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 every copy of those operating systems has Windows Media Center software. The move follows a deal between the two companies to make Netflix movies available on the Xbox 360 back… 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 street estimates, which had the company pegged around $390 million for quarterly revenue.
Oh, but there are still a few dark clouds on the horizon.
In spite of this good news, the… 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 service.
The Moxi HD DVR made its debut earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Positioning itself as a subscription-free alternative to devices like cable DVR units… 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 secure the $250 million in loans it needs to survive, then its auditors say there’s “substantial doubt” about whether the flailing company can stay in business.
The news isn’t too surprising… 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 by mail — a huge number for a service that launched a decade ago. Meanwhile, Blockbuster, a name that has been synonymous with movie rentals for much longer than that,… 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 pricing structure and affects all membership tiers as of April 27th.
For the average $16.99 per month Netflix subscriber renting Blu-ray discs, this means a monthly increase from $1 to $4…. 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 working when it comes to transitioning into the digital distribution age of movies. So now it’s on to plan H, or perhaps plan I — who can keep track anymore?… 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 company is finally setting the record straight — it’s not slowing down access to its online movie catalog for anyone.
Neil Hunt, Chief Product Officer for Netflix, attempted to clarify the… 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, is a “speed boost.” It notes that everything should be faster from loading large libraries (thank God) and browsing the iTunes store to syncing your devices.
While Apple has greatly improved… 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 problem for Hollywood as it makes a lot of money off of DVD/Blu-ray sales, but much less on rentals. Now, one studio has what it thinks is a fix: pulling… 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, according to Tech Trader Daily.
It’s not like we didn’t see this one coming (and predict it). Blockbuster has really been dying a slow death for a long time thanks to… 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 a strong quarter for sales as it’s the holiday time. Sure, we’re in a recession and spending is down across the board, but look at the other trend: movie rentals… 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 decision was said to be due to privacy concerns about information YouTube (which Google owns) tracks. But the whole thing is not true says a later report from the White… 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 by the company’s chief financial officer, Barry McCarthy, indicated that a streaming-only subscription option was forthcoming. This has led some to believe the move to Netflix as a streaming service… 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 nudge the fledgling movie-streaming service into higher-def, richer programmed pastures, right?
Not quite.
Barry McCarthy, the DVD-by-mail company’s chief financial officer, painted a less bullish picture at the Jeffries Internet & Media… 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 as it tries to bounce back from bankruptcy.
FriendFinder called out for risky business — The adult web site’s former human resources director is suing over scandalous behavior and violation of labor… 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 is shifting, too, toward streaming movies over the internet. And it may be happening faster than anyone predicted.
So far this year, movie streams from Netflix are outpacing DVD shipments for… 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 drinking water. To find an event near you, visit the Twestival site. If you can’t go to one, Magnify.net is powering a live video stream found here, and you can… 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 next big thing — if it makes the right moves. Today brings two long reports about Apple TV’s future that take what are basically opposite stances.
On one side, you have… 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 minutes of movies and TV shows. I have checked it out myself, but I’m disappointed with the selection. For instance, I had 60 or so movies in my queue on… Continue Reading