M+E Daily
Tesco To Offer ‘Virtual DVD’ Experience For Video Downloads
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Staking out its position in the digital entertainment marketplace, UK retailer Tesco plans to offer its DVD customers the ability to download digital copies of movies via Tesco’s own powered by Microsoft’s Silverlight technology.
In addition to providing a similar level of video quality as interactivity as the physical product, Tecso’s virtual DVD experience promises Blu-ray-like features such as auto-updated trailers and exclusive Web content.
Speaking at the recent Entertainment Supply Chain Conference, Rob Salter, Tesco’s Category Director for Entertainment, said the virtual DVD player “is a great step forward” for the retailer’s digital business. “But it’s a step forward to where customers are expecting us to be.”
In other words, the home entertainment business needs to outdo itself with video downloads; offering a DVD-like experience is only the first step.
Customers, Salter says, “are not impressed by the technology” of video downloads. “They’re expecting us to move them into a digital world where the experience is at least as good.”
