Samsung Electronics America, Inc., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, and Blockbuster Inc., a global leader in entertainment, today announced the immediate availability of Blockbuster's vast and growing library of premium digital entertainment for rent or purchase on select 2009 Samsung HDTVs, Blu-ray Players and Blu-ray integrated Home Theater Systems.
Specific models featuring the new BLOCKBUSTER On Demand service include Samsung Series 650 and above LCD and Plasma HDTVs and Series 7000 and above LED HDTVs. The service is also available on Samsung BD-P1600, BD-P3600 and BD-P4600 Blu-ray players, as well as select Samsung Blu-ray integrated Home Theater Systems (HT-BD1250, HT-BD3252, HT-BD7200 and HT-BD8200) via firmware upgrade.
"This is another real example that shows our commitment to giving consumers even more ways to access and enjoy a broad variety of high quality content through innovation, and really pushing the envelope with defining what connected TV experiences can deliver," said Tim Baxter, President of Samsung Electronics America. "Whether it's renting their favorite Blu-ray movie from Blockbuster or streaming their favorite content, our goal is to take the TV-watching experience to new levels and deliver maximum value."
With this service rollout, Blockbuster is introducing a seamless entertainment experience that allows consumers to watch BLOCKBUSTER On Demand content across multiple Blockbuster-enabled devices in the home. For example, Mom or Dad could order "Scooby Doo: The Goblin King" from BLOCKBUSTER On Demand on blockbuster.com at work, and the kids could start watching right away on their Samsung TV in the living room and watch it again on a Samsung Blu-ray player in the den. Mom and Dad could later order "Observe and Report" directly on the Samsung Blu-ray in the den, start watching, and then continue watching it on the Samsung TV in the bedroom.
"We're excited to bring BLOCKBUSTER On Demand through Samsung into millions of homes across the country," said Kevin Lewis, senior vice president digital entertainment for Blockbuster. "We're combining the newest movies available for digital delivery with a feature-rich and easy-to-use interface, and through our seamless digital connection, we're integrating it across Samsung's enabled HDTVs, Blu-ray players and Home Theater Systems to create a complete movie viewing experience consumers will value and enjoy."
With the BLOCKBUSTER On Demand service, owners of these Samsung devices now have the hottest new releases from Blockbuster right at their fingertips -- whether it's the latest comedies such as "Year One," action-packed thrillers like "State of Play", hot box office hits such as "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past", and award winners like "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." The video on demand (VOD) movie rentals range from $2.99 to $3.99, while purchases will typically range from $7.99 to $19.99.
The BLOCKBUSTER On Demand service provides comprehensive on-screen search and browsing capabilities, as well as full details, ratings, trailers, and other information about each movie directly on the television, eliminating the need for customers to manage a viewing queue on their PC. The offering will be easily accessible by selecting the Internet@TV feature on Samsung TVs or clicking a color-coded button on remotes for Samsung Blu-ray players and home theater systems. Once a customer rents or buys a movie, they simply press play to begin instant viewing.
To support the launch, Samsung Blu-ray disc players with the integrated BLOCKBUSTER On Demand service will be sold in Blockbuster's thousands of corporate-owned stores and participating franchise stores.
