Blockbuster rolls out Blu-ray format across U.S. & Canada

[Grubert]

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/...10042008-1.htm

Company Committed to Being Customers' Blu-ray And Standard DVD HeadquartersCompany Installing Blu-ray Kiosks In Almost 5,000 Stores
April 10, 2008: 08:00 AM EST

DALLAS, April 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Beginning this week, in addition to the standard DVDs lining its shelves, Blockbuster Inc. will be offering customers something extra -- Blu-ray movies, for rent and sale in all of its corporate stores in the U.S., as well as in Canada, and select domestic franchise locations. Blockbuster made news last July with its announcement that the company was making Blu-ray available in 1,700 of its stores. Now, less than a year later, the company is positioning itself to become the customer's Blu-ray headquarters for rental and retail product with this national launch.

To highlight the availability of Blu-ray in its stores, Blockbuster is installing Blu-ray kiosks in the center of its stores. Featuring a 42-inch high-definition TV with movies playing via a PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM)) console, the Blu-ray kiosks will enable customers to experience the movie-viewing advantages of high-definition technology while also driving home the point that PS3 consoles double as Blu-ray players.

As for Blockbuster's by-mail service, in addition to the wide selection of Blu-ray titles it carries online, this week Blockbuster began offering online subscribers a Blu-ray preference setting so they can automatically indicate that they want to receive all available movies in the high-definition format.