Walmart has closed its video download service less than a year after it launched.

It did not formally announce the change but a message on the download Web site this week told users it had shut on December 21.

The company has since blamed the closure on a decision by Hewlett Packard to stop providing the software and service through which the video site worked.

However, Walmart spokeswoman Amy Colella confirmed it would not be looking for a replacement provider.

When the service launched in February observers said it could get millions of mainstream movie buyers downloading. It offered titles on the same day as DVD release and made Walmart the first large retailer to secure deals with all the major movie and television companies.

Walmart declined to say how many people had used the service.

However, Hewlett Packard spokesman Hector Marinez it halted its download video store software because the market did not perform "as expected".