a TV show on Blu-ray for $25, but the same season would cost me $50 to own through iTunes. As my colleague Chris succinctly put it, "Dear media: what do you have against making money? Sell TV shows for $0.99, and people will buy five times as many as they do now at $1.99. My math may be a bit off, but this sounds a lot like MOAR REVENUE. Dipsticks." Whatever Apple and the networks choose to do in the future, the days of the $0.99 TV show rental on iTunes and the Apple TV is over, for now. And that leaves Apple's "hobby" with one less feature. Rumors have been floating around for a while now about a new Apple TV this fall. Some think it will actually be an Apple-branded television set, some say it will be an Apple TV that supports 1080p. As usual, we won't know for sure until they send out the invites.
Zediva puts the brakes on its streaming service, soothes your fears with monkeys
Zediva fought the law and the law shut it down. The unique DVD rental service, sued by the MPAA and Hollywood studios for running afoul of licensing and distribution agreements, has temporarily closed shop. A statement on the outfit's website optimistically refers to the court-ordered injunction as an "intermission," pointing to a hopeful future resumption of operations, and guaranteeing customers a solution for unused credits. The company's promised to fight back against Judge Walter's decision, and is in the process of appealing the ruling that could see it facing a permanent service blackout. We hope for the sake of its "DVD-changing monkeys" that all parties involved can work this out. Make sure to head past the break for Zediva's full explanation.
GameFly to launch 'Unlimited PC Play' download service, offer less incentive to leave the house
GameFly hasn't wasted any time jumping into the digital download waters after acquiring IGN's Direct2Drive platform a little over two months ago. Set to launch September 8th in beta form, its new "Unlimited PC Play" service will offer subscribers access to 100-plus downloadable PC and Mac titles, with hundreds more expected in time for the official end of year launch. Fans of the video game rental outfit's snail mail subscription service don't have to worry about a shift to digital only, as the company has no plans to abandon its "unique combination of console and digital PC game offerings." Interested in getting an early peek at the new platform? If you live in the Los Angeles area, you can look forward to a planned beta launch party next month, where access codes for the new, invite-only service will be distributed. The rest of you PC gaming warriors will just have to settle for a sign-up page at the source.
Zediva's DVD rental service ordered to close shop, Hollywood pops celebratory bubbly
Zediva's loophole-exploiting DVD rental service has just been dealt a lethal blow by Judge John F. Walter. The recent court-ordered preliminary injunction effectively halts the company's ability to rent its library to users across the internet's great streaming divide. Citing irreparable damages to both the nascent video on demand market and Hollywood's bottom line, the federal judge found Zediva's business in violation of studios' exclusive right to public performance of copyrighted works. The bizarro Netflix alternative had been operating without the normal licensing restrictions required by the industry and despite its claims of imminent ruination, will have to close shop. For its part, the unique startup has vowed to appeal the ruling, but if that doesn't work, at least its creators can watch No Strings Attached ad nauseum.
Walmart brings Vudu into the fold, still can't stream you tube socks
Roughly 18 months after plunking down the cash for Vudu, Walmart has finally made the streaming media service an integrated part of its web store. Fans of digital video can now stop by the discount retailer's site and rent flicks for between $1 and $5.99 or purchase them $4.99 and up. The service compliments Walmart's sizable physical media library with over 20,000 titles that can be played directly from the website, as well as on Vudu-enabled devices like connected TVs, Blu-ray players, and steaming media boxes such as the Boxee Box. If you're a fan of companies tooting their own horn, check out the PR after the break.
HP Movie Store arrives on the TouchPad, cup-holder accessory to follow?
HP had us slightly worried at the crude-looking beta release of the Play music platform, but its new Movie Store app for TouchPad owners looks reassuringly polished and gleaming. The Roxio-powered service offers movie purchases from $9.95 and rentals from $2.99, as well as a fair selection of TV shows for $1.99 per episode. Meanwhile, Amazon's beta Kindle app for the TouchPad also launched earlier this week, so things are certainly ticking along. We just hope HP hasn't forgotten about that promised document-editing function -- some people want to create as well as consume.
Amazon rolls out textbook rentals for Kindle, promises discounts up to 80 percent
Students can already save a few bucks by opting for a digital version of a textbook over a hardcover, and they can now save even more courtesy of Amazon if they aren't too intent on hanging onto the book after they're done with it. The company has just announced textbook rentals for Kindle, which promises to let students save "up to 80 percent" off the list price of those often pricey textbooks. That discount varies depending on the rental period -- which can be anywhere from 30 to 360 days -- and the option is already available on "tens of thousands" of textbooks from a number of publishers including John Wiley & Sons, Elsevier and Taylor & Francis. What's more, you can also rest assured that all of your annotations will be saved even after the rental has expired, and be accessible at any time on the Kindle website (or in the book itself if you ever decide to rent it again for old time's sake). Press release is after the break.
Netflix coming to Spain and the UK next year?
File this one in the unconfirmed-but-hopeful file, as Variety has it on good authority that Netflix could be making its first foray into European waters as early as Q1 2012. After taking Latin America by storm (and subsequently storming the wallets of plain 'ole Americans), the company is purportedly lining up Spain and the United Kingdom for its next trick. Unnamed sources at "leading European film distributors" have confirmed that representatives from the company were looking to "put roots down" in both of those nations as soon as next year, and while Netflix itself is refusing to comment, it's certainly a tale that's easy to believe. 'Course, breaking into the UK market won't be as easy as it has been in other nations -- Lovefilm already has a firm grip on the local rental market, but as your favorite capitalist always says, there's never not room for increased competition. We'll keep you posted. [Thanks, Eric]
Redbox starts renting out video games nationwide, charges $2 for your Xbox 360, PS3 or Wii pleasure
Exactly as promised, Redbox is today inaugurating a new branch to its media-renting venture with the introduction of video game rentals at $2 a day. There's a pretty rich and fresh selection on offer, including the likes of Duke Nukem Forever, Dirt 3, and Brink, and you can reserve your copy online before moseying down to your nearest Redbox kiosk to execute the transaction. About 5,000 of those crimson encasements have already been partaking in the testing of this service, but now Redbox is flipping the switch on the other 21,000 across the US and making things officially official.
PSA: Redbox kiosks packing games, starting tomorrow
As promised, video rental kiosk outfit Redbox is expanding its operation to include other things that appear on optical discs, beginning tomorrow. It's a simple idea, we know, but considering the market GameFly has been able to build up with its over-the-mail service, ala Netflix, we're surprised it took Redbox this long to leverage its omnipresent kiosk army to dispense something besides movies. Unlike GameFly, selection will be limited to what actually fits inside a 'box. Tomorrow's selection spans all three home console platforms and will include major new releases like Duke Nukem Forever, LA Noire, Red Faction: Armageddon, and Infamous 2, while also including some notable evergreens, like Call of Duty: Black Ops and Just Dance 2. Game rentals will run $2 each day, compared to $1 a day for DVDs, $1.50 a day for Blu-ray discs, and $10 a day for Laserdiscs.
T-mobile, WildTangent to bring 25-cent game rentals to Android devices, harken back to arcade days
Test driving an app isn't entirely unheard of -- Apple introduced its lackluster "Try Before You Buy" system last summer and the Android Market's got a 15-minute return policy. Now T-Mobile's teamed up with mobile gaming outfit WildTangent to bring a novel approach to looking under the hood of gaming apps: rentals. The partnership promises to bring 25 cent game rentals to your phone or tablet (considering you're a T-Mo faithful rocking an Android device), giving you the opportunity to see what a particular game is working with before you commit. The new service also lets users play games for free with advertisements, and applies the cost of rentals to future purchases -- rent-to-own style. So it won't bring the same juvenile thrills as the arcade, but it will let you get your game on at 25 cents a pop. No word yet on when the service will go into effect, so don't go breaking that piggy bank quite yet.
Sprint balloons its EVO 3D with three-dimensional titles and content providers
If you're looking to fully leverage the namesake feature of the EVO 3D, Sprint is doing its best to ensure you're not left wanting -- all while keeping your coin flowing its way. First, it's bundling HTC Watch and Blockbuster On Demand, which will offer 3D titles (alongside the 2D fare) and rental prices ranging between $3 and $4. Like we've seen in RadioShack's advert, the 3D version of The Green Hornet is pre-loaded on the phone's microSD card, and the Now Network is also bundling a demo of Ultimate Spider-Man: Total Mayhem 3D. If that whets your appetite for three-dimensional playtime (and you've still got expendable income), you might check out Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles and GT Racing Motor Academy -- both $5 at launch in the pre-loaded Gameloft Storefront. For all the bloat they pile on, at least the stores bring decent eye candy. Hop the break for a (decidedly two-dimensional) press release.
Android 3.1 on the Motorola Xoom: hands-on (video)
That Android 3.1 update that Google announced during I/O is slowly rolling out to 3G Xoom owners as we speak. How'd we know such a thing? Why, it just landed on our in-house Xoom, of course! Most of the changes to Honeycomb are happening under the hood -- better HTML5 support, faster performance, and USB host functionality for connecting peripherals like game controllers and mice -- but there are some improvements that will be a lot more obvious to the user. Perhaps our favorite is the addition of resizable widgets. For the moment only the email and Gmail inbox, calendar and bookmarks widgets can be stretched or shrunk, but we're sure others will follow. We're particularly appreciative of the expandable calendar widget, which always felt a tad cramped. The task switcher also received a much requested upgrade and now lets you scroll through your last 18 launched apps, instead of just the five most recent. Lastly, the Android Market now offers movie rentals, alongside books and apps, which range in price from $1.99 to $4.99 for 24 hours of playback. There isn't a ton of revolutionary stuff going on here, but it's certainly a welcome and worthwhile update. Check out the video after the break to see Android 3.1 in action.
Editorial: Engadget on Google Music and Movies for Android
Google dropped an amazing amount of stuff on us this morning, up to and including using your phone to turn off a lamp and a tablet to control a giant wooden labyrinth. Move past the flash, though, and the news with the most immediate impact to Android users is the release of the Music Beta by Google, plus the availability of movie rentals on the go. Now you can take your tunes all up into the cloud and pay too much to bring some movies along with you. That all sounds great, but we have somewhat mixed feelings about the whole thing. Check 'em out below.
YouTube and Google Movies rentals can be consumed on either platform
Remember those 3,000 movies from Universal, Sony and Warner Bros. that were added to YouTube yesterday? Turns out, that same library is also being pushed to Google's newly announced Movies service. We learned as much during the outfit's executive Q&A session following the keynote this morning, and furthermore anything purchased / rented via Google Movies will be available to consume via YouTube, and vice-versa. Not a bad gesture!
Android Market launches movie rentals, thousands of titles available to your PC, phone or tablet
Google just announced movie rentals in the Android Market at its I/O conference. Chris from the Android services team just hit the stage at Moscone and demonstrated renting movies on the Android Market from your phone, tablet or PC with a single click. "Pinning" mirrors the experience with apps and books, you can select it on your PC and download to the device in the background for offline viewing. Movies are live in the market right now, support on all Android 2.2 or higher devices is expected "in a couple of weeks" and tablets will get support bundled with their upgrade to Android 3.1. On the PC, it ties back to the recently expanded YouTube rental service with the same restrictions (30 days to watch, 24 hour window once you start watching) and pricing, making that per-movie VOD price a bit easier to swallow with its cross-platform support and we even spied a few HD selections for $4.99. Keep an eye on the liveblog for more information. %Gallery-123218%
Redbox officially launching game rentals June 17
Refrigerator-sized movie rental kiosk operator Redbox began testing video game rentals nearly two years ago, but they'll be available at more than 21,000 locations nationwide starting on June 17, 2011. The test market expanded from 5,000 locations last October. In announcing the launch date, the company confirmed that its kiosks will offer games for PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii covering "top releases to popular family and kids titles." Game rentals will run $2 a day, compared to $1 for DVD and $1.50 for Blu-ray movie rentals. By comparison, brick-and-mortar rental chain Blockbuster offers five-day rentals for $8.99 per game and by-mail rental service GameFly lets its users check out two games at a time for a $22.95 monthly subscription fee.
Dish Network takes over 500 Blockbuster locations for some reason
Earlier this month, when Dish Network announced that it would be taking over Blockbuster's remaining assets, we openly wondered about what the deal would mean for the thousands of (mostly) empty rental stores still scattered across the country. Shuttering all of them seemed like a very real possibility, but it now looks like Dish has plans for at least a few of Blockbuster's old stomping grounds. On Saturday, the company agreed to assume the leases for about 500 of the 1,700 Blockbuster locations still in operation, according to papers filed with a New York Bankruptcy Court. Of course, it's still unclear what Dish plans to actually do with these stores -- or, for that matter, with the Blockbuster brand, as a whole. But it certainly looks like its long-term vision may incorporate at least some of Blockbuster's brick-and-mortar roots.
Hertz launches hourly EV rentals in London, self-satisfaction comes free
Contract-free cellphones, declining marriage rates and car-sharing services all tell us you're a bunch of commitmentphobes. Lucky for you the world is willing to oblige your wishy-washy ways, and for those who also happen to have a bit of a green streak, Connect by Hertz offers hourly rentals on electric cars. After launching its EV rental program here in New York last year, Hertz promised to expand to several other cities and countries by the end of 2011, with London being the next to go online this Friday. British urbanites averse to car ownership will be able to pick from a fleet of vehicles including the iMieV, Nissan LEAF and Renault Kangoo, range anxiety diminished thanks to the city's 16 charging stations. It's not exactly the Jetsons, but if this is the future of transportation, we're ok with that -- we're thinking Mother Earth is too.
MPAA sues Zediva for streaming DVDs, no one is surprised
We told you to get through that 10 pack of rentals quickly didn't we? As pretty much anyone could have predicted, the Motion Picture Association of America (in case you've forgotten, that's these guys) doesn't think Zediva has the right to rent access to DVDs for streaming across the internet. Specifically, the MPAA calls Zediva for not being the traditional rental service it claims to be, and claims streaming the output of a DVD player across the internet even to one user amounts to public performance of the movie. There's no response yet from Zediva, but in the meantime armchair lawyers can check out the MPAA's statement in PDF form at the source link.
