Good news for TiVo Series2, Series3, HD, HD XL DVR owners. You can now rent new movie releases directly from BLOCKBUSTER for $3.99 and older features from $2.99 or less (a few titles are even free) without a monthly BLOCKBUSTER subscription. What’s more, HD movie titles are said to be on the way via the On Demand service in the next several weeks. MORE »

Almost every month we hear about new supported services being added to networked Blu-ray players and HDTVs from the likes of LG, Samsung, and others. Today Samsung is pushing out a new firmware update that adds YouTube (not YouTube HD — at least not yet) and Blockbuster video streaming to its line of Network Blu-ray players. But if that wasn’t enough Samsung has added support for the fairly new and popular video container, MKV. According to CNET, an MKV-wrapped AVC file worked well playing off a USB flash drive and had no problems jumping forward and back through the track. MORE »

In a joint press release with Samsung, Blockbuster is announcing that later this Fall they will begin offering their OnDemand movie service via select Samsung HDTVs and network Blu-ray players. (I’m sure other partners will be announced later.) What’s interesting, is that in order to do this, Blockbuster must have updated their OnDemand service to provide instant streaming similar to Netflix to support these devices instead of progressive download playback – which is how their own hard drive based 2WIRE MediaPoint Player works. What would really be lame (depending on your point of view), however, is if the new service required one to attach an external USB hard drive in order to use the service. Someone please tell me that’s not the case. [via + image credit] MORE »

Today both companies announced a partnership to provide Blockbuster’s OnDemand movies through TiVo in the coming months. The service will be available on Series2 and Series3 DVRs and will charge customers $3.99 to rent a DVD-quality new release movie on the set-top (rentals start at $1.99). TiVo owners will also be able to purchase movies to keep, like they’re able to do currently with the 2Wire MediaPoint box, for around $20 (with DRM protections). Other third party content providers on TiVo include: Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, YouTube, Jaman, and some Disney movies through CinemaNow. [via / via]

HackingBlockbuster.com has published a video of the 2Wire MediaPoint Digital Media Player designed for Blockbuster that showcases the system’s interface, content selection, and usability. So, if you’re curious on how well polished the system is, give it a look. ZNF also has a write-up with initial setup impressions – verdict: not ready for prime time. However, ZNF concedes most technical issues can be ironed out with a firmware upgrade. But the real question remains: Is the Blockbuster VOD service a compelling offering to consumers? (I already posted my thoughts on the topic earlier.)

Ok. So I’ve been thinking about Blockbuster ONDEMAND. I’ve got to say… I’m not impressed with the company’s new service offering. I’ve been a happy and loyal Blockbuster Online subscriber for a few years now and I can’t justify buying a set-top, even though it’s being bundled for $99, if the movies I want to view start at $1.99. Here’s why: currently my monthly subscription is $19.99 for 3 at-a-time/unlimited with 5 in-store movie exchanges a month. Realistically in a month I get about 12 DVDs through the mail and exchange 5 of those for in-store movies — total 17 movies in a month (majority being New Releases within the past month or two). As such, if I wanted to watch 17 movies through the new ONDEMAND sevice, it would cost me a “starting” price of $33.83. I like convenience like the next guy, but value always wins out in my book. MORE »

Big news this morning if you’re a fan of Blockbuster. The company has announced the limited availability of a $99 on-demand video package that gets you 25 movie or TV episode rentals plus a FREE MediaPoint Digital Media Player by 2Wire. No word on how much the MediaPoint set-top by itself will sell for in the future, but I’m guessing this promo is gonna be around from quite some time. Rentals start at $1.99 with no monthly subscription plan required. Video quality will initially be rolled out at DVD resolution. However, the box does include HDMI, Component video outputs and is capable of handling HD video content, according to 2Wire’s press release (attached below). Lastly, the MediaPoint Digital Media Player, which can be connected to your home’s broadband network via Wi-Fi or Ethernet, is capable of storing a movie selection for later viewing or on-demand with “progressive” playback instead of streaming for a more consistent viewing experience. Oh yeah… and Blockbuster is also making a big fuss that their latest on-demand selections are typically titles released within 30 days of their DVD release date (unlike the other guys). MORE »

It appears that Blockbuster has rolled out their new “Download” Rent/Buy movie service to all subscribers now (based on Movielink’s IP). In fact, one can download movies without having a recurring rental package subscription in place – you just need to create a Blockbuster account. Basically you pay for what you want to watch. New movies on average cost $3.99 for rentals and $17.99 to own/buy. The official Blockbuster Download price range for “Rent Downloads” is $0–$3.00+ and “Buy Downloads” is $9.99–$20.00+. Unfortunately, for Mac and Linux users, the service only works with Windows 2003/XP/Vista computers with Windows Media Player 10 installed. On the bright side, if you do have a compatible Windows PC, the movies you rent or purchase can be viewed through Windows Media Center, the Xbox 360, or select Netgear and D-Link media adapters (most likely the ones who currently support Movielink). What’s more, it appears that Blockbuster has maintained its partnership with AT&T HomeZone to allow users to download movies directly to their set-top. MORE »

What a tease! ZNF got a screenshot from one its readers that shows Blockbuster is offering select members access to movie downloads for rent or purchase. Unfortunately, there are no other details on the price and format the movies will be delivered in, but what I can see is that the majority of the selections available for download are new releases. Let me repeat NEW RELEASES – unlike Netflix that only offers limited older flicks for instant streaming. We’ll update you as we learn more. MORE »