Amazon Unbox video downloads coming to TiVo
TiVo DVR owners will soon be able to watch movies and TV shows purchased or rented from Amazon's Unbox video-download service.
TiVo DVR owners will soon be able to watch movies and TV shows purchased or rented from Amazon's Unbox video download service. The new feature, being beta tested by a "select group of TiVo subscribers" according to TiVo's press release, will eventually be rolled out to more than 1.5 million TiVo Series2 and Series3 owners.
According to the FAQ page on Amazon, you'll choose the videos you want to download while browsing Amazon's site on your PC, but the videos will be downloaded directly to the TiVo. Once they're fully downloaded, they'll appear in the Now Playing list with all the other recorded content on the DVR. To avoid hard-drive overcrowding, purchased videos can be erased from the TiVo and re-downloaded again at any time. And the download terminology is key here. The videos need to be fully (or at least partially) downloaded before they can be viewed, so you won't get the instant gratification of a YouTube-style streaming video. On the plus side, the quality should be good: when we reviewed
While it's not completely comprehensive, Amazon's service offers content from some key Hollywood content providers, including Warner, Universal, Paramount, Fox, and CBS. The other good news is that the TiVo functionality won't cost extra: the same prices for PC downloads ($2 for TV show episodes, $10 to $15 for most movies, and $2 for movie rentals) will apply for watching the content on your TiVo. Unfortunately, there's no indication that Amazon will be offering a Netflix-style "all you can eat" subscription service anytime soon.
What about the fine print? Amazon Unbox on TiVo will work only on TiVo Series2 and
Caveats notwithstanding, Amazon Unbox for TiVo is a nice step-up feature for both products. Like other PC-based video download services (including CinemaNow,
How well the Amazon/TiVo partnership will take on
Additional sources: Gizmodo via Digg, New York Times via CNET