How can I get Blinkbox and Tesco Clubcard TV?
Latest news for Blinkbox and Tesco Clubcard TVBlinkbox is a pay-as-you-go streaming film service with no subscription, mixing new DVD releases with older films. It has a gap in the ‘Sky Movies’ window, where new releases disappear for a few months before returning at a lower price after they’ve been on Sky Movies.
Clubcard TV is a free advertising-funded service for Tesco Clubcard members, powered by the Blinkbox library (Tesco owns Blinkbox), with both movies and TV shows.
How much does Blinkbox cost?
Prices for films range from 99p to £3.49 to rent and £6.99 to £10.99 to buy. Single TV episodes cost £1.99 to watch or you can buy an entire series (from £9.99 to £12.99). A new free film and TV service with advertising will launch in Spring 2013.
What’s on Blinkbox?
Blinkbox has films and TV from most of the major media companies: HBO, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros, Paramount, Sony Pictures, Universal and BBC Worldwide.
In a typical week, Blinkbox can have 35 of the top 40 latest movie releases, along with BBC shows such as Sherlock and The League of Gentlemen on demand for free.
Can I watch Blinkbox in high definition?
Blinkbox doesn’t currently stream in HD, but has promised to offer it in future.
How fast does my broadband connection need to be for Blinkbox?
Blinkbox recommends a minimum connection of 2Mbps for reliable streaming, but it uses an adaptive bit-rate which ranges from 300kbps to 1.2Mbps at 480p. Users can also manually toggle the streaming speed to adjust the quality.
How much of my broadband will Blinkbox use?
Assuming an average of 700kbps streaming speed, a two-hour film will use approximately 650MB of your download allowance.
Can I download Blinkbox movies to watch later?
No, it’s streaming-only over a live streaming connection.
Can I watch Blinkbox on my PC or Mac?
Windows and Mac users can sign in and watch films and TV through their standard web browser, although it’s recommended you watch in a new window rather than a tab.
You’ll need to install the Silverlight media player from Microsoft, which replaced Adobe Flash Player at the end of August 2012.
Can I watch Blinkbox on my iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch?
The Blinkbox iPad app lets you browse the Blinkbox catalogue, buy or rent films or TV episodes, and watch items stored in your Blinkbox video library. However, free titles are not available on the iPad, and Blinkbox will only stream over WiFi, although you can use 3G/4G to browse the catalogue.
There are no Blinkbox apps for the iPhone or iPod Touch, and you will require iOS 5.0 or better.
Can I watch Blinkbox on my Android tablet or phone?
The Blinkbox Android app lets you browse the Blinkbox catalogue, buy or rent films or TV episodes, and watch items stored in your Blinkbox video library. All new titles are available on Android, and the back catalogue is expected to be fully converted during Spring 2013, and Blinkbox will only stream over WiFi, although you can use 3G/4G to browse the catalogue.
The app requires Android 3.2 or better, although this is no guarantee of compatibility – we’ve had success with the Asus Nexus 7, Transformer TF101 and Transformer Prime, and Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. It’s also – naturally – on Tesco’s own Hudl tablet.
Can I watch Blinkbox on my Xbox 360, Playstation 3 or Nintendo Wii?
Xbox 360 owners need an Xbox Live Gold subscription to use the Blinkbox app, which can be found in Video apps on the marketplace. You can then sign in to start watching.
PlayStation 3 owners can use the web browser in the Network section of the Xross Media Bar, and access Blinkbox as if on a PC.
Blinkbox is not available on the Nintendo Wii or WiiU.
Can I watch Blinkbox on my smart TV or set-top box?
Blinkbox is available on Samsung, LG, Philips and Toshiba smart TVs, LG Blu-ray players and Smart TV Uprager boxes, and the Tesco-retailed Technika set-top box. In both cases, the app is found on the Smart TV front page or marketplace, where you can sign in and start watching instantly.
Latest news for Blinkbox and Tesco Clubcard TV
- Blinkbox offers half price gift cards
- Blinkbox finds a new home on Tesco’s £60 Hudl tablet
- Blinkbox offers pilot episodes of True Blood, The Following and Supernatural for free
- Game of Thrones S3 heading to Blinkbox mid-July
- Tesco’s Blinkbox Music goes into beta against Spotify and Google Play
- Tesco’s Clubcard TV snaps up BBC comedy, drama, children’s classics and cookery
- Tesco to take on Spotify and Kindle with Blinkbox music and books brands this year
- Tesco Clubcard TV launching today, free Blinkbox movies for card holders
- Skyfall lands on Blinkbox along with 22 other James Bond outings
- Blinkbox Android app arrives, James Bond Skyfall-ing in on Monday
- Free movies for Tesco Clubcard holders with Clubcard TV
- ‘Aphrodisiac’ popcorn prize for film lovers
- Apocalypse Now, Source Code and The Hurt Locker lead Studio Canal classics collection
- Blinkbox nabs Shaun The Sheep and Peppa Pig
- Now available on Philips Smart TVs
- Prometheus and Wrath of the Titans now available
- The Hunger Games and Avengers Assemble arrive
- Now uses Silverlight instead of Flash
- Game of Thrones and True Blood available to rent and buy
- Toy Story, Aladdin and The Muppets available
Free movies for Tesco Clubcard holders with Clubcard TV
Tesco has launched Clubcard TV, a free video on-demand service exclusively for Tesco Clubcard holders powered by the Blinkbox video on demand library.
Yes, you read that free bit right. What’s really interesting is that Tesco is promising that there’ll be no fees and no subscriptions with Clubcard TV, so long as you’re a Clubcard holder. This could be a real game changer in the UK video on-demand market and could see a boatload of people cancelling subscriptions elsewhere and hastily filling out Clubcard forms.
Currently, it looks like its a closed beta – there’s a form inviting you to sign up now for a trial but once we entered our digits, we didn’t get much further than that.
What’s interesting is that Tesco hasn’t chosen to front load its splash page with high-end titles secured by Blinkbox such as Game of Thrones Season 2 (which still isn’t out on DVD), Prometheus and The Hurt Locker. Hopefully the titles listed, including the straight-to-video Tom Hanks vehicle Mazes and Monsters and old Batman cartoons are just placeholders.
We’ll update once we know more…
February 12, 2013
Film lovers can win world’s first ‘aphrodisiac’ popcorn
A few lucky Blinkbox customers and Twitter followers could be snuggling up with a romantic film and a box of the world’s first ‘aphrodisiac’ popcorn.
The on-demand film service has selected a few existing customers to receive a box of the Lights, Popcorn, Action! flavour, made with pop-culture aphrodisiacs ginseng, ginger and chocolate.
Blinkbox is also inviting Twitter followers to take a chance for love: all you have to do is follow @blinkbox and tweet who you’d like to share the popcorn with and why, from 10am on February 7 to 10am on February 12.
The best tweets will receive a tub of the limited edition popcorn, created with French gourmet popcorn company Cheeky Frog.
Blinkbox’s Ben Ayers adds: “Going out on Valentine’s Day can be a nightmare, with overpriced restaurants and dodgy serenades.
“Our saucy treat will be the perfect accompaniment to our fantastic selection of the latest movies and TV. What’s not to love?”
February 6, 2013
Apocalypse Now, Source Code and The Hurt Locker lead Studio Canal classics collection
More than 160 films including critically-acclaimed titles such as Apocalypse Now, Source Code and The Hurt Locker are joining the Blinkbox rental library.
The deal with Studio Canal brings other titles include Rust and Bone, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and Mulholland Drive.
Michael Comish, CEO Tesco Digital Entertainment, said: “This latest deal brings some of the most critically acclaimed films ever made to Blinkbox for 2013.
“That’s great news for movie fans. We set the bar high with new content in 2012 but we’ll be looking to add even more great titles this year.”
January 25, 2013
Blinkbox nabs Shaun The Sheep and Peppa Pig
Blinkbox is now playing home to children’s favourites including Shaun The Sheep and Peppa Pig.
A string of new deals signed with content owners including Aardman, Cookie Jar, eOne and Lionsgate will see hits including The Adventures of Paddington Bear, Johnny Test and Poppy Cat heading to Blinkbox.
Parents after some on-demand programmes to watch with their kids (or something to distract them while the present wrapping happens) can sign up for Blinkbox on a number of devices including PC and Mac machines, selected smart TVs as well as PS3 and Xbox 360.
Instead of paying a monthly fee, you pay per programme, with prices starting at £1.99 per episode or a series from £9.99.
December 7, 2012
Now available on Philips Smart TVs
Blinkbox movies on-demand are now available to watch on your Philips smart TV set, according to the latest from TP Vision for Philips.
This morning the company announced that the on-demand movie and TV streaming app is now available to download on Philips smart TVs, months after the partnership was announced back in August.
Blinkbox has over 15,000 movies and TV titles in its arsenal, which is several thousand more than what’s available from Netflix and Lovefilm.
Blinkbox lets you watch movies on a pay-per-view basis, so there’s no monthly charge or obligation to use it, you just pay for what you want to watch, when you want to watch it.
November 5, 2012
Prometheus and Wrath of the Titans now available
Ridley Scott’s mystifying Alien unprequel Prometheus will lead Blinkbox’s pack of October films with Snow White & The Huntsman close behind, while there’s a Hallowe’en flavour to this month’s free films.
October 1 sees the arrival of Snow White & The Huntsman and Wrath Of The Titans, with Prometheus, Ill Manors and Rock Of Ages on October 8.
Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows screens from October 15, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and What To Expect When You’re Expecting from October 22, and the month closes with The Five Year Engagement on October 29.
Four spine-chilling free titles arrive on Blinkbox from October 1: Eighties’ brat-horror classic The Lost Boys, Murder At 1600, The Invasion and the original hockey mask teen slasher pic, Friday The 13th.
September 28, 2012
The Hunger Games and Avengers Assemble arrive
The Hunger Games and Avengers Assemble lead Blinkbox’s roster of new films for September, with freebies including Chevy Chase classic National Lampoon’s Vacation.
Paid titles (and their release dates) are: The Hunger Games (Sept 3), Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (Sept 3), American Pie Reunion (Sept 10), Pirates! (Sept 11), The Avengers Assemble (Sept 17), The Dictator (Sept 24), and Cabin in the Woods (Sept 24).
There are also four new free titles this month: House on Haunted Hill (Sept 1), Romeo Must Die (Sept 1), National Lampoon’s Vacation (Sept 1), and Payback (Sept 20).
September 14, 2012
Now uses Silverlight instead of Flash
Blinkbox has today swapped to Microsoft’s Silverlight streaming video player from Adobe Flash Player for PC and Mac users.
CEO Michael Comish said Silverlight will deliver smoother video streaming with higher picture quality, and is more secure against piracy. Users will be prompted to install Silverlight if they don’t already have it on their PC or Mac.
August 28, 2012
Game of Thrones and True Blood available to rent and buy
Game of Thrones, True Blood and other HBO series are now available to buy on Blinkbox before they’re available on Blu-ray or DVD, thanks to a deal with HBO.
Series one of Game of Thrones is available to buy for £17.99, or £1.89/episode, alongside mini-series such as Band of Brothers and The Pacific.
August 13, 2012
Toy Story, Aladdin and The Muppets available
Disney joins the Blinkbox line-up with films like Toy Story, Aladdin and Mary Poppins, plus ABC-made shows including Lost and Grey’s Anatomy.
Future and upcoming titles like War Horse and The Muppets will be available to watch on-demand the same day that they’re launched on DVD.
April 4, 2012
Leave a Reply