Could Blinkbox steal the on-demand streaming service crown from its rivals?
You have to spare a thought for poor old physical media. It only seems like yesterday when Blu-Ray and HD DVD were donning the gloves and duking it out to win the affection of movie-goers across the land.
Fast-forward to 2012 and the thought of storing a selection of scratch-ridden, bendy circular discs in a plastic tower suddenly seems a tad inconvenient. Companies such as LOVEFILM and Netflix are tripping over themselves in the race to provide cheaper media streaming options to consumers, and the increasing prevalence of fibre optic broadband, which has reached a staggering 350Mbp/s in the UK, is making steaming fluid, high-definition content a breeze.
Blinkbox, which was founded in 2006 before becoming part of shopping giant Tesco, is the latest internet streaming media contender to wade into the fray and has set its sights on snagging casual viewers in addition to hardcore couch dwellers. Preening its feathers and strutting around like some kind of frantling on-demand peacock, Blinkbox stands out from the crowd by offering subscription-free rentals of its content, which customers can either buy and keep forever or rent for 30 days.
As with similar services, you can watch Blinkbox content on a SmartTV, Xbox 360, iOS or Android-powered device, PC or Mac. The people behind the service are keen to stress that it packs a meatier punch than its rivals when it comes to providing blockbuster films and new releases. Featuring a library containing over 10,000 titles — including classic films and best-selling TV shows — renting a film costs £3.49 while purchasing one ranges from £2.99 to £10.99 depending on how long it’s been released.
If you’re looking to get into on-demand internet streaming but aren’t keen on signing up for a month at a time, BlinkBox might be the solution you’ve been looking for. With a transparent philosophy and the backing of a super-heavyweight retailer, you can be confident that Blinkbox isn’t going to be a blink-and-it’s-gone affair, which is another plus point if you tend to err on the side of caution with your hard-earned cash.
