Sonic Solutions in Broadband VOD Deals with Best Buy, LG Electronics

Sonic Solutions announced new distribution deals for its Roxio CinemaNow broadband VOD service (note: it acquired the service last November and subsequently added the name "Roxio" to its branding), Friday, with consumer electronics retailer, Best Buy, and with CE manufacturer, LG Electronics. It says that the new deals are part of a broader strategy to increase awareness of the service, build a "compelling entertainment ecosystem, and expand its reach onto a broad range of home and mobile electronics." "The exposure Roxio CinemaNow gains through leading CE device manufacturers like LG and top retailers like Best Buy will help educate millions of consumers about the convenience and flexibility of digitally delivered video entertainment," Sonic president and CEO, Dave Habiger, said in a prepared statement. "Consumers will be captivated once they discover just how easy it is to stream their favorite movies to their CE device or PC."

The deal with Best Buy will see Roxio CinemaNow being made available on select over-the-top devices at Best Buy stores, as well as through BestBuy.com. (Note: Best Buy signaled its interest in the over-the-top video space last month, when it announced that it was forming a digital media fund with VC firm, Fuse Capital, that will "focus on investments in digital media companies that will help create the next generation of leaders in categories such as music, video, games, and personal media management.") The deal with LG Electronics, meanwhile, sees Roxio CinemaNow being made available on LG Network Blu-ray disc players (models BD370 and BD390) and home theater systems (models LHB953 and LHB977). According to LG Electronics the BD390 is equipped with WiFi capabilities and with 1 gigabyte of memory for BD-Live functionality, and is the first-ever Network Blu-ray player to offer an interactive download-to-own and pay-per-view option, allowing consumers to purchase Roxio CinemaNow content "at the click of a remote." Both the BD390 and BD370 also provide access to Netflix and YouTube. The LHB953 and LHB977 home theater systems, meanwhile, are billed as supporting 1080p HD video, surround sound, and the ability to upscale standard-definition DVD's to 1080p. "With its Network Blu-ray disc players, LG is showing the future of home entertainment--a future in which the consumer is in complete control of an extensive library of instantly available premium video content," Sonic's Habiger said in a prepared statement. "Sonic will continue to work with premier CE device manufacturers like LG to meet consumers' expectations for seamless access to high-quality video entertainment from any connected device."

According to Sonic, Roxio CinemaNow supports a "rapidly expanding ecosystem of compatible devices that provides consumers a more flexible digital entertainment experience through extended multi-device access and playback capabilities." It says that this "device ecosystem" is powered by its new Roxio CinemaNow SDK and is "helping streamline the integration of turnkey premium entertainment delivery, management and sell-through services in next-generation digital home devices including portable media players, Blu-ray Disc players, set-top boxes, mobile phones, Web-connected television sets and PC's equipped with Roxio Venue software." The company claims to have relationships in place with over 250 content providers, giving it access to a portfolio of over 14,000 titles, including new releases from major studios (it says that many of these releases are available on Roxio CinemaNow day-and-date with their DVD release), independent films, and broadcast and cable TV shows.