Blockbuster, movie rental giant, is taking a blow (and certainly not a bow) at Apple's digital media receiver, the Apple TV. The company is planning to introduce a set-top device similar to Apple's in the near future. It will compete with the Apple TV directly, as Movielink has developed a strong partnership with major movie studios to deliver digital movie content to users.

"Blockbuster will try to compete with Apple TV but without a powerful partner, I'm skeptical they can convince consumers that their brand is better than Apple's," says Michael Pachter, renowned analyst with Wedbush Morgan.

A source within Blockbuster was quoted as saying: "We're talking to numerous companies and vendors about products, services, alliances and initiatives that can help us achieve our mission to transform Blockbuster into a company that provides access to media content across multiple channels," according to hdtvorg.co.uk.

As mentioned above, Blockbuster's success depends on the outcome of their acquiring Movielink in 2007. "Blockbuster could have made it easier for itself by partnering with Apple, but it would take some convincing arguments for Apple to sign on," thestreet.com posts.

We can't say for sure whether Blockbuster's upcoming set-top box will indeed present Apple with significant competition, for once because the company is offering few details for the moment, and second because a similar set-top box to the Apple TV (if not better) was launched and was never heard of since.

And that is Achos' TV+, sporting 250GB of storage space and Wi-Fi connectivity. Using the TV+, videophiles can record and schedule their favorite TV shows and movies in high quality with the TV program Guide, wirelessly download movies, TV shows and music from the ARCHOS Content Portal, stream digital entertainment content from the PC, surf the Web, sync recorded TV shows and store everything (250GB is more than enough for any video/audiophile).

Surfing the Web, of course, also means that you can access online email and stream videos from the likes of YouTube and Dailymotion. And as far as syncing goes, a 2-hour movie syncs in just 10 minutes.

So Blockbuster either has to beat these specs (or at least meet them), bring something totally innovative and offer it via an affordable set-top box which is launching in a market that has already seen the Apple TV. Think they can do it? Well, sure they can do it (many companies can), but will they succeed?