Hasta La Gadget!

Details about the still-in-alpha Redbox Instant internet movie service have suddenly become more clear, as GigaOm dug up a link to support pages (apparently now password protected) that show off service prices and even screenshots of the website and apps. As noted there, any of this could change before it rolls out to the public, but they show off an unlimited subscription that goes for $6 per month, with a smaller catalog than what Netflix offers, but with recent flicks like Iron Man 2 and Thor. For $8 ($2 more) per month, customers add credits for four DVD rentals each month (no rollover), while video on-demand access to movies starts at $0.99 and goes up. In a disappointing move for Linux users, it appears Redbox and Verizon have selected Silverlight for the web player just like Netflix, instead of Flash like Amazon’s Instant Video. Currently, Android, iOS, Xbox 360 and Samsung’s Smart TV platform are on deck for apps (check out more screens at the source link) and the page suggests that public launch could come December 17th. Assuming these details hold up, is this enough to pull you away from Netflix / Amazon Prime / Hulu Plus, or maybe add-on another subscription to the pile?

Filed under: HD, Verizon

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Source: GigaOm

Amazon purchased UK movie streaming site Lovefilm nearly two years ago and only now are the two showing some sign of integration. In order to make the app work on Kindle Fire and Kindle HD devices users have to link their Amazon and Lovefilm accounts, and from then on they can sign in with their Amazon credentials on the web or other devices. According to the FAQ posted to announce the switch, anyone that isn’t rocking a Kindle but wants to login with their Amazon info anyway will be able to eventually, just not yet. Of course, this is all just a bit premature since the Amazon tablets are still a few days away from launching in Blighty, but if you’re carrying around a US import you should see Lovefilm’s service pop up in the next week. What this means for Lovefilm as a standalone brand in the future — as the streaming wars continue to heat up — remains to be seen, but one less password to remember is a a movement we can easily get behind.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Lovefilm to start letting users log in with their Amazon info, Kindle owners are up first originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Oct 2012 06:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon might be continuing its European HD streaming video invasion by arriving in France next March, according to Canal Plus’ president, Bertrand Meheu. The executive is well-placed to have that info, as he says his company will be supplying Amazon with content for the service’s launch on the Kindle Fire. If true, it’s not known yet if it would be in the form of Lovefilm, which launched in Germany and the UK recently, or if it would be available on PCs, Macs, Xbox 360 consoles or Smart TVs as it is elsewhere. Canal Plus has been fighting to keep such competitors out of the notoriously protectionist country, but it was recently blocked by a state watchdog from hoarding VOD rights exclusively for its own networks. The company also said that Netflix would arrive in France by “early 2013” — another credible claim, considering the huge amount of content it produces that the US streaming service would surely need.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Amazon

Canal Plus chief: Amazon, Netflix will bring video-on-demand to France early next year originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Oct 2012 17:08:00 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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Sky has bested its broadcast and video-on-demand rivals by signing a deal with Warner Bros. for exclusive rights to its films in the UK and Ireland. Once the six-month cinema window has elapsed, each new flick (including Man of Steel and The Dark Knight Rises) will remain Murdoch-only for a full year before arriving on LoveFilm and its kind. Meanwhile, back-catalog titles like The Lord of the Rings and The Matrix will remain locked in the partnership’s walled garden for an undisclosed period of time. Good news if you’re a Sky customer, we suppose, and not if you’re not.

Continue reading Sky bags exclusive rights Warner Bros. movie catalog, makes LoveFilm and others wait

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Sky bags exclusive rights Warner Bros. movie catalog, makes LoveFilm and others wait originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 07:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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