Intelliflix, a Netlix competitor, used to differentiate themselves by offering video games and “mature content” - in addition to standard movie rentals… Well, they’ll still offer the adult stuff.

Intelliflix eliminated the game offering for new customers in June of 2007. Due to the continually changing market for games and game consoles, we made this decision in order to focus our resources on providing the highest quality movie rental experience for our customers. Intelliflix customers that had a Premium membership prior to this change will be grandfathered in, and thus still be allowed to rent games as part of their plan.

Gamefly is still a mail order video game rental option, though neither Davis nor I would recommend them. Blockbuster Total Access provides one (or two if you’ve been around awhile) gaming coupon a month, but that requires a store visit. Good thing I’ve got so many Live Arcade and free game demos to choose from on my 360.

The UK edition of CNET pressured Microsoft into revealing some Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive sales figures. While they didn’t get a global tally, they did learn MS hass moved 155,000 units in the US since the November launch… Which strikes me as a large number, indeed. And probably why we rarely see discounts on this accessory.

I’ve debated picking one up, though I’ve managed to resist the urge thus far. I figure, as expensive as those $6 HD Marketplace movie downloads are, the amount of interesting content won’t come close the $200 drive price tag any time soon. Besides, everyone’s telling me Blu-ray has won.

(via Boy Genius)

I woke up this morning wanting something new. I have a bunch of unopened stuff just waiting for review, but I’m not feeling those items. And I know the iPhone will be here in a few days, but $600 is not an impulse buy (and it doesn’t have a keyboard or stylus). I need a new camera, but learning how to use it seems like work. I don’t love my GPS, which makes me think about picking up Telenav service and bluetooth puck for my Blackjack (and next phones) - but that’s more practical than fun. So I wonder if it’s time for Wii…

Though the studios just enlisted AT&T to go after their file-sharing customers and Azureus is being sued in France, I wonder if BitTorrent has some legitimate value for the content owners/creators. (Sure, BT can be used to share non-copyrighted media - but let’s be serious.)

Here’s the situation: My buddy Jason told me to check out Traveler, so I set up a Season Pass on TiVo. Only problem was, the third episode was airing and TiVo didn’t find any repeats of the earlier shows. Now what? I visit ABC.com and discover they have the first and third episode available for web streaming, but they’re missing the second (and now the fourth). Considering Traveler is a serial, I can’t miss any episodes. So off I go to pay the iTunes tax of $2/show only to discover they don’t offer it. Xbox 360 Video Marketplace? Microsoft doesn’t have a deal with ABC. All I (and ABC) am left with is BitTorrent - I downloaded the still-buggy FoxTorrent and headed off to The Pirate Bay. And guess what… BitTorrent helped make me into a live ABC television viewer. Not to mention I’m now pitching their show to others. Will it be enough to save Traveler?

In order, here’s how I watched the first four episodes:

1. ABC.com - The interface can be a bit tedious at times, but hey it’s free and works on Macs.
2. Xbox Media Center (XBMC) - The Xvid download looked nice on my HDTV.
3. TiVo Series3 - Timeshifted HD.
4. ABC - The series is so good, I’ll watch it live going forward.

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Here’s an interesting tibit I ran across: Cartoon Network is working on some sort of Adult Swim content/gaming mashup for web and consoles.

The Mega Series is a custom application accessible through a console browser and a PC browser. Once the application is built, the interface will be customized for the Flash capabilities of each distribution platform — including PC, PS3 or mobile phone — creating a VOD and gaming experience

Could be cool. Though it sounds like Xbox 360 (no web browser) and iPhone (reports of no Flash) owners will be left out. Guess we’ll find out in early 2008.

Some details are emerging on Guitar Hero III… First and foremost, is confirmation of a wireless (Les Paul) guitar. Nice! I have no idea what kind of battery life something like this would have, but I hate clutter and look forward to seeing the cord cut.

Next up, we have a YouTube video of what may be the updated GH III HUD.

Considering GH II was just released (on Xbox) two months ago, I doubt we’ll be able to pick up v3 any time soon. Which is OK… After watching this 8 year old, I’ve pretty much given up.

Sony has released a new Blu-ray player (BDP-S300) for $499 - which makes it less than the Blu-ray equipped PS3, but still nearly twice as much as the entry level HD-DVD player. Have I mentioned lately how tired I am of boxes? I’m still waiting for a good deal (other than Sam’s) on the Xbox HD-DVD accessory. Until then, I’m fine carrying on with HD Xbox rentals and cable plus upscaled DVDs.

USA Today is out with a movie-ordering comparison of Apple TV versus Amazon Unbox on TiVo. Buried in the article is an interesting nugget:

Amazon and TiVo are expected today to announce direct sales that bypass the PC altogether.

Movies can currently be ordered via Amazon’s website on computer. (Unofficially: Unbox OnDemand) This method generally works out fine given movies can ‘t be watched until the download completes, but it makes sense to provide ordering directly on the TiVo unit - for both service and as a means of advertising the feature. The challenge isn’t really the technology of building the Java HME widget, the challenge is creating a well organized and friendly TV interface for Amazon’s large collection of content. We shall see…

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