The New Blockbuster Movie Pass with DISH vs the old Blockbuster On Demand

Back in January 2011 Vizio announced that as a result of a content agreement with Blockbuster that it would offer an VIA App for Blockbuster on Demand.

For a short time you could get Blockbuster On Demand through web-enabled VIZIO HDTVs and other devices. But that didn't last long.

What a difference a year makes.

Later in the year VIZIO Internet Apps (VIA) and Blockbuster no longer offered an app for Blockbuster Video on Demand.

In September The Dish Network announced their re-branded service -- Blockbuster Movie Pass.

At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January The Dish Network presented Blockbuster Movie Pass as its streaming online service.

The last couple of years saw Blockbuster, a mostly bricks-and-mortar DVD rental business. struggling against the advent of competitive services like Netlix and other providers of content over the internet.

Blockbuster saw the handwriting on the wall. It started up a streaming service of its own -- Blockbuster on Demand.

But it was too late. Blockbuster declared bankruptcy and was eventually auctioned off to the DISH Network which was looking to expand its own services in the light of competition. DISH completed the acquisition on April 26, 2011 and spent the next months rebranding Blockbuster as Blockbuster Movie Pass

On September 23, 2011 DISH announced the new Blockbuster Mover Pass. According to DISH You neet to have a DISH Network Subscription and you need a DISH Network HD DVR.

Blockbuster Movie Pass is available to DISH customers for $10 a month (plus the DISH Network Subscription).

New customers get Blockbuster Movie Pass free for one year if they subscribe before Jan 31, 2011.

Like VIZIO, DISH constantly seeks out new content agreements with providers. Here's how you can use the new Blockbuster Movie Pass:

Movies and games online

• Stream more than 10,000 movies to your TV, 25,000+ movies to your PC, plus hundreds of on-demand TV shows -- including 3000 titles for kids aged 3 to 13.

• Play 3000+ vidEo games received via mail for XBOX®, XBOX 360®, Playstation2™, Playstation3™, and Nintendo Wii™

• Watch 20+ premium entertainment movie channels

• Receive DVDs by mail for 100,000+ movies, TV shows and games -- no added charge for Blu-ray.

• Unlimited exchange of DVDs at participating Blockbuster stores. Many Blockbuster stores were closed; however, many stores are still in business with the DISH Network.

According to Blockbuster you can get many new releases 28 days before they are available on Netflix and Redbox.

Television networks online

You can also watch content from the following network channels with your Blockbuster Movie Pass subscription (as of January 2012). Blockbuster calls these selections Networks Online:

• Encore. Premium television channel owned by Liberty Starz which also owns the Starz and MoviePlex channel. With Blockbuster Movie Pass you get a choice of 258 movies and 29 episodes from 7 shows.

• Epix. Premium television channel operated by Studio 3 Partners. Blockbuster Movie Pass gets you a choice of 3234 movies and 58 episodes from 18 shows.

• Hallmark Channel. A cable television network offering television movies and miniseries. Current offering by Blockbuster Movie Pass: 9 movies.

• HDNet. Men's interest television network in exclusively HD format. Blockbuster Movie Pass gets you 58 episodes of 8 TV series. The channel will be re-branded as AXS TV during the summer of 2012.

• Logo. LGBT interest television network. Blockbuster Movie Pass gives you 2 movies.

• MGM. Movie offerings from the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film library. Blockbuster Movie Pass offers 100 movies.

• MoviePlex. Premium television network that features older and newer movies. You get 214 movies through Blockbuster Movie Pass.

• PixL. Television network of family-friendly films and miniseries. Blockbuster Movie Pass features 46 movies from PixL.

• Sony Movie Channel. Television channel offering exclusively HD movies and features from Sony Pictures Television. You get 16 movies with the Blockbuster Movie Pass.

• Starz. This is the flagship television channel owned by Liberty Starz. It is a premium television channel that offers first-run movies and some original programming. Blockbuster Movie Pass offers 240 movies from Starz.

• Sundance Channel. Network devoted to independent feature films, world cinema, documentaries, short films, and original programs, such as news about the latest developments from each year's Sundance Film Festival. Blockbuster Movie Pass offers 147 movies.

• Universal. Devoted to movies and television series in the thriller, drama, comedy, horror, crime and investigation genres, this network is owned by Universal Networks International, You get 20 movies and 58 episodes of one series with Blockbuster Movie Pass.

• WFN-World Fishing Network. As its name suggests this network features fishing and related programming, including both recreational and sport fishing plus lifestyle programming. Blockbuster Movie Pass offers 116 episodes from 12 shows.

If you're not a subscriber to DISH Network you're out of luck if you want Blockbuster streaming content. There is a fast-growing amount of movies and television content available through Blockbuster's competitors, including Netflix on VIZIO HDTV and other devices.

But you can still get Blockbuster DVDs through the mail. Similar to Netflix, Blockbuster offers a plan where you can have unlimited rentals sent by mail. Unlike Netflix which doesn't have bricks and mortar stores, you can also get unlimited store exchanges. The rate depends on how many discs you may have out at a time:

• $9.99 per month -- 1 disc out at a time
• $14.99 per month -- 2 discs out at a time
• $19.99 per month -- 3 discs out at a time

Games and Blu-ray discs are included in these prices.