If you somehow still live near a Blockbuster rental store, you probably won't be living near a Blockbuster rental store for much longer. CNet's Lance Whitney writes:

Blockbuster has admitted defeat in the DVD-rental business.

Parent company Dish announced Wednesday that it will shut down all remaining company-owned Blockbuster stores in the United States by early January 2014. The closure will affect around 300 remaining retail outlets as well as the company's distribution centers.

The Blockbuster By Mail service will be cut off in mid-December. Only franchised and licensed stores in the US and abroad will keep their doors open.

When visiting my family in Maine, renting a movie has become a real chore. The great local video store that was there all through my childhood, Nicely's, closed after a Blockbuster moved in nearby. Now the Blockbuster is gone and the nearest video store is at least 40 minutes away. The only option for conveniently renting a movie in this low-speed internet zone? A Redbox kiosk down at the local Hannaford's. That means the selection is limited to a couple dozen movies, mostly within the last nine months of new releases. Somehow, we've moved from an era of plenty to an era of barely any choice at all. Those of you who are only getting your entertainment through one source, be it Netflix or Amazon or Apple, should remember that the monolithic content providers of today are the Blockbusters of tomorrow. Plan accordingly.