Redbox Instant Comes to Xbox 360: Should Netflix Worry?

Redbox Instant — the streaming service from Redbox and Verizon — is now available on the Xbox 360.

If you're a Redbox Instant user, look for an email with a link to a claim code. Redeem the code on your Xbox 360 and the Redbox Instant app will download to your dashboard.

The app lets users access Redbox subscription (streaming) films and also search for films to reserve for pickup at a Redbox kiosk.

In my tests, the video quality for the film I watched (the so-bad-it's-almost-good Stuart Saves His Family) was on par with the same film viewed via Netflix on the Xbox 360.

The layout of the app is similar to other Xbox video apps — most notably Amazon Instant Video.

Movie Selection Is Growing, But Still Small

Redbox Instant opened up its beta in December with a small selection of streaming titles and an app for iOS and Android. I gained access to the service at the beginning of January and have had the last few weeks to evaluate the offering.

In the first weeks that the service was available, there were less than 200 movies to stream. That number is now over 2,000, though Netflix or Amazon Prime users will be hard pressed to find studio content not already available on those services.

For instance, the bulk of Redbox's newer content comes from its deal with pay cabler Epix. Epix has had a deal with Netflix since 2010 and signed on with Amazon in September 2012.

The best way to describe Redbox Instant's selection is as a cross between the bargain DVD bin at a Blockbuster Video circa 2000 and the daytime programming on HBO and Cinemax during the mid 1990s.

That means lots of hits from the 1980s and 1990s — including comedies such as Roxanne and Back to School — interspersed with forgettable flicks such as Swordfish, Idle Hands and Romeo Must Die.

There are some gems in the collection — Lars and the Real Girl, Winter's Bone and The Conspirator, but those are few and far between. Instead, much of the catalogue consists of straight-to-video films, B-movies, documentaries of musicians and some truly terrible films (She Devil, the aforementioned Stuart Saves His Family, Catwoman).

For now, the biggest reason to try out Redbox Instant would be for those who find themselves renting from the kiosk a few times a month. Included in the $8 subscription are four kiosk credits. For $1 more a month, users can upgrade to Blu-ray.

The nice part of the Redbox app for iOS and Android — as well as on the Xbox 360 — is that users can browse both category selections. That way, if I want to pick up John Carter on Blu-ray, I can do it at the same time I cue up Justin Bieber's Never Say Never to stream instantly. I'll end up cutting myself in order to get through either film, the point is I can control this torture from one interface.

Redbox Instant has a long way to go before it can compete with the likes of Netflix and Amazon. Still, I'm not willing to write the service off just yet. After all, when Amazon Prime Instant Video launched two years ago, the title selection was limited. If Redbox and Verizon are serious about competing for streaming eyeballs, the title selection will improve over time.

For those who are interested — the first month of Redbox Instant is free to try out and it includes four Redbox kiosk rentals.

I'll keep checking in with Redbox Instant to see how its catalogue evolves.

Homepage image courtesy of Redbox Instant
Images by Mashable, Christina Warren