Aug. 5, 2008, Dallas, Texas - Blockbuster Inc. and NCR Corp. will be putting out 50 automated kiosks that provide DVD rentals as a pilot program that could result in 10,000 kiosks within 18 months.

Blockbuster, the video rental chain, and NCR, the maker of ATMs, have previously announced plans to deploy kiosks. In their Monday release, they did not say where the first kiosks would be located.

Several smaller companies, including McDonald's Corp. subsidiary Redbox Automated Retail LLC, have deployed thousands of automated DVD rental kiosks in grocery stores, drug stores and McDonald's restaurants.

The Blockbuster-branded kiosks will initially only provide rentals, but could in the future also sell DVDs and video games, or accept downloads of new content.

Blockbuster showed off a downloading kiosk in May that could transfer movies to a portable media-playing device from Archos. The first two of those machines are expected to be installed in two Dallas stores this summer.

"This initial rollout provides consumers increasingly convenient access to their favourite movies and is one more step in the fulfilment of our mission to transform Blockbuster into a multi-channel provider of media entertainment," said Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes.