Amazon offers instant video streaming with some DVD and Blu-ray purchases

[Matthew DeCarlo]

Amazon is offering a new service called Disc+ On Demand that lets customers watch some video titles immediately after purchasing them on DVD or Blu-ray. This improves one of the only remaining benefits of buying videos at Best Buy (who is also exploring on-demand content) and other chains: instant gratification. Waiting a week to watch your new Blu-ray film is a bummer. Disc+ On Demand also adds appeal to the dying physical media.

Over 300 movies and TV shows are currently available with the promotion, and users can stream the videos on their PC or Mac computers, as well as some TVs and set-top boxes from Roku, Panasonic, Sony, Samsung, and TiVo. When a participating DVD or Blu-ray is purchased, the digital version is directly listed under the buyer's video library.

Besides the limited content selection, there are a couple of things to point out: the on-demand videos only stream in standard-definition, and the promotion is only available to US customers.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/37303-amazon-offers-instant-video-streaming-with-some-dvd-and-blu-ray-purchases.html

 

[compdata]

This is awesome and will save me some gas as well I have had several discussion on this with friends and we all believe that there is a very good chance Blu-ray won't make it mainstream. Not because of any technical reason, but because streaming on-demand video is catching up so rapidly! This is a huge step in that direction in a way that is progressional rather then revolutionary.

 

[Richy2k9]

hello ...

this is a good idea, but 1st, i'm sure it will not be available to 'other countries' & 2ndly, nothing can match physical media for quality.

Video on Demand, even if in HD may appear of really high quality, but the bitrate is lower than that of Blu-ray for instance.

With cheaper players & blu-ray movies, more PS3 sold, VOD will only be to those that really have difficulties accessing such media.

Even if free is always welcome, i don't see why i'll watch a lower quality video while waiting for the better one i purchased. I just can't see why i would spoil it all & later on not really interested in re-watching the one i bought.

well , some people would like, some won't & others won't even get it ... i don't see why i'm even bothering!

cheers!

 

[slh28]

Why don't the people who use this service just go for the on demand option in the first place? Or maybe you could buy the dvd/bluray, stream the film and then sell on the physical copy as new?

 

[Richy2k9]

Besides the limited content selection, there are a couple of things to point out: the on-demand videos only stream in standard-definition, and the promotion is only available to US customers

well what did i say .. No Outside US & it's not even HD ... ha!

Sorry, even if i dont' get it, thanks but no thanks!

@ compdata - the time will come when both (On demand & physical media) will be at same quality level, but then we would need more bandwidth for the newer higher quality movies with multi audio & 3D options.

Video on demand is a really good service & for the first time i can feel they will be some true co-existence of format, not like the actual & temporary BD-DVD & the former CD-DVD.

cheers!

 

[compdata]

Richy2k9 said:

@ compdata - the time will come when both (On demand & physical media) will be at same quality level, but then we would need more bandwidth for the newer higher quality movies with multi audio & 3D options.

Video on demand is a really good service & for the first time i can feel they will be some true co-existence of format, not like the actual & temporary BD-DVD & the former CD-DVD.

cheers!

Well i certainly can't predict the future I just think that there is a good chance that static physical media is not the way of the future, as cloud computing and smaller more portable devices necessitate the removal of extraneous hardware.

Think about how many portable / netbooks, etc. . don't have DVD/BlueRay drives. If people want to have a movie format that they can play on all of their devices then it is going to have to go to something else. Maybe movies on USB thumb drive will take off with the introduction of USB3 or maybe we will go all streaming/On-Demand. Yes you need more bandwidth for this but the ISP are already gearing up for this as they believe it is the way of the future. In the meantime i will probably pay the extra couple bucks to get my DVD/BlueRay/Digital copy all at the same time

 

[Richy2k9]

hello...

Well i certainly can't predict the future I just think that there is a good chance that static physical media is not the way of the future, as cloud computing and smaller more portable devices necessitate the removal of extraneous hardware.

agree ...

yet unless we have Internet access everywhere in the world, at every little inch of it, for a really low price, not to say for free ... VOD & other services alike would remain restricted to a niche market.

USB devices is a really great option, we can have a cheap 32 Gb one & have a 25Gb movie on it, there are 64Gb ones too, the problem is that the device cost much than a single BD-R so i think that makes the difference. today we are facing the same issue when the DVD came along, with a better quality product yet was still a bit expensive to be adopted in one day, still it was one of the fastest adopted technology.

BD will go same way, mostly because it is not limited to movies, PC Games will soon be available on it, PS3 lives up on it & those really wanting VOD to win the day are those having no direct rights or use of it, or too pride to admit that they could win some more with it.

cheers!