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Class Action Lawsuit Against Walmart and Netflix Could Get You a Gift Card
Mon Nov 21, 2011 at 02:00 PM ETTags: Netflix, Walmart, Class Action Law Suits (all tags)
Netflix is fighting the charges, but Walmart is settling and offering gift cards to those they've (allegedly) wronged.
Remember back six or seven years ago when Walmart was in the DVD-by -mail business? According to a class action suit filed against the company, they dropped DVD-by-mail in an agreement with Netflix. Netflix, the suit alleges, agreed for its part to stop selling new release DVDs. If true, this arrangement is what made Netflix the sole provider of DVDs through the mail.
Netflix says that the case has no merit, and is going to be fighting it in court. Walmart, whether out of a desire to avoid a legal battle or fear that they'd lose, has agreed to a settlement.
If you subscribed to the Netflix DVD rental service any time between May 19, 2005 and Sept 2, 2011 you're eligible to be included in the settlement. Go on over to the case website and fill out a claim form for either a Walmart gift card or print out and send one to get cash.
Source: Netflix/Walmart Class Action Suit
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Walmart Gives Up 'Arkham City,' 'Battlefield 3,' 'Gears of War 3' and More for $28 on Black Friday
Thu Nov 10, 2011 at 09:30 AM ETTags: Walmart, Black Friday, Arkham City, Battlefield 3, PlayStation 3 (all tags)
You'll also find some pretty goold older titles at just $10.
The holidays are upon us and that means that it's time to see friends and family, eat a nice hearty meal and then go wait in the cold to take advantage of the best sales of the year. This year looks like it's going to be a good one if Walmart's ad is anything to go by.
If you're looking for sweet discounts on new games, you're in luck. Walmart will be selling titles like 'Arkham City' and 'Gears of War 3' for just $28 when the day rolls around. You can also pick up some good deals on older titles, like 'BioShock 2' for just $10.
If you're in the market for a system, you can pick up a brand new 160GB PS3 that includes 'Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One' and 'LittleBigPlanet 2' for $199. The same price will get you Xbox bundles as well, but they're both 4GB hard drive models so hardly worth looking at for hardcore gamers.
Source: Joystiq
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The Vudu Movie Rental Service Comes to the iPad
Thu Aug 11, 2011 at 10:00 AM ETTags: VUDU, iPad, Apple, Walmart (all tags)
Unlike many other services, Vudu hasn't launched an app, but simply made their site iPad friendly.
We're sold on the awesomeness of Vudu. You get streaming HD videos with excellent quality - the closest thing to Blu-ray out there - and the price isn't too bad all things considered. We're also sold on watching movies and TV shows on portable devices like the iPad. Clearly some movies are better suited for the home theater, but it's nice to have some entertainment with you.
Vudu on the iPad is a bit less exciting. The primary advantage of Vudu over other services is the ability to watch those gorgeous HD movies, but the iPad version is like the PC version - it only streams in SD. Of course, the iPad isn't an HD device to begin with.
Still, if you've rented a movie at home and you want to watch it on the iPad, you can do it. It works the other way around too - you can rent a movie on your iPad and then watch it on the big screen. At the very least, it's an easier way to navigate than your TV remote.
Source: Walmart
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Vudu Launches 99 Cent Movie of the Day - Walmart.com Adds Vudu Rental
Thu Jul 28, 2011 at 12:00 PM ETTags: VUDU, Walmart, High-Def Retailing (all tags)
Big news from Walmart owned Vudu, which will almost certainly gain a great deal of attention from the placement and deal.
Blu-ray fans are a demanding bunch. They can only be so satisfied with Netflix streaming, which offers a large selection at a low price, but lacks the kind of video and audio quality that hardcore HD enthusiasts crave. Vudu, on the other hand, specializes in giving the highest quality experience possible.
One of the problems with getting people to try out the Vudu service is the price. $5.99 for one HDX rental doesn't seem terrible, but many consumers are comparing that to $1 rentals and $7.99 monthly fees. That's why Vudu introduced 99 cent Movie of the Day specials. Every day a new movie is made available to rent for just 99 cents.
In addition to the new promotion, Walmart has added Vudu to the main page of its website and set up a seamless experience for customers who want to buy from Walmart.com and enjoy a movie rental while they're at it.
Source: Walmart
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Vudu Debuts Movie Specific Gift Cards
Thu Jun 16, 2011 at 10:00 AM ETTags: VUDU, Walmart (all tags)
The move is aimed to help take advantage of Walmart's massive consumer base.
Digital distribution loyalists often say that streaming content will be the end of packaged media and the relationship between movies and retail stores. When you've got a company like Walmart behind you though, things can look a little bit different.
Starting with the release of 'Battle: Los Angeles,' Vudu will be offering customers the ability to purchase their movies in retail stores the same way that Microsoft, Sony and others offer their membership services - gift cards. For right around $15, you can pick up a card redeemable for a copy of 'Battle: Los Angeles.'
It's a sort of strange execution of the idea though. Instead of offering the customer a choice of movie, they're restricted to a single title.
Source: Engadget
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Redbox Subscription Streaming Plans are Official
Fri Feb 18, 2011 at 12:00 PM ETTags: Redbox, Streaming, VUDU, Walmart, CinemaNow, Amazon, Industry Trends (all tags)
Just who they're working with is still a mystery, but Walmart, Amazon, and CinemaNow are all rumored.
Redbox is doing just fine financially, but that doesn't mean that the company is just going to sit there complacent and collapse under its own weight and failure to evolve. That's more of a Blockbuster thing.
Instead, Redbox is going to be the next company stepping into the highly profitable business of subscription based streaming, making them the first real competitor to Netflix. Mitch Lowe confirmed this in a meeting with analysts this week, but stated that just who they'll be working with is up in the air. "What we're looking for is a partner that, yes, has customers, but also more importantly has a lot of quality entertainment rights," said Lowe.
CinemaNow has often been touted as the logical choice, but the Seattle Times is reporting that Walmart's Vudu service and the upcoming Amazon streaming service are possible Redbox partners. Walmart might be the most logical, since Redbox kiosks are already in thousands of Walmart stores around the country.
Source: Engadget
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Walmart Gets Two Onkyo Exclusives
Thu May 27, 2010 at 11:00 AM ETTags: Onkyo, Walmart (all tags)
In addition to stocking Onkyo products on virtual shelves, Walmart will soon have a pair of exclusive Onkyo products in stock.
You've got to hand it to Walmart. Despite a less than sterling reputation and a penchant for stocking low end electronics, the company has really started to step up its game. It carries some higher end sets now, has a dedicated Blu-ray section, and it even has a few receivers.
The latest brand to start seeing some Walmart love is Onkyo. And sure, Onkyo is available at Best Buy and at other big box stores, but this might be the first time a specialist brand of this caliber has made it to the fabled shelves of Walmart.
Onkyo products won't be carried at retail locations just yet, but they'll be available online in the next few weeks. Onkyo's price limit for products at the moment is $499.
Walmart also gets two Onkyo exclusives. The HT-RC230 A/V receiver and AV-X280 HTiB are both derivatives of existing Onkyo products, but will only be available through Walmart.
Source: TWICE
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3D TVs Hitting Walmart This Year
Thu Mar 25, 2010 at 01:00 PM ETTags: 3D, Walmart, High-Def Retailing (all tags)
Walmart says they’re working to bring down costs and give customers an affordable 3D experience.
It usually takes a long time for technology to be considered a part of the mainstream, and Walmart sales are the number one indicator of just what is and what isn’t a crucial part of the market. It took the super sized retailer a long time to start stocking anything but a few new release Blu-rays, and just as long to get BD players on shelves.
In a surprise announcement, Walmart revealed that they’ll be stocking 3D televisions for the 2010 holiday season. It’s big news, especially since 3D TVs are still so new. Early adopters are still just getting their hands on these and Walmart is already ready to stock them.
“We are going to be instrumental in helping to bring the costs down and bring a more affordable 3-D experience to customers,” said Walmart’s Gary Severson. “We are excited about it.”
The success of home 3D entertainment is still a question mark, but this endorsement from Walmart looks like an indicator that 3D may be here to stay.
Source: Market Watch
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Walmart is Shutting Down Vudu’s Adult Section
Fri Feb 26, 2010 at 12:00 PM ETTags: VUDU, Walmart, Industry Trends (all tags)
We wondered if Walmart would be imposing their own censorship restrictions on their new acquisition, but we sure didn’t have to wonder for long.
You may know the world’s largest chain store best for their smiley faces, their low prices, or from People of Walmart. If you’re a music fan that lives out where other CD stores and UPS drivers dare not tread, you may know them better as the guys who decide what CDs are appropriate for your consumption. Sometimes you can find the unedited “explicit” version of your favorite album, but there are cases when only the edited version will be available.
Walmart is a big company, and they have a lot of sway. They’ve taken it upon themselves to use that influence to dictate what kind of content is appropriate for you.
As of yesterday, Walmart announced that the “After Dark” section of Vudu would be removed. Until this point, Vudu had the distinction of being the only major streaming service that carried adult material. According to a Walmart spokesman, all customers who had previously purchased movies with adult content will be fully refunded.
Walmart only announced the purchase of the service earlier this week, and the elimination of what seems like a profitable stream of revenue is a pretty big deal. Whether more changes are in the works, we have yet to see.
Source: Tech Crunch
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New Details on Walmart’s Vudu Purchase
Tue Feb 23, 2010 at 02:50 PM ETTags: Walmart, VUDU, Industry Trends, High-Def Retailing (all tags)
Vudu’s press release shines a bit of light on exactly how the Walmart deal is going to go down.
In case you missed the news, the deal between Walmart and Vudu is official. Walmart is picking up the internet video company in an effort to get a foothold in the digital world. It’s all expected to happen within the next few weeks. Once the deal is closed, Vudu will become a Walmart subsidiary.
"The real winner here is the customer," said Walmart vice-chairman Eduardo Castro-Wright. While there are definitely some potential downsides to the sale, Castr-Wright may have a point when he says that “Combining VUDU's unique digital technology and service with Walmart's retail expertise and scale,” will help the consumer in the long run.
There’s a reason Walmart can keep their prices so cheap. It’s not because they pay their employees less or because they sell inferior products, but because they buy millions and millions of products at a time. You’ve seen the bulk rates you can get for paper towels at Costco, now imagine the bulk rate on ten million paper towels.
If Walmart hopes to be successful in the online video marketplace they’ve got to do one of two things: convince consumers that an on demand experience is superior to subscription, or lower prices. With Walmart’s influence and reach, lowering download prices seems like the most likely solution.
One potential downside that hasn’t yet been brought up is Walmart’s desire to control content. The company is despised by many music fans, since Walmart only carries edited versions of CDs. Explicit content is not allowed. They’re looser with DVDs, and don’t seem to have any problem carrying R rated films, but the issue of censorship is a sensitive one.
Source: Vudu
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MORE HIGH-DEF DISC NEWS TAGGED "WALMART":
- Man Smashes $22,000 Worth of TVs at Walmart Feb 16, 2010
- Wal-Mart’s Pre Black-Friday Sale Offers Impressive HDTV Discounts Nov 06, 2009
- Wal-Mart Offering Home Theater Installation Oct 27, 2009
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