After earlier letting services like Lovefilm on to its connected devices, Sony (NYSE: SNE) has now brought its own Qriocity entertainment rental service some of the line-up in Europe.
Qriocity – available on Bravia TVs and Blu-ray players – already quietly launched in the U.S. in April with VOD movies over broadband, but Sony has since said the awkward-sounding brand will also offer unlimited music streaming, followed by games and e-books.
Today’s milestone is Qriocity’s availability in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. But it’s still not quite the ubiquitous entertainment service Sony might have envisaged…
Apart from the absence of music, Qriocity is still missing from PlayStation 3, the console on which movie renter Lovefilm launched last week. And Sony gave Lovefilm a leg-up over its own offering when it admitted it on to its Sony Internet TV (Bravia) devices some time ago.
The line-up of either service is not the set of big-name, A-list titles consumers might most want following their time in the cinema-release window.
Qriocity has European repertoire from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM), Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Starz Digital Media, The Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) Company, NBC Universal (NYSE: GE) International Television Distribution, and Warner Bros. (NYSE: TWX) Digital Distribution, and local studios.
Rental prices are from £2.49 for archive, £3.49 for newest releases (HD are £3.49 and £4.49 respectively). Customers have a 14-day playback window after rental, and 48 hours within which to watch.