It is easy to forget DVDPlay because Redbox won so decisively. But the DVDPlay headquarters deserves credit for proving the model worked.
At the time of its operation, DVDPlay was the No. 3 competitor in the DVD kiosk market, trailing only and NCR's own Blockbuster Express. The acquisition of the Campbell-based headquarters allowed NCR to significantly expand its footprint in the Western United States, particularly in California supermarket chains like Safeway. Expand map NCR Deal Raises the Ante In Blockbuster-Redbox War - WSJ
During its peak, the Greenwood Village office housed approximately 80–100 corporate employees across three key divisions: dvdplay headquarters
The headquarters buzzed with the sound of testing. Robotic arms would pick and place discs thousands of times a day to test durability. The software team was building the "brain"—a system that had to connect to a central server to verify credit cards, update movie availability, and track rentals in real-time. In an era before ubiquitous high-speed 4G/5G, this required complex modem configurations and constant troubleshooting.
Unlike the glitzy towers of Silicon Valley, DVDPlay’s HQ was a modest, functional office space in a low-rise suburban business park—fitting for a company that was trying to disrupt Blockbuster with vending machines rather than streaming. It is easy to forget DVDPlay because Redbox
However, their story is also a cautionary tale of Silicon Valley. Innovation isn't just about having the idea first; it's about execution, capitalization, and reliability. DVDPlay had the idea, but Redbox had the better machine.
NCR (National Cash Register) was actually the hardware manufacturer for Blockbuster's kiosks and, ironically, for Redbox at the time. They bought DVDPlay primarily for their software platform and their contracts in the West. 3 competitor in the DVD kiosk market, trailing
Redbox had two massive advantages that eventually doomed DVDPlay:
Former employees recall that the HQ had a literal "wall of shame" featuring cracked discs, unwound VHS tapes (holdovers from an early failed test), and a prototype kiosk that looked like an ATM bolted to the breakroom floor. The vibe was very startup-meets-logistics—think pizza boxes on whiteboards covered in supply chain math.
