Slashdot Mirror
Amazon To Launch New Streaming Video Service
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.
Is this service going to open to the world market? Or just the US? There's a huge disconnect with the purported ideology of business, that is, globalisation and the free-market, not to mention the WORLD wide web, but pretty much every service (like iTunes and Steam) charge one price for Americans and another price for everyone else. This is noticeable here in Australia. Our dollar is almost at parity with the US dollar, so it's obviously to our benefit to purchase things from the US or from companies based in the US. But tracks on iTunes cost literally twice as much and we're forced to buy games from the "Australian Steam brochure" which are again, up to twice as much.
So while I see this as a good move, I hope Amazon will buck the current trend, and as a company that's based purely in the online realm, will understand that arbitrarily forcing different prices because they come from different countries is stupid when we're talking about the WORLD wide web.
Given that they could well be writing a brand new, proprietary plugin (rather than simply relying on Flash), we don't know it will be cracked quickly.
It will be cracked, of course. But it's not really a step in the right direction, other than that if I can make it work well with Linux and mplayer/VLC, I'll be able to pay for more. But that's a big if.
Don't thank God, thank a doctor!
That's funny, I'm a linux user with netflix as well and was all set to suggest the Roku before I saw you plug it. That little box has been surprisingly useful for the price.
Everything will be taken away from you.
There is this big trend lately, it seems, of networks and content providers letting you view content online-- as if it were some great answer to reaching us the people.
I am starting to seriously wonder if I am the in the minority of people who want to watch TV.. ON MY TELEVISION.
It's a shocking thought.
I want to watch a TV show ON MY TV.
I am a TiVO subscriber because I want to watch those shows according to my schedule, my time, my situation.
I have an Apple TV box so I can watch shows that appear on Apple TV that either are in conflict with other shows I watch-- or are long since released.
Its frankly alarming to me that Amazon would consider switching from Unbox to a "browser streaming download" service; I have no interest in it. I have no interest in seeing these shows on my computer.
I have this big TV over there. I spent a small fortune on it. My friends and I watch shows together on it.
My computer I do things for myself on. Television is for something else entirely.
This trend is bothersome. :|