BlockCity Kiosks Deal Digital Distro?

Now I’m completely confused.

Blockbuster (who I’ve frequently railed on in this blog) has just unveiled a new digital kiosk in their shareholders meeting. A kiosk? Like the Redbox? The one in my grocery store that lets me get a DVD for a buck? Wow, really cutting edge! Except, the kiosk doesn’t work like a redbox, it works like an idiot box…let me explain.

The sleek prototype kiosk unveiled Wednesday is just one way that Blockbuster is looking to deliver movies digitally. The design, which Keyes said is likely to change with testing, offers a range of features to help customers make movie choices, including previews and recommendations. Keyes said the company is working to reduce the download time for movies to about 30 seconds.

So, the kiosk is only good for downloading movies to your device. How handy! Now I’ll just drive to the Blockbuster store, select my movie to download, and get it on my portable device then drive back home to watch it on the tiny screen!

/sarcasm

In reality, it’s even worse than that: the new kiosk won’t work with anything but an Archos device (though the AP says “the company ultimately plans for the kiosk to be an “open system” and widely compatible with a range of devices”) and it’s not integrating the big picture concept that Blockbuster is finally understanding — digital distribution to the home.

Look, I’ve suggested methods for Blockbuster to win their battle against the turning tides, but kiosks are not one of them. No one is going to go to the Blockbuster store to pick up a digital download for a device few people have purchased. We want your media in our houses easily, cheaply, and in whatever format we need.

Oh, and they’re still talking about buying Circuit City…

[via VentureBeat who agree with me]

/facepalm.