Akimbo hit play in 2002 with a hardware-based VOD set top box that allowed consumers to download television shows from its 200 partners. When the hardware didn't work out, the company branched off into the PC software business with Akimbo for Media Center in the fall of 2005. It struggled until 2006, when the company received a much-needed shot in the arm from Cisco and at&t to the tune of $15 million.

In February 2008, Akimbo shifted, again, to a video service model, but failed to raise a targeted $8 million in funding. High-level executive squabbles earlier in the year also threatened to derail the fledgling company, and this week they apparently came to a boil. More than a dozen employees were terminated on May 22, with a three-person skeleton team staying on to oversee the company's final days. All told, Akimbo received approximately $56 million over the course of its existence for basically nothing. If only Gizmondo would take the hint. [TechCrunch]

And yes, there are download services available, but they all kind of suck for one reason or another. So what do I want? I want Netflix to put out a set-top equivalent of the excellent service they already provide. With these conditions:

•HD, thank you.

•I want the entire Netflix catalogue available for downloading direct to my TV.

•I want to have a queue of movies, and when I finish watching one I can delete it and start the download of the next on my list immediately.

•While that new one is downloading I want to be able to watch another movie stored on the box. No PS3-esque funny business, Netflix.

•I want to pay a flat, monthly rate for this service, not pay per download.

•I want reliable, fast servers that won't leave me high and dry on movie night. I'm not asking for HD movies to be downloaded in 15 minutes, but I don't want to wake up in the morning to an error message or 5% of a file complete.

•If my queue happens to be empty, I want a recommended movie based on my viewing habits to automatically download. I want to be able to put a "surprise me!" item in my queue to have the same thing happen.

And don't try to sell me on other download services like Vongo or even the iTunes Movie Store that just let me get movies of variable quality to my computer. I don't want to watch movies on my computer; I want to watch them on my TV. There's Akimbo and Moviebeam, but they both just have too many limitations and hassles involved to make them worthwhile.

And then there are the on-demand services from cable providers, with HBO, Showtime, et al. offering up their shows and movies for instant viewing. This is great for their original programming, but their limited selection of crappy, full-screen movies leaves quite a bit to be desired. No thanks.

Back to the Netflix box: I'm not asking for a miracle here. I don't care how much copy-protection you stick on these things, as I have no interest in burning DVDs for "backup" or sending them to my computer so I can torrent them. No, I just want my movie viewing experience to be as simple, convenient, and painless as possible. Is that so much to ask? Let's make it happen, Netflix. –Adam Frucci

The latest Akimbo content-on-demand box is still expecting a fall release. It is being manufactured by RCA and has an expected price tag between $200 and $300 in addition to the $10 per month Akimbo fee and $2 movie download fee. The box includes a 80GB hard drive and will run on a Windows CE operating system. Downside? It won't support high-definition content. Oh, well. – Travis Hudson

Akimbo's Still Got Life [Zatz, PC Mag]