Today's Most popular News

Source:Mashable!

According to the NYTimes, Amazon will today launch Video on Demand - a new online video store, containing movies and TV shows.

What’s the big difference between this video store and most other online video stores? Streaming. When you order a show on Amazon’s new service, you can start watching immediately, just how it works on IPTV. Amazon’s own Unbox or Apple’s iTunes can’t do that, because you have to wait out the download before you start watching. Amazon Video on Demand will feature 40,000 titles at opening.

For those less computer-savvy users who like to do everything on their TV, there’s an option; Sony Bravia Internet Video link, which will bring the videos directly to your Sony TV. However, it’s an extra 300 bucks which not everyone will be willing to dish out. Some new models will have the functionality built-in, though, reducing the extra cost.

This is not a revolutionary step in any way; it’s just Amazon’s estimate that broadband penetration is high enough that such a move makes sense. It probably won’t even be making them any money at first, but the race for online video on demand is on with healthy competition from Google, Netflix and others, and there’s no time to waste.

—Related Articles at Mashable! - The Social Networking Blog:Amazon’s CreateSpace Now Offers Books On DemandAmazon, Penguin & HP Search for Next Top AuthorAmazon Video Reviews Now LiveAmazon Acquires Brilliance Audio To Widen SelectionAOL and Amazon Join Up For Video SalesAmazon Software Downloads To Soon Expand To Games?Network.com - Sun Provides Grid Computing for $1/CPU-hour

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 17th, 2008 at 7:30 am and is filed under video, web 2.0, web, unbox, amazon, NYTimes, video on demand. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.