The ill-fated MovieBeam distribution system has faded to black.
MovieBeam, created by Disney and then spun off, sent movies wirelessly into its set-top boxes, which customers had to buy. They didn’t.
Movie Gallery, the troubled Alabama-based video rental company, bought the service in March but ended up seeking Chapter 11 protection a few months back.
“Movie Gallery today confirmed that its MovieBeam service will be discontinued effective Dec. 15,” company spokesperson told Home Media magazine.
“The decision to discontinue the service was made in light of the company’s ongoing efforts to enhance its financial performance.”
Some movies were released to MovieBeam as they were released on DVD. A hundred movies were available at a time, with churn of about 10 titles a week. Movie viewings cost about $2 a pop, more for HD.
In recent years, competition came from Amazon’s Unbox, Netflix’s VOD service and the iTunes Store, none of which required an outdated wireless thingy.
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