While it's slightly amusing to note the companies forced to "slash" prices in reaction to Apple (:cough: Kindle), it's also worth noting that (a.) this is a heck of a deal on the Roku, which was already cheap, and (b.) Apple is unlikely to announce anything tomorrow or in the near future that puts me off the Roku anyway.

The Roku (which I call, lovingly, the magic box) offers Netflix streaming, Amazon rentals and a host of other channels I don't really watch. (Occasionally I watch some TwiT and Leo Laporte, although it's been a while. Sorry Leo!) And, it connects to a standard-def TV, which is important stuff that the iTV likely won't do.

What doesn't it do? It doesn't connect to YouTube, which would be handy occasionally and it doesn't download or record anything, which could also be useful if I could actually find something on TV. Other than that, unless Apple ends up with considerably more TV shows for subscription OR some sort of major NFL access, I doubt I'm switching.

(And the joke's on us if Apple doesn't actually announce anything aside from a sweet new iPod Touch, which, OTOH, I would want.)

Blockbuster tells Hollywood studios it's preparing for mid-September bankruptcy

August 26, 2010 |  3:56 pm

After dominating the home video rental business for more than a decade and struggling to survive in recent years against upstarts Netflix and Redbox, Blockbuster Inc. is preparing to file for bankruptcy next month, according to people who have been briefed on the matter.

Executives from Blockbuster and its senior debt holders last week held meetings with the six major movie studios to discuss their intention to enter a “pre-planned” bankruptcy in mid-September, said several people familiar with the situation who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of ongoing talks.

Blockbuster is hoping to use its time in Chapter 11 to restructure a crippling debt load of nearly $1 billion and escape leases on 500 or more of it 3,425 stores in the U.S. Maintaining the support of Hollywood's film studios during the process will be critical so that Blockbuster can continue to rely upon an uninterrupted supply of new DVDs.

Not surprising, I suppose, considering how many of us get movies from the Internet, via such devices as my favorite magic box. If, in fact, Apple decides to toss its hat in the ring with an updated iTV device within the next two weeks, then this news is so coincidentally timed that you wouldn't believe it in the movie version of the story. Out with the old, in with the new?

After the latest Apple TV rumor, an analyst claims—once again—that Apple will make a 40-inch TV for $2,000, perhaps with integrated apps, gaming and iPhones/iPad connectivity. If true, that would be a very stupid idea.

I agree. It makes much more sense for Apple to build a set-top (or set-side or whatever they are these days) box instead of an actual TV, since many of us already have TVs and might not rush to the store to get a different one.

I'll offer one caveat -- Apple seems to love building expensive Mac displays that compete against a massive crop of cheaper LCDs, so maybe Steve'll put out a TV, too, that offers premium visuals and sound to those select few who can afford it.

But I doubt an Apple-branded TV would become anything close to the market penetration or revenue numbers that an iTV -- as a standalone device -- could accomplish.