Tag Archives: InstantVideo

Amazon will stream the President’s State of the Union speech

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The President's State of the Union address has been viewable online for years, but you've had to visit either the White House's website or YouTube. That's not very convenient in an era when streaming services reach just about every device you know. A...

Amazon now allows you to gift Prime, just in time for the holidays

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If you're still looking for gift ideas for that special someone, Amazon is looking to lend a hand. The online retailer has announced that customers can now give a $79 one-year membership to Prime. Recipients will get an email on the day of the giver's choosing with instructions on how to get started. For folks in the US, this means unlimited streaming of certain titles from Prime Instant Video on top of a Kindle book each month from the Owners' Lending Library, Kindle First and free two-day shipping that also come with the annual dues. In a giving mood? Jump down to that first source link below to add 12 months of access to your shopping cart.

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CNBC (Twitter)

Source: Amazon (1), (2)

Amazon unleashes ‘Pilot Season’ with 14 original shows

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Amazon unleashes 'Pilot Season' with

Amazon's been doing plenty of talking around its original programming, but now the site's ready to show us the goods. The mega-retailer this morning has made available pilot episodes for 14 new original series, crowdsourcing its programming block by soliciting viewer feedback. Head on over to the source link below to watch the likes of Onion News Empire, Betas and Zombieland, among others, as well as a handful of kids shows. The page also includes a link for feedback, so you can finally become the professional web TV exec you've always dreamed of.

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Source: Amazon Originals

Vizio Co-Star update brings new Google TV UI, native Amazon and Vudu

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Vizio CoStar update brings Google TV's voice search and YouTube pairing

Vizio's Co-Star hub is still one of the cheapest points of entry into the Google TV world, so it's comforting to see the set-top box getting an update -- albeit somewhat behind Google's own pace. The previously promised release mostly focuses on giving it the third-generation Google TV interface, including the mini-guide, YouTube pairing and (through a future Android app update) voice-guided search. Viewers on the prowl for more content get a few additional perks through new apps for M-Go and Vudu video streaming, as well as a truly native Amazon Instant Video app. Should Vizio's tiny media center inhabit your living room, you can expect the upgrade to arrive over the air within the next few weeks.

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Source: Vizio

Amazon expands CBS content on Prime Instant Video, lands an Under the Dome exclusive

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Amazon expands CBS content on Prime Instant Video, lands an Under the Dome exclusive

Amazon only managed to land a slice of CBS' library for Prime Instant Video on the first pass; it's coming back for a second helping, including one of its first cracks at genuinely recent content from the network. A widened licensing deal gives subscribers access to further CBS and Showtime series that include Jericho, The L Word and an unspecified number of other shows. And for those intrigued by the broadcaster's upcoming adaptation of Stephen King's Under the Dome, Amazon will be the only choice for many viewers: Prime Instant Video will be the exclusive home for subscription streaming and purchased downloads of the series, delivering streaming episodes about four days after their air date in order to shelter CBS' traditional advertisers. Amazon may not have have completely locked in an audience between this and the Downton Abbey deal, but the recent set of exclusives is likely to leave Netflix feeling nervous.

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Source: Amazon Instant Video

Amazon scores Downton Abbey as a subscription streaming exclusive from June 18th (update: timing leak)

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Amazon scores Downton Abbey as a subscription streaming exclusive

Anyone who's planning to catch up on Downton Abbey on their preferred service may want to plan a viewing marathon very soon: Amazon has struck a deal to become the exclusive home of the period drama on subscription-based streaming video platforms. Starting June 18th, only those Amazon Prime Instant Video members will have access to the third season and beyond on a commercial service without paying per show. The terms don't stop there -- seasons one and two will be pulled from other services later on in the year. While we're sure Kindle Fire owners will be happy, the move won't thrill those who want more of a choice as to how they keep up on their pseudo-historical intrigue.

Update: We've since gotten in touch with a source near the agreement that supports what The Verge heard: season one will disappear from Netflix on July 1st.

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Amazon Prime arrives in Canada: Free two-day shipping, no Instant Video

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Amazon Prime arrives in Canada Free twoday shipping, no Instant Video

Canadians can now register for Amazon Prime and get free two-day shipping on eligible orders for $79 a year. As a welcome, the company's giving new sign-ups a free one-month trial to reel them in -- unless they live in Quebec. Unfortunately, our northern neighbors won't be picking up Instant Video, with Amazon Canada's Steve Oliver telling The Canadian Press that there are no plans for the video service to join Prime there any time soon.

Continue reading Amazon Prime arrives in Canada: Free two-day shipping, no Instant Video

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Via: The Verge, The Canadian Press

Amazon beta tests ‘Instant Video Finder’ feature

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Amazon beta tests 'Instant Video Finder' feature

The video streaming arena is only seeing more competition in 2013, and Amazon's latest attempt to get a leg up is the "Instant Video Finder" feature it just announced it's beta testing. Similar to the way Netflix and others have attempted to sort movies by more than just the top few genre categories, it sorts flicks by more nuanced definitions like Feel-Good, Nonlinear or Sea Adventure. What categories you see are based on "viewing history for genre, theme, plot, and mood." So, can an algorithm (and probably some careful categorizing by real human viewers on the back end) solve the problem of "57,000 video on-demand options, but nothing is on"? Hit the source link and try it out yourself.

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Via: Amazon (Twitter)

Source: Amazon Instant Video Finder

Amazon Instant Video app now available on (some) Google TV devices

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Amazon Instant Video now available on some Google TV devices

Hot on the heels of making it available on the iPhone and iPod touch, Amazon's now bringing a native app for its Instant Video service to Mountain View's TV platform. It's always been accessible via the web browser, although navigating the site via remote was painful and the Flash video quality suffered. Granted, the on-demand application doesn't appear to be compatible with some devices at the moment, with a few folks pointing out that they are not seeing it be friendly with their particular Google TV-powered set-top box -- including ones such as the Logitech Revue and the (much) newer Vizio Co-Star. Here's to hoping the giant e-tailer makes Instant Video friendly with more Google TVs pretty soon -- according to Google, it's only available on LG TVs so far, since they've received the latest v3 updates already.

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Source: Google Play, Google+