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Filed under: Video

Amazon Video on Demand Service is Mac-friendly

by Mat Lu (RSS feed) on Jul 17th, 2008

Back in 2006 we covered the launch of the Amazon Unbox video service which was then being pitched as the best alternative to the iTunes Store. There was one big problem: it didn't support Macs. Now, finally, Amazon is starting to rectify the situation with their new Amazon Video on Demand Service. PC Magazine has a First Look at the Service and, sure enough, it now supports Macs.

It appears that the new service will be similar to Netflix's streaming (which does not support the Mac, though they have promised it a long time ago) in that you'll be able to watch 40,000 movies and television shows in your browser. Unlike Netflix, however, the content will be priced individually with no subscription options. The video will be streamed with Flash 9.

Unfortunately, the program is still in beta and Amazon apparently has enough testers at the moment. However, you can sign up for their beta mailing list if you want to get in the next time they issue invitations.

Tags: Amazon, amazon unbox, Amazon Video on Demand, AmazonUnbox, AmazonVideoOnDemand

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, iTS, Internet Tools

NBC shows leave iTunes but join Amazon's Unbox

by Scott McNulty (RSS feed) on Sep 5th, 2007

Here's a quick recap of the NBC/Apple tussle, for those who are tuning in late:
  1. NBC says Apple is mean and won't renew their contract ('These shows are my toys and I'm going home!').
  2. Apple says NBC is a stupidhead, and NBC's shiny new shows won't be available in iTunes ('How are those toys now? Taste a little better with the salt from your tears, NBC?').
  3. NBC and Amazon become BFF's. NBC no longer makes eye contact with Apple when they meet in the hallway between classes.
That's right, NBC's upcoming season of shows may not be available via iTunes (pending contract negotiations), but they will be available at Amazon Unbox. What's Amazon Unbox you ask? It is ok not to recognize it, since few people actually use it (and even fewer Mac users, since it is PC only). Unbox is Amazon's video download service that allows you to rent or buy movies and tv shows which you can then play back on authorized devices (rentals can play back on one device, while the things you buy can be played on two computers and two portable devices but no iPods since they aren't supported).

NBC went with Amazon, reports the New York Times, because Amazon agreed to be flexible with pricing. This translates to higher prices for more recent shows, with the back catalog being cheaper (which is what I assume NBC wanted Apple to do all along). Amazon Unbox will also offer up free previews of NBC's upcoming shows, as well as a discount for people buying whole seasons worth of shows (does any of this sound familiar?).

The coolest part of all this is that you can download these shows to your Tivo, though if you have a Tivo why wouldn't you just set it to record these NBC shows for free, like Nik suggests?

Tags: amazon, amazon unbox, AmazonUnbox, itunes, nbc, unbox

Filed under: Video, Internet, Internet Tools

Amazon Unbox

by Scott McNulty (RSS feed) on Sep 8th, 2006



The long rumored Amazon video download service has made its debut. Amazon Unbox is its name, and it has some very cool features. Progressive downloading means you can watch your movie, or tv show, as it is downloading which is helpful since Unbox only allows one download at a time and with 1 hour of footage measuring in at a gig, you'll thank Amazon for this feature. You can also buy videos on one machine and download them to another, though only 2 machines can actually pay the videos.

Amazon claims that the resolution of their videos (which you can purchase or rent for 24 hours) is twice that of their competitors. Couple that with surround sound and an impressive lineup of content and we may have a winner here. Price varies from $7.99 and $14.99 for movies, but TV shows will set you back a familiar $1.99.

There is one problem though, none of this will work on a Mac. The Unbox video player is required to play any of these videos and it is Windows only.

Tags: amazon, amazon unbox, AmazonUnbox

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