PANASONIC ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF AMAZON VIDEO ON DEMAND ON ITS FULL LINE OF 2009 VIERA CASTTM-ENABLED BLU-RAY DISC PLAYERS

Owners of 2009 Panasonic Blu-ray Disc Players Now Have Access To Amazon Video On Demand's Extensive Selection of Movies & TV Shows, Including Over 1000 High Definition Titles

SECAUCUS, NJ (August 4, 2009) – Panasonic, a leader in High Definition technology and built-in TV web entertainment, announced today that Amazon Video On Demand is now available on its full line of 2009 VIERA CASTTM-enabled Blu-ray Disc players. Current owners of Panasonic's 2009 Blu-ray Disc players automatically received a free software update today and can begin enjoying the service immediately when they register their VIERA CAST Blu-ray Disc Player with Amazon Video On Demand.

Panasonic introduced Amazon Video On Demand on VIERA CAST-enabled Plasma HDTVs in April 2009.

Bringing unique internet-enabled services to Panasonic VIERA Blu-ray owners, Amazon Video On Demand on VIERA CAST, enables customers to:

· Browse and shop for their favorite movies and TV shows from Amazon Video On Demand's selection of more than 45,000 commercial-free titles, including the latest new releases and over 1000 titles in HD.

· Enjoy instant playback streamed to your player, no downloading, no waiting and no subscription fees.

· Access and add to their virtual library of purchases, via Amazon Video On Demand's Your Video Library, and re-watch them on any of Panasonic's critically acclaimed line of VIERA CAST-enabled Blu-ray Disc players or online with a PC, MAC or other compatible device.

For 2009, Panasonic's VIERA CAST feature has been extended to all of its Blu-ray Disc player models, including the DMP-BD60, BD70V, BD80 and the B15* – the world's first and only portable Blu-ray Disc player. An internet connection is required to access VIERA CAST.

"Having our VIERA CAST feature on our line of 2009 Panasonic Blu-ray players means you can now access the best of the web, directly from your living room," said Richard Simone, Panasonic's Entertainment Group Director. "The introduction of Amazon Video On Demand to our VIERA CAST offerings gives every owner of a 2009 Panasonic Blu-ray player access to a vast collection of movies and TV shows, including HD quality new releases, on virtually any digital television. And you can take it on the road with you too with Panasonic's VIERA CAST-enabled, B15 portable Blu-ray Disc player."

In addition to Amazon Video On Demand, VIERA CAST will continue to provide access to YouTube™, Picasa Web Albums™, Bloomberg News and weather information. With VIERA CAST, consumers will have automatic access to additional sites as they are added to the service.

VIERA CAST was widely acknowledged last year for its distinctive internet application, allowing the consumer to view targeted sites on a large HDTV, rather than a small computer screen. VIERA CAST has a built-in Ethernet interface – no external box or PC is required. VIERA CAST is accessed via a single button on the Blu-ray Disc player remote control and there is no fee to use the VIERA CAST functionality.

"The addition in April 2009 of Amazon Video On Demand's premium service to Panasonic VIERA CAST-enabled HDTVs really took the entertainment experience to a whole new level for consumers," said Merwan Mereby, Panasonic's Vice President of New Business Development. "As promised in April, Panasonic is now pleased to deliver Amazon Video On Demand service to owners of our award-winning 2009 line of VIERA CAST-enabled Blu-ray Disc players as well. Combined with the extensive, consumer-generated content VIERA CAST already offers via YouTube and Google Picasa, this is yet another step in the ever-growing value of VIERA CAST for owners of Panasonic HDTVs and Blu-ray players."

"Panasonic and Amazon Video On Demand have built a great customer experience that easily allows customers to shop, purchase or rent from our library of over 45,000 movies & TV shows with no subscription fees," said Bill Carr, Amazon Vice President Music and Video. "Using Panasonic's line of VIERA CAST-enabled Blu-ray players, even more customers can now instantly experience Amazon's compelling HD-quality, new release movies and TV shows from their living room."

Update: Dan from Silicon Alley Insider says his Hulu source denies this (which doesn't surprise us). Also, just now, Roku told us they flat out deny this too, meaning whoever wrote that for Playboy should be getting their asses back to Factchecking 101.

Also of note, according to some promotional materials from Roku, YouTube could be the next service to be supported. (You can see the logo in this story's lead image.)

I know, it's tough to top Netflix streaming with pay movies and clips of people's cats. But it's good to see so many different platforms (hardware and digital) intermingling at last. [Roku Forums via Zatz Not Funny]

Amazon Game Downloads, still technically in beta (though open to the public), currently offers 600 titles priced at $10 and less. For any title in the store, you can download the full version and play it for 30 minutes before deciding whether or not it's worth a purchase.

As of now, it's definitely intended to be a service for casual games, but obviously Amazon will expand their reach as the market dictates in the future.

Oh, and for those of you who like freebies, Jewel Quest II, The Scruffs, and Built-A-Lot are all available for free download this week only. Live it up. [Amazon via Kotaku]