TheWestWing
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Amazon, Warner deal brings Fringe, The West Wing to Prime Instant Video exclusively
The battle between Amazon's Prime Instant Video and Netflix Watch Instantly continues to heat up, with Amazon following up a slew of rollouts on new devices like the Xbox 360 and the addition of a queue by locking up some exclusive TV content from Warner Bros. According to the press release (included after the break) Amazon's agreement means episodes of Fringe and The West Wing will be "On Prime Instant Video First" and not on other streaming services for the summer. Stats show and Netflix has repeatedly indicated that subscribers view more TV content than movies on these types of services so content exclusives may become even more important differentiators. Other shows specifically named include Dark Blue, Alcatraz and The Whole Truth, hit up the Prime site to see any other less prominent names that may have escaped mention.
All seven seasons of The West Wing finally available in HD... but only online
Even though acclaimed TV series The West Wing was shot on film and six of the seven seasons were broadcast in high definition, until now the only way fans could get a copy was in standard definition. Now Warner's announced all seven seasons are available for purchase in high definition on digital distributors including iTunes and Amazon, with a $3/episode, $50/season price tag. After rumors we'd see the series on HD DVD and later Blu-ray it's great to get access to the show's high production values in higher resolution, but sadly we must note that at least on Amazon (we couldn't find any notes on iTunes) it only offers stereo audio -- an unfortunate loss for a series that won multiple awards for its sound production and features 5.1 Dolby Digital surround on DVD. How much that matters is a personal preference, but while Blu-ray quality might not be expected from downloads, it would be nice to at least get everything that's on the DVD with our downloads. Check after the break for a quick behind the scenes clip with Executive Producer Thomas Schlamme.
Smallville and The West Wing next TV shows to HD DVD?
Our friends at TheManRoom stumbled upon an interesting bit of information in their Invasion DVD boxed set, an advertisement for Smallville and The West Wing coming soon on HD DVD. Based on the box art displayed, one can assume that they plan on releasing current seasons of high-def shows on the new formats first, then working their way back through the older shows. Whether or not these will be day-and-date releases like The Sopranos remains to be seen, but we'll be keeping an eye out for Lost and 24 boxed sets.
