Amazon Unbox Video Store Launches 308
andrewl6097 writes "Amazon.com has launched it's Amazon Unbox video store. Looks like about 1300 movies and 350 tv series, at $9.99 and up for movies and $1.99 per TV episode. Downloads come with a DVD quality version and a version more appropriate for portable players (using Windows DRM). Also, videos can be re-downloaded from your Amazon media library. Cool!"
"Cool!" (Score:5, Insightful)
why pay for single-OS content? (Score:5, Insightful)
Funny thing is, i *would* pay for non-DRMed movies. I've bought plenty of non-DRM music online.
It deserves to fail, IMHO.
Re:"Cool!" (Score:4, Insightful)
Support (Score:5, Insightful)
No support for iPod == dead to the market.
iTunes movies will probably be dead to me too since I live in !USA.
DVDs are cheaper anyway. the entire concept of movie downloads priced the same, or more expensive, as DVDs is retarded.
Re:FAQ and showstoppers (Mac, Linux, iPods exclude (Score:1, Insightful)
But then they had to say "Fuck you Mr. Mac user!"
Re:iTunes (Score:5, Insightful)
Why will there be a price war when the same interests are behind both sites? The face looks different, but the gizzards are the same.
Re:why pay for single-OS content? (Score:5, Insightful)
So basically, rather than balancing customer interests against artist/studio interests, they went wholesale with the artist/studio interests. They'll probably pay for it by not getting a lot of buyers.
Re:why pay for single-OS content? (Score:2, Insightful)
I agree with other posters that this was rushed out, perhaps in advance of Apple's announcement next week.
Tying the sale of something as simple as a movie to particular hardware is as stupid as the VHS/Beta war. Oops! I forgot about HD/Blu-ray!
Apple's style of DRM that allows me to make an un-DRMmed backup on a Music CD is the only type I'll accept. Anything more restrictive can be shoved where the sun don't shine.
Feature Missing (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:"Plays for Sure" ... MUHAHHAHAHAHAHA!!!! (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Support (Score:1, Insightful)
Why doesn't it? They could just as easily put in some exclusive features. Plus out-of-print movies.
Blame studios (Score:4, Insightful)
The content owners who set the rules have little relationship with the guys who are providing access to the content. You got a complaint? Buy stock in the content holders and bring it to the shareholders meeting.
There's a reason Apple only has content deals with one studio (I leave it to the general paranoia of this thread to speculate on Jobs' relationship with Disney). It's probably like pulling teeth to get the studios to unclench their sphincters from around those digital copies even in DRM encumbered form.
Re:"Cool!" (Score:3, Insightful)
Of course not! They're runing accolades for overpriced DRM crippled movie downloads. For example, compare the download of Walk the Line for $20.00 with a 2-DVD special edition [amazon.com] for about the same price.
Attention editors! Please ignore breathless announcements of downloadable media services except in those very rare cases where economic reality is acknowledged.
Re:"Plays for Sure" ... MUHAHHAHAHAHAHA!!!! (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:"Wonderful" Quotes from the Terms of Use (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I agree, this sucks - can't transfer b/t comps (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Amazon's lies about why no Mac support (Score:3, Insightful)
Purpose of DRM is to trigger Re-Purchase (Score:5, Insightful)
The current use of DRM is _not_ to protect the artists.
When the artists make pennies to the big publishing companies dollars, it should be obvious who DRM benefits.
The current use of DRM is control:
- control where and how the renter/"buyer" views/listens to the media.
- when the viewer/listener wants to listen/view the media in some other way, The media must be re-purchaced.
- this re-purchacing leads to a more constant money flow, without the need for new material.
- this combined with a near infinite copyright period helps to maximize profit from old works.
As with many things in society today, a very effective, but irresponsible way to make money is to make the product disposible. If the buyer is forced to throw away the DVD/Music/Computer/Phone every so often, more money is to be made.
So, let's see... (Score:3, Insightful)
C'mon, I think the way Amazon's store is set up sucks (way to restrictive DRM, no non-Windows support) - but this most certainly qualifies as news.
It never was the price (Score:4, Insightful)
The problem is the DRM. I don't object to DRM on moral grounds, it simply kills the value of the media for me. I own a PSP and a Treo 650, both of which cannot play the media I buy from iTunes (and Amazon). While I do use a Mac as a primary computer, my secondary Linux box would not be able to use it either. I also want the assurance that I can jump platforms at any time, and still be able to play my media. DRM cannot offer me that assurance, and I don't want to be stuck on any operating system/portable media player simply because the DRM is compatable with it. Also, what happens if, in 10 years, Apple runs out of business (anything can happen in the long term) and shuts down the FairPlay servers? All the stuff you bought is gone forever, as your computer can't obtain the keys to decrypt it.
If I pirate the media, however, I get the same thing, simply DRM free, so I can use it on essentially any operating system/device. The files last forever, untill I destory them myself. Thus, the pirated content is better then that which I can buy. If you think there is little enough encouragement to buy media these days, just put yourself in my shoes.
I have used the iTunes video and music store before, using gift cards I often receive as presents. FairPlay isn't horribly restrictive; you can move the DRMed files anywhere, back them up, transfer them to another computer, using conventional drag n' drop methods. And you can play them on Windows and Mac (not Linux, however). In fact, the only restriction that really bothered me was, unfortunately, the biggest: DRM restricts the platforms on which you can use your media.
I don't beleive in the whole "changing culture" thing many people use to justify piracy as something moral. But I believe in DRM even less. Piracy is my only option if I want the latest episode of the Colbert Report on my Treo 650, and I take that route because the companies controlling the media offered me no legal alternative.
Re:why pay for single-OS content? (Score:3, Insightful)
So you punish fans who have multiple playing devices by paying more in the interest of avoiding sharing?
The missus has a CD collection (Yanni and a lot of other things I won't mention), but she has one of two options (she's not going the iPod way):
1. Pack everything up from home, lug it to the SUV, load whatever she wanted to listen to, then haul it in from the parking lot to her office. Meaning: getting her a decent-sized luggage bag with wheels on it.
2. Make copies of each CD and keep them where appropriate; specfically, home, SUV, work, for her edification.
Door #1 means she will stop buying CDs despite the availability of discretionary income. This (obviously) means the artists will see less money. Not from theft, but inconvenience for the buyer.
Using door #2 means she doesn't have to tow things around. She's not sharing the IP/CDs with anyone else and the artist et al. aren't losing any money. (I suppose you could say the manufacturers of the blank discs are making money as well)
Piracy is going to occur, no matter what you do. That doesn't mean they have to lie down & take it. But they also have to understand that despite a case of "my sandbox (marketshare), my rules", dangling today's version of Rubik's Cube is only going to make people more determined to find a solution[1], silkscreen it on a pair of the company's boxers (purchased from the company store, thank-you very much - after all, this is an academic[1] exercise), and run it up the flagpole (the company likely has their flag on top of whatever country's flag should be on top) for all to see when they go to work the next morning.
Oh, if two of us want to trade movies, even if they're the same price at the site, we cannot do so. This is one of the biggest failings of any e-Book attempts. This is not to mention giving you something I purchased (music,movie,book) because I value giving it to you more than keeping it for myself. The producers are going to use "unfair use" or "piracy" as an attempt to avoid developing more marketing creativity and beeline like an asymptote toward single-use fees for each of those media.
They know people aren't going to stop buying (music,movies,books) altogether because only an egregious mistake of monumental proportiions will co$t them where it hurt$. They're obviously dipping their toes and testing the water. Sony got something soft & fleshy caught in their collective zippers. That's because they tried to sneak it past everyone with the empty beehive trick.[2] Amazon's appearing to take the approach, "things will work well because we're Amazon (never forget that), we're telling everyone up-front, and because we're letting them play it on more than one machine."
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[1] look at all of the weekend events where people are provided opportunities to crack things for the purpose of whose mojo is stronger. Socking it to the man only provides more fun.
[2] I looked at beekeeping once (in the middle of 1-acre lots) and had a nice place or two to stash them. I was concerned about neighbors. It was suggested to me that I put empty boxes where I was going to set up & leave them there for a few months before getting the bees. Once they were in place and if someone thought there was a problem of some type I could claim, "Hey, they weren't there before, why are you having a problem now?" A candygram[3] pointed out that if someone got stung, even if they didn't develop anaphylaxis, they'd try to sue for some type of pain, hoping there'd be a settlement to make it go away."
[3] "Candygram." {pause} "Landshark".
Re:I agree, this sucks - can't transfer b/t comps (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I agree, this sucks - can't transfer b/t comps (Score:3, Insightful)
If your Windows install tanks every 6 months, you shouldn't be allowed to use a computer as you're clearly a danger to them...
Re:I agree, this sucks - can't transfer b/t comps (Score:3, Insightful)