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Amazon To Launch New Streaming Video Service

Posted by Soulskill on from the upgrades dept.

The New York Times reports that Amazon has begun a limited testing of its new Video on Demand service, which will replace its Unbox store. The significant difference between the two is that the new service will stream movies through your browser rather than requiring you to download them and use Amazon's video player. Users will also retain access to movies and shows they're previously purchased. The service is not expected to be particularly profitable; Amazon is most likely looking to the future.

3 of 51 comments (clear)

  1. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. by suck_burners_rice · · Score: 2, Insightful

    One of these days, those big evil media companies will figure out that embracing the Internet and technology will actually improve their business. This is one tiny step in that direction. Kudos to Amazon.

    --
    McCain/Palin '08. Now THAT's hope and change!
  2. Re:International Market? by daemonburrito · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The content cartels have had region-coding to game the international economy for more than a decade. No way they're going to give that up just because it's on the web.

    I would venture a guess that some of that region-based pricing might be built in to contracts with the content people.

  3. Hopefully this is just the beginning... by TheModelEskimo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    When I bought my first Linux-preinstalled laptop last year, I felt like I was really discovering how great computing can be again, especially for people who are interested in computers. So it saddened me to find that the Netflix in-browser service requires a Windows machine. I still use it on occasion with an older computer, but I hope that this technology will soon be truly cross-platform like many other modern web services have become.

    We bought the Netflix Roku player and have been very happy with it; we've got 135 films in our instant queue and we're glad we don't have to watch normal college-freshman-level TV (i.e. crass humor, actually aimed at 12-year olds) or hang out at our local seedy video store with the nasty carpet smell for the same old catalog.

    Also, occasionally I'll blurt out something terribly nerdy about how the Roku player runs Linux and my wife will totally ignore it. This always helps bring me back down to earth for a moment.