According to The Wall Street Journal retail giant Amazon.com may challenge the Netflix streaming product with a service of their own. Apparently the company has been in talks with NBC, Time Warner, News Corp. and Viacom to get content distribution rights to TV shows and film titles. If things fall into place, Amazon hopes to get the service launched this holiday season. Full Story
Apple has released a new, smaller Apple TV box geared toward streaming movies and TV shows. The resolution tops out at 720p (unfortunately) but highlights include Netflix streaming, 802.11n Wi-Fi, H.264 and MPEG-4 video support, and a footprint that is 80-percent smaller than the last Apple TV box. Full Story
Apple’s music and media conference today may reveal Apple TV support of Netflix, which would allow streaming of thousands of titles from the Netflix library under one subscription rate. The news comes via multiple sources including Bloomberg who say the media event may reveal a higher-definition iPod Touch and improved iTunes service. Full Story
The company may launch a competing streaming video rental service through YouTube property.
According to the Financial Times, Google is in talks with Hollywood to launch a streaming video-on-demand service. The service would put Google in competition with video services from Netflix, Apple and Hulu, offering titles the same day as DVD releases. The Google video-rental initiative would be launched off YouTube, and apparently developers are thinking global. Full Story
Great news for Apple customers. Netflix subscribers can now watch streaming Netflix content on iPhones and iTouch mobile devices. Apple’s Steve Jobs first showed off the Netflix app on an iPhone 4 in June — which works on both Wi-Fi and 3G networks. Full Story
Blockbuster is now renting out over 3,000 video game titles by mail for PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360 and Wii consoles. The move positions them to compete with video game rental company Gamefly, and gives them an advantage over competing rent-by-mail company Netflix (who doesn’t offer video games), and kiosk movie rental company Redbox (who offers video game rentals for $2 a night but in limited locations). Full Story
This just in via The Wall Street Journal — Epix has agreed to give Netflix online distribution rights. This means movies such as “Iron Man 2,” “The Expendables,” and “Star Trek” will be available next month as streaming content to your PC or TV. Full Story
Netflix frequently adds more HD titles to their streaming lineup — you can find them under the “New Arrivals” tabs in the Netflix interface . Unfortunately they don’t have a simple breakdown of HD quality, so we’ve scrolled through ourselves. Videos in high-definition are AVC compressed with Dolby Digital at 48kHz. Yeah, the quality doesn’t quite match that of a Blu-ray Disc but then again you don’t have to wait for it. Full Story
Whether or not Netflix will actually build an app to run on Android devices, the company has posted an open position for an Android Video Playback Expert on their website. An apparent Netflix employee on Reddit has also posted responses to comments saying “the way Android is blowing up it would be stupid of us to ignore that.” Full Story
A Netflix application for PlayStation 3 will become available this October, potentially replacing the streaming PS3 disc Netflix subscribers currently use. This news was revealed in a Netflix Q&A session last week, when Q2 earnings were released. But will the application require a subscription to Playstation Plus, a membership which costs $49.99 per year? Most PS3 owners would probably opt to use a software app rather than a cumbersome disc. However, if a subscription is required (as is with Hulu Premius Plus) some Netflix subscribers may just continue using the disc if Netflix doesn’t make any changes. Full Story
Netflix and Warner Bros. have expanded and extended their current streaming content agreement, adding more TV shows to the Netflix library as well as extending movie title licensing from the studio through 2011. Full Story
It’s hard to believe the company that opened thousands of stores nationwide and lead the movie rental business soon after launching in 1985 could possibly go belly up. But video-on-demand, kiosks, and movies-by-mail may have toppled the giant. Full Story
Relativity Media, the studio that brought recent films such as “Robin Hood,” “Get Him to the Greek” and “Grown Ups” to theaters, has made an agreement with Netflix to distribute titles during the “pay TV window,” the time during which studios have usually disallowed Netflix streaming of certain titles in favor of agreements with premium pay channels. Full Story
Netflix frequently adds new films to their streaming lineup. Although there never seem to be enough in HD, below are several titles worth checking out. It should be noted that while some titles listed on the Netflix website do not indicate they stream in HD, we checked them out and have discovered that indeed they do. The scrollable “New Arrivals” tab within the Netflix streaming interface on your TV seems to be more accurate in terms of what is available in high-definition. Full Story
PS3 may soon support a Hulu paid TV service, according to a Bloomberg report that says a partnership could be announced as early as next week. An agreement between Sony and Hulu could greatly expand the Hulu audience, which is internet-based but could move many of those viewers to their TV sets instead of computer displays. Full Story
- Limited Time
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