Wal-Mart Begins Video Downloads Beta with 3,000 Titles, HP Supplies Solution

Wal-Mart launched a beta version of its upcoming video downloads service, featuring more than 3,000 movie and TV titles from major Hollywood studios and television networks.



New movie releases are available for video download on the day of the DVD release and range from $12.88- $19.88, with catalog titles starting at only $7.50 and TV shows at $1.96 per episode. In addition to individual video downloads, Wal-Mart will continue to offer physical/digital movie bundles for select movie titles throughout the year, giving customers who purchase a physical DVD the option of downloading the same title for a small additional price to use on portable devices and PCs.

Wal-Mart's beta video downloads are powered by HP's Video Merchant Services. The interface features a "movie connection" tool that allows customers to discover new movies through the visual connections between actors and directors across a complete catalog of films.

HP's Video Merchant was jointly-developed with Capgemini. HP said it plans to sell the system to other providers as well. HP's offering also will include active support of merchant licensing efforts, as well as direct access to a selection of aggregated rights from specialty and back-catalog content owners.

http://www.hp.com/large/dmp/video_merchant_services.htmlhttp://www.walmart.com/videodownloads