A technical glitch exposed what could possibly be a new download service from online DVD rental service Netflix. The glitch has appeared on some users' account information pages under a section for a "Netflix Player" with the option to register a player and name the "box."

TiVo, meanwhile, has begun to show off a beta version of a new movie download service at recent community gatherings, and it had signed a deal with Netflix in late September to bring movies on-demand to its subscribers.

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Online movie rental store Netflix and Wal-Mart announced on Thursday a partnership to replace the brick-and-mortar store's online DVD rental service with a co-branded rental site from Netflix. In return, Netflix will feature Wal-Mart's online DVD store as its recommended site for movie purchases both on its site and through e-mails.

Exisiting rental customers of Wal-Mart's Rental Service will be offered a deal where they can sign up to Netflix at their previous monthly rate for a period of one year.

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Firing the latest salvo in the online DVD rental war, Blockbuster has announced to customers it will lower monthly pricing by $2.50 to $14.99 USD. The cheaper rate takes effect immediately and will last until at least the end of next year, Blockbuster said. But rival Netflix remained unfazed by the news and has no plans to drop its prices.

Netflix lowered its pricing in November to $17.99 USD when faced with growing competition from Blockbuster and retail giant Wal-Mart. However, Netflix says the latest move by Blockbuster indicates the death of the video store is coming; Blockbuster currently offers in-store subscriptions at $24.99 USD.

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Looking to boost its subscriber base in the face of growing competition from Blockbuster and Wal-Mart, Netflix is testing out a new form of marketing: social networking. The online DVD rental firm plans to allow members to invite friends to read their movie reviews and create linked relationships between reviewers. Subscribers will be able to easily view the opinions of those connected to them, instead of only those selected by Netflix.

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Five months after raising its standard DVD rental subscription rate to $21.99, NetFlix has backtracked on the decision. Starting November 1, the company will now offer 3-at-a-time DVD movies for $17.99, in a bid to keep competitive with rental offerings from Blockbuster and Wal-Mart.

"Since our price increase in June, some of our members have expressed concerns about the new pricing," NetFlix wrote in an e-mail to subscribers. "We've listened to this feedback and are pleased to inform you that we're lowering the price of your Netflix 3-at-a-time program."

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