Following in the successful footsteps of Netflix, with the Roku player, and TiVO, rumor has it that Blockbuster may unveil a set top box before Christmas. This is the second time the rumor has come up in the last few months – hard to know whether that makes it more likely to be true or not.
The box would allow customers to download online rentals from Movielink over the Internet and then watch them on their TVs in the same way that Roku player works with Netflix’s Watch Instantly service.
As I always say about these kinds of products, features may be the make of break point of differentiation here and these set top boxes are perfect platforms for software that delivers not just movies over the Internet, but also photos, news, scores, cartoons, and other content. A first mover advantage is there for the taking.
On InformationAppliance: Blockbuster May Release Set Top Box | Digital Picture Frames wrote at November 26th, 2008 at 6:29 am
[...] Today on InformationAppliance.com: Blockbuster is rumored to set to release its own set top box to compete with the Netflix-specific Roku Player before Christmas. The further develop of this space, and the potential for driving content beyond video to the living room TV, is intriguing … read more [...]