Blockbuster Gets Into Set-Top Box Rentals

By Geoff Duncan Updated November 25, 2008

Blockbuster Gets Into Set-Top Box Rentals

Video rental giant BlockBuster might be best known for its seemingly ubiquitous brick-and-mortal retail rental outlets, but the company has decided to make a serious play in the digital video market, announcing a new MediaPoint on-demand set-top media player that will enable users to access BlockBuster on-demand content, including current and classic movies. The MediaPoint box is developed by 2Wire, comes with integrated Wi-Fi and Ethernet for connecting to a home broadband connection, and delivers DVD-quality video.

“The MediaPoint digital player, featuring Blockbuster OnDemand, is entertainment made easy,” said Blockbuster chairman and CEO Jim Keyes, in a statement. “We are bringing Blockbuster, and the thousands of movies in our digital library, straight to customers’ televisions.”

The MediaPoint players are available for sale now via Blockbuster’s Web site, and the company says the players will begin shipping in time for the holiday season. For a limited time will be available “for free” with the advance rental of 25 on-demand movies for $99. After the first 25 rentals, movies will be available for $1.99 apiece—no subscription required. Once a movie is rented, users will have 30 days to watch the title, but must finish watching it within 24 hours of beginning playback. Blockbuster hasn’t said what it plans to charge for the MediaPoint players as a regular price after after the initial promotional period.

With MediaPoint, Blockbuster is going into competition with the likes of the Xbox 360’s online video service, Apple’s iTunes (and AppleTV), Amazon Video On Demand, Vudu, and (of course) Netflix-enabled devices like the Roku set-top box. Blockbuster is hoping to differentiate itself by focussing on new releases rather than back catalog content, and the company will likely pursue alliances with consumer electronics manufacturers, game console makers, and even computer manufacturers to get its service integrated with their devices.

That said, the MediaPoint device is essentially a new way for BlockBuster customers to tap into the company’s MovieLink service, which it purchased in mid-2007. Beginning next month, visitors to the MovieLink site will be redirected to Blockbuster to learn about Blockbuster OnDemand.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…

Audio / Video

There’s a rare deal on the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones today

Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones seen in black.

The massively popular Sony WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones rarely appear in headphone deals, so if you've had your eye on them for quite a while, you're in luck because they're currently $51 off on Walmart. From their original price of $400, you'll only have to pay $349, but only if you hurry because we don't expect stocks to last long. You're going to miss out on the offer if you take too long, so don't hesitate -- add the wireless headphones to your cart and check out as fast as you can.

Why you should buy the Sony WH-1000XM5
The best headphones that you can buy right now are the Sony WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones, and it's not even close. At the heart is their outstanding wireless sound, supported by top-quality active noise cancellation that uses two processors and eight microphones to block all unwanted sound, as well as crystal-clear hands-free calling using four beamforming microphones and advanced audio signal processing. The wireless headphones also offer Bluetooth multipoint connection so that you can quickly switch between different devices, touch controls for functions like adjusting volume and calling your digital assistant, and Speak-to-Chat and Quick Attention features to stop your music and let ambient sound in without having to take them off.

Audio / Video

Sony’s premium soundbars will finally get support for VRR, ALLM

Sony HT-A7000 Dolby Atmos soundbar close-up of top panel.

It's been a long time coming, but the wait is almost over. Sony's premium home theater soundbars are set to receive a software update that will add support for variable refresh rate (VRR) and auto low-latency mode (ALLM), two HDMI 2.1 gaming features that have been absent since these products launched.

The soundbars in question are the Sony HT-A5000, HT-A7000, and the multi-wireless speaker HT-A9 system. All three are scheduled to receive the update this fall, but Sony has declined to share specific timing, saying only that there will be more information closer to the rollout date.

Audio / Video

What is Roku? The streaming platform explained

A roku powered TV hanging on a wall running Roku OS 12.

How do you get your Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, or Prime Video fix? Chances are it's through a streaming device or smart TV, and there's a good chance that it's through a Roku device or one running its pioneering streaming operating system. At this point, cord-cutting is old news, and Roku was one of the earliest companies to drive the adoption of web-based streaming with its self-contained, app-driven devices.

Today, watching something "on Roku" is standard parlance and the company's popular platform can be found baked into some of the biggest TV brands in the world as well as in its own lineup of streaming devices sticks, and set-top boxes. Even so, that doesn't mean you totally get what a Roku actually is. What is Roku? How does Roku work? Do you need a subscription to use it? Is it just a device you buy, or is it software?