USA Today is out with a movie-ordering comparison of Apple TV versus Amazon Unbox on TiVo. Buried in the article is an interesting nugget:
Amazon and TiVo are expected today to announce direct sales that bypass the PC altogether.
Movies can currently be ordered via Amazon’s website on computer. (Unofficially: Unbox OnDemand) This method generally works out fine given movies can ‘t be watched until the download completes, but it makes sense to provide ordering directly on the TiVo unit – for both service and as a means of advertising the feature. The challenge isn’t really the technology of building the Java HME widget, the challenge is creating a well organized and friendly TV interface for Amazon’s large collection of content. We shall see…
As far as the A-TV/TiVo comparison, the author believes both are good choices and signify the start of Internet/TV convergence. Of course, I think the Xbox 360 has Apple and TiVo beat by providing HD content (at a price…) and allowing me to view a movie download in progress once I have a sufficient buffer. However, Amazon Unbox on TiVo aspect ratio and quality is just fine for our 32″ bedroom SDTV and I’ve capitalized on those frequent content sales.
Update: I spoke with a TiVo contact who doesn’t have any comment regarding on-box Unbox ordering at this time. We won’t be seeing it today, as USA Today suggested, given the upcoming print and web corrections. Ah well, it’s only a matter of time.
Yay for convergence!
While I can tolerate downloading via my computer and even some SD, I won’t watch 16×9 content on my 16×9 with black bars on all four sides. Sure I can zoom the entire image, but won’t.
I agree, Xbox360 has the best offering, just wish there was a way for me to buy movies and also be able to watch them on my MBP or iPod.
Swivel Search already points to this.
Go look for, let’s say, “Godzilla” in the Swivel Search and it’ll return with movies with the download icon and an option to “Download this movie.” When you choose to download it you receive a screen saying it can’t be done right now, but it’s coming soon.
I’m in much the same boat as you, Dave: HDTV in the entertainment center, SDTV in the bedroom. However, it’s not just a question of the HD content for me, but also the portability of the content. The only Unbox stuff I’ve downloaded is the free stuff from the Unbox promo back in April… I just can’t justify paying those prices for something that is tied-down like that.
Perhaps I’ll be more likely to do it once Unbox is accessible on the TiVo, but I still think that I would prefer to spend the money on DVDs…
Sill, having some sort of purchasable content via TiVo is a good step that I can’t disagree with…
Its after noon ET, and I don’t see anything yet. I’d expect the review to come out the same day as the announcement though.
Also, TiVo, thru TCS is offering greater discounts on their boxes.
Unbox seems to be a nice service, but I won’t use it much until I can download HD movies. SD movies are a waste on my HDTV. If I have to watch an SD movie, I’d rather rent the DVD and have it upscaled.
I spoke with a TiVo contact who doesnt have any comment regarding on-box Unbox ordering at this time. We wont be seeing it today, as USA Today suggested, given the upcoming print and web corrections. Ah well, its only a matter of time.
I just recently got comcast for cable because I couldn’t get dish and I must say I’ve been really impressed with their HD On Demand and SD On Demand offerings. They have a good selection of free content and the quality isn’t bad. I probably wouldn’t use the service (except for exclusives) if it charged — not because of quality (that’s great), but because I like to have the DVD/Blu-Ray Disc (BD) at my fingertips and know I can watch it whenever I like on any player that works. I can easily take that DVD to a friends… It’s more difficult with content I download… So, I like the fact that these services are coming, but they’re still not ready enough for me to start using them…
Tivos got an updated privacy policy today. I didn’t take time to read through or compare to previous version, but maybe it has something to do with Unbox directly from the Tivo?