In the face of an ever-increasing threat from on-demand services, Blockbuster, the traditional home of movie rentals, has announced the launch of its own digital-delivery service dubbed BLOCKBUSTER ONDEMAND.
The service, available exclusively to Blockbuster's U.S. customers, will make use of a $99 MediaPoint set-top-box from broadband solution provider 2Wire. Once installed, the MediaPoint player will allow instant access to BLOCKBUSTER ONDEMAND, allowing users to rent movies via the Internet at the click of a button.
Unlike rival services - of which Netflix is arguably Blockbuster's biggest threat - BLOCKBUSTER ONDEMAND won't be providing an all-you-can-watch subscription. Instead, the service will stick to a pay-as-you-rent model and rental costs are expected to start at $1.99 per movie. Users will be given 30 days to watch downloaded material, and viewing of a single movie must be completed within 24 hours of hitting play.
2Wire's MediaPoint player measures 8in x 8in x 1in and features both Ethernet and Wi-Fi networking, as well as composite, component, HDMI, stereo audio and optical audio connectivity.
Jim Keyes, Blockbuster Chairman and CEO, said:
The MediaPoint digital player, featuring BLOCKBUSTER ONDEMAND, is entertainment made easy. We are bringing Blockbuster, and the thousands of movies in our digital library, straight to customers' televisions. The player is simple to use, delivers DVD quality video, and there's no monthly subscription commitment. We are delighted to team with 2Wire to give consumers this great entertainment product.
Despite the promise of DVD-quality material, there's no mention of HD downloads. If Blockbuster has aspirations of competing with the likes of Netflix, we'd expect HD movies to be made available at a later date.
There are currently no plans to bring BLOCKBUSTER ONDEMAND to regions outside of the U.S.
Official press release: Blockbuster and 2Wire Introduce New Digital Media Player
Official product page: Blockbuster.com/ondemand
