Blockbuster Total Access Policy Change

Blockbuster's Total Access plans, while being very similar to its top competitor Netflix, did have one key advantage. Just like Netflix, you could sign up for a plan to receive one, two, or three movies at a time by mail. Upon receipt of your returned movie(s), you are sent the next movie(s) from a queue you have set online. However, Blockbuster's Total Access has the advantage of having physical Blockbuster locations. They allowed customers to return movies directly to a Blockbuster store instead of mailing them back. In return, the customer could enjoy a free rental from the store. And, these free rentals were in addition to the mailed movie plan limit.

So, what's changing in the Total Access Policy? Basically two things:

1. In-store rentals will count toward your Total Acess plan
2. The in-store rentals will not have return due dates, just like the by-mail movies, and will not be subject to the store rental terms

These terms began affecting select Blockbuster locations last month, and will continue to roll out to the remaining stores over the next few months. Now that Total Access has basically it's awesome differentiating factor, it will be interesting to see how much longer they last. Don't forget, Neflix also offers online streaming of thousands of movies.

More info here, including a snippet from the revised Terms and Conditions

ZillionTV : Free Internet-Powered TV

ZillionTV is a startup company with the apparent goal of bringing free internet-powered television and movies to all. They will be releasing a "Z-bar" device that connects to the internet and your television ... think of it as a type of cable box, with a remote and all. You'll be able to get it on the internet via WiFi, or you can hard wire it with a standard ethernet network cable. ZillionTV will continue the trend of ad-supported content streaming for free, but will also offer fee-based content without the ads. They currently have deals with major companies like NBC Universal, Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, ABC/Disney, and fox, which should provide for some great content. Deals made with internet service providers will allow for a useful channel to sell the devices. Unlike Apple TV, Vudu, and Roku, no subscription will actually be required.

The unit will cost under $50, and allow access to up to 15,000 TV shows and movies.

ZillionTV's official website humbly asks everyone to "stay tuned" for now, but the Z-bar is expected to be available for purchase toward the end of this year.

More info here, and here