'Grey's' Isn't Going Anywhere
'Red Widow' Gets The Axe
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Blockbuster could buy Movielink
According to the Wall Street Journal, Blockbuster is in negotiations to buy movie download service Movielink. This would give Blockbuster an entry into the digital download business, while giving Movielink much wider exposure than the company has right now.Movielink is owned by the Hollywood studios and has about as good a library of films available for download as any other service on the market right now. Word is that Blockbuster could pick the company up for less than $50 million.
Blockbuster has already shown its interest in moving into online video distribution, having created a Netflix-like online rental store that allows users to order movies online and return them either to a local store or through the mail. With Netflix rolling out online video streaming, Blockbuster may be feeling the pressure to keep up with the Joneses.
[via Zatz Not Funny]
Schedule your TiVo to record movies in your Netflix queue
One enterprising user tried to create a solution using Yahoo! Pipes, but that didn't really work out. Now he's written a Greasemonkey script for Firefox. It doesn't automatically schedule recordings, but it does make it easier to cross reference your Netflix queue and your TiVo recordings.
Basically the script scans the titles of movies in your queue and then searches the TiVo web site. If there's a match, a little link to the TiVo search results shows up on your Netflix page. Apparently it takes a while to perform the search, so it takes some time for the links to load.
Netflix to stream movies and TV shows
If you're a Netflix subscriber but can't stand waiting for those DVDs to arrive in the mail, I have some good news for you: over the next six months, the company will be rolling out a new feature that will allow subscribers to stream movies and TV shows directly to their computer. Initially, subscribers will be able to choose from about 1,000 movies and TV shows out of the over 70,000 offered through the company's mail service. Users will have to download a browser application in order to take advantage of the new service.
The service will be included as part of the subscription plan at no extra cost. As a Netflix customer, I'm thrilled to have another way of viewing these shows, though I have a feeling the majority of my rentals will still be done through ye olde postal service. I don't really have any desire to watch movies on my computer, at least not until I get a more comfortable computer chair.
NBC and Netflix team up once again
It appears that NBC's experiment with Netflix last summer was a success. Back then, the network made DVDs of the pilots of Studio 60 and Kidnapped for Netflix members to preview before the shows premiered on the network in September. This winter, NBC is giving that gimmick another shot. This time the NBC DVD has a Heroes recap, a preview of the pilot for The Black Donnellys and a sneak peek at Raines. The DVD is available to rent only through Netflix from now until January 15th.The Black Donnellys is a crime drama based in New York and it's being produced by Crash and Million Dollar Baby writer Paul Haggis. It's about a group of brothers, some of whom are wrapped up in crime, who will do anything to protect each other. Raines stars Jeff Goldblum as a cop who has visions of crime victims. Donnellys doesn't have a premiere date yet but Raines is set to take over Las Vegas' timeslot in March. Although, NBC recently reduced its episode order for Raines-- not a good sign.
Watch the Studio 60 pilot while you can -- VIDEO
By the time this post goes out the pilot episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip may have already been removed from the YouTube. However, you can't blame me for trying to inform the public, can you?
Before NBC previews Studio 60 to Netflix subscribers starting on August 5th you can view the pilot on YouTube for free. Of course, due to certain restrictions on the site, the pilot is split up into five parts. It looks like the widescreen version of the episode, but it seems to be smushed together to fit in the 4:3 box of the site.
I took a quick look at some of the scenes and it looks like it picks up steam about halfway through the show. Matthew Perry's character seems to have a bit of Chandler left over from his days on Friends. And, it seems to have all of the frantic energy that is trademark of an Aaron Sorkin production.
I'm only linking to the first part of the pilot here, boys and girls. You'll need to click under the 'Explore More Videos' section of the page to see all five parts.
[Thanks to Eugene for the tip]
NBC offering previews through Netflix
If you're a Netflix subscriber like I am, you might find this interesting. NBC is offering previews of two of its upcoming shows to Netflix subscribers starting on August 5. The premiere episodes of Aaron Sorkin's new series, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, as well as Kidnapped, a show about the abduction of a teenage boy from a wealthy family, will be available to subscribers. The DVDs will also feature trailers of other NBC programs. I can see why NBC would want to start off small with something like this, but it would be nice if eventually they and the other networks made a habit of pre-releasing all of their premieres in this fashion. I would think it might help to generate early buzz for their shows.Previously on PVR Wire
Has TiVo dumped Netflix for Blockbuster?- Yahoo buys Meedio.
- Cyrus Farivar takes the iTunes Multi-Pass for a test drive.
- What happens when golf screws up your recordings?
- The hell with buying something, why don't you just build your own PVR?
Some late reflections on the Comedians of Comedy movie
Comedy clubs tend to be parodies of themselves, a place where mediocre comics trot out the same tired gags while the
audience, semi-drunk on watered down cocktails, laughs and claps along. It's a great place to perform if your act
involves impressions of celebrities or a trunk full of ventriloquist dummies, but if you're looking for an audience
that really wants to be challenged, they won't be hanging out at PJ Laughenheimer's Giggle Hut.TV Squad Hot Topics
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