For those of you who want an instant streaming option to go along with your DVD or Blu-ray purchase, Christmas just came early. Amazon.com has launched a promotion called Disc+ On Demand that includes a standard-def digital copy with the purchase of select physical titles. Once you have purchased one of the DVD or BD titles included in the promotion, you have the option of streaming the movie through Amazon or downloading it to your PC or TiVo device.
Selection for this service is currently very limited, with around 300 titles being offered. The list does, however, cover a wide variety of genres and includes recent releases such as Coraline, Land of the Lost and Bruno.
Have any of you tried this service yet, Insiders? Is it something you would be interested in, especially if the selection was expanded? Can you see this option becoming more mainstream as studios and retailers cope with declining disc sales?
[via New Tee Vee]
Not sure I understand what Amazon is offering. If you buy a physical dvd, you can then stream it? If so, what’s the point if you already own a physical copy.
I can imagine putting an electronic copy of a movie that is downloadable from anywhere with broadband to pretty good use.
For one, you’ll never have to loan a DVD to a friend again. You want to show someone at school or work a part from a movie you own but the disc is at home, fire up the ol’ Amazon VOD copy. Feel like watching some on your iPhone or Smartphone? Again, fire up the ol’ Amazon VOD copy. Hey, Mom and Dad, you REALLY need to see this movie, but all you have is basic cable and a computer with DSL…you get the idea.
You never know when it’s going to come in handy.
I AM SOOO MAD. I don’t have brodband and I am not rich to afford blu ray dsic and can not afford blu ray player :(
“Have any of you tried this service yet, Insiders?”
Yes but not specifically this promotion. I used Amazon’s VOD to download other videos to my Tivo HD.
“Is it something you would be interested in, especially if the selection was expanded?”
I’m more likely going to use Amazon to buy a DVD/Blu-ray because they have the better prices. I’m pretty sure though I’d ignore the Amazon VOD copy of that movie though (I can’t do anything with it other than watch it now on my tivo HD and use up limited HDD space on a movie I’ll own on disc in a few days.) If my iphone could use these copies, I might be more interested.
I was told that if you have a Blu-Ray player and Netflix you can do this already. So it sounds like it’s the wave of the future. I’m sure it’ll become main stream.