Enhanced Sound Coming to Downloads
Posted by Steve Fravel on Friday, June 11, 2010 · 
·
Yesterday, Sonic Solutions and DTS, Inc., announced that DTS, the multi-channel audio format, would be added to the RoxioNow platform as part of a partnership arrangement. The addition of the highly regarded DTS will allow retail partners Blockbuster and Best Buy to offer 5.1 channel surround sound on independent films, next-day television programs and premium movies. Read more
Best Buy Entering Crowded VoD Market
Posted by Kevin McGuire on Tuesday, May 18, 2010 · ·
Best Buy issued a press release today announcing that they will offer “same-day instant access to new release movies and TV shows” later this month. The service will be available through some consumer devices (like Blu-ray Disc players and HDTVs), as well as streaming to computers through their website www.cinemanow.com. LG Electronics and Insignia are among the first manufacturers that will have the technology available in their devices.
I get it — on-demand media is the flavor of the month, and you aren’t a consumer tech company unless you have a service. But to me it seems overly crowded with the likes of Netflix, Blockbuster, Google and even WalMart vying for a slice of the limited pie. Personally, I think we’re in the land grab days of streaming media. I don’t think anyone knows how it will all shake out yet, but everyone is rushing to stake their claim.
Oh, and does anyone else find it ironic that streaming video, which is supposed to usher in the death of physical media, is available through Blu-ray devices?
Blockbuster Reports Q1 Loss
Posted by Steve Fravel on Friday, May 14, 2010 · ·
Blockbuster, working hard to increase revenues from its multichannel distribution service, came up short in the first quarter of 2010. The DVD rental service reported a loss of $65.4 million compared to a profit of $27.7 million for the same period the previous year.
Citing encouraging discussions with financial and strategic partners as well as a 28-day advantage on competitors Redbox and Netflix, Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes said that the company has “achieved a number of goals to establish a significant competitive advantage going forward.” Read more
WalMart Agrees to Buy Movie Service Vudu
Posted by Kevin McGuire on Monday, February 22, 2010 · ·
According to the New York Times, Walmart has agreed to buy movie service Vudu. Vudu is a 3 year old start up founded by industry veterans from companies like TiVo, WebTV, and OpenTV, to name a few. It had deals with major studios bringing the ability to purchase or rent over 5,000 titles through either a stand alone box, or recently embedded into a variety of consumer devices like TVs and DVD players.
While details of the transaction are not known, one can be safe to assume that Wal-Mart is doing it to protect/diversify their DVD sales business. One site that I came across suggested that Walmart made up nearly 40% of the total $17B DVD market back in 2006 (which I believe was before iTunes sold movies).
Will they be successful? Time will tell. With services like Netflix, Blockbuster, and Boxee having a head start, Walmart may have a difficult time differentiating itself in an increasingly crowded market. I’d bet they will adopt one of their time tested strategies to try to compete: low, low prices.