Blockbuster to Battle Netflix with New Set-Top Box

Blockbuster, Inc. is unveiling a new digital player that will give the popular Netflix a run for its money as it will bring recent movie titles from the Internet to customers' homes.

According to Reuters, "The MediaPoint player by broadband device maker 2Wire allows Blockbuster customers to download high-definition quality movies to their TVs via broadband lines for $1.99 apiece, after an initial $99 for the box and 25 films."

Unlike Netflix, which states that customers can keep their movie choices as long as they like, with the Blockbuster MediaPoint player, customers will have 30 days in which to view the film once it is downloaded to their set-top box. The viewer must finish watching the movie within 24 hours of pushing the "Play" button.

For those eager to try the new service, which will be called Blockbuster OnDemand, anxious customers can purchase it from Blockbuster's Web site beginning on Tuesday.

Despite the fact that many Netflix subscribers are drawn to that service because it offers a wide variety of movie titles, many of which are older movies, Blockbuster has always made sure the newest releases are made available to the public as soon as possible. Blockbuster Chairman and Chief Executive Jim Keyes is optimistic about this latest development, "Even though this is a very small market, the movies and the devices are the differentiators."

According to cnet.com, "Blockbuster is promising 'thousands of titles from the latest movie releases to classic favorites.'"