Wal-Mart Scraps Online Movie Service

Wal-Mart shuttered its 10-month-old video download service without fanfare last week, ending a disappointing experiment for the bargain retailer, Reuters reports. The site was scrapped after Hewlett Packard canceled the software that supported it, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman said. HP said it made the move after the market failed to perform "as expected."

Hailed by experts as a “game changer” when it launched in February,  Wal-Mart's download service was limited by a restriction that its movies be played on a single computer. Wal-Mart is not offering refunds for the service and plans no revamp with a new tech partner. The news comes on the heels of reports  that  Fox and Apple will offer the first downloadable flicks for rent on iTunes. (More online videos stories.)