Amazon Partners With Roku For Video On Demand

Roku on Tuesday added support for Amazon's online video service to its 

Internet-to-TV digital player, taking the online retailer into competition with 

similar services offered by Netflix,Blockbuster and Apple.

The Roku player makes it possible for people with a broadband 

connection to connect to the Amazon service for renting DVD-quality 

movies and TV shows. Amazon has a library of more than 40,000 films

and TV shows and offers Hollywood movies the same day they are 

released on DVD.The Roku player also provides access to Netflix's 

video subscription service. The devices connect directly to most 

televisions and connect to the Internet either through a wired or  Wi-Fi 

connection. Once the device is set up, a user must register the player 

with the respective service in order to get access to the content.

The Roku player, which is about the size of a paperback book, is for 

streaming content only and does not have a 

hard drive for storage. The device costs $99 and is 

available through the 

company's Web site or Amazon. Blockbuster offers a 

direct-to-TV player built in partnership with 2Wire, a company that

provides software and hardware for 

delivering Web content to home TVS. Apple offers movies and TV 

shows through its iTunes online store and sells the Apple TV device 

to connect the store to a TV. While streaming and renting movies over 

the Web is small in terms of revenue when compared with DVD rentals, 

analysts believe that consumers eventually will turn to the Web for movies 

much like they have for music. Online music services have had a major 

impact on falling CD sales.

InformationWeek