Amazon to launch streaming video service

by Brad Linder May 28th 2008

Amaxon Unbox

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.

Tags: amazon, amazon-unbox, streaming-video

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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