Alphaline Entertainment Movie & TV Download Store Launches
Is there room in the world for another digital media download store? Kmart and Sears reckon so, hence the launch of Alphaline Entertainment, a RoxioNow-powered movie and TV store offering purchases for around $19.99 and rentals for $3.99. The two retailers are promising title availability on the same day as DVD or Blu-ray release, along with growing support for connected A/V devices.
Those connected devices will eventually include Blu-ray players and HDTVs, the pair reckon, along with portable media players and even cellphones. Thanks to the underlying RoxioNow technology, you should be able to view any purchased or rented content on any device that supports the standard.
Whether the pricing is still appealing when taken in context of oft-discounted physical media remains to be seen, however. Previous RoxioNow powered stores, such as Best Buy and Walmart's, have shown themselves to be reluctant to discount any digital content, despite the retailers physical shelves often being filled with cut-price discs. Still, that's the price of convenience.
Press Release:
Sears and Kmart Team With Sonic to Launch Movie Download ServiceRoxioNow-Powered Alphaline Entertainment Service Now Live and Providing Consumers Instant Access to Movies and TV Shows
NOVATO, Calif., Dec. 28, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Sonic Solutions® (Nasdaq: SNIC) today announced that RoxioNow™ platform licensee, Sears, has officially launched its online movie download service, Alphaline Entertainment http://alphaline.roxionow.com. The new service enables Sears and Kmart customers to download entertainment online, including new movies on the same day they are released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. Sonic is working with Sears on a multi-phase rollout that includes making the service available from a broad range of connected devices and ensuring compatibility with studio-supported digital programs.
Sonic's multi-year agreement with Sears extends the reach of the RoxioNow platform which powers a range of digital services for leading brick and mortar retailers, cable operators, PC manufacturers, game system vendors, consumer electronics makers, and Hollywood studios' direct-to-consumer initiatives. Sonic and Sears are teaming to embed the services at a chip level on a growing network of devices including portable media players, Blu-ray Disc players, mobile phones, and high-definition television sets from leading manufacturers.
"Collaborating with Sonic provides a great opportunity for Sears and Kmart to launch digital services for customers seeking even faster access to the latest in home entertainment experiences," said Karen Austin, President of Consumer Electronics for Sears and Kmart. "We'll continue to increase the reach and flexibility of the Alphaline Entertainment service by providing consumers on-demand access to the latest entertainment from a range of home and mobile electronics."
"The Sears launch represents an important milestone for Sonic, with another RoxioNow-powered storefront now open for business," said Mark Ely, President of Strategy, Sonic Solutions. "We look forward to continuing to collaborate with Sears and bringing Alphaline Entertainment to consumers through a broad range of connected devices."
The RoxioNow platform serves a broad range of premium content, including new movies and next-day TV programs, to a growing, multi-manufacturer ecosystem of home and mobile electronics. RoxioNow enables storefronts for brick and mortar retailers, cable operators, PC manufacturers, game system vendors, consumer electronics makers, and Hollywood studios' direct-to-consumer initiatives. The platform allows these companies to participate in the entertainment supply chain, add value to product offerings, and form ongoing relationships with customers. "Powered by RoxioNow™" stores enable consumers to instantly rent and purchase high-quality entertainment on their favorite devices and, through the RoxioNow online entertainment library, access their content at any time, on any RoxioNow-powered device.