Roku, Panasonic to support Amazon's High Definition Video on Demand
By Rachel Cericola
Amazon
just announced a few upgrades to its Video On Demand service. The good news is now they have plenty of offerings in high-def. Even better, you can stream some of that HD goodness right now using your PC, your Roku box or (soon) even Panasonic's VIERA Cast-enabled TVs and Blu-ray players.
The e-tailer just announced that viewers can now rent top TV shows as well as movies in high-def from its Amazon Video On Demand service. Currently, there are about 500 titles available in HD, including
Yes Man,
Frost/Nixon,
Twilight,
Smallville, and
The Tudors.
Amazon Video On Demand can be streamed directly to TVs if users have the Roku digital video player, TiVo Series3, HD, and HD XL DVRs, the Sony Bravia Internet Video Link, and/or Panasonic VIERA Cast-enabled TVs. You can also view this on-demand content on any Windows Media Center-based 'net-connected PC.
Amazon Video On Demand delivers video through the efficient h.264 codec. It also has an automatic bandwidth detection feature, to deliver the best quality file at either 300, 600, 900, 1200, or 2500 (HD) kbps.
Titles are available for purchase or rental with no monthly subscription fee. High-def titles are currently available for rent from $2.99 to $4.99. Users can also purchase or rent any of Amazon's 40,000 standard-def titles, which start at 99 cents.
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