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Netflix earnings, subscribers and streaming growth have analysts drooling over a theoretical Amazon buy
It's total pie-in-sky speculation, completely lacking in serious evidence or even vague "sources familiar with the matter," but for some reason, after two and a half years of hard rumoring, analysts seem more sure than ever that Amazon is looking into a Netflix acquisition. Netflix just announced some pretty attractive quarterly earnings, along with some nice hard numbers: it added one million subscribers in Q4 to notch itself past the 12 million mark, and 48% of its customers streamed at least 15 minutes of video off of Instant Watch -- compared to 28% a year ago. The logic goes that Amazon's looking to position itself as a digital goods purveyor, and Netflix is doing a bang up job of that very thing. Sounds just fine to us, but if Amazon tries to lock us into E Ink Netflix streaming on the Kindle, some heads are going to roll. There's naturally no comment from Netflix or Amazon on the speculation. [Thanks, Steve H.]
Xbox's Aaron Greenberg: Hulu on 360 like "asking out a really hot chick on a date"
Hey, our main dudes over at Joystiq sat down with Xbox's Aaron Greenberg recently, and there are some great bits of info in the interview. Aaron says the big Xbox price cut has been planned for months, so it's "just a coincidence" that it happened right on top of the PS3 Slim -- and he also says he's an avid Joystiq reader, so if Redmond had wanted to get the jump on Sony, they'd have been prepared. Other nuggets: the $99 WiFi adapter isn't coming down in price, the Netflix relationship is going well, and getting Hulu or Amazon Unbox on the 360 is like "asking out a really hot chick on a date, they don't all say yes." Yeah, it's a pretty great interview -- hit the read link for the whole thing.
Roku digital video player adding Amazon Video On Demand
Roku owners looking to go discless are one step closer, now that Amazon Video On Demand will be available on the box after a free software update in early 2009. Fulfilling the promise of more "big name" providers to come, flicks like The Dark Knight, Pineapple Express or any of Amazon's 40,000 other titles can be purchased and played back to the TV for a 24 hour window. The bad news? Max bitrate is an h.264 compressed 1200Kbps. Not bad if SD only is your bag, but we're even more eagerly awaiting another Amazon VOD HD rumor.
Amazon Video on Demand store open for business via Mac, PC; open beta on Sony HDTVs
It's official, Amazon has moved Unbox-replacement Amazon Video on Demand out of beta for Mac and PC users, while confirming rumors the still-in-beta BRAVIA Internet Video Link service is open to all Sony HDTV owners. The streaming option (you can still download and watch via Unbox on PC or TiVo, and no matter how they're purchased, content is added to the Your Video Library accessible from the web or IVL) gives Amazon that critical buy-now / watch-immediately element some other online stores lack, for its library of 40,000 licensed movies and shows. Prices start at $1.99 for single episodes of TV shows and at least $2.99 for movies -- with savings available on season passes, now all we need to keep an eye on is the bandwidth meter.
Amazon Video on Demand Service is Mac-friendly
Back in 2006 we covered the launch of the Amazon Unbox video service which was then being pitched as the best alternative to the iTunes Store. There was one big problem: it didn't support Macs. Now, finally, Amazon is starting to rectify the situation with their new Amazon Video on Demand Service. PC Magazine has a First Look at the Service and, sure enough, it now supports Macs.It appears that the new service will be similar to Netflix's streaming (which does not support the Mac, though they have promised it a long time ago) in that you'll be able to watch 40,000 movies and television shows in your browser. Unlike Netflix, however, the content will be priced individually with no subscription options. The video will be streamed with Flash 9.Unfortunately, the program is still in beta and Amazon apparently has enough testers at the moment. However, you can sign up for their beta mailing list if you want to get in the next time they issue invitations.
Verismo Networks' PoD beams all sorts of web video to your TV
This whole "it's web video, on your TV!" space is getting crowded fast, but we'd say there's certainly room from this new "PoD" device from Verismo Networks. Not content to merely concentrate on one form of content, the PoD can handle content from YouTube, BitTorrent, vTap, Amazon Unbox, CinemaNow, you name it. It's a pretty simple box, with an Ethernet plug, a couple of USB ports for flash storage, some sort of wireless (we're guessing WiFi), and outputs for S-Video or HDMI, up to HD resolutions. It'll sell later this summer for $99, with a bit of a marketing push from YouTube, so this probably won't be the last you hear of PoD.
Amazon Unbox content going HD on TiVo
We had a pretty good feeling this would go down eventually, but we certainly didn't see a confirmation (of sorts, anyway) coming this soon. Jim Denney, VP of product marketing at TiVo, has been quoted as saying that although the current version of Amazon Unbox can't process high-definition content, TiVo and Amazon will jointly announce HD capabilities "in the not too distant future." Granted, the content -- whenever it does actually arrive -- will only be accessible by "cable subscribers" with adequate bandwidth, but it's not like that's any sort of surprise. Sadly, details beyond what you've seen here were left out, but at least you can sleep soundly tonight knowing that high-def Unbox material is most certainly on the horizon. [Via Zatz Not Funny]
Amazon pondering high def Unbox rentals?
There's nothing like a random question on a marketing survey to get the old rumor juices flowing, but we wouldn't be at all surprised to find that Amazon is working on HD Unbox rentals, as hinted by the latest survey sent to customers. Respondents were asked to prioritize several interesting potential features, including HD downloads, instant streaming of DVDs ordered from Amazon, ad-supported free streaming, and the ability to browse your entire Unbox purchase history from a TiVo. Actually, several questions focused on the TiVo and other media streamers -- it looks like Amazon's at least considering developing the TiVo as its answer to the Apple TV and Xbox 360. Of course, if that's the case then HD downloads need to happen yesterday, since Unbox already way behind iTunes and Xbox Live Video Marketplace in that regard -- and with the possibility of Netflix coming to the 360 and PS3, it stands to fall even farther back. We'll see how this plays out -- hopefully the high-def download scene is about to blow up.
Mojo's original programming heads over to Amazon Unbox
Hot on the heels of Mojo's decision to add more finance-based programming to its 2008 lineup comes word that the network's original content will be made available through Amazon Unbox. Apparently, the two outfits worked things out so that Unbox users can now get ahold of After Hours with Daniel, Three Sheets, King of Miami, Dr. Danger, Uncorked with Billy Merritt and Wall Street Warriors, and you can expect Pressure Cook and Test Drive to be added soon. Per usual, each episode is $1.99, and they all look to be live right now for those interested.[Via BroadcastingCable]
NBC to offer free "NBC Direct" download service, iTunes competitor
Apparently a move to Amazon Unbox isn't all that's in the cards for NBC's lineup of television programming, newly free of those iTunes shackles. The company is going to start testing a new NBC Direct service in October with full, free downloadable episodes which can be stored up to seven days on Windows PCs. The shows will be on offer for a week as soon as they've aired, and will include imbedded, un-skippable ads. But that's just for starters, apparently NBC wants to eventually transform the service into an iTunes-competitor, with pay-to-download episodes. "We did this to eliminate the middleman," says NBC's Jeff Gaspin. That they did, and we suppose we finally know what NBC was talking about when it comes to "packaging options."[Thanks, Webon]
NBC shows leave iTunes but join Amazon's Unbox
Here's a quick recap of the NBC/Apple tussle, for those who are tuning in late: NBC says Apple is mean and won't renew their contract ('These shows are my toys and I'm going home!'). Apple says NBC is a stupidhead, and NBC's shiny new shows won't be available in iTunes ('How are those toys now? Taste a little better with the salt from your tears, NBC?'). NBC and Amazon become BFF's. NBC no longer makes eye contact with Apple when they meet in the hallway between classes. That's right, NBC's upcoming season of shows may not be available via iTunes (pending contract negotiations), but they will be available at Amazon Unbox. What's Amazon Unbox you ask? It is ok not to recognize it, since few people actually use it (and even fewer Mac users, since it is PC only). Unbox is Amazon's video download service that allows you to rent or buy movies and tv shows which you can then play back on authorized devices (rentals can play back on one device, while the things you buy can be played on two computers and two portable devices but no iPods since they aren't supported).NBC went with Amazon, reports the New York Times, because Amazon agreed to be flexible with pricing. This translates to higher prices for more recent shows, with the back catalog being cheaper (which is what I assume NBC wanted Apple to do all along). Amazon Unbox will also offer up free previews of NBC's upcoming shows, as well as a discount for people buying whole seasons worth of shows (does any of this sound familiar?).The coolest part of all this is that you can download these shows to your Tivo, though if you have a Tivo why wouldn't you just set it to record these NBC shows for free, like Nik suggests?
NBC's selling shows on Amazon Unbox, starting today
Naturally, there had to be somewhere to pick up those episodes that iTunes won't be delivering to the Heroes-addicted and "Jim and Pam forever" types, and it looks like NBC has picked Amazon Unbox to do the honors, and has started selling select shows already. If this wasn't a good defense for lifting DRM restrictions from video downloads, we don't know what is: as it stands right now, people will be able to stick with their favorite NBC shows on iTunes until the middle of the season, and then get sent packing over to Unbox -- meaning half of their purchased episodes will only play on an iPod or iTunes, and the other half will only play on PlaysForSure portable devices and Windows computers. Of course, the informed will buy shows on Amazon from the start, and to help that along NBC will be offering free pilot episodes of new NBC shows starting September 10th. Pricing so far hasn't diverged from the $1.99 model, and we're still not sure what exactly NBC meant by "packaging options."
TiVo's quarterly call, it's not all bad news
It's no secret that TiVo isn't a blue-chip stock, in fact the real question each quarter is usually, how much did they lose this time? This is a big reason why we have our TiVo Deathwatch, but it's not all bad for TiVo and since they make it nearly impossible for someone to buy them out, we like to focus on the positives. The Comcast deal is moving along, -- no not fast enough -- and not only are New England Comcast customers getting TiVo software on their Motorola boxes soon, but Comcast is going to foot-the-bill to port the software over to Scientific Atlanta boxes. We also enjoyed the mention of DirecTV's new software update, and get the feeling that we may see new TiVo products from DirecTV in the future. They're finally going to make it so you can start watching UnBox movies while they're downloading, but since there is still no mention of HD -- or even widescreen -- content, it's still useless. TiVo has finally got an HD TiVo for the masses, and looking forward, the future is looking brighter for SDV support, as well as old favorites like Multi-room Viewing and TiVoToGo, so with any luck, TiVo might get in the black next time around.
Archos 605 contains evidence of massive content partnerships?
A couple of lines in a settings file does not a partnership make, but some enterprising hackers at the Archos Community Forums have discovered evidence that Archos is planning at least one large-scale content deal when the super-hot 605 launches in the US. Poking around in the unit's provider.xml file inside the system folder, user Plissken007 discovered pointers to not one, but eight major content partners for wireless media distribution, including some with live holder pages on the Archos website. Notables include Best Buy, Cicuit City, Amazon (for Unbox, probably), MovieLink, Vongo, AOL, and, of course, YouTube. Now, we can't see Best Buy and Circuit City sharing space like this, so Archos is probably hedging their bets a little, but if it's true, it looks like there's finally going to be a major competitor to Apple's iPod / iTunes ecosystem out there, eh?[Disclosure: AOL owns Engadget's parent company.][Via Archos Fans]
TiVo's new "Buy on TV" feature for Amazon Unbox
When TiVo first brought Amazon Unbox movies to our Series3, we wondered why we still had to log on to Amazon.com to order our flicks. We weren't the only ones and some even took matters into their own hands by creating a home grown application. Well TiVo and Amazon finally got the hint and today announced what they're calling Buy on TV -- which obviously lets you buy movies directly from your broadband enabled Series2 or Series3 set top box. You can find movies or shows to download by either browsing under TiVoCasts or via Swivel search; and so your baby-sitter doesn't run up your bill, you'll need to enter your five digit purchase pin when ordering. [Via TiVoBlog]
Amazon and Netflix deny rampant acquisition rumors
Wouldn't these two be a pair, teamed up against Blockbuster's video rental service and the iTunes gorilla? Wall Street seems to think so, and rumors today of Amazon having plans for acquiring Netflix sent shares of the former to heights not seen since 2004. Unfortunately, the fun didn't last long, with Netflix quickly calling it "rumors or speculation," and Amazon defining it as "speculation and rumor." But, like Silicon Valley analyst Rob Enderle states: "If they're not talking, they probably should be."[Via El Reg]
Order Unbox video straight from your Series3
When TiVo first started to support Amazon Unbox last month one of the biggest complaints was that you could only buy content via Amazon.com and not from the TiVo interface. While some people could care less, since they are never more than five feet away from a computer, others had to take action in the way of a custom HME application called Unbox on Demand. The bad news is that you have to have a Windows PC running to make it all work. While this is cool, it's not that great till Amazon finally adds some HD, or at least some true widescreen content.
Amazon's Unbox video downloads headed for your TiVo
We heard rumblings of such a partnership last fall, and now it appears that those rumblings were indeed legit: Amazon and TiVo are teaming up to get Unbox video downloads into your living room. The two companies will be announcing a limited test run today for an unspecified number of customers, with a full rollout expected "later this year." This of course comes on the heels of Wal-Mart's big announcement of all 6 movie studios inside its new download store, and it appears Amazon is quite aware of its content shortage. "We have a strong relationship with Disney," says Amazon's Bill Carr, "It hasn't been worked out yet, but it will be." TiVo CEO Tom Rogers commented on Sony, saying they've "indicated they're looking to be part of this at time of launch." So nothing set in stone, but Wal-Mart won't be able to just sit back and rake in the dough, especially with Amazon and soon Apple delivering these shows to the TV. Of course, the Amazon / TiVo edge is that instead of users springing $300 for an Apple TV, they can just turn on that broadband-enabled TiVo of theirs -- 1.5 million of which are already in homes. Unfortunately, DirecTV and forthcoming Comcast TiVo customers will be SOL. No additional hardware is needed, and there won't be any sort of service fee, just the existing iTunes-esque Amazon prices. Oh, and that TiVo / Netflix dealio a while back? Rogers says they went with Amazon thanks to its large customer network and large catalog of distribution rights, something Netflix couldn't deliver.Read - Los Angeles TimesRead - USA Today[Thanks Nick and SebS]
Wal-Mart joins the digital movie download fray
Looks like all those rumors and conspiracy theories regarding a Wal-Mart download store actually counted for something this time around. Just in time for the holidays, Wal-Mart has announced its very own video download service, which will kick off in "beta" mode next week with an exclusive Superman Returns bundle. Buyers of the DVD will have an option to also obtain a portable, PC, or dual license for a movie download, priced at $1.97, $2.97, and $3.97 respectively. Users will be directed by a sticker on the DVD case to walmart.com/superman where they can enter a promo code and start the download -- which can be watched while the movie is downloading if they can't bring themselves to pop in the actual DVD. This is quite a different tact than other movie download services, such as iTunes, Amazon Unbox and Xbox Live, and it seems primarily designed to protect video sales cannibalization while leaving out much of the convenience of a traditional movie download service. Wal-Mart says it has more bundles planned for the beta launch, along with what is presumably a more traditional download service with more traditional pricing, though deets are slim at this point. What we do know is that the war for your holiday download dollar will be a bloody one this year.
Target whines to major studios about online movie sales
If you can't beat 'em, complain about 'em. That seems to be the mantra of Wal-Mart, and now Target, both mega-retailers who seem to have given up the fight with video download retailers before it begins. The latter of the pair has come public with its objections to movie price schemes, calling them less expensive than DVDs, and busting out the vague threat that Target "would reconsider its investment in the DVD business" if the pricing didn't level out. Somehow, we can't quite muster much sympathy for the whiny retailer, given the fact that the online prices are hardly bargains, the resolution is lower, the special features are non-existent, and the market is still teensy tiny. Walt Disney Co. has apparently pointed most of this out to Target already, and since they've gone ahead with their open letter to the industry, we suppose it didn't do much good. Still, we've got a good feeling about market pressures pushing through full-blown online movie sales at decent prices within, oh, let's say the next decade or two, no matter how much "investment reconsidering" Target does in the meantime.
