Cyberflix Fan

Online DVD rentals proving ace in hole

2006-03-20T13:45:00.000-05:00

Interesting story about Cinemail.ca from the Business Edge.ca.

While many video-rental store operators anticipate rough sailing as technology changes the home-entertainment business climate, one Winnipeg owner has used technology to help his business weather the coming storm.

After only a year in operation, Cinemail.ca's online DVD rentals have grown to account for about 20 per cent of his business, says David Ringer, owner of Movie Village in Winnipeg's Osborne Village.

Former Blockbuster CEO To Buy Jamba Juice

2006-03-15T09:37:00.000-05:00

Steven Berrard, the former chief executive of Blockbuster Inc. and co-founder of AutoNation Inc., on Monday announced his latest business venture with the acquisition of fast-growing smoothie chain Jamba Juice Co.

Rent or Buy That DVD?

2006-03-13T15:20:00.000-05:00

Interesting story from MSNBC.com on the idea of buying or renting a movie.

Economists are finding data to sort through every decision we make—like whether your investment in 'Daredevil' may have been a case of irrational exuberance.

Links and Inventory For Canadian Co's

2006-03-09T09:20:00.000-05:00

OK, I posted on the sidebar all of the Canadian online DVD rental companies.

I have also included their inventory estimates. The estimates should only be used as a guide, some of these companies may have smaller inventories than what they let out to the public.

USAToday Article On DVD Extras

2006-03-09T09:16:00.000-05:00

USAToday has a neat story about DVD extras.

"DVD consumers increasingly demand special features that extend and enhance the experience of a movie or TV show," says Universal's Ken Graffeo.

A Look Inside A Netflix Shipping Centre

2006-03-09T09:12:00.000-05:00

Interesting article from Fayetteville Online about a Netflix shipping centre in North Carolina.

Every morning, a truck backs up to an anonymous office building off Gallimore Dairy Road carrying the lifeblood of Netflix.com.

Inside the truck are about 35,000 DVDs, all the titles sent to the company that day by its North Carolina members.

DVDS To Your Door, Shutting The Door?

2006-03-08T10:01:00.000-05:00

DVDSToYourDoor is no longer offering free trials to new members.

It appears as though they are only signing up paying members and no longer giving consumers the opportunity to sample their service to see if they like it.

Of note, their website has not had the newest releases updated in a little while.

Top DVD Releases For March 7th, 2006

2006-03-06T09:20:00.000-05:00

Top titles on DVD this week include: Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire, Just Friends and Prime.

78th Annual Academy Award Winners

2006-03-06T09:19:00.000-05:00

The winners from last night's 78th Annual Academy Awards.

Is this the best graphic to promote your business?

2006-03-05T13:30:00.000-05:00

A poster sent me a link along with this graphic that is promoting the Canflix website.

Upon looking at the link and seeing the graphic first hand I wonder how much thought went into the banner ad that is being used.

To me it looks in poor taste.

Thoughts?

Blockbuster Issues Statement That They Don't "Throttle"

2006-03-03T17:34:00.000-05:00

Blockbuster Online issued a release emphasizing that they do not throttle their customers.

In response to customer inquiries stemming from media reports about a competing service, BLOCKBUSTER Online is emphasizing that its online DVD service does not "throttle."

Netflix CEO Backs $1M Charter School Challenge

2006-03-02T09:24:00.000-05:00

The ACE Public School Network said on Tuesday it has received a $1 million dollar challenge commitment from Reed Hastings, chief executive of Netflix Inc., to create a network of small charter schools in the Silicon Valley.

Results Of Weekly Poll

2006-02-28T10:39:00.000-05:00

Well the results have been tallied from the recent weekly poll on the site.

Last weeks question asked - Who is your favourite Online DVD Co.? The winner by a slim margin was Cyberflix.

Interesting to note that Zip garnered only 4 votes out of the 96 that were tallied.

Be sure to cast your vote for this weeks poll and have your say!

Netflix adds its own pix to the mix

2006-02-27T13:50:00.000-05:00

Interesting article on Variety.com regardig Netflix and their involvement with indie films.

Top DVD Releases For February 28th, 2006

2006-02-27T09:28:00.000-05:00

Top titles on DVD this week include: Walk The Line, Your, Mine and Ours and The Ice Harvest.

MovieKlub Offers A New Spin On DVDs By Mail

2006-02-24T16:38:00.000-05:00

MovieKlub is offering a new way to rent DVDs by mail. The DVDs are recycled once you finish watching them - no need to return them.

There is a press release here.

DirectTV To Offer Video Downloads

2006-02-24T16:36:00.000-05:00

Netflix has put the video store no further away than your mailbox, but are digital video recorders about to bring the video store even closer, even faster? Perhaps so: DirecTV says that it plans a broadband video service that ups the ante in video content distribution.

Read the full story here courtesy of fool.com.

Another Postal Worker Accused Of DVD Theft

2006-02-22T08:58:00.000-05:00

KXAN.com in Austin, Texas is running a story about another postal accused of keeping Netflix movies.

The mailman is accused of stealing close to $4,000 worth of Netflix DVDs. Now there's a warrant for his arrest.

Teens Behind Theatre Development

2006-02-22T08:57:00.000-05:00

Interesting story from SFGate.com about 7 teenage girls who were the driving force behind the opening of a new theatre complex.

Searchlights will mark the VIP opening for a new movie complex in Petaluma tonight, but it will really be a celebration of the tenacity of seven teenage girls who shared a dream and made it come true.

DVD Envelopes

2006-02-21T10:23:00.000-05:00

It seems as though a number of companies are switiching from the flashy coloured envelopes to a more traditional white envelope.

In part this is done to reduce the visibility of the envelopes as they travel through the mail system. In addition this is also being done to address the standards that Canada Post has set forth in terms of colouring on envelopes that are processed each day through their sorting machines.

Has anyone seen the new envelopes from companies? I know Cyberflix uses white, I have also heard that Zip and Canflix have made the change.

Top DVD Releases For February 21st, 2006

2006-02-20T10:39:00.000-05:00

Top titles on DVD this week include: The Weather Man and North Country.

Blockbuster Follows Netflix, Again

2006-02-16T09:36:00.000-05:00

The Motley Fool looks like Blockbuster is following suit with Netflix again, this time with throttling.

Because of postage costs, revenue-sharing deals, and the costs to acquire DVDs, Netflix is more than likely losing money on you if your monthly disc-viewing habits go into the double digits.

Well, it turns out that Blockbuster doesn't want to keep the busy beavers, either. It is now proclaiming its throttling ways as well on its terms and conditions page. Blockbuster is revealing that it takes the rental volume of its subscribers into account during the allocation process.

Singapore's Newest Online DVD Co.

2006-02-15T09:22:00.000-05:00

Video Ezy is the latest entry into the world of online DVD rental companies.

This compay is based out of Singapore.

As an Alternative to a Trip to a Video Store, Movies Through a Set-Top Box

2006-02-15T09:20:00.000-05:00

Will people pay $230 and hook a new gizmo up to their television sets so they do not have to drive to the video rental store?

Read the full story at NYTimes.com.

More Details From Zip & Video On Demand

2006-02-15T09:14:00.000-05:00

This is a new release from the Zip website regarding their partnership with Akimbo Systems and video on demand.

Zip.ca, Canada’s leading online video service, and Akimbo™ Systems, the first Internet-delivered video-on-demand service for television, have reached an agreement for Zip.ca to bring Akimbo’s broad library of content to thousands of Zip.ca members through Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.

Lawsuit Addresses How Netflix Treats Customers

2006-02-14T09:06:00.000-05:00

WCCO in Minnesota has an excellant story on the Netflix lawsuit and some footage of one of their sorting stations.

Being a big movie watcher does not mean you are a star customer with some movies-by-mail companies. A new term, throttling, is a term Netflix officials do not like. It means Netflix customers, who pay the same price for the same service, may get treated differently.

DVDs To Your Door For $5.99 A Month?

2006-02-14T09:03:00.000-05:00

Netflix is running an offer of DVDs delivered to your door for $5.99 per month. The exact plan that is available at this time is unclear but one would imagine that it would be limited to 1 movie at a time and limited to a handful each month.

A Stranger In Your Queue

2006-02-13T09:44:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder why your DVDs take a little longer to get....the NYMetro.com has an interesting story about the minute percentage of mailmen who take movies from the mail.

Top DVD Releases For February 14th, 2006

2006-02-13T09:39:00.000-05:00

Top titles on DVD this week include: Zathura, Saw II and Proof.

Netflix Sends Frequent Renters To The Back Of DVD Line

2006-02-11T13:47:00.000-05:00

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has a rather critical story about Netflix and their "throttling" policy.

Manuel Villanueva realizes he has been getting a pretty good deal since he signed up for Netflix Inc.'s online DVD rental service 2.5 years ago, but he still feels shortchanged.

That's because the $17.99 monthly fee that he pays to rent up to three DVDs at a time would amount to an even bigger bargain if the company didn't penalize him for returning his movies so quickly.

Has anyone been the victim of throttling by a Canadian DVD service?

Blockbuster Begins Layoffs

2006-02-08T11:22:00.000-05:00

Video giant Blockbuster began laying off corporate employees today as part of a cost-cutting measure.

Top DVD Releases For February 7th, 2006

2006-02-07T16:47:00.000-05:00

Top titles on DVD this week include: Just Like Heaven, Doom and Wallace & Gromit - The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit.

Zip To Introduce Video On Demand?

2006-02-07T16:41:00.000-05:00

A press release from Zip.ca states that they will be offering video on demand service.

However, it does not state any time frame with which they will introduce this. In theory every site could make this claim, it surely doesn't mean that they will be adding it in the near future.

Toronto Star Article About Online DVD Rentals

2006-02-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

The Toronto Star has an interesting piece about the online DVD rental industry and how it is affecting the brick and mortar movie stores.

Writer Murray Whyte talks about the 4 leading companies that he sampled including Cyberflix, Cinemail, Zip and DVDflix.

"Price Waterhouse Cooper, an independent analyst, predicts that by the end of next year, 700,000 Canadians will be renting DVDs online, compared with 15 million in the U.S."

Police Enforce Late Fees

2006-02-01T10:03:00.000-05:00

Here is a great reason to ditch the brick & mortar video store.

Forgot to return that "Hitch" DVD that's been gathering dust under your couch for months?
Be careful. A cop might be on your doorstep looking for it.

How Pixar Adds A New School Of Thought To Disney

2006-01-31T08:52:00.000-05:00

Interesting story from the NY Times on the recent Disney - Pixar deal.

SURE, Disney's deal last week to acquire Pixar is about big money — how Steven P. Jobs turned a fledgling outfit that he had bought for $10 million into a juggernaut valued at $7.4 billion. And, yes, it is about a big strategic shift at the Walt Disney Company, as Robert A. Iger, the chief executive, exorcises the ghost of his predecessor, Michael D. Eisner. But it is also about the potential for big changes in how the entertainment business operates — specifically, in how major studios organize talented people to do their best work.

How Many Unplayable DVDs Do You Get?

2006-01-30T10:13:00.000-05:00

How many of you have received DVDs in the mail, settle in for a great movie and SMACK! The DVD doesn't play.

I personally haven't had this happen to me recently but in the past with Movies For Me I received 3 movies and all 3 were unplayable.

Nothing is more frustrating.

Let me know if this has happened to you.

Top DVD Releases For January 31st, 2006

2006-01-30T10:06:00.000-05:00

Top titles on DVD this week include: Legend of Zorro, In Her Shoes and The Corpse Bride.

A Review of Cinemail.ca

2006-01-28T12:44:00.000-05:00

My latest review takes us to Cinemail.ca. They are a brick & mortar/online DVD rental company operating out of Manitoba.

Their inventory has been pegged at approx. 15,000 titles and consists of the new releases and older hard to find titles.

Many suggest that they are the clear #2 in a field led by Zip.ca out of Ottawa. As I will point out here, I'm not so sure this company has what it takes to be the eventual #1 or even the srtongest #2 in the Canadian market.

My trial began on in early January withthe company. Like most users after signing up I began placing movies in my queue. This is where the confusion and migraines began. Lets look at their pluses and minues.

Look of the Site. I found the page layout to be amateur in design and not well thought out. DVD artwork here and there on the new releases make the page unappealing to the eye.

New Releases. To add movies from the new releases you go through headspinning number of titles that are "new releases". Unfortunately for people like myself looking for new releases, they also list what are new releases apparently to their inventory - this could include titles from 1970 or before! Instead of finding Wedding Crashers, I was subject to search through Annie Invades The World (1971) (not a real title, just to illustrate a point).

I do not dispute their claim to the size of their inventory but what I do have problem with is the lack of quality titles they send out. My account sat dormant for a day and a half. Finally late the next day after post service was done, my first title went out...The Devil's Rejects. Not exactly from my top 10, but whatever. A full 2 days passed before Four Brothers and Kingdom of Heaven were shipped to me (on a Saturday no less so they didn't go out until Monday!). Again, neither were from my top 10 of my queue.

Customer Service. I emailed the day after I had signed up to ask why nothing was shipping. Their response,a full day later was short and stated I had too many new releases. Foolish me I guess. After reading about their execptional customer service I was disappointed at their slow response.

Shipping Times. Non-existent. My first title arrived a full week and a half later. The next 2 titles arrived the following week. Perhaps I caught them in a slow time or a bad day for Canada Post. Either way a poor start in my eyes regardless of where the blame lays.

In summary I could not have been more disappointed with this company especially after all of the reports I had read about them. Obviously they do not ship new releases to their online memebrs, instead keeping them for foot traffic to their video store. In addition, how many of each title could they possibly stock if it took so long to get titles that had been out for several months in the mail to me? Perhaps they were popular titles that others also requested.

Overall I had a poor experience with them on my first time around. Look and feel of the site, slow response to my email, low numbered titles shipped and the slow delivery soured me on them for now.

Overall grade C+.

Another Canadian Company Entering The Market?

2006-01-27T18:27:00.000-05:00

There are rumblings to be heard that another online DVD rental company will begin operations in the Spring (2006). They are called Now Movies (www.nowmovies.ca).

Word on the street is that they will have a very limited inventory of under 1,000 titles.

I made a few attempts to check into them a little more. Their site is not active but is registered to Mark Legate of Picton, ON.

Time will tell if they are a player or pretender. Looks like the landscape is getting quite cluttered with companies with a market in search of a clear #2.

Has anyone else heard anything?

Planning On Staying With Zip.ca?

2006-01-27T16:36:00.000-05:00

Well, in light of Zip.ca's seemingly unpopular decision to tack on an additional $2.50 per DVD once certain caps are hit, I ask the question: Are you planning on staying on with Zip.ca or will you be looking for another source of online DVD rentals?

There are several other options out there in the Canadian online DVD rental landscape.

Some of the popular choices include: The 3 C's - Canflix, Cinemail and Cyberflix.

All have their pluses and minuses but in the long run will be cheaper per month than Zip.ca.

Let me know your thoughts.

How Long Do Burned CD-Rs & CD-RWs Last?

2006-01-27T16:25:00.000-05:00

Interesting article on Cnet.com about how long burned CD-R and CD-RW's will last.

Press Release From Zip.ca On New Plans

2006-01-26T11:43:00.000-05:00

Here is the press release issued by Zip.ca regarding their new changes.

Last year, Zip.ca launched a consultation with our member community regarding the best way to address high-volume rentals enabled by Zip.ca's membership plans and super-efficient fulfilment and shipping.

Zip.ca Limiting Their Unlimited Entertainment?

2006-01-26T10:25:00.000-05:00

A post on an online dvd rental guide forum indicates that Zip.ca, who claims to be Canada's #1 online DVD rental service will be limiting the number of free deliveries you get each month.

The post states that Zip.ca has this message when you login to your Zip list: "Your 4 DVD Plan entitles you to free shipping on your first 11 DVDs per month. If you wish to continue to rent DVDs over your free shipping threshold, you pay only $2.49 (shipping and handling) per DVD."

If this was the case with Cyberflix my bill would be an additional $12.45 seeing as I am averaging 16 DVDs per month. So a similar plan with Zip.ca of 4 DVDs out at $24.95 per month would be $37.40 per month! Yikes, that's a 50% increase.

How will this affect your memebrship with Zip.ca? And do you think other companies will follow suit?

MPAA Finds Itself Accused Of Piracy

2006-01-26T09:28:00.000-05:00

The LA Times is running a story that has the MPAA in some hot water.

The Motion Picture Assn. of America, the leader in the global fight against movie piracy, is being accused of unlawfully making a bootleg copy of a documentary that takes a critical look at the MPAA's film ratings system.

Netflix Q4 2005 Q&A

2006-01-25T10:02:00.000-05:00

The Internet Stock Blog has the entire Q&A from Netflix's recent 4Q results.

How Many DVDs Do You Own?

2006-01-25T09:57:00.000-05:00

UPI posted a story recently about people and their DVD purchasing habits.

As my favorite artist, Prince, used to say, he doesn't like the term "fan" because it's short for "fanatic." Nowhere is this more true than the avid DVD collector. I'm not talking about the person who has 100 DVDs on their shelves; no, I'm talking about folks who scour sales ads every week, check out DVD sites like DVDtalk.com to carefully research their purchases and run out to Best Buy or Circuit City or Wal-mart to get the $15 sale prices. These people own 400 or 500 or more DVDs and carefully catalogue their collections in fancy Excel spreadsheets or other database programs.

UPDATE: Cyberflix.ca On CTV News

2006-01-24T16:08:00.000-05:00

Here is an updated link of the CTV News story about Cyberflix.ca that aired last week.

A Review Of Canflix.com

2006-01-24T11:18:00.000-05:00

Well it is time for my review of Canflix.com, they are based out of Blairmore, Alberta and claim to have more than 20,000 titles.

The number of titles that they claim to have in inventory has been documented on message boards as being highly overstated. The actual number of titles that they have has been estimated by some as being in the 3,500 - 5,000 range, a far cry from 20,000+. From what I have heard from tohers is that if there is a title they do not have they list it as "On Order", assuming of course that they will eventually this title to their inventory.

Well enough of an introduction, lets get down to business and look at their pluses and minuses.

New Releases. They do stock all the new releases that I could have wanted to rent. Because I rent mostly the mainstream stuff they seemed to have all that I would want to be renting. Eg. The Wedding Crashers, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Cinderella Man, etc. During my 2 week trial I was only able to get 3 DVDs sent to me. I signed up on a Wednesday and had the movies Tuesday of the next week. The titles sent to me were Wedding Crashers, Dark Water and The Skeleton Key. None of the titles was #1, #2 or #3 in my queue, but nonetheless, they were newer titles.

Customer Service. They sent out an email confirming my trial had begun like all companies do. However, when I cancelled, the message stated that all movies had to be returned within 7 days or I would be billed full retail value of the DVDs not returned. Seeing this is a little unnerving considering it took a week to get the movies. After quickly watchig them they were shipped back in the postage paid mailers and luckily were received in the proper time frame or I would have been a little lighter in the wallet. I know they need to get the movies back but to boldly state this policy of charging your card is not the best way for customers to be at ease with a service.

Ease of Site. The site is fairlywell laid out. The titles are all right there in a number of genres for easy browsing. One of the major flaws I noticed was the lack of being able to search for "Coming Soon" titles.

Pricing Structure. Their 3 out plan is $19.95 and their 4 out plan is 24.95. In terms of pricing they are in the middle of the pack.

Overall there company was ok, not great but not terrible. The biggest drawback for those people in Eastern Canada (including Ontario) is the slow ship times. If it is taking a week per mailing you are going to be limited to 2 shipmets of DVDs each month.

Also, their overstated inventory can be frustrating and misleading. I would prefer a company to say what they have and not use smoke and mirrors to fool the public into being something they are not.

Overall grade B-.

My next review will be of Cinemail.ca.

Top DVD Releases For January 24th, 2006

2006-01-24T10:56:00.000-05:00

Top titles on DVD this week include: Flightplan and The Fog.

A Review of Cinemail.ca & Canflix.com

2006-01-23T14:40:00.000-05:00

As promised I have completed 2 week trials with 2 companies recently: Cinemail.ca and Canflix.com.

I will be posting my complete summary of Cinemail.ca later on today. Canflix.com will follow shortly after.

Cyberflix.ca Featured On CTV News

2006-01-23T11:34:00.000-05:00

Cyberflix.ca was recently featured on CTV News.

The story outlined the process of online dvd rentals and how they are catching on with the general public.

It also featured a segment where they spoke with some people in the community about the concept of online dvd rentals and they had a a very positive response.

Cyberflix.ca President Jeff Young said his company is where he projected it to be in a year after only 3 months.

To watch the video visit Cyberflix.ca and click on the banner at the top of the page.

Missed It in the Theater Today? See It on DVD Tonight

2006-01-23T09:35:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of the NY Times) Hollywood will inch further toward making movies simultaneously available in theaters, on DVD and on home television screens at the Sundance Film Festival this week, as IFC Entertainment unveils a plan to release 24 films in theaters and on cable at the same time this year.

A Slate Investigation Into Unrated DVDs

2006-01-20T11:53:00.000-05:00

Story courtesy of Slate As a guy who hit puberty in the PG-13 era, I feel a twinge of sadness whenever I see an ad for The 40-Year-Old Virgin or Wedding Crashers. I was too young to experience the early-'80s golden age of funny movies with nudity—Porky's, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Revenge of the Nerds—and the American Pie renaissance of the late 1990s came too late. Without any comedies to teach me the birds and the bees, I was left in the capable but humorless hands of my parents, the public schools, and Shannon Tweed.

Netflix Is Ruining My Marriage

2006-01-20T11:45:00.000-05:00

DesMoinesRegister.com has a comical story about how Netflix is ruining their marriage.

Video stores are only a fun place to visit when you start dating someone, when you're in such a fluttery state of adoration that you'll happily go along with your date's affection for Hong Kong action films.

Flash forward a few years. That couple is in the same video store, but this time they're screaming about never getting what they want from each other. She's holding a talky foreign flick. And his grip on a horror movie is so tight that if a chain saw-wielding madman slaughtered him in the middle of the video store at that very moment, he'd go to the grave holding the video.

Netflix Names C.O.O.

2006-01-18T15:59:00.000-05:00

Reuters is reporting that Netflix has hired a new Chief Operating Officer.

"Netflix Inc on Wednesday named former U.S. Postmaster General William J. Henderson as chief operations officer, starting January 23."

Sony Discounts TV DVDs

2006-01-17T14:29:00.000-05:00

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is offering a two-for-one TV DVD special through the end of January.

Yahoo! Runs For Internet TV

2006-01-17T14:28:00.000-05:00

Yahoo! is teaming with Mark Burnett and Live Planet in a bid to bring back shelved ABC project The Runner -- and if it happens, it could be one of the biggest entertainment events ever on the Internet.

Brokeback Mountain The Big Winner At Golden Globes

2006-01-17T14:20:00.000-05:00

Brokeback Mountain was the big winner last night with 4 wins at the 63rd Annual Golden Globes.

Read the full report here.

Doomsayers Predict Death of Movie Theater

2006-01-16T14:40:00.000-05:00

Imagine a time when a movie's opening weekend means long lines at the video store, not at the multiplex ... and when awards shows like Monday night's Golden Globes are honoring films that have been seen as often on a TV set as on the big screen.

"There's a way for them to continue to be an essential part of the mix, but they do risk being made irrelevant if they don't change their ways," said EW's Hayes. "It's not inevitable that the window between theaters and DVDs will disappear, but theaters would be wiser to pay more attention and explore all the alternatives. With certain movies, it might be smarter to have a simultaneous release."

"If I can't make movies for theaters, I don't want to make movies," director M. Night Shyamalan ("The Sixth Sense") told The Los Angeles Times. "I hope this is a very bad idea that goes away."

Read the entire stort at Foxnews.com

Golden Globe Awards Tonight

2006-01-16T14:16:00.000-05:00

The Golden Globe Awards will air tonight on NBC (8pm ET).

You can also download a ballot and see how you fare with the experts on their picks.

So Far, Icahn's Midas Touch No Help to Blockbuster

2006-01-16T14:07:00.000-05:00

The New York Times has an article about Carl Icahn and his so far unsuccessful attempts to bring Blockbuster back.

"It is not smart to bet against Carl C. Icahn. He has made a fortune by investing in troubled companies and pressuring their management for change.

Top DVD Releases For January 17th, 2006

2006-01-16T09:20:00.000-05:00

Top titles on dvd this week include: Lord of War, Two For The Money and The Man.

WIS-TV Compares Online DVD Companies

2006-01-13T12:01:00.000-05:00

"King Kong" is no longer the king of the jungle. It came in third at the box office last weekend. Still, many of you might consider renting it once it's out on DVD.

There are several services that ship movies right to your door, allowing you to return whenever you want, without a late fee.

Read the full story at WISTV.com.

Postal Worker Indicted In Theft Of Netflix & Blockbuster Online Movies

2006-01-12T16:53:00.000-05:00

A federal grand jury in Denver has returned an indictment against Karen Durante, 24, of Loveland, Colo., in connection with the thefts of DVD movies from the U.S. mail.

Read the story courtesy of thedenverchannel.com.

Blockbuster To Push Customers Toward Online

2006-01-12T16:47:00.000-05:00

Reuters has an interesting article on Blockbuster Video putting the future emphasis of the company into the online DVD rental market as opposed to the traditional brick & mortar stores.

Chief Executive John Antioco on Tuesday told investors that the No. 1 U.S. rental chain would push customers toward its online rental service as it continues to close retail stores in 2006.

Antioco said Blockbuster has committed to significant cuts in selling, general and administrative expenses at its stores, and planned to double the size of its online service by year's end. He expected the online service to be profitable by 2007.

High-definition DVD Invites Format Wars

2006-01-12T09:04:00.000-05:00

Move over DVD. A more-buffed movie disc is on the way. Actually, two new high definition disc formats, HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc, are looking to supplant DVD. As the new discs and players arrive this spring, consumers will be left to choose sides in this looming format war.

Read the entire story here.

The Hub Interviews Netflix CMO Leslie Kilgore

2006-01-12T08:59:00.000-05:00

Interesting piece from Hub Magazine about Netflix Chief Marketing Officer Leslie Kilgore.

McDonald’s Adapts Redbox As Drive-Through For DVD Rentals

2006-01-12T08:58:00.000-05:00

Redbox is using two of the four Longmont McDonald’s owned by Bob Charles to test drive-through DVD rental boxes — the first such boxes in the country, according to kioskmarketplace.com.

The drive-through DVD rental machines work the same as the in-store kiosks which McDonald’s debuted in 2004. A customer pulls up, chooses from that week’s top 30 rental movies, and swipes his or her credit card or inputs a coupon code. Out comes the movie, for $1 a day plus tax, and it can be returned to any Redbox anywhere.

Courtesy of AMonline.com

Antioco: Big Blue Pull-back Not Over

2006-01-11T09:31:00.000-05:00

Blockbuster chairman-CEO John Antioco said Tuesday that 2006 could bring further retrenchment as the rental giant tries to find its feet after staggering through 2005.

Speaking at Citigroup’s annual Entertainment, Media and Telecommunications conference in Phoenix, Antioco predicted an industrywide decline in the number of video stores this year, including Blockbuster stores, and hinted Big Blue might look for ways to restore the revenue it lost by eliminating late fees.

“When we modeled No Late Fees, we assumed we’d see an uptick in in-store rental activity, and we’ve seen that uptick, but it has not been quite as large as we expected,” he said. “We thought it would be around 8%, and we didn’t quite get there.”

Read the complete story at Video Business Online.

At Tech Show Full Of TV Talk, What About TiVo?

2006-01-11T09:25:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of MSNBC.com) TiVo Inc. the digital video recorder pioneer, made headlines a year ago in vowing to take TV to the next level with support for high-definition video, software that can sling shows outside the box and a plan to pipe movies over the Internet.

Netflix Founder Reed Hastings Profiled In Stanford Magazine

2006-01-11T09:24:00.000-05:00

Stanford Magazine has an interesting piece on Reed Hastings, the founder and CEO of Netflix.

"REED HASTINGS has never met Bob Henkel or his wife, Bobbi. The retired couple lives in remote Robbinston, Maine, population 578, overlooking Passamaquoddy Bay. But Hastings, MS ’88, Gr. ’98, the founder and CEO of Netflix, the online DVD rental company, knows more about how the Henkels spend their cold winter nights than many of their neighbors."

Lovefilm To Offer Movie Rentals Via Viiv

2006-01-10T17:52:00.000-05:00

The Hollywood Reporter says British online rental service Lovefilm.com said Friday that it will launch a movie rental download service for U.K. consumers.

The Last Days Of Blockbuster

2006-01-10T17:46:00.000-05:00

A great article from Slate about the demise of Blockbuster Video stores.

"In 1998, at the dawn of the age of the DVD, Blockbuster made a decision that would change the future of Hollywood. Warren Lieberfarb, who then headed the home-video division of Warner Bros., offered Blockbuster CEO John Antioco a deal that would have made the DVD the same kind of rental business as that of the VHS tape, which, at the time, provided the studios with $10 billion in revenue. Lieberfarb proposed that Warner Bros. (which, along with Sony, was launching the DVD) create a rental window for DVDs during which sell-through DVDs would not be available for new movies."

"As far the studios are concerned, other than collecting the money that Blockbuster owes them for past movies, the video chain has little relevance to their future."

From Box Office To Mailbox

2006-01-10T13:25:00.000-05:00

A interesting story from the Lodi News Sentinel that talks about the online dvd rental companies in the U.S.

The cold weather, the crowds, the traffic — all have driven movie fans like Vocque further away from the stores and into the arms of on-line DVD rental services like Netflix.

Top DVD Releases For January 10th, 2006

2006-01-09T08:48:00.000-05:00

Top titles on dvd this week include: The Constant Gardener, Transporter 2, Red Eye and Hustle & Flow.

Google Opens Online Video Store

2006-01-09T08:41:00.000-05:00

Google is to start selling video online, offering a way for people to search for and buy TV shows and more through its site.

Google is the latest company to explore the idea of selling video on the net, following Apple who led the way with its iTunes online store.

(Read the story from BBC News)

Now You See 'em -- Now You Don't

2006-01-09T08:35:00.000-05:00

Interesting story from the Kennebec Journal in Maine which has a story about small, independant video stores which are thriving despite intense competition from online dvd rental companies.

Do you live in a small town (or large city for that matter) where the video store is doing well?

Fox Plans Quick High-Def Release

2006-01-09T08:30:00.000-05:00

News Corp. president/C.O.O. Peter Chernin says that 20th Century Fox is developing a plan to release its movies in high-definition just 60 days after theatrical release.

The news comes just three weeks before Mark Cuban makes his revolutionary debut of Steven Soderbergh's Bubble in 20 of Cuban's Landmark theaters on Jan. 27, nearly simultaneous with the premiere of the movie on the high-def HDNet Movies channel and on DVD on Jan. 31.

Wal-Mart Halts Movie Suggestions On Web

2006-01-06T16:33:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of San Jose Mercury News) Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is shutting down the system that creates movie recommendations on its shopping Web site after it linked a "Planet of the Apes" DVD to films about famous black Americans, including Martin Luther King Jr.

Postal Workers Suspected Of Stealing DVD's

2006-01-06T16:23:00.000-05:00

This story was featured on Channel 9 News in Lyons, Colorado.

The Denver office of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service has apparently cracked a theft case involving hundreds of DVDs being stolen from the U.S. Mail.

In March, a Lyons Post Office employee, Gloria Flores of Longmont, was arrested when postal inspectors caught her with 6 stolen DVDs as she left work. Court records show at the time, inspectors thought Flores was responsible for all the thefts that were occurring.

Comparing Canadian Online DVD Rental Companies

2006-01-05T11:31:00.000-05:00

In the coming weeks I will be writing a report on my experiences with the various Canadian online DVD rental companies.

I have previously done a review of Cyberflix.ca that can be found in Decembers' archives.

Upcoming reviews will include Canflix.com and Cinemail.ca.

Please feel free to add a comment on your findings if you have been a member or currently are a member of any of these companies. I would love to hear from you.

HD DVD Players Undercut Blu-ray

2006-01-05T09:03:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of Video Business Online) HD DVD is coming in with the low price hoping their existing technology will sway consumers from jumping in on the brand new Blu-ray technology.

...HD DVD players will be available in March at prices as low as $500, beating Blu-ray Disc players to the market by several months and less than half the cost...

Will On Demand Content Signal The End For Blockbuster Movies?

2006-01-04T09:57:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of USA Today) It seems every generation wants to remake Kong. But that's probably over. It's unlikely that some studio in 30 years will make a megabudget, holographic, five-story-high King Kong.

Thirty years from now, spending $200 million to make a fourth King Kong will probably seem ridiculous. But spending $5 million to make Buckaroo Banzai II optimized for the small screens of mobile gadgets — now there's a concept with legs.

A Look Back At 2005's Oscar Winners

2006-01-03T15:06:00.000-05:00

It's been a year since Jamie Foxx wowed audiences with his performance in Ray and Million Dollar Baby was the top movie of the year.

2005 Oscar Winners

Microsoft & Sony Partner In Video Download Service

2006-01-03T11:21:00.000-05:00

Cable network Starz! has just announced that they'll partner with Microsoft and Sony to form Vongo, a legal, pay-for-play movie download service.

The service will be available for U.S. residents only and starts at $9.99 per month for a revolving door of around 1,000 titles.

Top Money Making Flicks From 2005

2006-01-02T13:43:00.000-05:00

The Internet Movie Database has compiled the listing of the Top 10 Grossing Movies for the year 2005. The titles are for movies that were released during 2005.

Rank - Title - Gross

1. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) - $380,262,555

2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) - $252,598,259

3. War of the Worlds (2005) - $234,280,354

4. Wedding Crashers (2005) - $209,218,368

5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) - $206,456,431

6. Batman Begins (2005) - $205,343,774

7. Madagascar (2005) - $193,136,719

8. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) - $186,336,103

9. Hitch (2005) - $177,575,142

10. The Longest Yard (2005) - $158,115,031

Top DVD Releases For January 3rd, 2006

2006-01-02T09:38:00.000-05:00

Top titles on dvd this week include: Wedding Crashers, The Cave and My Date With Drew.

Check Out Our New Poll

2006-01-02T09:34:00.000-05:00

Besure to check out our new poll in the right hand side column.

Vote often and let your voice be heard.

Have an idea for a poll? Tell me about it at cyberflixfan@hotmail.com.

No Happy Ending in 2005 For Hollywood

2006-01-01T12:57:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of ABC News) Hollywood's year-ending good news is that moviegoers are opening hearts and pocketbooks for "King Kong" — it brought in more than $60 million its debut weekend and counting.

The bad news is that audiences did not exactly go ape over the rest of 2005's cinema offerings, making this the third straight year of decline in Hollywood ticket sales — the first such stretch of bad news in 40 years.

Top 25 Stars For 2005

2005-12-31T17:56:00.000-05:00

IMDb.com, has released their top 25 stars for 2005. The rankings were not based upon critical assessments or box-office performance, but the actual search behavior of over 30 million users of IMDb.com.

The #1 ranked star for the second year in a row is Johnny Depp who had a busy year with hits Finding Neverland, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory and Tim burton's, The Corpse Bride. Depp is also in the process of filming back-to-back sequels for Pirates of the Caribbean.

Top 25 Stars For 2005 list.

Battle Of 2005: High-Def

2005-12-30T20:18:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of DVD Exclusive) After 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment announced its support for Blu-ray, the HD DVD camp's once-united front began to crumble.

Home Video Spending Dips In '05

2005-12-30T18:18:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of DVD Exclusive) For the first time in more than a quarter of a century, consumer spending on home video declined this year.

Despite the overall decline in revenue, spending on all DVDs was up nearly 10% on an enormous base of more than $22 billion.

Netflix Wins 1st Round In Online DVD Rental War

2005-12-29T11:28:00.000-05:00

(Courtesy of Yahoo!) ..."When the head of Netflix Inc. said rival Blockbuster Inc. threw "everything but the kitchen sink at us," the world's largest video rental chain responded by sending him ... a kitchen sink."

Is Netflix Hurting The Video Store Industry?

2005-12-28T09:28:00.000-05:00

Are Netflix and other online dvd rental companies like Cyberflix going to put the traditional brick and mortar video stores out of business in the near future?

"Despite stepped-up competition from Blockbuster, Netlix had a great year. Citigroup rated the online DVD distributor as a "Buy" last week..."

For me I think it is obvious which route I prefer for gettig my movies. The cost savings and selection alone far out weigh any face to face contact needed in a video store. When you factor the the late fees (err, end of late fees), the need to drive to and from the video store, waiting in lines and not getting the movie you wanted because they are out it is clearly a lopsided decision in favour of online DVD rentals.

It's unfortunate that with technology and general progression some businesses in all sectors fall by the wayside. Look at Wal-Mart, everytime they open or plan to open a new store everyone in the community is up in arms that it will be the end of all of the independant shops. Online DVD rentals is in the same boat, it is a dog eat dog industry.

Little Yellow Notes To Cyberflix

2005-12-27T15:05:00.000-05:00

I've heard of this happening with Netflix but now I guess it is creeping into Canada as well.

This one was emailed in from Kevin in Nova Scotia.

The idea behind it is that they attach a post it note to the dvd sleeve with a sometimes weird message on the paper.

If anyone else has seen this or wants to send me one, fire it off to my email and I will post.

Top 5 Holiday Must See Classics - #5

2005-12-27T10:19:00.000-05:00

The fifth and final movie of my Top 5 Holiday Classics is Christmas Vacation starring Chevy Chase.

Christmas Vacation landed in theatres on December 1st, 1989 and has since become the ultimate holiday comedy.

As usual the story follows the unusual happenings of the Griswold family a they prepare for the holidays. Everything from the unreal house lighting scenes, the sledding incident, Christmas dinner or kidnapping his boss this movie finds a way to tickle your funny bone from start to finish.

The cast includes popular returning stars Beverly D'Angelo (Ellen Griswold), Randy Quaid (Cousin Eddie Johnson) and Miriam Flynn (Catherine Johnson).

The movie also includes several neat tidbits including:

1. Clark and Eddie drink from "Marty Moose" glasses, the theme-park character from the first Vacation film, Vacation.

2. The house right next door to the Griswold's house where the disgruntled Margo Chester, lives, is the same house Murtaugh and his family lived in all the Lethal Weapon movies. This street is owned by Warner Brothers strictly for movies.

3. Rusty is younger than Audrey in this film. In the other three Vacation films, Rusty is always the older brother.

Final screen appearance of Mae Questel, who's film career began in 1930 as the voice of Betty Boop.

If you have never seen this movie do yourself a favour and watch it. It doesn't what time of the year you sit down to watch, it is always a great view.

Did Anyone Get An Online DVD Subscription For Christmas

2005-12-27T10:15:00.000-05:00

'Tis the season for giving.

During all of this giving did anyone buy or receive a subscription to one of the online dvd rental companies that are out there?

Top DVD Releases For December 27th, 2005

2005-12-27T10:08:00.000-05:00

Top titles on dvd this week include: Into The Blue, American Pie: Band Camp, Toy Story and Dark Water.

Blockbuster Loses Most In Quarterly Franchise Index

2005-12-24T16:30:00.000-05:00

Things are not looking good for the video giant Blockbuster as they continue to struggle.

(Courtesy of Fosters)..."The popular family pizza and a movie night no longer includes an automatic trip to the video rental store."

..."The in-store video rental business has been declining since 2002 as consumers are increasingly shifting towards DVD sell-through, online DVD rentals, and video-on-demand."

The full Rosenberg Center Franchise 50 Index third quarter report for 2005.