"We gotta hand it to Amazon to launch the store just a few days before Apple's "Showtime" event."
ohhhhh SNAP! L01Z3r$

I just can't see paying DVD prices for something that's suck on my computer.

Or you could buy the season on DVD for about the same price.

I wish Apple would sell "hardcopy" Books on iTunes because, although I use it, I have always hated Amazons "'90s throwback" website and this just hits that home. I like the iTunes UI . . .

I was going to go look for the resolutions on the files etc., and gave up immediately . . .

30 minute shows are 600MB?!
A good XviD rip from an HDTV source is 175MB.
The quality had better be fantastic, for that size. I hope the flash V for Vendetta clip on the frontpage is not what the purchased content actually looks like.

I agree with FlashSandbox (great typo, btw).

The pricing is just dumb.

You can buy the Matrix download for $9.88. Or you can buy the actual dvd for ...$9.88.

This is for a NEW dvd too. Used dvds - which amazon sells - are even cheaper.

Note this gem from the FAQ:

Can I make a DVD from my Amazon Unbox downloads?

You can store your downloaded files on a DVD or other removable computer storage device for the purpose of backup in the same format as the original files. However, any DVDs that you burn with Amazon Unbox files will not be readable by a DVD player. You can only view the files using Amazon Unbox installed on the computer that originally received the downloads..

WTF?

Why would I pay good cash for movies and shows that I can't play on all my devices?

Because, you love DRM!

I'll take my DVD collection over computer only anyday

There's a $1.99 instant rebate on the first purchase to try it out. So far, I've downloaded 3 episodes of the original Star Trek (actually, two plus the pilot, "The Cage,"), and the quality seems equal to the material, at least on my laptop. Amazon gives you two versions: a smaller one to view in their player, and a full-sized DRM'd one for Windows Media Player. It's nice to be able to select just a few classic episodes ("Space Seed" and "The Doomsday Machine" so far) and avoid the dogs ("Spock's Brain," anyone? Thanks but no thanks.)

Happy 40th Anniversary Star Trek! ("The Man Trap" premiered on 8 Sept., 1966.) {Prof. Jonathan|

Amazon does not and will not be offering their proprietary player for the Mac, according to an email I received back from them this evening:

"Unfortunately, Apple Computer Inc. has exclusive rights to the
hardware and software that would make it possible for Amazon.com to
provide Amazon Unbox for these devices. Because of these restrictions,
we are unable to make Amazon Unbox compatible with these products."

D'oh!

Downloading and installing the unbox app was a pain (fyi: if you have .net 2.0 beta installed, you must uninstall this first).

Now I can't connect to the server to download the video and the app keeps crashing.

To see the list of downloadables, you need to use a browser. To purchase more videos, you are sent to a browser. They should've spent some more time on the interface.

I'm sure Apple's interface will be much more user-friendly even if the offering will be much smaller.

When iTunes started selling songs for 99 cents a pop, it made CD's look expensive. When Apple and Amazon start selling $10 movies for download, it makes DVD's look like a high quality and inexpensive futuristic format.

Of course, Amazon and Apple's target audience is not anybody who could be found in these comment boxes, but everybody else. Although, I don't see how Amazon will be able to get that audience, being that most of them probably have iTunes already.

Good luck to Amazon; I hope they can break that shell.

ProfJonatha
can u tell us the resolution it is using 720 X 480 etc. plus what codec is it using the Windows media advanced codec or standard one. and at which bitrate

I tried to rent I-robot becuase I haven't seen it. well it took a half an hour to download, and when it was done the interface kind of flickerd or somthing and the movie was gone and when I tried to play again, it said my license was used up. Now it's still downloading a movie I don't even want to watch and wont be able to anyway once it's finnished. I could have bought a costco hotdog and soda for the two dollers I just waisted.

macdeth: some of us here refuse to pay for anything that is single-platform. in my routine day I'm on windows, mac, bsd, and linux. at home I have three of the above, and a 30" dvi interface lcd since the stoopid external tuner box quit working. sooo...ima not gonna buy anything so limited to platform. dvd rentals and mac the ripper for me!

...or, dvd purchases like the last I have NO regrets for paying $15 at best buy - Dead & Breakfast. BEST ZOMBIE EVAR IN ALL OF THIS YEAR!!

Forget about just geeks being able to tell the difference. You're telling me Joe Sixpack is going to pay 10 bucks to download a movie (how long will that take?) that he can only watch on his brand new HP he got at Best Buy, as opposed to going to Best Buy/Walmart and buying the DVD (for the same price) and being able to watch it on his HT setup, his friends HT setup, and have his son's friend rip it so he can watch it on his Ipod? Are people really this stupid??

Look at this not as a replacement for DVDs (which it'll never be) but as an additional, low-cost way for the studios to get additional marginal revenues from the same IP. No packaging or distribution costs, Amazon maintains the infrastructure, and while $10 movies may not fly, $1.99 episodes that play fullscreen may well. I don't watch enough TV or like every episode of my favorite shows sufficiently to spend money on a full-season box set, but an episode here and there for $2 works fine for me. {Prof. Jonathan}

I tried it out last night, and I think it bests iTunes, but it is still plagued by excessive DRM and excessive pricing.

OK DRM crackers... On your mark, get set, go.

I think FairUse4WM was updated to fix the new microsoft patch... and it works with WMVs...

You can also put the videos from this onto Plays For Sure players like the Zen. I can definitely see that as something people would use it for.