Movie fans to get a TV-friendly Netflix experience on Windows Media Center
Microsoft is announcing today that its Windows Media Center can now show more than 12,000 movies and TV shows from Netflix’s library of online video rentals.
The videos are now available to watch instantly for users of the Windows Vista Home or Ultimate operating systems, as… Continue Reading
Netflix nails Q1, expects competition from kiosks
DVD rental company Netflix just blew the lid off its first quarter earnings. The Los Gatos, Calif. company netted $394.1 million in revenue in Q1 2009, representing a 21 percent leap year-over-year and a 10 percent bump compared to last quarter. These figures easily beat… Continue Reading
Moxi uses online video to sweeten its high-def DVR
Digeo, a manufacturer of cable ready set-top boxes, has announced a slew of updates for its flagship device, the Moxi HD DVR. The free software update bolsters the device’s core functionality with access to a number of top-tier online video hubs and Rhapsody’s streaming music… Continue Reading
Blockbuster’s financial outlook not so good
Blockbuster just might be on the ropes. The Dallas, Tex. movie rental chain said in a recent SEC filing that it may not be able to make good on some of the performance-based stipulations for an outstanding loan. If the rental giant isn’t able to… Continue Reading
Netflix delivers its 2 billionth movie — and it’s a Blu-ray
“I can tell you I never want to see the movies that come by mail,” is what Blockbuster chief executive Jim Keyes had to say during his company’s most recent earnings call. Well, apparently, someone does.
Netflix announced today that it has delivered its 2 billionth movie… Continue Reading
Netflix jacks up Blu-ray prices 20 percent
Netflix subscription fees are going up — at least for the Blu-ray crowd. The Los Gatos, Ca.-based movies-by-mail company is bumping up the cost of its Blu-ray rentals by 20 percent. Jessie Becker, Netflix’s Vice President of Marketing, says the increase will replace the current… Continue Reading
After its own set-top box bombs, Blockbuster partners with TiVo
I feel like I keep writing the same sentence over and over again: Blockbuster has a new plan to reinvigorate its business. Sadly, I feel like I’m going to keep writing that sentence until Blockbuster goes under.
Unfortunately, what the company has been trying is not… Continue Reading
Netflix: ‘We’re not slowing our streams…yet’
There’s been a lot of speculation about whether Netflix has been intentionally slowing its movie streaming service. As a subscriber who has experienced the recent slowdown, I also explored the notion in a post a couple weeks back. But, after weeks of claims, the DVD-by-mail… Continue Reading
iTunes 8.1: Fitter. Happier. More productive.
Alongside its new iPod shuffles released today, Apple is about to launch the next version of iTunes. Version 8.1 is a small step up in terms of its version number, but it actually sports three fairly large improvements.
Speed boost
The first noted improvement, according to Apple,… Continue Reading
Fox’s new plan to spur DVD sales: Rip out the extras from rentals
A couple of days ago, I wrote about the possibility that movie rentals were eating into DVD and Blu-ray sales. Between Netflix and video-over- the-Internet solutions, renting movies is now easier than ever, and there’s little incentive left to buy most films. This is a… Continue Reading
The end (or at least bankruptcy) is near for Blockbuster?
Trading of Blockbuster stock was halted today after its share price plunged more than 77 percent, all the way down to the miniscule $0.22 a share. Why the bloodbath? Bloomberg says the movie rental company has hired a company to explore Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing,… Continue Reading
With instant access to movies, Hollywood has a rental problem
Hollywood has a problem. Consumers are opting for online movie rentals and streaming rather than buying DVDs or Blu-rays. And it’s hurting movie makers’ bottom lines.
Recent data indicates that DVD and Blu-ray sales fell off a cliff in the fourth quarter of last year, traditionally… Continue Reading
Roundup: The White House and YouTube test an open relationship, the Dow plunges below 7,000, an iPod and iPhone-less Gates household and more
Here’s the latest action:
The White House and YouTube need to video message one another — A report this morning by CNET claimed the White House was ditching YouTube as a platform for President Obama’s weekly addresses and going with a different Flash-based solution from Akamai. The… Continue Reading
Netflix tweets: Viva la red envelope!
There’s been a lot of back and forth recently about Netflix’s future plans. Streaming movies over the Internet has become a popular feature among those who use it and may even outpace DVD shipments for those users this year. And comments a few days ago… Continue Reading
Netflix not ready to dive into streaming?
From the outside, Netflix’s Watch Instantly streaming video service appears to be in fighting form. Usage is up, the content catalog is starting to grow, and the service is expanding to set-top boxes, Blu-ray players, and game consoles. These recent trends should be enough to… Continue Reading
Roundup: FriendFinder sued for risky business, Digg toolbar sighted, Nokia looks to laptops and more
Here’s the latest action:
Pirate Bay takes fascist funds — The large bittorrent tracker’s major financier, Carl Lundstrom, has been connected with neo-nazi groups and political parties.
Nortel lays off 3,200 more — The telecom company will cut its global workforce by 10 percent over the next several months… Continue Reading
Netflix streams already rushing past DVDs in 2009?
The business of renting DVDs through the mail has proven to be hugely popular for Netflix. The service came out of nowhere to pillage revenue from movie rental behemoth Blockbuster, and now Netflix is thriving as Blockbuster struggles to hold on. But Netflix’s business model… Continue Reading
Roundup: Twestival is tomorrow, Palm talks Pre and patents, Google pays up and more
Here’s the latest action:
Twestival: Bad name, good cause — Tomorrow, over 175 cities around the world will host Twitter festivals (really, meetups), or Twestivals, to raise money and awareness for charity:water, a project aimed at giving some 1.1 billion people on the planet access to clean… Continue Reading
Apple TV is at a crossroads
It’s nothing new for pundits and bloggers to say what functionality they think should be included in the Apple TV. The device, which brings iTunes and other digital content into the living room by hooking up to your TV, has the potential to be Apple’s… Continue Reading
Netflix movie downloads are a success on Xbox 360
Microsoft said today that more than a million Xbox 360 users have downloaded the Netflix application via Xbox Live since the alliance was launched in November.
In less than three months, Xbox Live gold members (who pay $50 a year) have watched more than 1.5 billion… Continue Reading