Future Sony HDTVs to embed support for new Amazon video service
Industry heavyweights Amazon and Sony are aligning to take on the combination of Apple's iTunes and Apple TV set-top-box with a new Amazon-powered video on demand service that will see embedded support on all future Sony Bravia HDTV sets.
Amazon plans to begin testing the new service, dubbed Amazon Video on Demand, later today through a select number of its existing customers, according to the New York Times. Initially, the service will allow customers to access and immediately begin streaming any of 40,000 movies and television programs directly from their Mac of Windows PC.
?For the first time, this is drop dead simple,? said Bill Carr, Amazon?s vice president for digital media. ?Our goal is to create an immersive experience where people can?t help but get caught up in how exciting it is to simply watch a movie right from Amazon.com with a click of the button.?
The new service differs somewhat from Apple's iTunes video services and Amazon's earlier Unbox offering in that it will allow customers to purchase and begin watching movies or TV shows without having to actually download the video file to a hard drive, potentially increasing the number of device with which it could ultimately become compatible.
Amazon is also hoping to establish a presence in the living room, and has forged a deal with Sony Electronics to place its new video service on the electronics maker's Bravia line of high-definition TVs.
Initially, the service will be accessible through the Sony Bravia Internet Video link, a $300 accessory that allows the flagship line of Bravia HDTVs to connect to a world of Internet videos. However, future Bravia sets will come with the capability built in, according to the Times, allowing customers to access alternative media through the new Amazon service right out of the box.
Going forward, Carr said Amazon will seek to strike similar deals with other HDTV manufacturers and video device makers.
As part of its new service, Amazon says it will store video purchases in a video library so that customers can then watch that show or movie whenever they return to Amazon.com, even if it is from a different computer or portable device.
?I can be at my office, purchase a movie, and then it will be available on my television at home,? Robert Jacobs, a senior manager at Sony Electronics, told the Times ?Creating this on-demand available-everywhere access to premium content is going to be very attractive to consumers.?
Although Amazon says its new service can support both both streaming and downloading, the current incarnation is stream only. This has helped the online retailer gain the support of a broad range of studios because Hollywood sees streamed content as less conducive to piracy.
The lone holdouts, however, are Walt Disney and ABC, both of which have close ties to Apple.
Amazon plans to begin testing the new service, dubbed Amazon Video on Demand, later today through a select number of its existing customers, according to the New York Times. Initially, the service will allow customers to access and immediately begin streaming any of 40,000 movies and television programs directly from their Mac of Windows PC.
?For the first time, this is drop dead simple,? said Bill Carr, Amazon?s vice president for digital media. ?Our goal is to create an immersive experience where people can?t help but get caught up in how exciting it is to simply watch a movie right from Amazon.com with a click of the button.?
The new service differs somewhat from Apple's iTunes video services and Amazon's earlier Unbox offering in that it will allow customers to purchase and begin watching movies or TV shows without having to actually download the video file to a hard drive, potentially increasing the number of device with which it could ultimately become compatible.
Amazon is also hoping to establish a presence in the living room, and has forged a deal with Sony Electronics to place its new video service on the electronics maker's Bravia line of high-definition TVs.
Initially, the service will be accessible through the Sony Bravia Internet Video link, a $300 accessory that allows the flagship line of Bravia HDTVs to connect to a world of Internet videos. However, future Bravia sets will come with the capability built in, according to the Times, allowing customers to access alternative media through the new Amazon service right out of the box.
Going forward, Carr said Amazon will seek to strike similar deals with other HDTV manufacturers and video device makers.
As part of its new service, Amazon says it will store video purchases in a video library so that customers can then watch that show or movie whenever they return to Amazon.com, even if it is from a different computer or portable device.
?I can be at my office, purchase a movie, and then it will be available on my television at home,? Robert Jacobs, a senior manager at Sony Electronics, told the Times ?Creating this on-demand available-everywhere access to premium content is going to be very attractive to consumers.?
Although Amazon says its new service can support both both streaming and downloading, the current incarnation is stream only. This has helped the online retailer gain the support of a broad range of studios because Hollywood sees streamed content as less conducive to piracy.
The lone holdouts, however, are Walt Disney and ABC, both of which have close ties to Apple.
Comments
Not sure my ISP is going to like it either...
Maybe the future, but I'll take my AppleTV downloads for now.
Streaming? HD streamed content sure doesn't look very good from what I have seen. (Check out Hulu sometime...)
Not sure my ISP is going to like it either...
Maybe the future, but I'll take my AppleTV downloads for now.
I actually checked out the beta of this earlier today on my 20" iMac. It looked pretty good on full screen, but I'm not sure how it would go on a 50"+ TV screen (I was getting all 4 bars in their "Connection" status indicator). The interface was pretty slick as well. The whole system is Flash based (well, for media I had already purchased from Unbox).
And if your ISP doesn't like this, they're certainly not going to like AppleTV downloads either. Bandwidth is bandwidth; I'm not sure why you'd think they'd be looked at differently.
I'm hoping maybe this could make its way to the PS3 as well...
One more death knell to the Apple TV.
If Sony is copying the Apple TV a year or two *after* it's introduction, how is that a "death knell" for Apple TV?
Apple TV is still in the lead in terms of technology and according to the article Sony is copying them now. That sounds more like Apple doing it's usual thing of leading the other tech companies around by the nose to me.
Besides, streaming actually sucks big time in practice and it will be at least a year before they can build this into (one line), of their televisions and many more years after that before large numbers of those televisions are around.
If Sony is copying the Apple TV a year or two *after* it's introduction, how is that a "death knell" for Apple TV?
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I'm sorry- somehow I didn't receive the TV that was supposed to be attached with my Apple TV that SOny is copying.
It must have been a manufacturing defect.
Anyway I like how HDTV manufactures are finding other ways to keep the price of the TVs high. JUST LET THEM KEEP DROPPING IN PRICE PLEASE. Stop bundling more crap in them.
Key words: Accessory and Flagship
In other words you have to buy a $300 accessory for their most expensive line of televisions in order to use the service. It will probably be a while before they actually start building it into sets and that's assuming their first implementation is a success. I don't see how when their adapter costs more than the AppleTV and TiVo Series 3 and HD, none of which don't lock you into a very expensive line of televisions. In the meantime we'll probably see an AppleTV mkII, TiVo Series 4 and countless other products from other manufacturers that will be far cheaper than Sony's approach.
Industry heavyweights Amazon and Sony are aligning to take on the combination of Apple's iTunes and Apple TV set-top-box with a new Amazon-powered video on demand service that will see embedded support on all future Sony Bravia HDTV sets.
This whole concept just smells wrong. Wouldn't I upgrade or change out my Internet-TV
control box and/or software far more often than my HD Television?
Who wants to pay extra for built-in service tied to one source? It limits choice.
Americans like choice.
Apple's model seems like it would better over the long-term.
This whole concept just smells wrong.
Maybe, but not entirely. I REALLY like the idea that whatever you rent (if it is a rental service) stays on the server. I like the idea that I can pick up and watch from different locations. I wish Apple would do something similar. They should make the Apple TV dirt cheap and focus on the service. That may be contrary to Apple's concept, of course. If they make money off the sales of the hardware rather than the service, it is not such a great an idea, perhaps ;-(. I think a low cost entry point is essential, however, and in some ways the Amazon Sony deal answers this. The Apple TV model is not well developed nor entrenched and so vulnerable. I think this new model has a lot of good points and Apple needs to take a close look. Which of course I am sure they are doing.
I actually checked out the beta of this earlier today on my 20" iMac. It looked pretty good on full screen, but I'm not sure how it would go on a 50"+ TV screen (I was getting all 4 bars in their "Connection" status indicator). The interface was pretty slick as well. The whole system is Flash based (well, for media I had already purchased from Unbox).
And if your ISP doesn't like this, they're certainly not going to like AppleTV downloads either. Bandwidth is bandwidth; I'm not sure why you'd think they'd be looked at differently.
I'm hoping maybe this could make its way to the PS3 as well...
How did you get access to the bata?
I have a 46" Bravia connected to a mini & would like to try it out!
TIA
Dick
Just what I need. Software updates for my TV.
And free- unlike the iTouch.
This whole concept just smells wrong. Wouldn't I upgrade or change out my Internet-TV
control box and/or software far more often than my HD Television?
Who wants to pay extra for built-in service tied to one source? It limits choice.
Americans like choice.
Apple's model seems like it would better over the long-term.
Excuse but like- how is being locked into iTunes not one source with AppleTV? When did they open up AppleTV?
If the Amazon/Sony solution provide the same ease of use and the same video quality and price as what the Apple TV provide, then Apple simply missed the boat. It is unfortunate for us Apple fans, but it looks like the competition simply out-Apple'd on Apples own game - simple and integrated content delivery service (eg iTunes/iPod)
Excuse but like- how is being locked into iTunes not one source with AppleTV? When did they open up AppleTV?
I have ripped all of my DVDs and AppleTV plays them fine. iTunes is only required for the syncing -- there is no "lock-in" if you don't want it. Also, on AppleTV I can listen to all my music, view all my photos, subscribe to podcasts, check out my friends Flickrs, watch YouTube, and I'm sure in the future, play games downloaded from the App Store with the iPhone as my remote. That last part is just a guess...
I wonder if these Sony TVs will do all of that?