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Blockbuster plans to part with 960 retail stores by end of 2010

by Ross Miller posted Sep 15th 2009 at 8:32PM

Seriously, Blockbuster can't seem to get a break. In a recent SEC filing, the company identified 18 percent of its retail outlets it deemed unprofitable and announced plans to close up to 960 stores by the end of 2010. That's divided into up to 685 by the end of this year and the remaining 275 the year after, but the filing continues to say that up to 1,560 locations, or 22 percent of its total retail coverage, could end up falling the wayside. Another slide indicates how the company sees itself going forward, with an expansion of kiosks and its Total Access subscriber base, and putting OnDemand in "nearly every connected device." Of course, if this brings Blockbuster back to profitability as it expects to be, then more power to it, but it's clear that the one-time king is fighting wars on a number of sides and has a long way to go if it intends to stay afloat, much less reclaim its crown.


[Via CNET]

SED could still have a future, probably doesn't

by Richard Lawler posted Apr 29th 2009 at 7:39AM

After proclaiming that the world doesn't care about SED, could we be lured back into the endless wait for this tech to finally appear? Probably not, but you might, so we should mention Peter Putnam of Roam Consulting's post-NAB 2009 report that Canon is still investigating making displays available for pro monitors. Even though that certainly closes the door on any possibility of us ever buying an HDTV containing the long-embattled surface-conduction electron-emitter display just knowing it was out there, somewhere, would help the healing process along. Still, the professional market's desire for a proper flat panel display to replace CRT -- word is even LED backlit LCDs haven't satisfied editing suite denizens while plasmas are too big and lack the necessary calibration tools -- could someday bear fruit for those of us that watch the movies they make.

Blockbuster voices "substantial doubt" about ability to survive

by Darren Murph posted Apr 7th 2009 at 11:04AM


As depressing as it is to see an American icon come this close to collapse, is it really any surprise? While the world kept turning, Netflix kept reinventing itself and movies found their way onto the internets (legally), Blockbuster sat still... and that's putting things nicely. Sure, it tried the whole movie set-top-box thing, but no on will argue that it went about things the wrong way. In a recent SEC filing, the company made perfectly clear that there was serious risk that it wouldn't be able to refinance its crushing debt load in order to stay afloat for a wee bit longer; in fact, it noted that said quandary raised "substantial doubt" about its "ability to continue." 'Course, hampering its Total Access rental plan and promising less stock in-store doesn't exactly sound like a brilliant plan to be successful, but maybe yesterday would be the best time to completely revolutionize its business and go online only. Just an idea, is all.

Mississippi State plans biggest HD scoreboard in the SEC this fall

by Richard Lawler posted Jul 6th 2008 at 1:38PM


Mississippi State can be proud of more than reigning SEC Coach of the Year Sylvester Croom, with a biggest-in-the-SEC (but not as big as Texas) $6.1 million HD video board under construction for its debut October 2008. Nestled in the south end zone of Scott Field the total board measures 152 feet wide x 135.5 feet tall, with a main high definition screen of 111 feet by 47 feet. Packing the usual LED technology, it can split up to show multiple displays and stats as we expect from our scoreboards, and has size that compares nicely with HDTV displays on the way in Minnesota and Arizona. Congratulations Bulldogs, you've got a team able to compete in a tough conference, and now some stadium amenities that are able to measure up as well.

[Via Busted Coverage]

Raycom airing all SEC football, select basketball games in HD

by Darren Murph posted Jun 16th 2008 at 4:05PM

Well, wouldn't you know it? After assuming that Raycom would follow in the footsteps of the ESPN networks and FSN, along comes a tipster to show that said network already has upped its commitment to HD. This season, Raycom has promised to deliver every single one of its SEC football matchups in high-definition, while "most" of the SEC basketball tilts will also air in HD later this year. Granted, we haven't heard anything further about how it'll handle ACC battles, but we can only hope it treats both conferences similarly.

[Thanks, David]




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