by Playfuls Staff |
7th February 2007
TiVo and Amazon.com teamed up for “Amazon Unbox on TiVo,” a
soon-to-be-launched service feature that will provide TiVo subscribers with the
ability to rent and purchase [more] movies and television shows from leading
studios and networks including CBS, Fox Entertainment Group, Lionsgate,
Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Warner Bros.
Entertainment. Amazon Unbox on TiVo is currently in beta testing among a select
group of TiVo subscribers and will be available soon to more than 1.5 million
broadband-ready TiVo boxes.
The Amazon Unbox video download service, which launched in
September 2006, offers thousands of movies, television shows and other videos
for download to PCs and any Windows Media Video-compatible portable device.
Now, in addition to PCs and portable devices, movies and television shows will
be available to download directly to a customer’s TiVo box for playback on
their television set. This is the first service that uniquely allows for
downloadable broadband video to be integrated with programming recorded from TV
so the consumer can easily navigate all viewing options.
To activate the service, subscribers will simply log on to
Amazon.com and follow a few simple steps to establish a link between their
broadband connected TiVo Series2 or Series3 box and their Amazon account. Once
the initial set up is complete, eligible movies or television shows from Amazon
Unbox can be downloaded directly to the customer’s TiVo box. After the movie
has been downloaded, the title will automatically appear in the subscriber’s
TiVo “Now Playing” list with all of their other recorded shows, easily viewed
with just a click of the TiVo remote.
Customers can purchase television episodes for $1.99,
purchase most movies for between $9.99 and $14.99, or rent movies starting at
$1.99. As an added bonus, all purchased videos are automatically stored in each
customer’s “Your Media Library” at Amazon.com for future access and download.
“By teaming up with TiVo, we are offering our customers
another great way to watch their Unbox videos,” said Bill Carr, vice president
of digital media at Amazon. “Amazon Unbox offers customers the flexibility to
watch their favorite videos where and when they want to whether that is on
their PC, portable device or TV set through their TiVo box.”
The two companies are testing the new service, which still
requires that users purchase or rent the show or movie from Amazon's website
through their PC.
The TiVo – Amazon Unbox partnership may be considered a
response to Apple TV, the device unveiled by Steve Jobs at MacWorld 2007.
Apple TV has a 40GB hard drive to store up to 50 hours of
video, 9,000 songs, 25,000 photos or a combination of each and is capable of
delivering high-definition 720p output. Apple TV can be connected to a broad
range of widescreen TVs and home theater systems and comes standard with HDMI,
component video, analog and optical audio ports. Using high-speed AirPort
802.11 wireless networking, Apple TV can auto-sync content from one computer or
stream content from up to five additional computers right to your TV without
any wires. Of course, Apple TV is fully compatible with iTunes.
But Unbox on TiVo may have an advantage in the customers who
already have broadband-ready TiVo hardware in their homes. While a new Apple TV
box will cost around $300, the only additional cost for a TiVo user will be the
price of a movie or TV show over the existing Unbox download service.
Also, earlier this week, Wal-Mart began an online video
service on Tuesday that will allow customers to purchase download of films and
television programmes from all major Hollywood
studios. The beta version of the service is available on the world's largest
retailer's website, www.walmart.com, and offers more than 3,000 film and
television titles for download to computers and media players.
