Amazon to launch streaming video service
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says the company will be adding a for-pay streaming video option to its Amazon Unbox video store sometime in the next few weeks. Currently if you want to watch a movie or TV show from Unbox, you've got to download your video. Sure, if you've got a broadband connection you can typically start watching a few minutes after you hit the download button, but who's got that kind of time?
On a more serious note, the Amazon Unbox download client and video player only supports Windows XP and Vista. That leaves Mac and Linux users in the cold. A streaming video service could conceivably work on any platform. There's no word on the pricing or launch date. But we do know that the service will be pay-per-view. There doesn't seem to be any subscription plan in the works. Amazon Unbox currently offers a mix of rental and download to own options as well as a limited number of free videos, with rentals typically ranging in price from $.99 to $3.99. We imagine the streaming videos will be similarly priced.
I don't know if this is a labor of love or merely the brainchild of four very gifted games designers, but Level Up is a really weird mash-up of gaming elements that you have probably never seen in a Flash game before.
Let's start with the premise itself: Groundhog Day meets Memento. The game experience revolves around 'days': you explore the world and the clock slowly ticks towards the evening. You bounce around picking up gems and talking to the denizens of 'Level Upland'. Eventually you feel tired and head back to ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Todd said 5:11PM on 5-28-2008
I've read about people getting Amazon's MP3 client to work on Linux using wine. May be able to do the same with this new movie watcher thingy:
http://www.winehq.org/
Cult of Mac? I don't know what use guys are gonna due, but the 3G iPhone is days away for you if that helps.
Reply
Robert said 7:59AM on 5-29-2008
Being a heavy amazon digital media user let me say:
I could care less for streaming videos. Give us HD videos and I will be more than happy.
Reply
James said 10:16AM on 6-04-2008
Well it would certainly make sense that they would open up a streaming option. In my opinion they really have no alternative to delivering content to Mac and Linux users. The wmv drm they use is windows only, and it will be a cold day in hell before MS lets WMP be installed on another OS. Furthermore it would cost too much for them to develop their own cross platform drm tech. I download already but hopefully the streaming will be cheaper.
Reply
MrGutts said 8:08AM on 5-29-2008
This and Netflix streaming is going to fail. AT&T and Comcrap will curve this bandwidth mysteriously..
@Robert, I hope you dont have Comcrap and want those HD movies, because you will be able to download maybe 2 to 3 a month before you hit your bandwidth cap for the month. Then you will get a nice letter from them.
Reply
Jamus said 11:27AM on 5-29-2008
They offered a Kindle, how about a Eyedle (insert goofy video related name there) like the NetFlix box?
I like the NetFlix box except that I have to stream it. I do not trust their servers or my crappy broadband provider enough to trust getting a decent stream.
Amazon is big enough to find some Chinese hardware maker and get them to churn out an inexpensive box to hook up to a TV. Stick a 16GB flash chip in it and let us pick some movies to download to it OR stream if we wish.
I would to be able to pick a movie, let it start "buffering"/downloading while I go out to grab some subs, then come back home and watch it in lovely non-stuttering non-streaming format.
Reply