By In a move destined for failure, Redbox will soon be allowing rentals of certain movies in 4K Ultra HD. You know, the definition so high that only enthusiasts want it enough to pay near a thousand dollars for a setup? Well, soon enough those privileged few can go to their local Walgreens and wrestle with the meth addicts, so that they can throw their heads under the sun visor and spend $2.50 a day to rent a movie like The Matrix or Inception in the very highest of qualities.
For a rental option people have been abandoning in droves for some time, in favor of streaming services, this seems like a pretty daring misstep.
$2.50 is about a tenth of what it costs to buy a 4K Ultra HD movie physically, and a fifth of purchasing it digitally, so it is a deal. But that begs the question of who is going to take that deal, when they could own the movies that justify the home theater investment?
4K Ultra HD is a luxury for people who care and can afford it, while Redbox is a shitty trash heap for people who don’t care and hate themselves. I just don’t see where the lines intersect.
Redbox Begins Renting 4K Ultra HD Movies for $2.50 per Day in Six Test Markets [Variety]
