Important Service Shutdown Notice Regarding Redbox Instant by Verizon

For those of you that might care, either about the service itself or simply the achievements from the app, Redbox is cancelling it's Redbox Instant streaming service at midnight October 7th (October 8th). Basically, they couldn't compete with the services
that they were up against, so they're shutting it down.

From http://about.redboxinstant.com/news

:)

 

Redbox Instant Coming to Xbox 360 (Gaming Console Exclusive)

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Source:
Redbox Instant Coming to Xbox 360 (Gaming Console Exclusive)

 

Redbox Instant Coming Soon

Engadget is reporting that the latest in instant streaming services, Redbox, will be coming to the Xbox360 as an exclusive sometime first quarter.

How many services will we see by the end of 2013. It seems that everyone is trying to cash in on the this. I used to use Redbox before fully getting into the online viewing of my movies. One of the cons to Redbox was even with looking through their mobile app, you still had to find a kiosk that had the movie you wanted somewhere nearby. I can get the same movie through Amazon video albeit slightly higher price but it beats driving out and waiting behind someone at the kiosk.

 

I knew that crap was going to fail. Pay a monthly fee and then want $3.99 or more for newer movie rentals per movie. Not surprised at all.

 

I think that they just tried too hard to compete with multiple services at the same time. Sure, you would get 4 free DVD rentals (that's just over half of the fee there: 4 X $1.20), but they were also trying to compete with streaming services like Netflix,
Crackle, etc., and digital purchase/rental services like Xbox Video, etc. I think that this combination of services tied together served to make a more confusing site/app when trying to find what you wanted in a particular format.

I honestly believe that had they kept to only one online format, either rental/purchase or streaming subscription, they would have fared better. Plus the site / app would have been easier to use because the service would have been less convoluted.

 

I knew it was going to fail the moment I went up to one of their kiosks with cold-hard cash and it wouldn't accept my bills. I never liked Redbox and I think it's just a matter of time before the whole thing falls through entirely.

 

Well, in all fairness, if you paid in cash, how could they guarantee that the movie or game would be returned? By requiring a rechargeable payment source, like a credit/debit card, it gives Redbox a recourse when items are not returned. Blockbuster, Hollywood
Video, and all those mom and pop stores all had your personal information as part of an account that you set up and the ability to send you to collections should you fail to return the rentals or pay the late fees. A Kiosk does not have that option should
you pay in cash.

 

Redbox will continue operating.

Redbox Instant hasn't allowed new customer sign-up for the past three months. The site was being used by criminals to validate stolen credit card numbers. When that was discovered, sign-up was disabled.