Blu-ray: BD Live Falls Short , Says Boston Globe

Hollywood studios have desperately tried to get consumers to use interactive features in Blu-ray players called BD-Live. However, one columnist at the Boston Globe is not impressed:

"It's been the same with me as I've tried out the latest in Blu-ray disc technology. It's called BD Live, and promises to combine high-definition movies with extras downloaded from the Internet.
It sounded like a grand idea, until I switched it on," columnist Hiawatha Bray wrote today.

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Blockbuster: Is Netflix Next For Trouble?

CNBC is wondering if Blockbuster's decision to consider company restructuring (and perhaps bankruptcy) will affect video rival Netflix. The financial news network, however, sounds upbeat about Netflix's future.

"Netflix has been growing fast and most importantly, evolving with the Internet era, figuring out how to offer streaming of its films directly to your television, TiVo, XBox 360 or Blu-Ray player. Netflix is well-positioned to continue to grow through the recession — it's unlimited rental model for a certain number of DVDs per month is great value and great convenience."

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What do you think? Are video rentals on the way out? Can Blu-ray turn things around? Or, does Netflix have the right business model?

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TiVo: Will Comcast & Cox Ever Pay Off?

Seeking Alpha is the latest to wonder what's up with TiVo's partnerships with cable ops Comcast and Cox. Despite ballyhooed PR announcements, the partnerships have not led to many new subscribers.

From Seeking Alpha:

"Given the speed of TiVo's Comcast and Cox development (and rollout), it’s not a bad idea to lean on others for assistance, especially those with penetration in foreign environments (both figuratively and literally). However, as a geek gadget blogger, this doesn’t particularly interest me… until they have something to deliver."

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What do you think? Will TiVo ever get new subs from Comcast and Cox -- particularly among the coveted high-def audience?

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Are HDTV Prices Rising?

iStockAnalyst.com reports that the average selling price for HDTVs jumped by more than 10% in February, according to data from the Retrevo CE Index.

TV prices had been falling since May 2008 – ultimately dropping approximately 35% at the nadir in January 2009, iStockAnalyst writes. The downward trend reversed sharply in February, with average selling prices surging by more than 10% during the month.

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Why do you think HDTV prices are rising? Or, do you think they really are?

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Voom HD Added In Canada

It appears that a Canadian cable op has added some Voom HD channels -- this after Cablevision, Voom's parent, announced that Voom will no longer be available in the U.S.

From the Mediacaster Magazine:

"Toronto-based High Fidelity HDTV will launch of its suite of HD channels, Oasis HD, Treasure HD, Equator HD and Rush HD on Mountain Cablevision.

Offered as the HD Lifestyles pack and available in free preview until April 30th, Mountain Cablevision HD subscribers can now receive channels that offer the high definition nature, culture, and adventure programming from around the world.

"We're very excited to be launching on Mountain and expanding our channels into southwestern Ontario," High Fidelity HDTV co-founder Ken Murphy said in a release. "Our suite of channels will provide Mountain subscribers with some of the world's best HD programming, and let them more fully enjoy the value of their home theatres."

Did Cablevision make a mistake in pulling Voom from U.S. TV providers?

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Will Blockbuster Go Bust?

The Wall Street reports that video retail giant Blockbuster is looking to restructure the company and some analysts are wondering if it will consider bankruptcy. Blockbuster, however, is denying that for now.

From WSJ:
"Movie-rental chain Blockbuster Inc. has hired law firm Kirkland & Ellis LLP to explore restructuring options, from refinancing its debt to filing for bankruptcy protection if the company cannot quickly resolve its liquidity issues, according to people familiar with the situation.

The Dallas-based company said it had hired the firm to help with "ongoing finance and capital raising initiatives" but said it does "not intend" to file for bankruptcy protection. Blockbuster shares fell 77% to 22 cents on the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday before trading was halted."

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If Blockbuster goes bust, where will you get your Blu-ray high-def discs?

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Comcast's New HDTV Plan?

SFGate.com reports that Comcast is unleashing a super-fast Internet service in the San Francisco area.

"The cable provider is expanding its rollout of the new DOCSIS 3.0 technology, which will provide customers with speeds up to 50 megabits per second for downloads and up to 10 megabits per second for uploads.

With 50 megabit per second service, customers can download a high-definition movie in 16 minutes or a standard definition movie in about 5 minutes. Comcast officials said the increased speeds can also prompt new Internet innovation and new usage models by users."

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Could this be part of Comcast's plan to deliver more HDTV to the home?

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TiVo Going the Wrong Way?

Multichannel News' Todd Spangler is not impressed with TiVo's fourth quarter report. Todd writes:

"TiVo yesterday touted the fact that it turned in its first full year of profitability for fiscal year 2009, and narrowed its losses for the most recent quarter. Surely the company wished I had led with that.Investors seemed to cheer the Q4 results, sending the stock up as much as 13 percent in midday trading Tuesday.

But TiVo got into the black by cutting costs, not growing revenue. Revenue in FY2009 fell 8%. Without the one time payment from EchoStar to the Time Warp patent litigation, TiVo would have posted a net profit of just $300,000.Look at the bigger picture: The DVR pioneer lost 611,000 over the course of 2008."

Do you agree that TiVo had a bad fourth quarter? Is HDTV a reason?

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Dish Loses 102,000 Net Subs -- Comment

From Dow Jones:

Dish Network Corp.'s (DISH) fourth-quarter net income rose 24% on increased revenue despite another drop in subscribers. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected earnings of 49 cents on revenue of $2.96 billion.

The company lost 102,000 net subscribers during the quarter, ending the period with about 13.7 million subscribers. That marks the third straight quarterly decline for Dish Network, after its first-ever drop in the second quarter.

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