Blockbuster could release its own movie set-top-box

Well, well -- what have we here? As Microsoft's Xbox 360 skyrockets up the list of most wanted movie set-top-boxes and units like the Roku Netflix Player hold the promise of incorporating HD downloads in the near future, along comes the flagging Blockbuster to put up a mild fight. In a move that's half baffling and half expected, the DVD rental company is reportedly looking to pump out a movie STB of its own for the holiday season. That's according to CEO Jim Keyes, who said as much on a recent conference call with investors. Unfortunately, he passed along no other pertinent information whatsoever, though he did mention a "Blockbuster-branded widget on Intel-manufactured chips embedded in IPTV monitors" for next year. Good luck Blockbuster, you'll probably need it.

[Via NewTeeVee]

[MiggityMikeB Posted Nov 10th 2008 10:30AM]

Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 10th 2008 10:48AM]

The PlayStation 3 not only already permits rentals and purchases of a wide variety of movies over the internet, it also plays current DVDs and Blu-rays too. Your one stop movie shop.

XBox 360 can't compete, because it lacks Blu-ray capability. Other set top boxes can't compete, because they can't play DVDs, let alone Blu-rays.

Winner: Sony.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 10th 2008 11:40AM]

Carney, I think you're on the wrong website.

Try this: www.imasonyfanboy.com/idiot

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 10th 2008 11:41AM]

X-Box is much, much, cheaper than the PS3 and has both Netflix (all-you-can-eat) and Marketplace Live (a la carte) rental options. I think you're exaggerating the PS3's likelihood of success somewhat, especially when you appear to be basing it on the other failed HD disc format.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 20th 2008 12:59PM]

Squiggleslash, the XBox 360 is only cheaper than the PlayStation 3 if you get the crippled, no hard disk version, and/or decide to cut yourself off from being able to play games with internet opponents.

Of course, lacking a hard disk makes online HD movie rentals problematic to say the least; good luck filling up your much more expensive, slow, and low-capacity memory cards with HD movies.

And, just to spell it out, XBox Live Gold costs $50 a year and is mandatory if you want to play people online, whereas access to the PlayStation Network is free.

Not only is the XBox penny wise, pound foolish, but it actually COSTS MORE to own and use.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 11th 2008 6:04AM]

Engadget,

Any chance of keeping us abreast of all HD VOD providers and their STBoxes in the future?
Here is a few that come to mind.

Cable television:
Adams Cable, Adelphia, Airtel Digital Tv, Armstrong Telephone Company, Atlantic Broadband, Austar, Bright House Networks, Buckeye CableSystem, Cablelink, CableOne,
Cable TV Hong Kong, Cable TV Wakasa Obama, Cablevision, Canal Digital, Champion Broadband, Charter, Cogeco, Columbus Communications, Comcast, Com Hem, Cox,
DartyBox, EastLink, EMBARQ, Fastweb, First Media, Foxtel, GCI, Global Destiny, Globosat, Hathway, HOT, IndosatM2, Insight, Kabel Deutschland, Knology, MASTV,
MC Cable, MCV Broadband, Mediacom, Midcontinent Communications, Millennium Digital Media, Neighbourhood Cable, Net Brasil, Ono, Optus, Persona, Qwest Choice TV,
RCS&RDS, RCN, Rogers, Royal, Satview Broadband Ltd, Service Electric, SkyCable, Shaw, Smallworld, StarHub TV, Suddenlink, TDC, Tele2, Tele Columbus, Telenet,
TelkomVision, Telmarc, TelstraClear InHomeTV, TransACT, TrueVisions, Turksat Kablo, TV Cabo, TVTEL, UCS, UPC, Videotron, Virgin Media, WOW!, WightCable, Ziggo

Satellite television:
AB Sat, Airtel Digital Tv, AlphaStar, Arab Digital Distribution, ART, Astro, Astro Nusantara, Austar, Bell Tele, BIG TV, Boom TV, Canal Digitaal Satelliet, Canal Digital, CanalSat,
CaspioNet, Cyfra+, D-smart, DD Direct Plus, DialogT, Digi TV, Digit-Alb, Digital+, Digiturk, DirecTV, Dish Network, Dish TV, Dolce, DStv, Euro1080, Focus Sat, Foxtel, freesat,
Freesat from Sky, Freeview, GlobeCast World TV, Globosat, Glorystar, HiTV, Home2US, Indovision, Kristal-Astro, Max TV, N, NOVA, NTV Plus, Orbit, Premiere, PrimeStar,
SelecTV, Showtime Arabia, Sky Digital, SKY, SkyLife, Sky PerfecTV!, Sk TV, Star Choice, STAR Select, STAR TV, Sun TV, Tata Sky, TPS, TelkomVision, TrueVisions, TV Cabo,
TV Vlaanderen Digitaal, TVTEL, UBI World TV, Viasat, Voom, WOWOW, yes

Internet Protocol Television:
Aliant TV, Alice Home TV, Belgacom, BSNL, BT Vision, Canal Digital, Clix, Crnogorski Telekom, DartyBox, Deutsche Telekom (T-Home), Elioni DTV, Fastweb, Fine TV, Free, hanaTV,
Imagenio, iNES, Infostrada TV, KPN, La Tele des P&T, Maroc Telecom TV, mio TV, MTNL, Neuf, now TV, Orange, Portugal Telecom, Sky Angel, T-com Hrvatska, TELE2, Telefonica,
TeliaSonera, Telus TV, Tiscali TV, TPG IPTV, True IPTV, TVCatchup, U-verse, VDC, Viasat