We’re always working to bring Roku customers the best range and quality in streaming entertainment, and today we’re excited to announce that Redbox Instant by Verizon will arrive on the Roku platform this summer!

Redbox Instant subscribers will be able to enjoy thousands of popular movies on Roku as well as buy and rent the newest releases on-demand.

The channel will be available on Roku 3, Roku 2, Roku LT (models 2400 & 2450), and Roku HD (model 2500) players in addition to the Roku Streaming Stick when Verizon launches it.

Redbox also announced this week that Redbox Instant is now available for Google TV, working on the following devices: the 47G2 and 55G2 Google TV-enabled Smart TVs from LG, NETGEAR’s NeoTV Prime with Google TV, the Sony Internet Player NSZ-GS7, and the Vizio Co-Star.

Clearly getting on as many devices as possible will be key to the success of the service as it competes with Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and others.

Redbox Instant senior product manager Brad Bowers writes on the Google TV blog, “It’s Friday night and you want to watch a movie. Great! If you have Google TV, now you can enjoy a flick in your living room using the Redbox Instant by Verizon app available through a supported Google TV device.”

The app works on the following devices: the 47G2 and 55G2 Google TV-enabled Smart TVs from LG, NETGEAR’s NeoTV Prime with Google TV, the Sony Internet Player NSZ-GS7, and the Vizio Co-Star.

Redbox notes that you need to make sure you have the latest version of your device’s firmware.

“The app delivers the full Redbox Instant by Verizon experience right to your living room,” says Bowers. “This includes access to your subscription disc and streaming package, and ability to purchase and rent the latest new releases from the Redbox Instant store.”

You can sign up for the service from the web or through the app itself.

To celebrate this milestone, Redbox is offering specific rental deals to Canadians, which can be found on Redbox Canada’s Facebook page until April 11th.

“We’re delighted that Canadians have chosen Redbox as their destination for easy, affordable entertainment a million times over in just 10 months,” said Ron Cihocki, country manager, Redbox Canada. “To thank Canada for helping us reach our one millionth rental, we invite customers to enjoy great rental offers by visiting our Facebook page over the coming weeks.”

For Redbox, Canada is a market in its infancy. In the U.S., Redbox sees 62 million rentals a month. As of the end of 2012, Redbox had rented out over 2.5 billions discs to U.S. customers.

Of course, Redbox kiosks are everywhere in the U.S., with over 34,000 locations nationwide. 68% of the U.S. population lives within a 5-minute drive of a Redbox kiosks. By comparison, there’s less than a thousand Redbox kiosks in Canada – so 1 million rentals is a big deal.

Redbox kiosks in Canada, like Redbox kiosks in the U.S., have just recently received a boost from the brand new Redbox Instant service.

Redbox Instant, the company’s streaming service with partner Verizon, just launched out of beta and became open to the public earlier this month. The service costs $8 a month for unlimited streaming of over 4,500 movies (no TV shows yet), and also contains 4 free DVD rentals built into the monthly price.

Which is what happened last week. After a three-month beta, Redbox Instant finally launched to the public.

Redbox Instant costs $8 a month, and that includes unlimited streaming of all 4,600 movies (no TV shows yet) in the Redbox Instant catalog, as well as a bonus 4 free DVD rentals from Redbox kiosks (which pays for over half the price itself, when you think about it). For $9 a month, you can upgrade your subscription to include Blu-Ray discs in the total package.

As of now, this is an exclusive deal – the Xbox 360 is the only console to feature a Redbox Instant app.

“Attention Redbox fans: the Redbox Instant by Verizon app is available on Xbox 360 now. Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers in the U.S. can sign up for Redbox Instant by Verizon and start enjoying Hollywood’s newest releases, in addition to a movie-lovers collection of popular classics available for unlimited streaming. Redbox Instant by Verizon also offers the ability to purchase and rent new releases and stream them directly into your living room through Xbox 360 without needing a subscription.” says the Major Nelson blog.

The Redbox Instant app also supports voice and gesture control via Kinect.

Yes, as with most streaming apps on the Xbox 360, a Xbox Live Gold membership is required. If you’re not a Gold member and you still want to check out Redbox Instant app – you’re in luck. The app will be unlocked for all Xbox LIVE members for a limited time.

And it looks like he’s a man of his word. Today, Redbox Instant is officially open to the public.

“Disc + digital for everyone! We’re now open to the public,” tweeted Redbox Instant this afternoon.

Redbox Instant, which launched its private beta back in December, costs $8 a month and gives subscribers access to over 4,500 movies (no TV shows yet). There’s also a bonus 4 free DVD rentals built in to the monthly price, which pays for over half the fee itself.

Redbox Instant doesn’t boast the quantity or quality of content available on Netflix Instant. A recent analysis showed that out of the “first 50″ titles streaming on Redbox Instant, 40 are available on Netflix too. It’s not to say that Redbox doesn’t bring anything to the table, but it’s going to fight to compete with the entrenched services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Instant Video.

Back in February, we learned that Redbox Instant would be coming to the Xbox 360 as a console exclusive. Of course, to access that app you have to be a Xbox Live Gold member.

[GigaOm]

“Today we’re happy to reveal that Redbox Instant by Verizon will be coming to Xbox 360 in the very near future,” says the Major Nelson blog. No other details were provided on the exact launch date of the new app, simply the “very near future.”

Also adding to a vagueness is the phrase “coming days,” which is the time frame in which current Redbox Instant beta participants will receive an email with a special access code. Redbox Instant is currently in a beta testing phase, but is likely to open up to everyone by March.

As is the case with Netflix, HBO Go, Hulu, and most other Xbox apps, an Xbox LIVE Gold membership will be required to use the new Redbox Instant app. Redbox Instant itself costs $8 a month ($9 for Blu-ray), and that includes full streaming access as well as four additional physical rentals.

Score one for Microsoft as they’ve just landed another streaming video option to tempt users into paying for Xbox LIVE Gold – even if Redbox Instant’s current offerings leave a lot to be desired.

After a long wait, Redbox Instant by Verizon finally launched in beta last month. It’s a gradual rollout, and as of right now you still need an invitation to be able to join.

The service costs $8 a month, and gives subscribers access to a library of 4,500 films. Film, specifically, as the service doesn’t yet offer any TV shows.

Of course, Redbox Instant will be competing with other streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Instant Video. As you would expect from any brand new streaming service, it’s starting off kind of slow. That is, the selection is not quite on par with its competitors. A recent analysis showed that out of the “first 50″ titles streaming on Redbox Instant, 40 are available on Netflix too. Redbox Instant will continues to add titles leading up to its public launch, but it has a ways to go to match the content options available on other services.

What it does have, however is that nice little bonus built into the subscription: 4 free DVD rentals from Redbox kiosks. That alone is worth $4 of the monthly price.

[via VentureBeat]

An analyst with BTIG today released a comparison of Redbox Instant to other popular streaming services, and the outlook isn’t pretty. Of the “first 50″ titles Redbox Instant will have streaming at launch, 40 of them can also be found on Netflix. The remaining 10 aren’t the type of movies that will sell the service to customers, at least not the ones that have the money to pay for a streaming video service. Many of the exclusives consist of concert flicks such as Taylor Swift: Just For You, Biebermania, and Lady Gaga: One Sequin at a Time. Killjoy 3 is also included, for fans of obscure horror.

That isn’t to say Redbox Instant will be devoid of popular movies. Thor, Rango, and the latest Transformers movie can be found on the service. It’s just that they can also be found streaming through Netflix, Amazon, and Epix.

So, Redbox Instant will be off to the slow start that other video streaming services. However, it’s a necessary step for Redbox, as even their breakthrough kiosk business will eventually become outdated as physical media formats become obsolete. With this in mind, Redbox Instant’s offers of bundled-in kiosk DVD rentals could help the service build a solid base of customers in the short-term.

The service is $8 a month (it’s free for one month), and gives users access to unlimited streaming movies and 4 DVD credits per month.

The U.S. has been waiting nearly a year for Redbox to launch its answer to Netflix Instant, and now the battle should heat up substantially. It will be quite interesting to see how many deals Redbox is able to make to get more content. Right now, the service has a long way to go to catch up to Netflix on that front. It doesn’t even have TV shows, and the movie selection is far less than Netflix, but it is just getting started. Let’s see how it plays out.

The mobile apps are now in Google Play and the App Store (via 9to5Google).

GigaOm’s Janko Roettgers stumbled across a help section about the service, which has now been removed from public view. According to Roettgers, the section revealed that subscriptions are priced at $6 a month for unlimited access to the subscription video catalog and $8 a month for that plus four Redbox credits, good for DVD rentals. Users will be able to reserve the rentals from the Instant site, Roettgers says.

The service also provides on-demand rentals and sales, starting at $0.99 with service available on the web, Android, iOS, Xbox 360, and some Samsung TVs and Blu-Ray players.

A possible release date was also revealed, according to the report, as beta testers are told that they won’t be able to access DVDs through the subscriptions until December 17.

Of course, being how none of this is public, any of it is subject to change, so we’ll have to keep everything here filed in the rumor department for the time being.

Redbox Instant is a joint venture between Redbox and Verizon. TiVo settled litigation with Verizon in September, and part of the agreement involved TiVo and Verizon “exploring, among other things, future distribution of Internet video services” developed through the joint venture – namely Redbox Instant.