Blockbuster OnDemand Comes To TiVo

MojoKid writes "Netflix isn't the only company that sees that streaming is the future of movie rental distribution. Blockbuster, which always seems to be playing catch-up with Netflix, will start making its on-demand rental and purchase content available on TiVo DVRs. Blockbuster OnDemand has only been available as a streaming service on Windows PCs or streaming to TVs via the 2Wire MediaPoint device. Meanwhile, Netflix streaming is available on far more platforms, such as on Windows and Mac computers, TiVo, the Roku Digital Video Player, LG and Samsung Blu-ray players, the Xbox 360, as well as a number of video portal software applications, like Boxee and ZeeVee's Zinc. Blockbuster's partnership with TiVo is yet another indication of the coming revolution of on-demand media available to TVs — that is, if the revolution hasn't already started."

Comments

Re:Now all they need to do is

[telchine]

Now all they need to do is bring the Tivo back to the UK. There are still people maintaining or even buying old UK-spec tivos because nothing else manages the "program prediction" as well.

Absolutely, TiVo is great, Thompson just made massive mistakes with their launch and marketing of it. My mother is a complete technophobe, yet she can use it without problems.

Now most people already understand the concept (it's similar to Sky+), it should be much easier to launch in the UK if they try again.

Revolution

[the_Bionic_lemming]

I've already changed my Habits. I dumped dish and will no longer pay for cable or satellite. I stream NetFlix thru my x-box and am pretty happy paying less than 15 a month (microsoft live and netflix) for a full queue of shows I get to see when I want to see it.

Dish, Comcast, And direct TV better start panicking, the age of a la carte is here.

bandwidth

[Ritz_Just_Ritz]

Assume for a moment that in some fantasy land you can convince 5-10% of your customers to give up physical media and switch to downloads. Where is all this bandwidth going to come from? Are people supposed to sit around tapping their foot as these huge (even if you use low bitrate H264) files slowly seep in over the interwebz? I don't know about you, but I'm not NEARLY patient enough for that. But perhaps it's just me.

Re:First Post?

[Sorce]

They have very few free streaming titles. They do have new releases but they are all PPV and I believe around $4. I don't think anyone is really going to use this service. Netflix doesn't have a huge library but at least it's got something that is included in the monthly fee.

Just Quit Blockbuster

[dank zappingly]

Had Blockbuster's total access plan where you can get 3 at a time mailed and trade in the envelopes for up to 5 dvds a month in store. Then they changed it so the dvds you rent in the store get added to the movies you have out and they don't send another one and called it "no late fees." So basically I was paying extra money to save them postage and when I called to complain they tried to tell me that it was better than what I had because there were no late fees. I told them just because you're reading this off your response tree doesn't make it true. Previously they had unlimited in-store rentals, so they've changed my plan twice since its inception.

I was so ticked off that I switched back to netflix, which I quit because of throttling and got to cash in my one month of one free extra dvd I got in the class action suit. The service has greatly improved since I left. They have way better selection than blockbuster and I sometimes use the online streaming to play things on my ps3, I just wish it was natively supported and I didn't have to pay for a program(playon) to do it. Then again, the program also supports other online video sites and I am able to stream every episode of Star Trek TOS from CBS, which is great. The only downside is that I have to pay one dollar extra per month to get access to blu ray's, but it is so much easier to get the movies I want sent that I don't mind.