Blockbuster returning from the Dead?

[16mmJunkie]

Read this late this evening, Blockbuster is not Dead just yet....They are taking on once again Netflix and Redbox with a campaign focusing on new releases. The motto "Less Waiting. More Watching." and having a 28-day new release advantage over competitors. Hummm.... here's the link It's Alive






If the Light ain't Bright, It ain't Right!!

[budwzr]

Hollywood's bankrolling them, and giving them preference because Hollywood doesn't want streaming. Cuts into their DVD profits at $25+ a pop.

Blockbuster is the old "wait in line", late fees, rude service model. Customers are fed up with that.

Redbox lets you make an online reservation and charges $1. How can Blockbuster put that genie back in the bottle? With 4.99 + tax rentals? I doubt it.

[lordsmurf]

RedBox is the "sorry, you can't return it today because this machine is full/broken ... by the way, that'll be another $1, please!" model. The "everybody wait in line, single file, while the ******* in the front of the line looks at the summary of every movie in the machine, while we freeze at the outside machine" model. The business here went down, RedBox added more machines, then people stopped using them and went back to stores. Not Blockbuster, but the mom-and-pops that still exist here.

Blockbuster represents the old way of doing things. It's the telegraph company in the age of telephones.

[zoobie]

netflix just raised their prices so these guys still have a shot

[Moontrash]

Redbox and Blockbuster are fine for those who want the new stuff but if BB plans on catching up, it's gna take em a while. They screwed me and a lotta people over and they'll nvr see a dollar from me again. I remember the insane late fees and knowing a few people losing heir vhs or dvd copy and having to pay $80 to $100 to replace it. That company deserves a slow death and hopefully it'll come soon.

I don't have Redbox but I have used it for a friend who uses them and I haven't had the issues LS mentions. I wouldnt sign up for either of the services as I only watch old movies. Zero intrerest in new ones. So the "who gets the newest movies first" line of thinking is lost on me.

[fritzi93]

I've been using the Blockbuster online, one at a time deal. The cheapest plan with no free exchanges, still $9/month. I don't think that's available any more unless there's a promotion. At any rate, I can't find that plan on the website. It's been okay.

Pros:
1) If a disc arrives broken, I report it online and they immediately send me another and several times have credited me one rental at my local store.
2) If I return the mail rental at the local store, I can rent another there for only two bucks.
3) Mail rentals returned at the store (as opposed to mailing it back) means another from my queue is immediately sent.
4) Selection is not bad. I mostly rent old movies new to Blu-Ray. New releases are added fairly promptly.
5) No extra charge for Blu-Ray

Cons:
1) A few movies have been at the top of my queue for almost a YEAR. (Apollo 13, World's Fastest Indian.) WTH?

I'd say it's worth considering, especially if you have a Blockbuster nearby, as I do.

[bendixG15]

Red Box works just fine for me.

I just go on line to make my selections, then go and pick them up.

No problems, no screw ups.

Happy Thanksgiving ......

[creakndale]

I have a Redbox within walking distance and a few times the kiosk has been "down" when I went to return a disc. I tend to return discs in the evening around dark. If the kiosk is down I can't make it to another kiosk for an alternate return location.

In those cases I've emailed Redbox customer service and they have refunded that movie's rental price and sent me a coupon code for a free rental to compensate for the inconvenience. What great customer service.

creakndale

[jagabo]

Blockbuster.. focusing on new releases.

Isn't that what they were focused on before? The only difference is Hollywood has managed to force Netflix and RedBox to delay new releases by 28 days. What they'll find is that nobody cares about the 28 day delay -- except kids wanting the latest Disney picture.

[Noahtuck]

Never used a redbox and never will.

The Blockbuster by me went out of business about 8 months ago, gee i wonder why ?
It was about a mile away.

It has been years since i was in it and they were always the same, always trying to scam you for late fee's, rude, over priced, crappy selection for older movies, but they had 2000 copies of the lamest newest release!!

There is also a Family Video, about half a mile away, still going strong!!
No waiting for new releases & they are CHEAPER than Blockbuster was/is for new releases, everyone i have ever known that works there is nice and friendly, they are not uptight, let late fee's slide, have a huge selection of older releases.

Gee, i wonder why they are still going strong......

I only use Family Video & i use netflix for older & rarer TV stuff or movies no one else has.

And on sept. 9th i saw one of these for the very first time....



LOL!!

Snapped a photo of it with my phone as i was waiting in line to checkout.

I'll never use one of those either!!

I was thinking these guys are really trying to hang in there after their brick and mortar stores are going bye bye.

[V Bot]

I wish I would have started Redbox. They need something like that for music cds.

[budwzr]

I'm going to get the 20% off XD Roku box at midnight on the Black Friday deal.

[jagabo]

I wish I would have started Redbox. They need something like that for music cds.

That would have to be WhiteBox.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Book_%28CD_standard%29

[Noahtuck]

I wish I would have started Redbox.

Yep, even though i will never use it, i am sure they are banking bigtime with it!!!
But ya know what they say about sheep....
LOL!!

They need something like that for music cds.

That will never happen, for the same reason every video rental store only rent's console video games and none rent PC games, Audio CD's, like PC Games, are to easy to copy and hack, unlike console games which also need the console to be hacked in some way to play copies/backups.

And about 2 jillion more people own Consoles for playing games, the clueless, PC illiterate, the 1 jillion little kids, the masses of sheep, etc.

The last video rental store that i ever saw that rented PC games was Eye on video, and that had to be 15-20 years ago!!

And the funny thing is, that exact same Eye on video store is still in the same location after all this time, years before Blockbuster was ever around and seeing as they are still here these many months after Blockbuster has vanished, that should tell you something about Blockbuster and the people in charge.....

[budwzr]

A long time ago I tried one of those "mom & Pop" video rental stores, and after they get to know you they start feeding you copies(rips).

And I played along because I was getting new releases for a buck, and I suppose that's the only way they can do it.

[Noahtuck]

A long time ago I tried one of those "mom & Pop" video rental stores, and after they get to know you they start feeding you copies(rips).

And I played along because I was getting new releases for a buck, and I suppose that's the only way they can do it.

Over the last 30 years i have been in some pretty seedy video rental stores, and i have yet to have ever rented a VHS copy let alone a DVD-R/Rip of anything....

Do ya smell that ?

Sniff Sniff.....

LOL!!!

[budwzr]

Maybe they thought you was the fuzz. lol

They weren't DVD-r, they were made on a duplicator and screen printed, but not as good as a genuine. Some were like "lightscribed", or something similar.

I remember the case insert was strange too, it was a long time ago, but true story.

A long time ago I tried one of those "mom & Pop" video rental stores, and after they get to know you they start feeding you copies(rips).

And I played along because I was getting new releases for a buck, and I suppose that's the only way they can do it.

Over the last 30 years i have been in some pretty seedy video rental stores, and i have yet to have ever rented a VHS copy let alone a DVD-R/Rip of anything....

Do ya smell that ?

Sniff Sniff.....

LOL!!!

[Noahtuck]

The FUZZ

I have been accused of being a lot of things in my oh so ever too long lifetime, but the FUZZ is not one of them!!!


LOL!!!

[usually_quiet]

Never used a redbox and never will.

The Blockbuster by me went out of business about 8 months ago, gee i wonder why ?
It was about a mile away.

It has been years since i was in it and they were always the same, always trying to scam you for late fee's, rude, over priced, crappy selection for older movies, but they had 2000 copies of the lamest newest release!!

There is also a Family Video, about half a mile away, still going strong!!
No waiting for new releases & they are CHEAPER than Blockbuster was/is for new releases, everyone i have ever known that works there is nice and friendly, they are not uptight, let late fee's slide, have a huge selection of older releases.

Gee, i wonder why they are still going strong......

I only use Family Video & i use netflix for older & rarer TV stuff or movies no one else has.

And on sept. 9th i saw one of these for the very first time....



LOL!!

Snapped a photo of it with my phone as i was waiting in line to checkout.

I'll never use one of those either!!

I was thinking these guys are really trying to hang in there after their brick and mortar stores are going bye bye.

I have an account with Blockbuster Express, and when Blockbuster filed for bankruptcy, I got an email from them. Blockbuster Express is owned by NCR Corporation. Other than the name (probably licensed), the two operations are unrelated. NCR has made touch-screen kiosks since the 1990's, so I guess this is a somewhat logical extension of their business.

[classfour]

Blockbuster Express sends you tons of coupon codes B1G1F, the price is the same as Redbox, and they don't seem to have the return issues (full) that Redbox has. Same online select and pickup - but the packaging is different.

[budwzr]

BlockBuster should change their name. I have such an aversion to it, I would never use one of their machines. Kind of like the cable company.

[lordsmurf]

Yep, NCR vs Diebold.
Odd industry for NCR to enter. I wasn't aware of them owning BB.

[bendixG15]

NCR .... now there's a name that conjures up the past

I remember it as National Cash Register .... duh

[Bix]

Yep, NCR vs Diebold.
Odd industry for NCR to enter. I wasn't aware of them owning BB.

They don't own BB. They own the rental machines and have licensed BB's name/branding for them.

[festmaster]

Lord Smurf clearly does not live in my neighborhood, because our Redbox machines are all inside and when there are long lines in front of one a second one appears next to it within a few months.

Blu-Ray rentals are only $1.50 and it is going to be a long time before online streaming will be able to provide those bitrates for download.

[stiltman]

Dish Network is buying BlockBuster for 320mil
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20051170-17.html

[bendixG15]

Blockbuster finally has been pulled off life support....

What is Dish going to do with a corpse ?

[jagabo]

Returning from the dead? No, just rolled over.

[budwzr]

The main reason BB stayed alive so long is because Hollywood was discounting discs to them because they were helping to keep the whole concept alive. Redbox is surviving off the last of the residual business, instead of BB, because BB failed to smell the coffee, like the cable companies.

AFA the Dish Network deal goes, I don't think there's room for two players in the vending machine market, so the value of BB must have been their relationship/contracts to/with Hollywood. But that's a puzzler because Dish is a broadcaster.

So my suspicion is that Netflix will have a new competitor soon.

[jman98]

So my suspicion is that Netflix will have a new competitor soon.

I just read that while Dish may try to save some of the stores and salvage the company, a lot of this may be to just get content for a broadband offering to compete with Netflix, just as you said.