Tag: Streaming media

Downstreaming: Amazon Video on Demand

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Amazon VOD on Roku
Image by programwitch via Flickr

For the first installment of Downstreaming, we’re going to explore Amazon Video On Demand as an option for acquiring content.

Amazon Video on Demand, formerly known as Amazon Unbox, is Amazon’s video streaming service. It is not subscription based. It is an ala-carte video service that offers both rental and purchase. You can also purchase passes to TV shows and receive a discount.

Amazon VOD support is built into the Roku Box, Google TV, Tivo, and select televisions and blu-ray players. You can also stream it using Adobe Flash on a computer. It offers both SD and HD rentals. We’re just waiting for an HTML5 version, and iOS and Android apps for the mobile platforms.

We decided to give it a shot, taking advantage of an offer for the popular movie Inception for 99 cents for a 48 hour rental. It included a $4 credit if we choose to buy the movie afterward. Video acceleration on the Linux version of  Adobe Flash can sometimes lag a bit, so we used a Roku Box to test the service. The movie playback was great, and there is a good selection of daily/weekly/monthly deals and some free content.

One of the nicest value added additions Amazon VOD offers is Disc+ On Demand. This is an Amazon program for those who purchase physical media. On select discs, you will automatically get a digital version of your purchased movie in your Amazon Video on Demand library. The problem is, so far, in movies we’ve bought, this is a limited time rental. We think many people would pay extra for a movie, or a premium to get disc plus digital copy provided by Amazon VOD.

Many movies are now being bundled with a digital copy that is time limited. An Amazon VOD redemption option with each movie seems like a better idea for studios, even if it is only a discount on getting the streaming copy. Teleread, for example, recently commented on how the code to use the digital copy included with the latest Star Trek movie expired…before they had purchased the movie. Yet the discs are still being bundled. The issue with buying content…excuse us…licensing content that is stored in the cloud is if the service provider ceases to provide the service. Then…what do you own?

Amazon VOD, in their terms of service, states, “Purchased Digital Content will generally continue to be available to you for download or streaming from the Service, as applicable, but may become unavailable due to potential content provider licensing restrictions and for other reasons, and Amazon will not be liable to you if purchased Digital Content becomes unavailable for further download or streaming.” We would feel more comfortable if, like their Kindle scandal a while back, Amazon was forced to ensure that even if they can no longer sell an item, that anyone who purchased it is still entitled to enjoy it in perpetuity, as the term “Buy” implies. But, for rentals, the service is a good alternative.

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Amazon Video on Demand Support Making the Rounds

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Image representing Amazon as depicted in Crunc...
Image via CrunchBase

PlayOn has added streaming support for Amazon’s Video on Demand service as well as content from free internet network, Revision3. PlayOn, as you might remember, is a software that allows streaming from a PC to several compatible media streaming devices. PlayOn supports Hulu, CBS.com, ESPN.com, CNN.com, YouTube, and Netflix, and is working on ABC.

We are not quite sure why this is acceptable, and Hulu’s content providers shut down Boxee support. It hardly seems fair. PlayOn could be seen as just as much of a cable-killer as Boxee, or MyMediaPlayer.

Amazon Video on Demand support in HD is still in the testing phase on Tivo. Which is particularly odd. It has been so for over three months now. There may be some problems with the high-definition implementation on the Amazon end, either technical or licensing. Considering the quality, people will start trying to hack it for their own purposes. The technical implementation will thus have to be secure. And the content providers get nervous about any new rollout and want to put limits on it.

We’re impressed with the continual technological breakthroughs allow real-time streaming of high-quality video. We know they’ll continue to get better. We’ll be here to watch.

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Streaming News

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Diagram of Unicast Streaming
Image via Wikipedia

A few choice tidbits for those of you following our continual coverage of streaming video.

  • Netflix will offer Streaming-Only Plans. The company still remains focused on providing a bundled offering, but expects that some viewers will find a stand-alone streaming service to be compelling, particularly as more compatible devices become prevalent. Netflix streaming is already a feature of the Roku Netflix player, the Xbox, and some LG Electronics products. No word as of now on price.
  • Cable provider Comcast is in talks with its content providers and with other cable and satellite companies to discuss putting their programming online. The service would allow subscribers to watch shows online for free as soon as possibly this summer. It is seen as a preemptive strike against the possible loss of customers who opt to watch content online. One major issue in agreeing to an online service is the low level of revenues generated by Internet advertising compared to TV revenue. Comcast’s goal is to authenticate subscribers who go to certain sites, creating a “wall” behind which content providers may feel more comfortable releasing their materials.
  • On a related post, a commenter pointed out that with internet metering and bandwidth caps coming into fashion, these companies might induce usage of their services over others by not counting streaming from them against the meter.

Either way, interesting developments seem to be on the way. Keep posted…

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