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Redbox Instant is currently in beta as we speak, with a rumored official launch date sometime in March. Microsoft has announced today that the Xbox 360 will be the only gaming console getting access to the new streaming service. Upon an agreement with the Redmond-based company and Verizon (who is running Redbox Instant), Microsoft is getting exclusive console rights to Redbox Instant.

UPDATE: We received an email from Redbox saying that they “plan to launch on other gaming platforms,” but as of right now, and during the full public launch, the Xbox 360 will be the only console at that time.

If you happen to be a Redbox Instant beta participant currently, you’ll receive an email with a unique code to access the Redbox Instant app on Xbox 360 in the coming days. Microsoft didn’t reveal when Redbox Instant would be coming to the Xbox 360 for the public, but it will be sometime “in the very near future.”

Redbox has been around for a couple of years, and they’re most known for having convenient DVD kiosks at various locations, and allow users to rent a DVD for $1 per night. The company is expanding to online streaming, with the help of Verizon, in order to compete with streaming giant Netflix, and the service aims to create a better experiences for users.

The Xbox 360 is already a massively popular gaming console, and with exclusive access to Redbox Instant, Microsoft is looking to continue the tradition of the most console sold per month, a title that they have held for the past two years straight. However, no word on whether or not you’ll an Xbox Live Gold membership to access the Redbox Instant app, but it’s a safe bet that you’ll need one.

Xbox 360 getting exclusive Redbox Instant console access [UPDATE] is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Redbox Instant video streaming service recently let eager users kick down the doors of its beta test, and now the team behind it has stepped out to talk about its unique feature set. While a public launch is still planned for Q1 (just as Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam said last month) we’ve had a little time to spend with the beta on our own, and saw it running on several devices including iOS / Android and Samsung Blu-ray player in the company’s hotel suite. New hardware partners announced during CES are Vizio, Google TV and LG, which should all see apps arrive soon to their assorted platforms.

Currently the mobile apps appear to be the most polished, however all ran smoothly and featured a look apart from the other subscription streaming services. Of course, some of that is a result of Redbox offering movies via kiosk rental, VOD rental / purchase or unlimited subscription. While each UI is a bit unique (predictably, the iOS app foregoes any purchase options due to Apple’s insistence on a 30 percent cut) one way to keep track of how a particular movie is accessible are via several small icons in the corner of its box art, showing a kiosk for discs, play button for subscriptions, ticket for purchase, and so on. So far Redbox isn’t playing in the picture quality wars, at the moment it’s video maxes out at 720p and audio is stereo only, although it is looking to upgrade.

Continue reading More Redbox Instant details revealed at CES; Vizio, LG and Google TV clients coming

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The folks over at Gigaom have scored a variety of exclusive details about the upcoming Redbox Instant by Verizon video streaming service. The Netflix competitor has been slated for launch by the end of the year, but no official details have been released. The service’s help section, however, was available publically online, and revealed quite a few details.

Sadly, if you head over to the Redbox Instant Help Center now, you’ll be presented with a login screen that requires a password for access. However, before the company locked down the pages, several pieces of information were gleaned. Subscriptions to Redbox Instant by Verizon will be cheap, starting at $6 a month. This subscription will provide subscribers with complete access to Redbox’s video library.

The next subscription level is priced at $8 per month, and includes four credits per month for movie rentals at Redbox rental boxes. To ensure the machine has the right movie, users can reserve the DVD online or with the service’s app. Unused rental credits expire at the end of the month, so don’t get your hopes up on letting them build over time.

For those who want to watch videos offline, such as during a plane ride or while on vacation, Redbox Instant also offers video-on-demand rentals starting at $0.99. The rented videos can be downloaded onto a device, such as a tablet, and watched offline. Meanwhile, all online streaming is performed using Silverlight. To start with, Redbox Instant will only be available online, and on iOS/Android gadgets, certain Blu-ray players and Samsung televisions, as well as the Xbox 360 console. Up to five devices can be used with an Instant account. If the help files are any indication, the service may be launching on or around December 17.

[via Gigaom]

Redbox Instant by Verizon details surface, hint at mid-December launch is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Redbox and Warner Bros. were at odds in January when Warner wanted to extend the window before discs hit kiosks to 56 days, but now the two have come to an agreement that keeps it at a 28 day delay. When their previous deal expired Redbox said it would find other ways to obtain discs and offer them day and date to its customers, although actually finding them in kiosks could be tough. The new two-year deal covers movies that debut after January 1st, 2013, and claims to improve economics for both Warner (which has apparently seen fit to eliminate the delay entirely for brick & mortar renters) and Redbox. Additionally, Redbox has joined with the DECE team and will support UltraViolet with its upcoming Redbox Instant service. With the new deal, it can offer UltraViolet digital access to Warner movies, and distribute movies through its subscription service. We’ll have to wait for Redbox Instant to launch to know more information about that, for now check out the details in the press release after the break.

Continue reading Warner, Redbox agree to 28 day delay on disc rentals, UltraViolet support for Redbox Instant

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Warner, Redbox agree to 28 day delay on disc rentals, UltraViolet support for Redbox Instant originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 16:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The last concrete details we’d heard about Redbox Instant was that it was entering internal alpha testing, but now Verizon exec Eric Bruno has revealed more background information. Previous info indicated the service would focus more heavily on movies than the back catalog of TV shows that is a part of Netflix Watch Instantly and Amazon Prime Instant Video, and Bloomberg reports Redbox will break with their models by paying its content providers per subscriber cable TV-style, instead of a flat rate decided up front. What customers will get is a monthly subscription and allotment of disc rentals from Redbox’s kiosks, as well as access to VOD movie rentals and downloadable purchases through the service. The alpha test is currently in the hands of about 500 Verizon employees, with plans for a short public test before launching in a late November / mid-December time frame. The main unanswered question however is how much it will all cost, but knowing what we do now — how much are you willing to pay?

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Redbox Instant targets launch by year-end, blends subscription streaming and DVD rentals with VOD originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 03:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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