A Blockbuster Announcement?

Two pioneers of the entertainment have joined forces recently.  TiVo and Blockbuster just announced a deal to combine both of their respective business models to offer their customers on-demand movies.  Sounds great, but is this news that will grow TiVo and jumpstart Blockbuster?  This article, and myself hardly think so.

The agreement

will allow TiVo subscribers with Series 2 or higher boxes and a broadband Internet connection to rent and purchase movies on-demand from the video store chain's library.  In addition, TiVo DVR's will soon start appearing on Blockbuster shelves.

While the idea sounds like it could be an important bellwether of better times for each company, I could see this being no more than a small term fix at best.  In the current economy, often times, it's entertainment and luxury items that are the hardest hit.  Although people will still watch movies this service will require two components for it to work.  This is about one more then needed.  

Blockbuster needs this to be huge though.  They've been getting pounded by Netflix harder then Apollo beat on Rocky in (and let's be honest) the only good Rocky movie.  But Blockbuster is missing the point here.  The movie rental service is about more then just convenience.  Netflix is a fully integrated service that is both reliable and proficient.  The ability to rank movies, view ratings, and have the website offer suggestions is a quality that cannot be understated.

No offense to both companies, but have Blockbuster and TiVo been living in a cave recently?  On-demand viewing has been around forever, and at prices much lower then the $4 movies that they will offer.  Once again, the market is just too saturated with entertainment possibilities these days.  So I'm going to help them out, pull my best Simon Cowell, and offer some suggestions.

1. Make sure the entire movie library is available for watching.  None of this new release and "Bond 20th Anniversary Special" stuff.  I want to watch Police Academy 4, do not tell me I can't.
2. Offer the DVD extras.  How dare you charge me a DVD rental price and not offer the full extent of the DVD package.  The best part of the Notebook is the Rachael McAdams commentary section.
3. I have a bomb TV, I mean it's big.  Like, I have to turn it sideways to get it out of my door.  So I want to view movies in Widescreen.  Hell, I want them in HD and BluRay too.  If I can get a DVD that way, that's the way it needs to be.
4. Make previews optional.  I mean I love them as much as the next guy but here's the deal.  It's late and I'm with a girl.  She decides we're going to watch Made of Honor.  Fine, I'll jump on this grenade.  But do I need to see the trailers for 27 Dresses and Sweet Home Alabama?  Please, spare me.
5. Give us the option to rent TV shows.  At reasonable prices mind you.  I can see Family Guy on Cartoon Network, but if I'm going to pay for it, don't make me fork over more then $1 an episode.

These are just some suggestions.  But if they want this to work, they have to make it much better then the other options.  In this epic battle to keep us Americans glued to our couches there will be few winners.  It's entertainment's natural selection.  I could care less who makes it out alive, just as long as I can watch Caddyshack whenever I damn well please.