Amazon launches Unbox Video Downloads

It's official. I just checked the Amazon.com/Unbox URL for the nth time and finally, the new movie store/service is online. The service, which launches just a few days before the Apple "It's showtime" media event (where an iTunes movie service will likely debut), offers both movie purchases and rentals in the WMV format (downsized movies for portable devices such as the Creative Zen Vision come in the AMZN file format). The Unbox video store includes thousands of TV shows and movies, including recent feature films such as V for Vendetta ($13.87), The Family Stone, and Walk the Line ($19.95). TV shows (most available for $1.99) include Laguna Beach, Prison Break, CSI-Miami, and 24.

Amazon has reportedly made deals with most major studios (minus Disney), and the service won't work on Macs nor will it work with iPods. You'll need to download the Amazon Unbox video player to watch any video, and you can't burn a watchable video to DVD as you can on CinemaNow and Movielink. For a limited time, you'll get a credit for $1.99 (the price of a TV show) the first time you use the service. Check out more FAQs here. Stay tuned for our full review.