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Stream: Spielberg's 'Extant' brings sci-fi mystery to Amazon Instant Video
Steven Spielberg. Halle Berry. A robot son and an unborn half human/half alien baby. Got your attention yet? Good, because if you're looking to add a new TV series to your viewing schedule, Amazon hopes you'll choose to watch its latest original. It's called Extant and it revolves around an astronaut (played by Berry) who returns home to her family from a year-long solitary space mission with a new life inside of her. All that we know is that her experiences "will change the course of human history." Could the baby have something to do with it? Possibly. The 13-episode first season is executive produced by Spielberg and is available on Amazon Instant Video each week a day after it airs on CBS in the US. After checking out the premiere episode, we liked the overall plot and reckon it offers enough mystery and tension to keep us watching (even if it starts a little slow). If you have a Prime subscription, then you'll be able to stream Extant right now via the web or on your smartphone, tablet or console.
Amazon 'pulls a Netflix,' revives cancelled BBC detective show
Did yesterday's news about Arrow coming to Lovefilm Amazon Instant Video UK disappoint you? This might just change your mind. The company, perhaps inspired by Netflix's revival of Arrested Development and The Killing, has signed a deal to save cancelled BBC drama Ripper Street. Unlike other online video agreements, however, the BBC will be entitled to broadcast the series a few months after its Amazon-based debut. This deal, we should add, only applies in the motherland, as it'll remain on BBC America in the States. It's the first time that a UK TV series has been saved by a streaming service, but Amazon isn't shy about throwing money at the project. In fact, producers have already said that the budget will remain the same -- so expect plenty of grisly Victoriana when it arrives later this year.
Amazon brings Instant Video to Japan, offers over 26,000 movies and TV shows
Folks in the Land of the Rising Sun will be pleased to know that there's now another option where they can rent or buy movies and TV shows. Today, Amazon announced the arrival of its Instant Video service in Japan, bringing with it a selection of more than 26,000 series and films from local and international studios -- such as Shochiku, Toho, TV Asahi, TBS and Warner Bros., to mention a few. Of course, this means viewers will have access to Amazon Instant Video on a number of different platforms, including PCs and the company's Kindle Fire line of tablets. So what are you waiting for? Start building out your very own Watchlist right about now -- and we'd definitely recommend placing Pacific Rim in there.
Amazon unleashes 'Pilot Season' with 14 original shows
Amazon's been doing plenty of talking around its original programming, but now the site's ready to show us the goods. The mega-retailer this morning has made available pilot episodes for 14 new original series, crowdsourcing its programming block by soliciting viewer feedback. Head on over to the source link below to watch the likes of Onion News Empire, Betas and Zombieland, among others, as well as a handful of kids shows. The page also includes a link for feedback, so you can finally become the professional web TV exec you've always dreamed of.
Amazon Instant Video app now available on (some) Google TV devices
Hot on the heels of making it available on the iPhone and iPod touch, Amazon's now bringing a native app for its Instant Video service to Mountain View's TV platform. It's always been accessible via the web browser, although navigating the site via remote was painful and the Flash video quality suffered. Granted, the on-demand application doesn't appear to be compatible with some devices at the moment, with a few folks pointing out that they are not seeing it be friendly with their particular Google TV-powered set-top box -- including ones such as the Logitech Revue and the (much) newer Vizio Co-Star. Here's to hoping the giant e-tailer makes Instant Video friendly with more Google TVs pretty soon -- according to Google, it's only available on LG TVs so far, since they've received the latest v3 updates already.
Amazon Instant Video streaming app now available for iPhone and iPod touch
iPad owners have had access since early August, and at long last, iPod touch and iPhone users can say "Us too." The second major reason to crack open the App Store today has just surfaced, with Amazon confirming that its Instant Video app is now available for two of Apple's more bantam iOS products. Much like the iPad version, this one provides access to over 30,000 titles from Prime Instant Video available to Prime members for no extra cost, while the roaming public at large can tap into some 140,000 titles at various price points. To watch movies or TV episodes from Amazon Instant Video on iPhone and iPod touch, customers can simply search for the content they've already rented or purchased from Amazon Instant Video, and the company's also throwing in "Your Watchlist" and "Your Video Library" features, too. Per usual, the app itself is free to download, and there's a link to the App Store over there in the source section. Oh, and for those wondering about AirPlay support? Unfortunately, it remains audio-only. We just tested the new build using a 3rd-generation iPad as well as an iPhone 4S to an Apple TV, and while the app happily passed audio from a film to our television, the video remained on the device itself. This, of course, is a particular bummer given that there's no Amazon Instant Video app for Apple TV.
Amazon adds closed captions to select Instant streams
Amazon is finally catching up to the rest of the streaming industry and adding closed captions to some of its Instant Video selections. For the moment the library of CCed content is pretty slim, with only 169 shows and 74 movies, but we'd expect that to grow pretty quickly. That does put the burgeoning media giant quite a bit behind competitors like Hulu and Netflix, who have been catering to the hearing impaired for some time. For now, captions are only available when streaming from Amazon's website, but the company promises to expand support to "additional devices" soon. For more info check out the Amazon help page at the source and the email notice forwarded to us by a tipster after the break. [Thanks, Linda]
Amazon joins up with Epix, adds thousands of flicks to Prime Instant Video roster
Truth be told, Amazon's Prime Instant Video selection isn't the most comprehensive library on the net, but it's well on its way, thanks to a new licensing agreement with the Epix. The entertainment network, which partners with studios that include Lionsgate, MGM and Paramount, brings access to recent blockbusters like The Avengers, The Hunger Games and Thor, along with evergreen gems like Justin Bieber Never Say Never. Most importantly, it means Netflix is no longer the only subscription streaming home for those titles after its two year exclusive deal ran out. Amazon's streaming service, which includes thousands of movies and television shows, enables customers subscribing to Prime for $79 per year to stream content without additional monthly fees, in addition to benefits that include discounted shipping and a Kindle book loan program. The terms of the deal have not been announced, but the press release (available in full after the break) lists the partnership as a "multi-year licensing agreement," benefiting customers in the US.
Amazon Studios adds first four original shows to its 'development slate'
Back in May, Amazon put a call out for budding screenwriters to submit their ideas for an original comedy or children's series. Now, four of the submissions have been marked up on the Amazon Series Development Slate, with more being added to a "consider" list. The chosen projects comprise three comedies, and one preschooler's show. By getting the Amazonian thumbs-up, the ideas receive $10,000 to extend the initial option, assistance to develop the script, and potentially a pilot episode. So, we might not be seeing them on our screens / displays just yet, but we're sure we're not the only ones paying close attention.
Amazon Studios expands into TV series, looks to load up on content for streaming
Amazon has had a content development division for some time but today it's announced plans to expand from just movies to developing (and distributing, via its Instant Video service) original comedy and children's series. The new focus follows the competition like Netflix and Hulu which have both dived headlong into developing original TV show-style content that mirrors the content consumers seem to gravitate towards on streaming services. According to the press release Amazon Studios is willing to option one "promising project" per month for $10k and pay $55k to a creator if their series is selected for distribution. Submissions of 22-minute pilot scripts for comedies and 11-minute pilot scripts for children's shows are being accepted, which Amazon will either option within 45 days or the creator can choose between pulling it back and leaving it up for community feedback. There's more info at the site or in the press release after the break, but just remember: if we see any series picked up about dashingly handsome tech bloggers and the fast-paced lives they lead, we're coming for our cut.
Discovery shows hit Amazon Prime Instant Video, because it's 'Dirty Jobs,' but someone has to stream it
Amazon today announced a deal that will bring a slew of content from Discovery Communications to its ever increasing selection of streamable Prime videos. The partnership includes content from such properties as the Discovery Channel, TLC and Animal Planet, amongst a handful of others, with shows like Dirty Jobs and Whale Wars coming along for the ride. At present, the total selection of videos on the service is up to more than 17,000 titles, which can be viewed for free by Amazon Prime members in the US. Press info can be found after the break.
Amazon Prime Instant Video hands-on
Amazon has just turned on its Prime Instant Video service, letting paid Prime subscribers (sorry, students) in the US (sorry, foreigners) stream any of 5,000 movies and TV shows directly to their machines free of charge -- well, free beyond the $79 Primers already pay. Jeff Bezos has confirmed that there will be no extra charge going forward for this service and that Prime itself will not be getting more expensive to pay for all these bits and bytes. Right now the selection is limited, particularly if you already have a Netflix subscription, but we just had to try it out. Click on through for our impressions on a variety of devices.
Turbo-charged AVC encoding for PSP
ADS recently announced a new product called InstantVideo To-Go, which is supposed to be a video encoder accelerator. Using this USB key-shaped accelerator allows you to encode PSP-compatible video (in AVC format) insanely quickly. A DVD can take up to 5 hours to encode, but with this device, it'll take only 20 minutes. It'll work with a slew of media formats, including MP4, MP3, AVI, WMV, MOV, RM, JPG, and TIFF. It'll cost $80.[Via DCemu]
