Blockbuster To Test Stupid Idea You Know Is Going To Fail
May 31st, 2008 | By James Lewin | Category: Digital Movie Store, Digital Video Downloads, iPods & Portable Media Players, Video 
Blockbuster unveiled a prototype of an in-store kiosk for downloading movies at its annual meeting on Wednesday, part of its plan to transform into more than just a DVD rental chain.
The kiosk prototype, which will begin testing within the next three weeks, was developed by NCR Corp. For the pilot launch, the kiosks will be compatible with an Archos portable device, but the company ultimately plans for the kiosk to be an “open system” and widely compatible with a range of devices.
The kiosk offers a range of features to help customers make movie choices, including previews and recommendations.
This idea is wrong in so many ways. They want you to drive to their store with your digital media player (as long as it’s an Archos) to download a digital file?
In a world of Internet movie stores, Blockbuster needs to provide a compelling reason to go out of your house into the store. They should position themselves as the experts on Internet television, and sell the gear and services to make Internet media as simple as DVDs are.
If the best they can do is an in-store download service for Archos users, they might as well close up shop now.
Update: RRW’s Josh Catone agrees, saying “Blockbuster still seems like a company that’s making all the wrong moves as it struggles to transition to the digital world.”
Image: Lucias Clay
Don’t berate them, help them along.
Tell it sound like an interesting concept, one the competition is going to start imitating soon so they should try to protect it by hiring a law firm and filing for patents.
Let ’em die a messy and graceless death.
Maybe the embarrassment value will make for great business case studies and keep MBAs entertained as they make their way from college nubes to corporate flunkies.
They wlll focus on all the wrong things and find new ways to “screw the pooch.”
Video stores definitely seem to be on the way out, and Blockbuster looks more and more like a dinosaur.