Amazon Video on Demand arrives on the Roku Video Player

Amazon Video on Demand has been in private beta on the Roku Video Player for about a month now, but now everyone can stream rentals and purchases to their TVs. The free Roku update enabling the service will roll out this week, and once it's installed, you'll be able to browse, rent, and purchase any of Amazon's 40,000 movies and TV shows. The interface is an extension of the familiar Netflix interface, slightly re-jiggered for selecting content directly from the box instead of the web, and payments are authorized with a five-digit PIN so the kids can't go on crazy buying sprees. Not a bad little bump for the $99 box, but until Amazon gets HD and surround audio we don't know if it'll be enough to take on the competition. Full release after the break.

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ROKU NOW OFFERS ACCESS TO AMAZON VIDEO ON DEMAND

Digital Video Player Instantly Connects Consumers To Over 40,000 New Titles

SARATOGA, CA, March 3, 2009 – Roku, Inc., maker of the popular Roku digital video player, today announced that customers can now watch movies and TV shows from Amazon Video On Demand. With Amazon Video On Demand, Roku customers can for the first time purchase or rent new release movies the same day they are released on DVD and watch commercial-free TV shows the day after they air– all from Amazon's extensive selection of more than 40,000 movie and TV titles.

"We are excited to give our customers access to Amazon's massive catalogue of top movies and TV shows – including many new releases", said Anthony Wood, Roku CEO and Founder. "The launch of Amazon Video On Demand on Roku demonstrates our commitment to creating an open platform that instantly delivers the entertainment consumers want directly to their TVs."

The compact Roku player connects directly to any TV and uses a broadband Internet connection to deliver DVD-quality video instantly. Roku customers can now choose from Amazon's enormous selection without paying subscription fees, waiting for downloads, or running out to the video store.

"The $99 Roku player provides our customers with tremendous value and a compelling entertainment experience," said Roy Price, director of Amazon Video On Demand. "Consumers are looking for inexpensive and hassle-free ways to watch their favorite movies and TV shows, and the Roku player meets that need head-on."

How It Works:
- Connect the Roku player to your TV and your broadband Internet connection (Wi-Fi is built in for ease of set-up)
- Browse Amazon Video On Demand's extensive selection right on your TV
- Rent or purchase and instantly watch any of more than 40,000 choices, including top new releases and the latest TV shows

Over the course of the next week, current Roku customers will receive a free and automatic software update giving them access to the Amazon Video on Demand service. All Roku player customers will continue to have access to Netflix Instant Watching with unlimited access to more than 12,000 movies and TV episodes for a low monthly fee.

The Roku digital video player is available for purchase exclusively at Roku.com and Amazon.com.

About Roku
Roku is a market leader in innovative applications for digital media. Through its work in both software and hardware, the company develops and sells consumer products and business solutions to bring rich media to the end user. Its products include: The Roku Digital Video Player and the SoundBridge Internet radio line. Roku is privately held and based in Saratoga, Calif. For more information on the company and its products, visit: http://www.roku.com.

[SHopkins @ Mar 3rd 2009 10:19AM]

I love the idea of this player, but it keeps overlapping with what my TivoHD offers... Roku obviously had NetFlix first, but TivoHD had Amazon first. Either way, one or the other (or maybe Samsung in their BD players) needs to add Hulu support, then we'd have something special.

[bcurran @ Mar 3rd 2009 11:25AM]

They will never be allowed to add Hulu support to a device that connects to your TV. Haven't you been reading the news about Boxee? The content providers don't want to make it easy to display Hulu content on a TV and they won't for a long time. They should, but they won't.

[hexydes @ Mar 3rd 2009 4:57PM]

@bcurran: Ironic, since I've had a HTPC connected to three different TVs in my house for a year now, and watch Hulu regularly. :)

As per usual, media industry = lost in the woods.

[thomas @ Mar 3rd 2009 5:15PM]

hmmm... i wonder if a similar technology will/can make its way to the G1/android....

[matt @ Mar 3rd 2009 5:57PM]

This does overlap entirely with functionality of the TiVo, but really isn't a competitor until the Roku gets some sort of near-realtime TV content. I haven't had my TiVo for a while and the Roku, even with just Netflix support is a great little device for the money. If only Roku could work a deal WITH TiVo and let me use my Roku as a TiVo front-end in another room, but I don't think TiVo would have much incentive to put anything into that.

As for Hulu, it would be great on the Roku and even safer than a desktop browser and the Roku hardware is far more locked down than a web browser on a desktop/laptop machine. After all the Hulu content providers' weirdness lately, I'm not holding my breath though.

[james @ Mar 5th 2009 11:09AM]

I have the Roku for Netflix and just signed up with my Amazon account about 40 minutes ago.

I updated the Roku, but it still didn't list Amazon (on demand) on the main menu

I finally reset to factory settings, reentered my wireless info/password, then updated Roku and it listed Amazon, right next to Netflix.

Once I entered the code into Amazon (and a pin for purchasing via Roku) I was good to go.

Exploring it now - pretty cool and a buhc of movies for under $2 too.