RSSBlockbuster streaming comes to Samsung hardware
By Tim Conneally | Published July 14, 2009, 12:02 PM
Blockbuster Inc. and Samsung jointly announced today that new Samsung HDTVs, Home theater systems, and Blu-Ray players will be equipped with Blockbuster OnDemand, the company's streaming rental service, by Fall 2009.
Blockbuster's streaming media service has been rushing to catch up with Netflix, which scored an early lead with critical placement on numerous popular brands of hardware, and has continued to dominate the streaming movie rental market. However, today's partnership announcement with Samsung marks the second time Blockbuster OnDemand will live alongside Netflix on Demand in the same machines. The first time the two were paired was last March, when TiVo announced Blockbuster OnDemand would be coming to broadband connected Series2, Series3, TiVo HD, and HD XL set-top boxes, where Netflix was made available three months prior.
Last October, Samsung announced that its connected Blu-ray players would receive Netflix on Demand, and now Blockbuster has followed. The alliance, however, includes the clause that Blockbuster-capable Samsung Blu-ray players will be sold through Blockbuster's corporate stores and on its Web site. The companies have not yet clarified which Blu-ray models will receive the functionality, but there is the chance that Blockbuster could end up selling Netflix-capable devices at its own stores.
Today's announcement says that LCD and Plasma HDTVs Series 650 and above, and Samsung LED HDTVs Series 7000 and above, as well as 2009 Blu-ray players and home theater units will be able to access Blockbuster OnDemand by conducting a firmware upgrade or downloading the OnDemand widget.
A position in Samsung's TV's is very desirable, as the South Korean company remains a top player in the US HDTV market, with a 17.4% market share in the first quarter of 2009. Blockbuster, meanwhile, has been struggling to stay out of bankruptcy. In 2008, the company closed 545 corporate stores, lost nearly 30% of its Total Access by-mail subscribers and faced shrinking gross margins for merchandise sold in its stores. The company faces substantial debts which will come due in September.
How does this device stream the movie? Is it IP based? Does require the internet? Is there a cat5 plug on it? Is it done over cable (as in a cable modem)? Is it dial-up requiring a phone line? What are the requirements for this to work?
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|I can tell you that my Samsung HDTV has an Ethernet port on it, so just like my Weather Widget (for example), Blockbuster will work the same way.
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|My Samsung BlueRay Player has an Ethernet port and an optional wireless device that plugs into 1 of 2 available USB ports and connects to my network to stream Netflix, Pandora internet radio and also streams movies and pics off of my network attached devices. Hopefully there will be a firmware upgrade to add Blockbuster, but I won't hold my breath. :-)
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