Video Ezy is in talks with Apple over ways the companies can become partners on delivering movies to the video chain’s customers electronically.
The chain has long planned to offer customers the ability to walk into any of its stores with a storage device such as an iPod and load it up with movies, which they could then take home to watch on a dedicated set-top box.
Video Ezy’s general manager, Andrew Gardiner, said the eBox electronic rental system would also be offered in Blockbuster stores.
Video Ezy’s acquisition of Blockbuster Australia was given the green light by the competition regulator yesterday.
Mr Gardiner has previously said he planned to roll out the system in time for Christmas, but Video Ezy’s set-top box supplier, Mobilesoft, went into administration last month and the service will now be launched in the second quarter of next year.
Mr Gardiner said Video Ezy was now in extended talks with other technology suppliers both locally and internationally, including Apple.
“We really want to understand whether we can use Apple platforms and Apple hardware to drive some of our business processes when it comes to the box, or when it comes to delivering movies to customers,” he said.
He would not go into any further detail but said the discussions with Apple had been going on for about a year. A spokesman for Apple Australia refused to comment.
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