BEST BUY WILL CONNECT MOST ELECTRONIC ITEMS TO MOVIE SITES

BEST BUY WILL CONNECT MOST ELECTRONIC ITEMS TO MOVIE SITES

Buy a new TV set, computer, telephone, DVD or Blu-ray player, or game console from consumer electronics giant Best Buy later this year and you'll likely find that it will sport software that will enable users to watch movies over the Internet. The Los Angeles Times reported today (Tuesday) that Best Buy has partnered with CinemaNow to deliver the movie service to customers who buy electronic devices from Samsung, Sony, Panasonic, and Toshiba, among others. It will compete with similar services provided by Amazon, Netflix, and Apple's iTunes Store. CinemaNow already operates a similar service for Blockbuster. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported today that many electronics companies are now offering Blu-ray disc players that have the ability to play movies streamed from the Internet, in the belief that consumers will eventually abandon discs and elect to receive their movies online. "The horse is out the gate and there's no going back," said Samsung VP Reid Sullivan. "Consumers want Internet-enabled devices." Still, studios are hedging their bets. Paramount on Monday said it is partnering with Kingston Technology to deliver movies on tiny Flash drives. And Home Media magazine reported that Blockbuster Express and e-Play rental kiosks already come equipped with card slots for future movie rentals on Flash drives.

03/11/2009