NCR Trials DVD Download Kiosks
Version imprimable
The pilots are being carried out in various Blockbuster locations and other retail stores as an attempt to leverage portable digital storage technology. The existing DVD rental kiosks that NCR has with Blockbuster are already ready for digital download technology to be added. NCR expects to integrate this technology quickly into its existing Blockbuster Express kiosks if digital download proves popular.
There are various advantages to digital downloads:
- Higher quality of playback over streaming content from the internet as there are no buffering delays
- The content becomes easily portable to other devices inside and outside the home
- Greater convenience as content is always available and there is no need to return to the kiosk to return the rented DVD
The initial technical pilot facilitates playback on a TV via a digital media player provided to trial participants. Future trials will allow customers to move digital content via the secure digital memory card to a number of portable electronic devices, including laptops and mobile phones.
Digital download rentals are currently being tested at a variety of prices. Customers have 30 days from purchase to watch the film. Once they begin watching the film, they have 48 hours to finish watching it before digital rights management technology automatically locks down the content to prevent further viewing.
The initial deployment offers over 1,000 new and classic titles, with a plan to increase this catalogue to more than 1,500 titles by early 2010. The Blockbuster Express kiosks currently stock up to 950 titles.
The MOD Retail Digital Content Distribution System helps retailers bring an extensive library of digital content into their stores and sell it in convenient self-serve models via the NCR kiosk.
“Digital download across our kiosk network is a key part of NCR’s entertainment growth strategy. DVDs and Blu-ray discs will continue to be popular and powerful mediums, but we recognize the future of Entertainment is in the ubiquity of content – being able to play media on a wide variety of devices and being able to purchase it in a wide variety of locations,” said Alex Camara, vice president and general manager, NCR Entertainment.
“This is the future of entertainment kiosks. Consumers clearly demand the choice to play content where, when and how they want. We are taking the first step in bringing the future of entertainment delivery to consumers in a convenient, fast and easy to access format.”
“This is an exciting milestone for our business," added Anthony Bay, chairman and CEO of MOD Systems. "We have been working diligently with partners, studios and retailers to deliver on our vision of making it easy for consumers to access and download digital content from kiosks in a wide variety of locations outside the home. We're encouraged by the early positive feedback and results, and we look forward to a more expansive rollout in 2010.”
