# Amazon is now showing HD



## Joe3 (Dec 12, 2006)

I just notice Amazon is offering HD. I just thought I'd mention it since I can't find a discussion on it.

It seems they added a dollar to the HD content.


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## AbMagFab (Feb 5, 2001)

Joe3 said:


> I just notice Amazon is offering HD. I just thought I'd mention it since I can't find a discussion on it.


Where? Do you have some examples?


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## Joe3 (Dec 12, 2006)

AbMagFab said:


> Where? Do you have some examples?


Just now, on my Tivo.


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## AbMagFab (Feb 5, 2001)

Joe3 said:


> Just now, on my Tivo.


Thanks for the silly response.

Can you give some examples of movies they are offering in HD for download?


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## stevewjackson (Nov 2, 2007)

Joe3 said:


> I just notice Amazon is offering HD. I just thought I'd mention it since I can't find a discussion on it.
> 
> It seems they added a dollar to the HD content.


OK, but do they offer captioning yet?

I rented one movie from them when they were still called Unbox, only to find no captioning. I later went to the web site and dug around, where I found a page saying that they hoped to have captioning in the future. Seems it doesn't pay to have a hearing impairment. No captions, no Amazon (or Netflix or anything else) through my TiVo. 

= Steve =


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## Joe3 (Dec 12, 2006)

AbMagFab said:


> Thanks for the silly response.
> 
> Can you give some examples of movies they are offering in HD for download?


Ok,,

Yes Man
The Day the Earth Stopped 
The Dark Knight
Twilight
Handcock

Many James Bond Movies


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## AbMagFab (Feb 5, 2001)

stevewjackson said:


> OK, but do they offer captioning yet?
> 
> I rented one movie from them when they were still called Unbox, only to find no captioning. I later went to the web site and dug around, where I found a page saying that they hoped to have captioning in the future. Seems it doesn't pay to have a hearing impairment. No captions, no Amazon (or Netflix or anything else) through my TiVo.
> 
> = Steve =


Are you that annoying kid on Amazing Race?


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## Joe3 (Dec 12, 2006)

stevewjackson said:


> OK, but do they offer captioning yet?
> 
> I rented one movie from them when they were still called Unbox, only to find no captioning. I later went to the web site and dug around, where I found a page saying that they hoped to have captioning in the future. Seems it doesn't pay to have a hearing impairment. No captions, no Amazon (or Netflix or anything else) through my TiVo.
> 
> = Steve =


You've waited long enough. File a Civil Disability Complaint! :up:

Meanwhile, Just someone tell me it's not 720p,but 1080i.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

Upon first seeing this, I went to www.amazon.com/vod and did a search for "HD". In the results (75) I noticed only TV series (and some shlockly other crap). But that is good that they are showing HD.










Clearly, you can see the offerings and the confirmation that they are charging $2.99 per HD episode.

I then clicked into Heroes and found the specs and along with the HD, they will be sending the 5.1 audio. hooray.










I cannot find if there will be CC or not.

Even though I was planning on Huluing/USA Networking In Plain Sight (just basic cable), I may purchase the Season 2 premiere and hopefully have it done by the time I get home and see what happens.

Then, based on the OP, I searched for the Dark Knight and yes, it does have that little HD logo below the viewing window.










But, I cannot confirm specs for the HD or how you would actually get the HD movie. If I were to click on purchase/rent it would take me to my one-click to complete purchase. And not wanting to download that right now, I won't know if there is an interim step to choose which version you want. In the specs for Dark Knight, it shows letterbox/stereo for the TiVo Download option, which is the SD specs.......

Someone needs to be willing to go the step further and try it......

Again, I'll report back on In Plain Sight later or tomorrow.......and I'll check for CC.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

As happy as I am that the HD offering is there now, I think $2.99 per HD episode is too much for a full 22 episode TV series. (I say it now) $66 is way too much for a season right now, even with the convenience of having the eps download to the TV. 

In all likelihood, if we don't go the Hulu route, we would probably download the SD version for the $1.99 per episode. Then again, lets see what the HD download looks like when I get home.

We really need TiVo to get in bed with Hulu.


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## cheerdude (Feb 27, 2001)

Haven't tried it on my S3 yet... but Engadget is stating that the sound is in Stereo and not 5.1.


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## dig_duggler (Sep 18, 2002)

Seems live on a few platforms


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## dig_duggler (Sep 18, 2002)

cheerdude said:


> Haven't tried it on my S3 yet... but Engadget is stating that the sound is in Stereo and not 5.1.


Ouch. I will stick with my Apple TV then...


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## daveak (Mar 23, 2009)

http://i.gizmodo.com/5221751/amazon-hd-video-on-demand-offically-on-tivo

720P ?


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## cheerdude (Feb 27, 2001)

cheerdude said:


> Haven't tried it on my S3 yet... but Engadget is stating that the sound is in Stereo and not 5.1.


Scratch that ... Gizmodo (and TiVo's Press Release) are saying most movies are in 5.1. Unknown on video output...


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## stevewjackson (Nov 2, 2007)

AbMagFab said:


> Are you that annoying kid on Amazing Race?


I don't watch the show and have no idea what this refers to. I'm simply a hearing impaired viewer who wishes mightily that I could get programs via my TiVo (other than from the cable provider) with captioning!


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## tombonneau (Mar 26, 2009)

One of the lines in the article stood out to me. (Sorry, can't go through and find it now, at work have a meeting in 5 min ...). But it said something to the effect of that when searching on TiVo, the search screen is optimized for widescreen HD, and that you can rent Amazon flicks that show up in search results.

Sounds to me like they are referencing beta search? Is this graduating up to the default search with this Amazon HD upgrade?

EDIT:

Ok, nevermind had time to find the quote:



> TiVo Search, which is optimized for HDTVs with a wide screen display, will include HD results from Amazon along with broadcast and cable programs when a user performs a search.


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## daveak (Mar 23, 2009)

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10224250-1.html

According to this the Roku box is doing 720P, when I get I home I will have to check out my Tivo...


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## spocko (Feb 4, 2009)

Joe3 said:


> Meanwhile, Just someone tell me it's not 720p,but 1080i.


Why? Resolution is not the only factor that determines picture quality. At a low bit rate, 720p can look better than 1080i because less compression is needed to achieve that target bit rate. I would choose higher quality 720p over lower quality 1080i any day. This is presumably why Netflix HD streams are 720p. Since the Amazon stuff is downloaded instead of streamed, they don't have the same real-time bandwidth concerns as Netflix, but they still have to use low bit rates to achieve reasonable download times.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

AbMagFab said:


> Are you that annoying kid on Amazing Race?


You may think that's funny, but it most certainly is not for the many of us who require captions because we are simply hearing-impaired and not legally deaf. :down::down::down:


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

jlb said:


> I think $2.99 per HD episode is too much for a full 22 episode TV series ...


I agree. Considering there are more and more services (the networks' own websites included) that allow you to stream shows for free, $2.99 seems very high indeed. I just don't see myself purchasing many episodes at that price, especially considering the fact that I can easily get HD versions of pretty much any recent episode via bitorrent.


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## lrhorer (Aug 31, 2003)

Bierboy said:


> You may think that's funny, but it most certainly is not for the many of us who require captions because we are simply hearing-impaired and not legally deaf. :down::down::down:


I would think those of us who are legally deaf need it even more. I didn't think it was funny because I did not understand the allusion, but then I have far better things to do with my time than to waste it on mindless drivel such as The Amazing Race. Upon reflection, however, I realize not being able to understand what is going on is a blessing if one is watching a reality series.

As someone whose hearing is nowhere as sharp as it once was, I decidedly do enjoy having Closed Captioning available. I don't require it full time, yet, but I can easily understand the frustration of someone who does require it full time or nearly so at not having it available. I truly feel for my aunt, now, who is both legally deaf and legally blind. She can't read captions even if they are available, and can understand very little of what is said.


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## Joe3 (Dec 12, 2006)

spocko said:


> Why? Resolution is not the only factor that determines picture quality. At a low bit rate, 720p can look better than 1080i because less compression is needed to achieve that target bit rate. I would choose higher quality 720p over lower quality 1080i any day. This is presumably why Netflix HD streams are 720p. Since the Amazon stuff is downloaded instead of streamed, they don't have the same real-time bandwidth concerns as Netflix, but they still have to use low bit rates to achieve reasonable download times.


Do you really want to start this argument, again?

"Rupert"


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## djwilso (Dec 23, 2006)

On the subject of closed captions, the Roku player's Amazon VOD will allow you to see the first two minutes of the movie, and I confirmed by watching the start of several HD movies with my TV's captions turned on that there were no captions.

I can't confirm if this is also the case on the TiVo as I did not want to actually rent or purchase any movies right now.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

Ok. In Plain Sight was done by the time I got home.

It appears that the video is 1080i (based on hitting the Info button) and it is indeed 5.1, based on the Dolby Digital displayed on my receiver.

Alas, I don't think there are CC.

And it looks and sounds pretty damn good to me.


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## tombonneau (Mar 26, 2009)

jlb said:


> Ok. In Plain Sight was done by the time I got home.
> 
> It appears that the video is 1080i (based on hitting the Info button) and it is indeed 5.1, based on the Dolby Digital displayed on my receiver.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the update. I'll have to see if there isn't something worth watching tonight ...


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## daveak (Mar 23, 2009)

CC is sometimes better than the pause and rewind buttons for those annoying moments when people just cannot stop talking. And talking. And talking. And talking. Now if pause and rewind would only work on certain people - or at least a CC screen on their forehead so I would finally know what they were thinking...


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## tombonneau (Mar 26, 2009)

jlb said:


> Ok. In Plain Sight was done by the time I got home.
> 
> It appears that the video is 1080i (based on hitting the Info button) and it is indeed 5.1, based on the Dolby Digital displayed on my receiver.
> 
> ...


Just thinking here, so are you saying that the Amazon HD don't start streaming instantly? You have to queue them up and wait awhile for buffer? A la HDX on Vudu? My impression was they buffered just like Netflix HD (maybe a little longer ...).


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

tombonneau said:


> Just thinking here, so are you saying that the Amazon HD don't start streaming instantly? You have to queue them up and wait awhile for buffer? A la HDX on Vudu? My impression was they buffered just like Netflix HD (maybe a little longer ...).


Amazon HD works the same as Amazon SD on the TiVo. It downloads it using the same method. Depending on your internet speed, you may or may not be able to watch it in realtime. The Roku player doesn't have enough storage space, so they are streaming the content (the same was it is done on the PC). I'm not sure if they are using a different encoding as TiVo is using, but it is possible.


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## tombonneau (Mar 26, 2009)

rainwater said:


> Amazon HD works the same as Amazon SD on the TiVo. It downloads it using the same method. Depending on your internet speed, you may or may not be able to watch it in realtime. The Roku player doesn't have enough storage space, so they are streaming the content (the same was it is done on the PC). I'm not sure if they are using a different encoding as TiVo is using, but it is possible.


Hmmm interesting. I've never watched Amazon on my TiVo (just my Roku); so SD content on Amazon currently DLs a portion to the HD and after a time starts playing?


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## Johncv (Jun 11, 2002)

stevewjackson said:


> OK, but do they offer captioning yet?
> 
> I rented one movie from them when they were still called Unbox, only to find no captioning. I later went to the web site and dug around, where I found a page saying that they hoped to have captioning in the future. Seems it doesn't pay to have a hearing impairment. No captions, no Amazon (or Netflix or anything else) through my TiVo.
> 
> = Steve =


I agree with you Steve, there no reason for any of the downloads to not have close captions. Last I heard the FCC has a backlog of complains regarding this and has request an amendment to the ADA Act that will require ALL video downloads over Wi-Fi, cable, broadband to ANY device receiving and displaying video MUST have close caption.


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## jeepguy_1980 (Mar 2, 2008)




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## kevinivey (Nov 8, 2002)

quality is excellent(720p) ,and the audio being DD 5.1 is a real plus. I would rent with out hesitation. Very impressed.


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## eelton (Jun 10, 2001)

tombonneau said:


> Just thinking here, so are you saying that the Amazon HD don't start streaming instantly? You have to queue them up and wait awhile for buffer? A la HDX on Vudu? My impression was they buffered just like Netflix HD (maybe a little longer ...).


I saw that an episode of "Parks and Recreation" was available in HD for free, so I thought that would be a good way to try it out. It's been downloading for 30 minutes, and it looks like only 5 minutes has come through. That's on what's supposed to be a 10 MB/s internet connection.


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## spocko (Feb 4, 2009)

Joe3 said:


> Do you really want to start this argument, again?


No, you missed my point. My point was that at a low bit rate 720p will have fewer compression artifacts than 1080i, and may therefore look better.


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## Scyber (Apr 25, 2002)

cheerdude said:


> Scratch that ... Gizmodo (and TiVo's Press Release) are saying most movies are in 5.1. Unknown on video output...


Engadget was reviewing on the Roku, which is a streaming device. The streaming devices get stereo audio from Amazon. Devices that download from Amazon get 5.1.


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## bkdtv (Jan 9, 2003)

_As far as I can tell..._

Roku's Amazon HD downloads are 720p24 @ 2.5Mbps with stereo audio.

TiVo's Amazon HD downloads are 1080p24 @ 5.0Mbps with 5.1 audio.


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

I was browsing the VOD, and noticed some new movie rentals have a note that they are availabe in hd, but there is no way to buy online with a pc and have it sent to the Tivo. For HD rentals, do you have to browse Amazon on the TiVo itself. I'm assuming this is correct because Amazon says that Movies are not able to be watched on PC in HD.

If I have to start a HD movie download from the tivo interface, thats pretty lame.


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## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

elwaylite said:


> I was browsing the VOD, and noticed some new movie rentals have a note that they are availabe in hd, but there is no way to buy online with a pc and have it sent to the Tivo. For HD rentals, do you have to browse Amazon on the TiVo itself. I'm assuming this is correct because Amazon says that Movies are not able to be watched on PC in HD.
> 
> If I have to start a HD movie download from the tivo interface, thats pretty lame.


Actually, it would be more lame if you had to go to your PC to order ala NetFlix. But I don't think the Amazon site is working quite right for HD movies yet. If you click "HD TV" you get a list of TV programs available in HD with the ability to order them directly on the site. You can also select if you want the HD or SD version. If you click "HD Movies" you get a splash screen for the availability of HD movies.

Once it's all working correctly I imagine you'll see a similar option to select the HD or SD version of the movie on the site.


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## tombonneau (Mar 26, 2009)

eelton said:


> I saw that an episode of "Parks and Recreation" was available in HD for free, so I thought that would be a good way to try it out. It's been downloading for 30 minutes, and it looks like only 5 minutes has come through. That's on what's supposed to be a 10 MB/s internet connection.


Yeah, Roku seems to have it beat on the "on demand" front. Got home about an hour ago and am DLing Yes Man to HD. No clue how much it's done, as I don't plan on watching it tonight ...

But I watched a 2 minute preview on the Roku of Burn After Reading, and other than Amazon's previews being lame as they are the first two minutes of the movie including FBI warning (WTF?), the PQ was outstanding. Better than HD Netflix on Roku (or could just be my imagination).

I'll be interested to see how PQ compares to the TiVo HD, but I'd hope if it's DLing it outputs 1080 and looks a bit better. Otherwise, no way I'm gonna be using Amazon on TiVo, which is a shame, as ordering interface is better than Roku.

Especially now that Beta Search has graduated to TiVo Search under Find Programs.


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

nrc said:


> Actually, it would be more lame if you had to go to your PC to order ala NetFlix. But I don't think the Amazon site is working quite right for HD movies yet. If you click "HD TV" you get a list of TV programs available in HD with the ability to order them directly on the site. You can also select if you want the HD or SD version. If you click "HD Movies" you get a splash screen for the availability of HD movies.
> 
> Once it's all working correctly I imagine you'll see a similar option to select the HD or SD version of the movie on the site.


Well, problem with the tivo interface is its slow and clunky. I can login in to Amazon Vod and get a tv show downloading much faster than I can moving thru tivo menus to get it downloading. I imagine you are right on the Amazon interface, Im sure they will work the bugs out.

Another addition to the lame factor and only ordering thru the box, is not being able to start a movie download from work and having it ready by the time i get home.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

If any one wants to test out an HD download, but doesn't feeling like paying money, the first episode of "Parts and Recreation [HD]" is available free of charge.

On a related note, I ordered this and the download started while I was still in the Amazon VOD application. I pressed the TiVo button to get out and now I have a black screen and the download basically stopped even though the blue light is on. I tried unplugging and plugging in the HDMI cable and then I got a pink screen. I had to pull the plug on my S3 to recover. After the TiVo restarted, the download started up again. This is the first time I've ever had any problem like this on my S3.

I'll have to say, I'm not too impressed with the download speed. I got a wait for "18 minutes" message when I tried to play the program while it was downloading. Considering the program is only 22 minutes, that's good at all. According to Amazon the video is 5 mbps, so to play it in real time I'd need to get at least that speed. My Internet speeds at home are 12 mbps, but it's currently downloading at an average of about 2.9 mbps. That's a pretty poor speed. I've had TiVoCast videos download faster than that.


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

When I had Vudu, HDX movies took 4-5 hours to download, so I did them the day before. I think most of these services limit to 4mbps down.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

elwaylite said:


> When I had Vudu, HDX movies took 4-5 hours to download, so I did them the day before. I think most of these services limit to 4mbps down.


Based on the "Video format details" on the page for the show I'm trying to download, the PC download video lists a bit rate of 6 mbps, the TiVo download lists a bit rate of 5 mbps. "Connected Device", which says streaming devices connected directly to a TV (Roku), lists a bit rate of 2.5 mbps for HD (same as amazon.com in a web browser). So the Roku box requires half the bandwidth that the TiVo requires.

For me it took 41 minutes to download a 22 minute HD program. The TiVo reported a throughput of 2.83 Mb/s, which is very slow with respect to my connection.


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

elwaylite said:


> Well, problem with the tivo interface is its slow and clunky. I can login in to Amazon Vod and get a tv show downloading much faster than I can moving thru tivo menus to get it downloading. I imagine you are right on the Amazon interface, Im sure they will work the bugs out.
> 
> Another addition to the lame factor and only ordering thru the box, is not being able to start a movie download from work and having it ready by the time i get home.


You will surely be able to order HD content from Amazon.com eventually. It was only rolled out today so they probably haven't fully enabled the ordering system yet.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

rainwater said:


> You will surely be able to order HD content from Amazon.com eventually. It was only rolled out today so they probably haven't fully enabled the ordering system yet.


As far as I can tell it appears to be working now. Here's the page of the aforementioned Parks and Recreation episode.


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## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

morac said:


> As far as I can tell it appears to be working now. Here's the page of the aforementioned Parks and Recreation episode.


TV programs work. There's no option to download _movies_ from the web site in HD right now.

Downloading Parks and Recreation I got 6.5 Mbps. I could have watched real time. Unfortunately the video was trash when I went to watch it. Broken up and pixellated all the way through.


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## ciper (Nov 4, 2004)

jlb said:


> I then clicked into Heroes and found the specs and along with the HD, they will be sending the 5.1 audio.


FARK YEAH! Amazon just roundhose kicked Netflix in the face. :up::up::up:


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## spocko (Feb 4, 2009)

bkdtv said:


> _As far as I can tell..._
> 
> Roku's Amazon HD downloads are 720p24 @ 2.5Mbps with stereo audio.
> 
> TiVo's Amazon HD downloads are 1080p24 @ 5.0Mbps with 5.1 audio.


Just curious how you determined this? I would be surprised if Tivo was downloading 1080p/24, since it can't output that resolution.


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## ciper (Nov 4, 2004)

spocko said:


> Just curious how you determined this? I would be surprised if Tivo was downloading 1080p/24, since it can't output that resolution.


Though I doubt its outputting 1080p/24 I want to point out that the TiVo HD hardware is physically capable of this resolution.


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## spocko (Feb 4, 2009)

ciper said:


> Amazon just roundhose kicked Netflix in the face.


I wouldn't say that. They are dissimilar services with different content and different delivery mechanisms. In my mind they are complimentary services, rather than direct competitors. Netflix has tighter bandwidth constraints since they stream, so that is presumably one of their reasons for not providing 5.1 audio yet.


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## djwilso (Dec 23, 2006)

nrc said:


> TV programs work. There's no option to download _movies_ from the web site in HD right now.
> 
> Downloading Parks and Recreation I got 6.5 Mbps. I could have watched real time. Unfortunately the video was trash when I went to watch it. Broken up and pixellated all the way through.


That is strange. I downloaded the free episode in HD and it downloaded and played just fine.

Heck, it looked better than it did when I watched it live. Amazing.


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## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

nrc said:


> Downloading Parks and Recreation I got 6.5 Mbps. I could have watched real time. Unfortunately the video was trash when I went to watch it. Broken up and pixellated all the way through.


I re-downloaded. This time 6.9Mbps - maybe it just pays to hit them during off-peak hours. The video played fine this time. The video quality looks very good. A little softer than broadcast but comparable to some of my HD cable networks. Of course action movies will be the acid test.

Now if Amazon could just guarantee availability of purchased videos I'd be able to replace my DVD collection. For now I guess I'll stick with catching my favorites on HDNET or HBOHD and using TTG to save them.


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## bkdtv (Jan 9, 2003)

spocko said:


> Just curious how you determined this? I would be surprised if Tivo was downloading 1080p/24, since it can't output that resolution.


The S-P-S-IR-S code reports the Amazon content at 23.98fps. That's a pretty good indicator of 24p.

The VC1 and H.264 formats are also geared toward progressive encoding. They do much better with progressive than they do with interlace.

Now we just need TiVo to enable 24p output.


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## ciper (Nov 4, 2004)

spocko said:


> I wouldn't say that. They are dissimilar services with different content and different delivery mechanisms. In my mind they are complimentary services, rather than direct competitors. Netflix has tighter bandwidth constraints since they stream, so that is presumably one of their reasons for not providing 5.1 audio yet.


I want to watch a movie in HD. I can either record it from TV or get it from the internet. If I choose internet it is either a stereo audio movie or a dolby digital audio movie...

It is not bandwidth preventing 5.1 audio. It's the craptastic Microsoft codec they chose. Audio is pretty small compared to the video signal.


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## spocko (Feb 4, 2009)

ciper said:


> It is not bandwidth preventing 5.1 audio. It's the craptastic Microsoft codec they chose. Audio is pretty small compared to the video signal.


400+ kbps for a high-quality AC3 5.1 audio is still a significant chunk of bandwidth for streaming. But you're right that the audio codec is a big part of Netflix's audio limitation.

Anyway, it's good news that Amazon is providing 5.1 audio. Hopefully it's AC3?


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## ciper (Nov 4, 2004)

I found this outdated list of Unbox specs
http://unbox.typepad.com/amazon_unbox/2007/04/unbox_video_qua.html

I also found the official unbox forum http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Video-On-Demand-forum/forum/Fx3EQAX98ED5WQ3/-/1/ref=cm_cd_NOREF


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

If the HD was 1080p/24, Id have to think they would be bragging about it.


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## bkdtv (Jan 9, 2003)

elwaylite said:


> If the HD was 1080p/24, Id have to think they would be bragging about it.


Nothing to brag about if your current software can't output 1080p24...which certainly is the case with the TiVo.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

Here's the interesting thing........I previously stated that at $2.99, I might find it hard to watch a whole TV season that way. Maybe even at $1.99 for the SD.

But watching the premiere of In Plain Sight last night in HD I had a little UMF. I know it would be rather easy to Hulu, heck, I have the cables hanging off my TV waiting for the laptop. But it looked so good last night.

So who knows. I do think that Amazon should change their price structure. Would they go to $1.99/$.99 for HD/SD Tv programs.....probably not. But they would grab a whole lot of business away from other providers if they did.

It looks like there are 16 episodes in this Season (2) of IPS. That would be $48 for the whole season. But this is the one season we would do this way (don't get USA). I guess I could look at it as $16 _more_ to watch it in HD as opposed to SD from Amazon.

This is exactly the way Amazon wants us to think. But I think what I need to do tonight is go watch the premiere again via Hulu and come back down to earth.

Now, and I know this is a broken record, but if TiVo could get in bed with Hulu, and Hulu offered HD or near HD quality......THAT would be the ticket.


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

bkdtv said:


> Nothing to brag about if your current software can't output 1080p24...which certainly is the case with the TiVo.


Im surprised TiVo hasnt worked this in yet, Directv and Dish have already completed the SW upgrade with their Broadcom chips.

Has anyone downloaded a HD movie like Twilight or Dark Knight yet? Just wondering how the PQ is on the TiVo, Im outta town until Saturday so Im stuck.

Im thinking this weekend will bring experiments with Changeling in HD and Yes Man. With this new move by Amazon, and Redbox having BR's in my area, I just cancelled Netflix and they can shove their BR fee.


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## kikar (Aug 19, 2007)

elwaylite said:


> Im surprised TiVo hasnt worked this in yet, Directv and Dish have already completed the SW upgrade with their Broadcom chips.
> 
> Has anyone downloaded a HD movie like Twilight or Dark Knight yet? Just wondering how the PQ is on the TiVo, Im outta town until Saturday so Im stuck.
> 
> Im thinking this weekend will bring experiments with Changeling in HD and Yes Man. With this new move by Amazon, and Redbox having BR's in my area, I just cancelled Netflix and they can shove their BR fee.


My wife owns the Twilight movie on the AppleTv and Vudu (HDX version) and the Amazon/Tivo encode is very good. In some scenes it was even better than the Vudu HDX encode. The sound is good though not as dynamic as the HDX. It blows the iTunes version out of the water all around. With only a few minutes to buffer this is a good alernative to Vudu. Vudu offers HD instant and HDX download with a 4 hour download time. HDX runs at 1080p24 @15mbps so it needs to download completely before watching.
The A/T has the sound of vudu's HD with the picture of their HDX and almost instantly. I didn't see any banding, macroblocking, or anything really negative with the encode.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

If the overall quality of the Amazon HD movies seems good, it is one more reason to continue holding off on a BR player too. I mean, if I did, I wouldn't be rebuying my entire collection...perhaps just certain stuff (like LOTR, SW, ST, etc...) when and if it comes out on BR. Most of my BR watching would likely be via something like Netflix. But if Amazon is good, then with a little planning, HD movies for $4.99 is pretty good in my book. 

I think I may need to rent an HD version of a movie I have on SD DVD and see the difference.........


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## wmcbrine (Aug 2, 2003)

PQ was great on P&R for me, and it downloaded quickly. Only a couple minor spots of pixellation (though why there should be any is beyond me).


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## tombonneau (Mar 26, 2009)

jlb said:


> If the overall quality of the Amazon HD movies seems good, it is one more reason to continue holding off on a BR player too. I mean, if I did, I wouldn't be rebuying my entire collection...perhaps just certain stuff (like LOTR, SW, ST, etc...) when and if it comes out on BR. Most of my BR watching would likely be via something like Netflix. But if Amazon is good, then with a little planning, HD movies for $4.99 is pretty good in my book.
> 
> I think I may need to rent an HD version of a movie I have on SD DVD and see the difference.........


If you've invested in a quality HDTV, nothing touches BR. Nothing. That's the reason I don't mind some of the PQ on Netflix streaming. Basically, anything that I want best-of-the-best PQ, I'm gonna watch on BR, so really everything else is a level playing field for me: DVD, HD TV show, Netflix streaming, etc. They are all below BR so the PQ doesn't matter, because if I really care about the PQ of a movie I'll watch it on BR.

I'll tell you what I told a friend at work: BR won't reach critical mass until enough people have seen it at a friend's house, as that's when you'll see there is a difference.

Without seeing it, I think people have a heard time imagining the picture being much better, but it is. Maybe you've seen BR and know and just weren't impressed, but I saw Die Hard on my friend's KURO, which prompted me to make my new TV a KURO and then get a BR.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

Oh I agree. Just for me.....I don't want to spend $200-$300 on a BR player and then cables to connect it to the aux inputs on my older receiver. So, given that I am _delaying_ a BR purchase at this time, Amazon HD is a great filler for me.

I also have a 720p set, so I lose a little anyways in the downconversion from 1080p/i to 720p. But, we sit just far enough away from our 37" Vizio LCD that the difference between 1080p and 720p is somewhat negligible.

I _will_ go BR, it is just a matter of when. And when we do, I may very well sign on with Netflix or something similar for BR rentals.

Of course...........that being said.........BR players may have a life that is more limited if providers can relaly get the quality up and we can get things changed with respect to rental viewing windows and availability to purchase HD downloads.....etc.....


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## tombonneau (Mar 26, 2009)

Gotcha. Given your setup, I'd hold off on BR as well. In fact, you might want to wait until Xmas when allegedly the market will be flooded with the magic price point $99 BRPs. 

But when you do go BR, I highly recommend using Netflix. That's the only way I get my BRs. I'm not a big movie buyer, there's only a handful of movies I'll want to watch over and over, so BR is the perfect solution.

In fact, I should have Sin City Uncut waiting for me when I get home from work today.


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## Joe3 (Dec 12, 2006)

I always check out what the competition is doing in reaction to its competitor's roll out and this looks like a good one.


Unbelievably, Jamin is giving away a free movie that is really a movie and not some foreign documentary. 

Competition is getting good on the TiVo.


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## tootal2 (Oct 14, 2005)

I downloaded parks and recreation free pilot. It looks very good. I guess it has to be mpeg4 since it took less the a gig.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

tombonneau said:


> Gotcha. Given your setup, I'd hold off on BR as well. In fact, you might want to wait until Xmas when allegedly the market will be flooded with the magic price point $99 BRPs.
> 
> But when you do go BR, I highly recommend using Netflix. That's the only way I get my BRs. I'm not a big movie buyer, there's only a handful of movies I'll want to watch over and over, so BR is the perfect solution.
> 
> In fact, I should have Sin City Uncut waiting for me when I get home from work today.


Exactly. I was even considering BR thinking that I would not be able to do the lossless audio.....but then I dug into my receiver's manual (the receiver itself is on a shelf with a very tough "reach behind" placement) and noticed that it was forward thinking enough. I have a Yamaha RX-V795 that was purchased in 1998. Still going strong and also has the aux audio inputs "for a format/decoder of the future".

Not that I care totally about the BD-Live and other ethernet based stuff, but I like how Sony's newly announced players will have onboard wireless. But that is all gravy to me. Just a good solid player is all that I care about. And yes, there should be some of those under $100 come next Black Friday.


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## EvilMidniteBombr (May 25, 2006)

Looks like I am going to have to work on running that CAT5 through the attic.


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## tombonneau (Mar 26, 2009)

jlb said:


> Exactly. I was even considering BR thinking that I would not be able to do the lossless audio.....but then I dug into my receiver's manual (the receiver itself is on a shelf with a very tough "reach behind" placement) and noticed that it was forward thinking enough. I have a Yamaha RX-V795 that was purchased in 1998. Still going strong and also has the aux audio inputs "for a format/decoder of the future".
> 
> Not that I care totally about the BD-Live and other ethernet based stuff, but I like how Sony's newly announced players will have onboard wireless. But that is all gravy to me. Just a good solid player is all that I care about. And yes, there should be some of those under $100 come next Black Friday.


I've never thought twice about using any of the BD-Live stuff; haven't even updated my firmware on my Sony 350. Until the wireless is standard in unit, I can't imagine Live ever takes off. Hell, I don't even know what it is now.


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

bkdtv said:


> The S-P-S-IR-S code reports the Amazon content at 23.98fps. That's a pretty good indicator of 24p.
> 
> The VC1 and H.264 formats are also geared toward progressive encoding. They do much better with progressive than they do with interlace.
> 
> Now we just need TiVo to enable 24p output.


Guess Im late to class-

Can you catch me up please.

The tivo S3 and Tivo HD are physically capable of 1080p 24frames/sec but the current software version wont output that?

Is it realistic that that they would enable that in a future software update?

When you put the tivo on native now what does it output- 1080p30? Or 1080i?

is it likely they never bothered as there was no 24p content to this point?


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

wmcbrine said:


> PQ was great on P&R for me, and it downloaded quickly. Only a couple minor spots of pixellation (though why there should be any is beyond me).


someone else had a problem with pixilation above and then redownloaded and it went away.

I've had that same experience with SD.

Is it possible that Amazon uses no error correction on their downloads? Would seem crazy in this day and age for downloaded content- no? But maybe it's not worth the overhead for whatever reason?


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

tombonneau said:


> I've never thought twice about using any of the BD-Live stuff; haven't even updated my firmware on my Sony 350. Until the wireless is standard in unit, I can't imagine Live ever takes off. Hell, I don't even know what it is now.


Agreed. I recently saw a new/open box Sony 350 listed on CL. It was listed for $125. I should have jumped at it, but I think when I get a BR, I want to have a place to return it while under warranty. But as noted above, I think the smart thing is to wait until around Black Friday/Xmas time.........


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

kikar said:


> My wife owns the Twilight movie on the AppleTv and Vudu (HDX version) and the Amazon/Tivo encode is very good. In some scenes it was even better than the Vudu HDX encode. The sound is good though not as dynamic as the HDX. It blows the iTunes version out of the water all around. With only a few minutes to buffer this is a good alernative to Vudu. Vudu offers HD instant and HDX download with a 4 hour download time. HDX runs at 1080p24 @15mbps so it needs to download completely before watching.
> The A/T has the sound of vudu's HD with the picture of their HDX and almost instantly. I didn't see any banding, macroblocking, or anything really negative with the encode.


Good to hear. I owned Vudu for about 2 months, and enjoyed the HDX movies. My only complaint, and the reason I went back to strictly BR, is because HDX movies seemed to have some black crush going on. This was not evident in the same 1080p movies from Directv, so I figured it was something in their decoding process.

I have a 50" 1080p tv now, and the Vudu HDX was good enough to make me not miss BR, but after you get used to lossless audio, its a different story. That being said, PQ and lossless audio are not enought to keep me from boycotting Netflix and their price raise. Helloooooo Amazon.


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## Allanon (Nov 2, 2005)

elwaylite said:


> That being said, PQ and lossless audio are not enought to keep me from boycotting Netflix and their price raise. Helloooooo Amazon.


You are joking, right? Lets compare Netflix and Amazon:

*Netflix:*
1 DVD out at-a-time (Unlimited) monthly plan costs: $8.99 plus $2 extra for Blu-ray movies. Let's assume you can only get 4 Blu-ray movies in a month so that is $10.99 for 4 Blu-ray movies.

2 DVD out at-a-time (Unlimited) monthly plan costs: $13.99 plus $3 extra for Blu-ray movies. Let's assume you can only get 8 Blu-ray movies in a month so that is $16.99 for 8 Blu-ray movies.

3 DVD out at-a-time (Unlimited) monthly plan costs: $16.99 plus $4 extra for Blu-ray movies. Let's assume you can only get 12 Blu-ray movies in a month so that is $20.99 for 12 Blu-ray movies.

*Amazon:*
1 HD movie costs $4.99 so:
4 would cost $19.96
8 would cost $39.92
12 would cost $59.88

Plus, you get unlimited Instant Watch movies with Netflix and Blu-ray is much higher quality than Amazon's HD movies. Also, Amazon is charging you $1 HD tax for every movie, Netflix is just charging a few dollars each month depending on your plan.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

The problem I have with Netflix is that we don't rent enough movies to even cover the lowest tier membership most months. I am VERY happy Amazon is offering HD now though. That's a nice update.


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## Allanon (Nov 2, 2005)

For the cost of 2 Amazon HD movies a month you can get the 1 Blu-ray movie at a time monthly plan from Netflix which is about 4 Blu-ray movies a month. I find myself renting more with Netflix because it doesn't cost extra to do so. 

Netflix also has a plan for $5.99 that allows 2 Blu-ray movies a month but you don't get Instant Watch on Tivo.


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## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

I don't know why some people are saying Parks and Recreation is 720p.

My download displays at 1080i.
(And my TiVo is set to hybrid mode)


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

So can anyone confirm if 5.1 audio with these HD downloads is indeed Dolby Digital/AC3? (I don't have a receiver to check with). It could be WMA 6 channel audio instead which is why I ask... If it's 6 channel WMA then I'm not sure what Tivo does with it for output - maybe Dolby Pro Logic output or something, but it wouldn't be 6 channel Dolby.


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## spocko (Feb 4, 2009)

According to engadgethd it does appear to be Dolby Digital/AC3.

"we just tried it out on our TiVo HD, and movies play back in Dolby Digital 5.1"

Full article:

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/04/2...and-supports-5-1-surround-on-tivo-plus-hands/


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

OK, if that's the case then it's most likely H.264 video instead of VC-1. Interesting since other content they offer (like PC DVD quality videos) are VC-1 with WMA audio.

I must say the video quality of the HD downloads seems very good - better than most everything HD I get from my cable company.


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## keenanSR (Oct 13, 2004)

moyekj said:


> OK, if that's the case then it's most likely H.264 video instead of VC-1. Interesting since other content they offer (like PC DVD quality videos) are VC-1 with WMA audio.
> 
> I must say the video quality of the HD downloads seems very good - *better than most everything HD I get from my cable company.*


Seriously? I guess I'm going to have to check it out tonight.


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

Allanon said:


> You are joking, right? Lets compare Netflix and Amazon:
> 
> *Netflix:*
> 1 DVD out at-a-time (Unlimited) monthly plan costs: $8.99 plus $2 extra for Blu-ray movies. Let's assume you can only get 4 Blu-ray movies in a month so that is $10.99 for 4 Blu-ray movies.
> ...


Thanks genius, you explained a pricing structure to me that was a mystery since I have only been a netflix sub since 2000.

Price is not the concern, its the principle (I've spent $5500 in the last 2 years on my HT gear). As Netflix has gotten larger, they have added throttling, first a $1 BR fee,and now some ridiculous BR increases. I guess we could always drink the Netflix Koolaid and blame it on the studios.

I'm going to spend a little more, get better service (no wait, no throttle) and not live in fear of nickle and dime hustles (netflix is acting more and more like Dish Network). Reed Hastings knows why he should be concerned with redbox, which is why he stated it publicly.

BTW, the watch instantly new toy syndrome wore off in about a month, especially with the crappy PQ.

So, Netflix just lost a $25/mo sub who'd been with them for 9 years, and after the comments Ive seen in forums after this recent price hike, Im not the only one.


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

keenanSR said:


> Seriously? I guess I'm going to have to check it out tonight.


 That really is not much of a compliment since HD quality has degraded quite significantly for my cable company (Cox) the last year or so as they struggle to squeeze in more channels to keep up with D*. In some cases they have adopted the Comcast 3 HD per QAM model for less popular HD channels. Still it's pretty sad when internet downloads can trump what they have to offer...


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## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

Allanon said:


> You are joking, right? Lets compare Netflix and
> *Amazon:*


Yes. I rent about 6 movies a year. That's $29.94 for Amazon HD new releases vs. $107.88 for NetFlix. For my $4.99 ($3.99 for older releases) I get an good quality 1080i movie with Dolby 5.1 compared to the crapshoot of whatever quality NetFlix can stream (720p best case) plus basic stereo, plus random rebuffering, plus dealing with making sure that it's in your queue to begin with.

To make NetFlix worthwhile compared to Amazon I'd have to rent 22 movies over the course of a year. I doubt that I've ever rented more than 20 movies in a year my entire life.


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## rickb (Jan 27, 2002)

Allanon said:


> You are joking, right? Lets compare Netflix and Amazon:
> 
> *Netflix:*
> 1 DVD out at-a-time (Unlimited) monthly plan costs: $8.99 plus $2 extra for Blu-ray movies. Let's assume you can only get 4 Blu-ray movies in a month so that is $10.99 for 4 Blu-ray movies.
> ...


Thanks for this, I have been searching to see what option would be best.


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## AbMagFab (Feb 5, 2001)

nrc said:


> Yes. I rent about 6 movies a year. That's $29.94 for Amazon HD new releases vs. $107.88 for NetFlix. For my $4.99 ($3.99 for older releases) I get an good quality 1080i movie with Dolby 5.1 compared to the crapshoot of whatever quality NetFlix can stream (720p best case) plus basic stereo, plus random rebuffering, plus dealing with making sure that it's in your queue to begin with.
> 
> To make NetFlix worthwhile compared to Amazon I'd have to rent 22 movies over the course of a year. I doubt that I've ever rented more than 20 movies in a year my entire life.


That's the real measure:

*If you rent more than 22 movies a year (about 2 a month), NetFlix is probably better. If not, Amazon is better.*


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

Currently Amazon isn't very useful to me since it takes nearly as long as the video's duration before I can start watching. So if I start a download at 8 PM for a 2 hour movie, I can't start watching it till around 10 PM. That and the price kills it right there. This problem is affecting both SD and HD downloads. This is a 10 minute snapshot of the download as reported by my router.

What I can't get is that I've used Amazon in the past and the last time (a few months ago) I could watch in real time, so something must have changed since then. It must just be the server I'm using too since the EngagetHD photo shows that their video downloaded 117 minutes of program in 114 minutes which is faster than real time. I wonder what server they connected to.

I tried contacting Amazon about the download speed, but they told me it's either a problem with my home network, my ISP or my TiVo. I eliminated all those possible causes by testing Netflix HD. With Netflix, the download speeds range from 5 mbps to 10 mbps until the buffer fills (which takes about 30 seconds). Since Netflix on the TiVo doesn't suffer the poor speeds that Amazon does, that means something is wrong on Amazon's end. Technically it means something is wrong on Limelight Network's end since my TiVo appears to connect to a Limelight server in Virginia when downloading an Amazon video.

It's a shame since the video quality is stellar.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

morac said:


> Currently Amazon isn't very useful to me since it takes nearly as long as the video's duration before I can start watching. So if I start a download at 8 PM for a 2 hour movie, I can't start watching it till around 10 PM. That and the price kills it right there. This problem is affecting both SD and HD downloads. This is a 10 minute snapshot of the download as reported by my router.


That's odd... I can start watching within a couple of minutes after the little blue light comes on. So far it's never caught up to "live". I'm hardwired now, but I used to use an "N" wireless and I don't remember it being a problem...


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## teasip (Aug 24, 2002)

I downloaded "The Day the Earth Stood Still" this afternoon (thought it was the Keanu Reeves movie which it wasn't). Video quality was fine but audio was 2 channel (DD but certainly not 5.1). Movie was so lame I gave up on it after about 15" and deleted it. Went back and looked and I don't see where in the TiVo Amazon directory it states that it is DD 5.1 or some other format. I'll probably just stick with my AppleTV.


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## Allanon (Nov 2, 2005)

nrc said:


> Yes. I rent about 6 movies a year. That's $29.94 for Amazon HD new releases vs. $107.88 for NetFlix. For my $4.99 ($3.99 for older releases) I get an good quality 1080i movie with Dolby 5.1 compared to the crapshoot of whatever quality NetFlix can stream (720p best case) plus basic stereo, plus random rebuffering, plus dealing with making sure that it's in your queue to begin with.
> 
> To make NetFlix worthwhile compared to Amazon I'd have to rent 22 movies over the course of a year. I doubt that I've ever rented more than 20 movies in a year my entire life.


I'm assuming you don't have a Blu-ray player so my argument wasn't meant for you since I was comparing Blu-ray movies to Amazon HD movies. The Netflix Instant Watch streaming is just an added benefit. For someone that only rents 6 movies a year then Amazon or just going to Block Buster would be the best course of action. Netflix make sense for people that rent 2 or more movies a month and have a Blu-ray player.


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## tootal2 (Oct 14, 2005)

teasip said:


> I downloaded "The Day the Earth Stood Still" this afternoon (thought it was the Keanu Reeves movie which it wasn't). Video quality was fine but audio was 2 channel (DD but certainly not 5.1). Movie was so lame I gave up on it after about 15" and deleted it. Went back and looked and I don't see where in the TiVo Amazon directory it states that it is DD 5.1 or some other format. I'll probably just stick with my AppleTV.


I haven't see that old movie is years. I might go order it.


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## Allanon (Nov 2, 2005)

elwaylite said:


> Thanks genius, you explained a pricing structure to me that was a mystery since I have only been a netflix sub since 2000.
> 
> Price is not the concern, its the principle (I've spent $5500 in the last 2 years on my HT gear). As Netflix has gotten larger, they have added throttling, first a $1 BR fee,and now some ridiculous BR increases. I guess we could always drink the Netflix Koolaid and blame it on the studios.
> 
> ...


Then you know back in 2000 Netflix charged $19.95 for 3 DVDs out at a time. Now 9 years later they are charging $16.99 for 3 DVDs out at a time and $20.99 for 3 Blu-ray discs out at a time. So Netflix has given higher quality movies for about a $1 more than they were charging in the year 2000 when you first started with them. That doesn't seem like a company trying to nickel and dime you. And I haven't encountered any throttling, I've even received an extra Blu-ray disc putting me over my limit because the distribution center in my area didn't have a movie and they sent the movie from another distribution center.

But you stick to your principles and pay that extra money for inferior quality movies.


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## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

teasip said:


> I downloaded "The Day the Earth Stood Still" this afternoon (thought it was the Keanu Reeves movie which it wasn't). Video quality was fine but audio was 2 channel (DD but certainly not 5.1). Movie was so lame I gave up on it after about 15" and deleted it. Went back and looked and I don't see where in the TiVo Amazon directory it states that it is DD 5.1 or some other format. I'll probably just stick with my AppleTV.


Yeah, it's just a science fiction classic. The original audio was in mono. If it does have a DD track it's a remix from a mono source so it's not really a good basis for judging the quality of Amazon's audio on HD downloads.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

bareyb said:


> The problem I have with Netflix is that we don't rent enough movies to even cover the lowest tier membership most months. I am VERY happy Amazon is offering HD now though. That's a nice update.


+1.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

bareyb said:


> That's odd... I can start watching within a couple of minutes after the little blue light comes on. So far it's never caught up to "live". I'm hardwired now, but I used to use an "N" wireless and I don't remember it being a problem...


Like I said, in the past I could do that as well (with "G" wireless no less), so something must have changed. As I've already eliminated the problem on my side by testing a few non-Amazon TiVo streams/downloads, that, by default, leaves Amazon. I've finally convinced Amazon customer support to look into it.


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

morac said:


> Like I said, in the past I could do that as well (with "G" wireless no less), so something must have changed. As I've already eliminated the problem on my side by testing a few non-Amazon TiVo streams/downloads, that, by default, leaves Amazon. I've finally convinced Amazon customer support to look into it.


if i remember correctly- you have comcast- no?

Since no one else seems to be having a problem, I wouldn't put it past comcast to be filtering the different type of traffic that amazon is now using.

I haven't kept up with comcast's current bandwidth saving plans. At one point i think they proposed to watch all the traffic on each segment and then if they found one type of traffic negatively effecting the segment they would throttle that type. Maybe a couple neighbors happened to try out amazon HD at the same general time and that set off a flag on some comcast switch someplace that amazon video doenloads are "abusive" to their system?

But please report back what amazon says- I'm very curious what is going on.

I'm on comcast in flemington- former patriot media area- i downloaded the free hd premier show yesterday- I'll try to remember to look in network diags and see how quick it happened.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

MichaelK said:


> if i remember correctly- you have comcast- no?
> 
> Since no one else seems to be having a problem, I wouldn't put it past comcast to be filtering the different type of traffic that amazon is now using.


I do have Comcast, but I'm 100% certain it's not something Comcast is doing. Comcast will limit bandwidth, but only after 15 minutes of excessive use and then only if needed. Also the limit applies to all traffic.

So it's not Comcast because:
a) The slow speeds are from the get go, not after 15 minutes.
b) I can run a speed test after (or even during) the transfer and see I'm still getting my regular speeds.

Now it could be a peering issue with Comcast (Limelight Network peers directly with Comcast), but I believe Limelight network is used by other providers as well.

It could be that the particular server I seem to be connecting to is overloaded and some kind of bandwidth limiters have kicked in on the server. When I tried on Wednesday it was around 12 AM (EDT) so you wouldn't think there would be a lot of traffic, but who knows.


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## ffitzgerald3 (Aug 17, 2007)

I downloaded Frost/Nixon HD on Amazon this afternooon. Picture and sound quality were excellent, better than cable HD and equivalent to OTA HD. This was a 2 hr 5 min film and took about 4 1/2 hrs to download. I have At&t DSL Pro Internet that runs 2270.5 kbps and my wireless network runs at 94&#37; signal strength at my Tivo. No artifacts pixilation or any other problems. I waited untill the download was completed before watching it.


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## tootal2 (Oct 14, 2005)

Can amazon on demand be used on two amazon account for one tivo? Is it only one amazon on demand account for tivo?

thanks


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## ShoutingMan (Jan 6, 2008)

How do I rent Amazon TV shows or even search HD movies on my Tivo HD? The only menu option I've found goes to a list of HD movies, in random order. There's no way to sort movies by title (!) or release date or other. And I can't find the TV shows anywhere.

Do I have to use the Amazon website to access shows for my Tivo?


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## jcthorne (Jan 28, 2002)

Try Tivo Search under Find menu


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

I downloaded the free "Parks & Recreation" pilot last night. VERY impressed with picture quality, looked as good as OTA to me.

Only problem is that I am on a 1.5 mbit connection, so it took a long time for me to download it, but nothing to do about that. A full movie will take something like 8 hours to download, so I guess I'll have to rent in the morning if I want to watch at night. 

Still, this is a great addition to the TiVo functionality. I had planned to get a BD player next month, but now I'm debating whether I really need to. I would only use it for renting anyway... might as well rent from Amazon. Only problem besides download speed is the REALLY annoying 24 hour limit on rentals. That's the biggest obstacle of all for me.


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

tombonneau said:


> If you've invested in a quality HDTV, nothing touches BR. Nothing. That's the reason I don't mind some of the PQ on Netflix streaming. Basically, anything that I want best-of-the-best PQ, I'm gonna watch on BR, so really everything else is a level playing field for me: DVD, HD TV show, Netflix streaming, etc. They are all below BR so the PQ doesn't matter, because if I really care about the PQ of a movie I'll watch it on BR.
> 
> I'll tell you what I told a friend at work: BR won't reach critical mass until enough people have seen it at a friend's house, as that's when you'll see there is a difference.
> 
> Without seeing it, I think people have a heard time imagining the picture being much better, but it is. Maybe you've seen BR and know and just weren't impressed, but I saw Die Hard on my friend's KURO, which prompted me to make my new TV a KURO and then get a BR.


I only have a HD DVD player, but I concur. No cable or OTA programming comes close to disc-based HD. But for rentals, Amazon is certainly "good enough". I wouldn't buy anything other than BD though (when I eventually get a player, that is ).


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## jeepguy_1980 (Mar 2, 2008)

ShoutingMan said:


> How do I rent Amazon TV shows or even search HD movies on my Tivo HD? The only menu option I've found goes to a list of HD movies, in random order. There's no way to sort movies by title (!) or release date or other. And I can't find the TV shows anywhere.
> 
> Do I have to use the Amazon website to access shows for my Tivo?





jcthorne said:


> Try Tivo Search under Find menu


The Beta search works too. And the plus is that the Beta search will tell you about all of the sources you can get what you want (i.e. cable listing, Amazon, etc...).


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## tombonneau (Mar 26, 2009)

MickeS said:


> I downloaded the free "Parks & Recreation" pilot last night. VERY impressed with picture quality, looked as good as OTA to me.
> 
> Only problem is that I am on a 1.5 mbit connection, so it took a long time for me to download it, but nothing to do about that. A full movie will take something like 8 hours to download, so I guess I'll have to rent in the morning if I want to watch at night.
> 
> Still, this is a great addition to the TiVo functionality. I had planned to get a BD player next month, but now I'm debating whether I really need to. I would only use it for renting anyway... might as well rent from Amazon. Only problem besides download speed is the REALLY annoying 24 hour limit on rentals. That's the biggest obstacle of all for me.


If you have a good HDTV, you need a BluRay player. PQ is unrivaled by any other format. Just sign up or Netflix and rent BR from them. Much better deal and much better PQ then renting a la carte from Amazon.

I'll probably rent from Amazon now and then when I want to watch something specific that isn't on Netflix streaming and I don't want to wait for the disc in the mail (and don't care about not having BR PQ), such as I did for Yes Man, but otherwise I don't think I'll use it much.


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## Saturn_V (Jun 2, 2007)

I'm hoping there's an forthcoming option to *upgrade* an existing Unbox/VOD library to HD. I'd cheerfully pay a buck per episode to upgrade my four seasons of Battlestar to HD.


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## tombonneau (Mar 26, 2009)

Saturn_V said:


> I'm hoping there's an forthcoming option to *upgrade* an existing Unbox/VOD library to HD. I'd cheerfully pay a buck per episode to upgrade my four seasons of Battlestar to HD.


Don't hold your breath on Amazon passing up an opportunity to make more money.


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## pkscout (Jan 11, 2003)

I rented Hellboy in HD today. Picture and sound quality was really great. Took 5 hours to download over my 3mb DSL connection. I did have one or two times that the audio dropped out for a second or two, but other than that no problems. I would definitely be willing to pay $10 or maybe a bit more to be able to rent a movie on the same day it releases in the theater.


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

I downloaded Mutant Chronicles and Role Models in 1.5 hours each with a 10mbps down cable connection.

PQ on Mutant is good, but its not 5.1, and I was thinking all these are supposed to be 5.1.


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## greg_burns (May 22, 2004)

I just downloaded Quantum of Solace for $3.99. I thought it was suppose to HD? I ordered via the Amazon web page, should have tried the link on my Tivo itself (it was also $3.99). Rather disappointed it is not HD nor DD 5.1.

All the ads on Amazon show HD for QoS, but the link I actually clicked on didn't have the blue banner across the top. grrr

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.ht...d_t=1401&pf_rd_p=475612611&pf_rd_i=1000364561

Actually QoS link. (but apparently not HD on my S3)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0HQ2CCF1BN8HJ0RYTYC2

Edit: Casino Royale HD was $3.99 on the Tivo. QoS is $4.99. Hmmm...


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## greg_burns (May 22, 2004)

jlb said:


> Then, based on the OP, I searched for the Dark Knight and yes, it does have that little HD logo below the viewing window.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


QoS shows HD logo (just an ad?) at bottom too, but was not HD.










Link on Tivo says it should be, but I didn't order it that way...


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

You cant order HD over the webpage, its already been stated. The HD logo is nothing more than that, and links you to a FAQ. 

If its $3.99, its SD.


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## greg_burns (May 22, 2004)

elwaylite said:


> You cant order HD over the webpage, its already been stated. The HD logo is nothing more than that, and links you to a FAQ.
> 
> If its $3.99, its SD.


Thanks, should have read a little more thoroughly. (


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

elwaylite said:


> You cant order HD over the webpage, its already been stated. The HD logo is nothing more than that, and links you to a FAQ.
> 
> If its $3.99, its SD.


You might want to clarify that. You can't order HD _movies_ via the web page. HD _TV_ program can be ordered there.

Also just because something is $3.99 doesn't mean it is necessarily SD. Some of the older HD movies are $3.99. New releases are $4.99. The easiest way to tell if something is HD or not is look for "HD" in the title (or the HD icon in TiVo Search).

Not being able to order HD movies via the web site is a negative since in many cases a movie doesn't download in real time (whether it be because of the users connection speeds or whatever other reason). Being able to order said movie while out of the house and have it be there when you get home is one of the nice things about Amazon VOD.


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

> The following item was ordered:
> Yes Man [HD] [Video On Demand], Price: $4.99
> Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.


I'm watching "Yes Man" in HD and the HD is very good albeit letter-boxed top and bottom. I can also confirm that it is Dolby Digital 5.1. :up:


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## AbMagFab (Feb 5, 2001)

bareyb said:


> I'm watching "Yes Man" in HD and the HD is very good albeit letter-boxed top and bottom. I can also confirm that it is Dolby Digital 5.1. :up:


That's because it's 2.35:1, not 16x9. That's a good thing.


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## moyekj (Jan 24, 2006)

There's no question the quality of these HD downloads is good, but at $5/each I will not be ordering any. They would have to be around $1-2 for me to be interested. The Netflix model works better for me where if I want the best quality available I can get the Blu Ray version and if I want something older right away I can stream it. My watch instantly list already has way more in it than I will ever watch anyway.


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## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

Ha. I just realized why you can't order Amazon HD Movies through the web site. On the HD Movies splash page it says "(HD movies are not currently available for viewing on your computer.) " Since Amazon built their whole On Demand ordering interface around their web player they're left with no ordering interface for Movies that have no PC version. I wonder if it's just a delay getting things encoded or an issue with DRM sufficient to satisfy the studios.


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

I rented "Wanted" in HD and watched it tonight (awesome movie by the way). The movie is 1 hour and 50 minutes and it took 2 hrs and 30 minutes to download it, with a speed of 3.99 mpbs on my 9 mbps connection (wired). Acceptable, I think. Picture quality was absolutely fantastic, except for the issues mentioned below. Looks as good as OTA.

But I had some problems with it, about a dozen or so times there was severe pixelation for 1-2 seconds at a time, mostly during the first half of the movie. It had nothing to do with motion, it happened in several dialog scenes. I also had 3-4 audio dropouts during the movie.

It looked similar to how I've seen pixelation on the PC on xvid-files that haven't been completely downloaded. Not sure if the issue here was encoding, downloading or playback. Anyone else seen this movie and saw this? One very noticeable scene was when Fox talks to Wesley for the first time.


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## ShoutingMan (Jan 6, 2008)

jeepguy_1980 said:


> The Beta search works too. And the plus is that the Beta search will tell you about all of the sources you can get what you want (i.e. cable listing, Amazon, etc...).


Neither method works for me. The Find / Beta Find doesn't seem to find HD media from Amazon, though I didn't do an exhaustive check. The Download Tv, Movies, Media feature does nothing but tell me I need an internet connection.

I need to check my Amazon / Tivo "registration" to make sure I have all that configured correctly.


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## ShoutingMan (Jan 6, 2008)

I found the problems:
* Disable / Re-enable Amazon-Tivo link to update changes in my Tivo setup
* New TivoHD needed a system update; with that came the VOD menu.


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## jeffw_00 (Sep 19, 2000)

ok - i've been through this entire thread and I can't figure out.

1) Do you have to download the whole movie in advance? If not, how long do you have to wait (some people mention waiting very little, but everyone seems to feel it takes 2x runtime to download). can someone clarify?

2) What is the "IR" in S-P-S-IR-S ?

Thanks!
/j


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

jeffw_00 said:


> 2) What is the "IR" in S-P-S-IR-S ?


"Instant Replay". It's the little back arrow on your remote right above the "1" button.


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

MickeS said:


> I rented "Wanted" in HD and watched it tonight ... but I had some problems with it, about a dozen or so times there was severe pixelation for 1-2 seconds at a time, mostly during the first half of the movie.


For your sake, I hope the pixelation didn't happen at the exact moment Angelina was getting out of the hot tub. 
If you enjoyed "Wanted", you might want to check out a couple of movies from the same director, "Night Watch" and "Day Watch". They are pretty cool, and very unique.


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

jeffw_00 said:


> 1) Do you have to download the whole movie in advance? If not, how long do you have to wait (some people mention waiting very little, but everyone seems to feel it takes 2x runtime to download). can someone clarify?


It will not let you start playback until a certain amount of the program has been downloaded, but I don't know exactly how that amount is determined. I started watching "Wanted" after about 30 minutes of it was downloaded, that was about 40 minutes after ordering. Not sure if it would have let me start earlier or not, I didn't try.


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

gweempose said:


> For your sake, I hope the pixelation didn't happen at the exact moment Angelina was getting out of the hot tub.
> If you enjoyed "Wanted", you might want to check out a couple of movies from the same director, "Night Watch" and "Day Watch". They are pretty cool, and very unique.


Thanks, I had heard of those movies but didn't know it was the director of "Wanted" who did them. Will definitely have to check them out. And no, it wasn't during that scene.


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

teasip said:


> I downloaded "The Day the Earth Stood Still" this afternoon (thought it was the Keanu Reeves movie which it wasn't).





tootal2 said:


> I haven't see that old movie is years. I might go order it.


It's not "The day the earth stood still", it's "The day the earth stopped" - a B-movie that is a blatantly dishonest attempt to cash in on the "...stood still" movie by hoping people will confuse the two. :down:


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## teasip (Aug 24, 2002)

MickeS said:


> It's not "The day the earth stood still", it's "The day the earth stopped" - a B-movie that is a blatantly dishonest attempt to cash in on the "...stood still" movie by hoping people will confuse the two. :down:


Now I don't feel so bad for ordering it. Oh well, live and learn...


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

morac said:


> You might want to clarify that. You can't order HD _movies_ via the web page. HD _TV_ program can be ordered there.
> 
> Also just because something is $3.99 doesn't mean it is necessarily SD. Some of the older HD movies are $3.99. New releases are $4.99. The easiest way to tell if something is HD or not is look for "HD" in the title (or the HD icon in TiVo Search).
> 
> Not being able to order HD movies via the web site is a negative since in many cases a movie doesn't download in real time (whether it be because of the users connection speeds or whatever other reason). Being able to order said movie while out of the house and have it be there when you get home is one of the nice things about Amazon VOD.


Good points, and I agree on the lack of HD movie ordering off the web. Im sure its coming thought.


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## ajatl (Aug 30, 2004)

I also just saw that HD movies were available from Amazon, but when I tried to download a movie it said my Tivo was incompatible. I have an HD Tivo, so it should work. Has anyone else had this problem?


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## ahipsher (Oct 29, 2008)

MickeS said:


> I rented "Wanted" in HD and watched it tonight (awesome movie by the way). The movie is 1 hour and 50 minutes and it took 2 hrs and 30 minutes to download it, with a speed of 3.99 mpbs on my 9 mbps connection (wired). Acceptable, I think. Picture quality was absolutely fantastic, except for the issues mentioned below. Looks as good as OTA.
> 
> But I had some problems with it, about a dozen or so times there was severe pixelation for 1-2 seconds at a time, mostly during the first half of the movie. It had nothing to do with motion, it happened in several dialog scenes. I also had 3-4 audio dropouts during the movie.
> 
> It looked similar to how I've seen pixelation on the PC on xvid-files that haven't been completely downloaded. Not sure if the issue here was encoding, downloading or playback. Anyone else seen this movie and saw this? One very noticeable scene was when Fox talks to Wesley for the first time.


I just watched the movie "Wanted" in HD and had no pixelation and no audio drop outs. I'm afraid I have no idea why you had these issues. Now if only they would lower the price to like $2.99 I would rent more movies.


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

ajatl said:


> I also just saw that HD movies were available from Amazon, but when I tried to download a movie it said my Tivo was incompatible. I have an HD Tivo, so it should work. Has anyone else had this problem?


No. Ive downloaded 4 HD movies so far from the Tivo Search screen without issue. Maybe it was the movie??


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## tootal2 (Oct 14, 2005)

how do i get a list of all moives that are in HD?


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

ajatl said:


> I also just saw that HD movies were available from Amazon, but when I tried to download a movie it said my Tivo was incompatible. I have an HD Tivo, so it should work. Has anyone else had this problem?


I had this message last night trying to download any HD movie from Amazon. Tonight (just now) I used the "forgot my PIN" link instead of trying to remember my PIN, and it appears to have accepted the rental.

Perhaps the "incompatible device" error message is what they use for any error?


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## Johncv (Jun 11, 2002)

tootal2 said:


> how do i get a list of all moives that are in HD?


*Soapbox on:*

That one of *BIG *problems now with TiVo, you cant. You have to search for everything. For HD movies I made wishlist for SciFi and Horror movies in HD, not perfect but it work.

When I first purchase TiVo their Showcase *WAS *the best part of the interface, you could find anything on HBO, Showtime, The Sundance channel, and other channels. It *WAS *all organize by channels and made very easy find things. The TiVolution Showcase *WAS* even more fun it list all the B-movies by categories.

Unfortunately, Showcase in *NOW Showcrap* and TiVolution was replace *lame and useless guru guides* which no one uses.

TiVo really *NEED* to restore the Showcase and TiVolution and dump the useless guru guides. This is where the Amazon and Netfelx and other VOD stuff should be place. *That my two-cents rant.*

*Soapbox off*


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## Allanon (Nov 2, 2005)

I just noticed Caprica is in HD, I did a quick search and Amazon seems to be the only place that has it in HD. Which is a bit unfortunate since you can't rent it and to buy it you will need to fork over $19.99 which seems a little high since the SD version is $14.99 and it is a digital copy, not a disc. You can buy the actual DVD from amazon for $17.99. I choose not to buy and just added the DVD to my Netflix queue. If they would have let me rent it for $4.99 they would have had a sale.


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## Allanon (Nov 2, 2005)

tootal2 said:


> how do i get a list of all moives that are in HD?


I assume you mean Amazon movies. Just go in to Amazon VOD menu and select "Browse Entire Catalog" and select "HD Movies". You will have to look in each sub category but you will be able to see all the HD movies offered.


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

ahipsher said:


> I just watched the movie "Wanted" in HD and had no pixelation and no audio drop outs. I'm afraid I have no idea why you had these issues. Now if only they would lower the price to like $2.99 I would rent more movies.


Interesting, thanks. I wonder what the problems with my video were caused by...


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

Allanon said:


> I just noticed Caprica is in HD, I did a quick search and Amazon seems to be the only place that has it in HD. Which is a bit unfortunate since you can't rent it and to buy it you will need to fork over $19.99 which seems a little high since the SD version is $14.99 and it is a digital copy, not a disc. You can buy the actual DVD from amazon for $17.99. I choose not to buy and just added the DVD to my Netflix queue. If they would have let me rent it for $4.99 they would have had a sale.


Hopefully we'll be able to rent it. I wont be buying, maybe I can redbox it.


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

Just watched Role Models in HD, looked and sounded very good. I canceled Netflix and am going to give this a run for a bit.


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## AbMagFab (Feb 5, 2001)

tootal2 said:


> how do i get a list of all moives that are in HD?





Johncv said:


> *Soapbox on:*
> 
> <snipped annoying message with lots of fonts>
> 
> *Soapbox off*


Wow... listen to that rant, or simply go to:

- Find Programs
- HD
- Movies

You'll then have a complete list of HD movies. Depending on where you live, it could be very long (on FIOS it's dozens of pages).


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

Oh crap. I have gone down the rabbit hole. I just ordered the second episode of In Plain Sight in HD. $2.99 x however many episodes seems like a lot. But I guess I got caught in the trap of $2.99 once a week doesn't seem too bad.

Damn me. Frak. How are we going to get them to lower the TV Ep HD price if I keep buying these.......Oh well.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

Allanon said:


> I just noticed Caprica is in HD, I did a quick search and Amazon seems to be the only place that has it in HD. Which is a bit unfortunate since you can't rent it and to buy it you will need to fork over $19.99 which seems a little high since the SD version is $14.99 and it is a digital copy, not a disc. You can buy the actual DVD from amazon for $17.99. I choose not to buy and just added the DVD to my Netflix queue. If they would have let me rent it for $4.99 they would have had a sale.


I just added it to my library request queue.....thanks for reminding me.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

morac said:


> ....being able to order HD movies via the web site is a negative since in many cases a movie doesn't download in real time (whether it be because of the users connection speeds or whatever other reason). Being able to order said movie while out of the house and have it be there when you get home is one of the nice things about Amazon VOD.


Good point...I just discovered this, too, and it's VERY disappointing. While I don't watch very many movies, I'd like to order them while I'm at work and have them there for my evening viewing pleasure. :down::down::down:, Amazon.

EDIT: I did search for Caprica (on the Web site), and it DOES list it as HD, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, and DD5.1, so maybe you can order HD movies off the Web site? Of course, the price ($19.99) is ridiculous...


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## jeffw_00 (Sep 19, 2000)

so what happens? you order a movie, and then wait, and then when it's ready it starts showing? how long? Does it ever 'stall' after it starts?


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

I use the HD Tivo Search screen. Then scroll over to the movie, then rent, then the HD version. 1-5 minutes after you buy, the blue download light comes on and it shows in your "now playing".

An hour and 50 min movie takes about 90 minutes to download for me (Cox 10mbps down) and then you can watch. I dunno if yuo can watch before its finished. I've downloaded 4 movies without problem, and have been getting plenty of SD tv shows in the last 3 months without issue. Works pretty well.


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## bkdtv (Jan 9, 2003)

Nice catch. TiVo has finally added the links to HD movies in TiVo Search. They've also add trailers for some titles.


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## Allanon (Nov 2, 2005)

You can also use the filter in Tivo Search / Swivel Search to only view Amazon downloads and HD titles. If you set the filter to view only downloaded / rented content, HD movies, and sort by name then you can just type a single letter or number in to the search to see all Amazon HD titles that start with that letter or number.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

Allanon said:


> You can also use the filter in Tivo Search / Swivel Search to only view Amazon downloads and HD titles. If you set the filter to view only Amazon downloads, HD movies, and sort alphabetically then you can just type a single letter or number in to the search to see all Amazon HD titles that start with that letter or number.


Groovy...thanks for the tip!


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## Joe3 (Dec 12, 2006)

Over the weekend 

Rented the 2006 Casino Royale HD. Same one that was showcased with Blue-Ray that same year.

5.1 was excellent.

Video was excellent.

However, not as good as Sony Blue-Ray 1080p. 
The difference between 1080i and 1080p is noticeable. 

I agree Amazon has no reason to charge extra for HD at this point. As long as they cannot provide the same release dates as other services do with CD&#8217;s they are picking the pockets of the very people they need to make this a non-theoretical business model. Without the same release dates for rentals and purchases that others services provide with CD&#8217;s, Amazon&#8217;s downloads without competitive pricing or rolling the dates even further back is just a quaint novelty like 3D.

Now if Blockbuster finally had a brain waiting at the end of this yellow brick broad com road instead walking down it with a lion size pant load, self tail pulling, and knee knocking to the tune of lions and tigers and bears, oh my!...someone still might get this right.


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## Allanon (Nov 2, 2005)

Joe3 said:


> However, not as good as Sony Blue-Ray 1080p.
> The difference between 1080i and 1080p is noticeable.


The difference in picture quality is because of the video bitrate. Amazon HD movies are only 5 Mbps and Blu-ray has a max bitrate of 40 Mbps but most movies vary between 15 to 30 Mbps.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

I think there's an internal calculation that considers the length of the program, the amount remaining to download and your observed bandwidth and once it determines that you will finish downloading before you finish watching it lets you start watching. With a HD program you might as well wait for it to download completely - think of it as faster than a Netflix DVD. the program will appear in your NPL just like any recorded title, except that rented material will have a red flag icon (once you start playing, the program will disappear after a certain time interval, usually 24 hours but sometimes as much as a week).


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

Joe3 said:


> I agree Amazon has no reason to charge extra for HD at this point.


Since Amazon has to pay extra for the HD license, there's no way they will offer it at the same price.


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

I have no problem with the $4.99 price, fine with me.

The 30 day wait isnt going anywhere, hell, Universal wants to hit redbox with a 45day wait just because of the $1 price.

The 30 day wait hasnt bothered me, Im about that far behind in new releases anyways.


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## Joe3 (Dec 12, 2006)

rainwater said:


> Since Amazon has to pay extra for the HD license, there's no way they will offer it at the same price.


The cart that drive's the horse sooner or later gets push off the road 

The question is will it be by the Pirates as they did with the music cartel through a kids toy and a public desire for downloads or will it be by the current movie download services thanking this "internet thing" seriously enough to take a stand; saving these dinosaurs from themselves and not accepting/passing any BS cost on them to us.


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## tootal2 (Oct 14, 2005)

elwaylite said:


> I have no problem with the $4.99 price, fine with me.
> 
> The 30 day wait isnt going anywhere, hell, Universal wants to hit redbox with a 45day wait just because of the $1 price.
> 
> The 30 day wait hasnt bothered me, Im about that far behind in new releases anyways.


old moves are 3.99 in hd new release hd movies are 4.99


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

Bierboy said:


> EDIT: I did search for Caprica (on the Web site), and it DOES list it as HD, 1.78:1 aspect ratio, and DD5.1, so maybe you can order HD movies off the Web site? Of course, the price ($19.99) is ridiculous...


The price is very high, but so far Amazon is only one of two places to get it in HD. The other is via the Playstation Video store which is also priced at $19.99. Since Amazon is less restrictive, if you're going to get it I'd recommend going there.

Or you could just do what I plan to do and wait for SciFi-HD to show it for free.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

morac said:


> The price is very high, but so far Amazon is only one of two places to get it in HD. The other is via the Playstation Video store which is also priced at $19.99. Since Amazon is less restrictive, if you're going to get it I'd recommend going there.
> 
> Or you could just do what I plan to do and wait for SciFi-HD to show it for free.


That's a plan...when will that be?


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

I dont think the show launches until early next year, so itll be awhile. Id rather watch the Caprica movie right before the show starts.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

elwaylite said:


> I dont think the show launches until early next year, so itll be awhile. Id rather watch the Caprica movie right before the show starts.


Yeah, that's what might prompt me to get the DVD, although it wouldn't be HD. At least then I could watch it now and later. (although I guess I could purchase the HD movie online...)


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## Allanon (Nov 2, 2005)

morac said:


> Or you could just do what I plan to do and wait for SciFi-HD to show it for free.


The DVD is uncut and uncensored, the TV version will be censored and have commercials. Also, I don't want to try to avoid spoilers for that long. You know the hype is going to get loud before the show airs and everyone who has seen the movie would be wanting to tell you about it.


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## jeffw_00 (Sep 19, 2000)

jeffw_00 said:


> ok - i've been through this entire thread and I can't figure out.
> 
> 1) Do you have to download the whole movie in advance? If not, how long do you have to wait (some people mention waiting very little, but everyone seems to feel it takes 2x runtime to download). can someone clarify?
> 
> ...


????


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

jeffw_00 said:


> ????


My post #155 was an answer to your question. It's intended that the movie downloads entirely but the TiVo lets you cheat a bit and begin watching while it's downloading, if it figures you'll finish downloading before getting to where the movie is still coming in.


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## jeffw_00 (Sep 19, 2000)

Ok, thanks - but does that mean the model is

Tuesday night: select something to watch wednesday night? (or more likely, Wednesday before dinner, select something to watch later in the evening),

OR - sit down, select, wait, watch

?
/j


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## rainwater (Sep 21, 2004)

jeffw_00 said:


> Ok, thanks - but does that mean the model is
> 
> Tuesday night: select something to watch wednesday night? (or more likely, Wednesday before dinner, select something to watch later in the evening),
> 
> ...


It all depends on your internet speed and the quality of your TiVo's connection to your network. Some people can start watching after a few minutes. Some have to wait hours to start watching.


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## bkdtv (Jan 9, 2003)

With Verizon FiOS, I can usually start watching after 3-5 minutes. In few cases, I've had to wait 12-15 minutes, but never any longer than that.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

Theoretically if you have a 5 mbps connection or faster you should be able to watch in real time with only a few minute wait.

That assumes though that the movie actually downloads at 5 mbps or faster. When I tried the movie was downloading at 3 mbps even though my connection can handle 12 mbps. So I ended up having to wait a while.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

pdhenry said:


> My post #155 was an answer to your question. It's intended that the movie downloads entirely but the TiVo lets you cheat a bit and begin watching while it's downloading, if it figures you'll finish downloading before getting to where the movie is still coming in.


That's a big negative. I've been downloading Caprica HD for the past four hours or so (I have a relatively slow broadband connection), and it won't let me start watching until it's completely downloaded.

And what the crap -- I PURCHASED it, and it says it'll save the movie for only two days after I start viewing it? What's with that?


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

Bierboy said:


> And what the crap -- I PURCHASED it, and it says it'll save the movie for only two days after I start viewing it? What's with that?


That's standard TiVo-speak for the minimum time a show is kept before it's eligible to get bumped if space is needed. Since you bought it you can change it to "keep until I delete" (can't do that for a rental, BTW).


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

pdhenry said:


> That's standard TiVo-speak for the minimum time a show is kept before it's eligible to get bumped if space is needed. Since you bought it you can change it to "keep until I delete" (can't do that for a rental, BTW).


OK...it's taking FOREVER to download...almost done now. And, actually it says "...until at least two days after it's download." (not viewed). When it's done, I'll KUID. Given my relatively sluggish Internet connection, I doubt I'll use this much...


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

Well, the video/audio quality is outstanding. But no closed captioning seals the deal.... :down: :down: :down: won't be doing this again.


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## mikeyts (Jul 10, 2004)

morac said:


> The price is very high, but so far Amazon is only one of two places to get it in HD. The other is via the Playstation Video store which is also priced at $19.99. Since Amazon is less restrictive, if you're going to get it I'd recommend going there.


It's also available on the Xbox Live Video Store, only for purchase, also for $20.

One big knock against the Playstation Store is that none of their content, HD or SD, features surround sound . The other knock would be that, like the iTunes Store, once you've "purchased" something, you cannot download it again, as you can from both Amazon and XBLVS. I think that Sony, being one of the Blu-ray founders, a seller of Blu-ray players--including the PS3--and owner of a movie studio selling Blu-ray discs, don't want their downloads to be even vaguely competitive with BD.


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## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

Bierboy said:


> no closed captioning seals the deal.... :down: :down: :down:


Not sure what the technical issue is (if any) but no Amazon content has CCs. I'm not sure that any TiVo broadband content has captions.


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## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

pdhenry said:


> Not sure what the technical issue is (if any) but no Amazon content has CCs. I'm not sure that any TiVo broadband content has captions.


I believe you're correct....and that's one (and the main) reason I don't download any TiVo broadband content...and WON'T until that issue is remedied.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

MichaelK said:


> But please report back what amazon says- I'm very curious what is going on.


I got the following response from Amazon a few hours ago:


> Hello,
> 
> Thank you for your patience while we dealt with the issue that was slowing your downloads. The issue should now be resolved and you should be able to download at full or close-to-full bandwidth speeds.
> 
> Thanks for your interest in Amazon Video On Demand.


I haven't had a chance to test to see if the issue truly has been resolved or not.


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

Im a little irritated that Marley and Me is up for rent and not in HD. I'd think it inexcusable that all main stream new releases from this point not have a HD version.


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

Anyone get an SD movie yet? Just wondering, if Marley and Me is only in SD, I have to decide between Amazon and Redbox DVD.


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## larrs (May 2, 2005)

elwaylite said:


> Im a little irritated that Marley and Me is up for rent and not in HD. I'd think it inexcusable that all main stream new releases from this point not have a HD version.


Most likely just a timing issue. They are ramping up offerings as quickly as possible. You will most likely see the newest realeases each week from here on. Others will be added as quickly as they can get the copy from the studio and uploaded.


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

larrs said:


> Most likely just a timing issue. They are ramping up offerings as quickly as possible. You will most likely see the newest realeases each week from here on. Others will be added as quickly as they can get the copy from the studio and uploaded.


so they have finally beat the studios into submission to allow everything to come out in HD?


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

Its takes time once it fires up. I had Vudu when they started HDX, so not all movies, even new releases after HDX came out could be had that way. After a month or so, pretty much all new mainstream movies were HDX.

Anyone compared a SD movie on Amazon to a DVD?


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## tombonneau (Mar 26, 2009)

elwaylite said:


> Its takes time once it fires up. I had Vudu when they started HDX, so not all movies, even new releases after HDX came out could be had that way. After a month or so, pretty much all new mainstream movies were HDX.
> 
> Anyone compared a SD movie on Amazon to a DVD?


I (against my will) watched Twilight (via my Roku) and it looked DVD quality on my Kuro. Never watched anything Amazon on SD though, would think the PQ would be equal to or better though.


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

elwaylite said:


> Anyone compared a SD movie on Amazon to a DVD?


Have they changed it so SD movies now have 16:9 and 5.1 sound too? I have only watched pre-HD Amazon SD movies, and they were somewhere between VHS and DVD, quality wise. Very watchable, but not as good as DVD, because it's letterboxed and 2.0 sound.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

Anyone else having problems with their TiVo locking up when trying to download HD videos? I've had 2 lockups out of 2 attempts to download HD programs (100%).

The first time it locked up was when I tried to download "Parks and Recreation [HD]" last week. I had to unplug the box and the video downloaded shortly after the box restarted.

Today I wanted to see if Amazon had fixed the download speeds like they said they did, so I chose to download the same program from last week ("Parks and Recreation [HD]") by going to the Amazon "Your Video Library" page and selecting to download it. The blue light came on and once again the box locked up (clock disappeared, remote activity light did not light, recording stopped, etc). This time when I pulled the plug and restarted, the download did not start up again.

My S3 downloads a number of TiVoCasts weekly and I've never had a problem locking up. I also downloaded a SD program from Amazon without the box locking up, but twice now the box locked up with a HD download.

Anyone else experience this?

Also does anyone know how to get the download to start up again?

TiVo said it was do to slow download speeds and I need to either adjust the MTU on my router or call my ISP to increase my download speeds, but at the time the box locked up the box was downloading at 3.5 mbps. So that answer is not accurate.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

I spoke to Amazon and they got my download to start. I canceled it and then tried a different HD video. That one didn't lock up. So so far the TiVo has locked up 2 out of 5 times it tried to download an HD video. It has never locked up on SD video downloads.

Back to my original issue with download speeds. I'm still seeing slow download speeds with Amazon on the TiVo. I tried a handful of Amazon videos (SD and HD) tonight and the fastest one downloaded at about 2.8 Mbps. 

I intermixed these with a few TiVoCast downloads, the slowest of which downloaded at 4.5 mbps. I also tried transferring a program from my laptop to my TiVo which transferred at about 7 mbps. Finally I streamed a Netflix HD program which worked fine.

So all fingers would appear to point to an Amazon server problem if not for one major exception. I could download to my PC from Amazon at around 11 mbps using their PC Unbox program. The server farm for this download was the same as the farm for the TiVo download.


So for whatever reason, Amazon downloads are slower than other video downloads, but only on the TiVo.

Anyone else have slow Amazon download speeds or lockups downloading HD content from Amazon?


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

tombonneau said:


> I (against my will) watched Twilight (via my Roku) and it looked DVD quality on my Kuro. Never watched anything Amazon on SD though, would think the PQ would be equal to or better though.


Thanks. I need to experiment with one then.



MickeS said:


> Have they changed it so SD movies now have 16:9 and 5.1 sound too? I have only watched pre-HD Amazon SD movies, and they were somewhere between VHS and DVD, quality wise. Very watchable, but not as good as DVD, because it's letterboxed and 2.0 sound.


Yeah, I think they are still stereo sound, which is not very appealing.


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

Has anyone figured out yet whether the HD files are 720p,1080i or 1080p?

Also, does anyone know the file size of a normal length movie?


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

elwaylite said:


> Has anyone figured out yet whether the HD files are 720p,1080i or 1080p?
> 
> Also, does anyone know the file size of a normal length movie?


The HD files are 1080, most likely 1080p/24. 
As for the file size of a normal length movie, it depends on what your definition of "normal" is.

Amazon's site lists the file sizes for HD purchasable programs. 
30 Rock is 22 minutes. It's 869.7 MB on the TiVo.
Caprica is 93 minutes. It's 3.8 GB on the TiVo.

One could extrapolate that a 2 hour movie would be around 4.6 to 4.9 GB.


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

morac said:


> The HD files are 1080, most likely 1080p/24.
> As for the file size of a normal length movie, it depends on what your definition of "normal" is.
> 
> Amazon's site lists the file sizes for HD purchasable programs.
> ...


Thanks! I did not even think to check caprica.


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## kevinivey (Nov 8, 2002)

I rented QUANTUM OF SOLACE in HD via Amazon ,and my TiVo HD. The DD 5.1 is mixed incorrectly. Center channel vocal are present in the rear channels throughout. I have asked Amazon for a refund. I await their response. Very disappointed as the video was excellent.



Called them and I got a refund. The guy on the phone says no one has called with this issue. He told me to unhook the TiVo from the tv and then reconnect. Needless to say that is not what I did. I will try to rent a movie again when somone actually verfies the Amazon can pass DD 5.1 correctly. 

Off to Blockbusters to rent Quantum on BD...


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## Allanon (Nov 2, 2005)

morac said:


> The HD files are 1080, most likely 1080p/24.


Isn't the Tivo HD only capable of outputting HD resolutions of 1080i or 720p?


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

Allanon said:


> Isn't the Tivo HD only capable of outputting HD resolutions of 1080i or 720p?


i beleive currently yes- but the scuttlebutt is the chipset will do 1080p/24fps fine. So the software can be updated hopefully.

But the box is more than capable of converting formats. I'd guess that amazon pikced 1080p24 becasue they have wider asperations than tivo with their hd service.

Hopefully tivo steps up and updates their software.


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

1080p/24 is the standard, and actually allows for a smaller, higher quality file size than say 1080i/60 or 1080p/60.

Some peoples tv's wont handle 1080p/24, therefore theyll get the 1080i60 that was are seeing now, which is fine.

The broadcom chip is the same as HDDVR's from Dish/Directv (im pretty sure) and those are now doing 1080p/24 fine.


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## mikeyts (Jul 10, 2004)

elwaylite said:


> 1080p/24 is the standard, and actually allows for a smaller, higher quality file size than say 1080i/60 or 1080p/60.


I'd say that 720p24 is a more popular resolution HD for downloads and streaming. iTunes, Xbox Live Video Store, Playstation Store, Netflix streaming and use that resolution, which'd result in even smaller files. So far as I'm aware, only Vudu is using 1080p24. It's frankly surprising that Amazon went that way (not that I'm complaining ).


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## ajatl (Aug 30, 2004)

pdhenry said:


> I had this message last night trying to download any HD movie from Amazon. Tonight (just now) I used the "forgot my PIN" link instead of trying to remember my PIN, and it appears to have accepted the rental.
> 
> Perhaps the "incompatible device" error message is what they use for any error?


Thanks for the advice. When I reset my PIN, the download worked. Also in case anyone needs it, the error was "This device cannot support the format requested."


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## Joe3 (Dec 12, 2006)

No new HD&#8217;s this week. 

Amazon is not following same day BLU-Ray DVD releases.

Why charge us extra for stale releases? 

Lower the price or get with current same HD releases.


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## pkscout (Jan 11, 2003)

Joe3 said:


> No new HDs this week.


Maybe no new *movies* but new TV episodes are posting. I got a TV pass for _In Plain Sight_ on Friday and this morning the new episode (from Sunday night) was on my TiVo.


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## elwaylite (Apr 23, 2006)

Yeah, kinda sucked they did not add any. Hope they get ramped up and do a little better.


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## ac3dd (Mar 2, 2002)

How well does this TiVo-Amazon service handle interrupted downloads? I stopped using the Xbox Live downloads because an interrupted connection corrupted the movie I downloaded.

The connection got interrupted, then some time later it resumed downloading and the download was completed overnight. The disk space occupied by the movie matched the gigabytes listed on the service, so I thought it was OK.

Some days later when I sat down to watch it, at about 10 minutes into the movie it stopped with an error message saying it is not completely downloaded (which didn't make any sense to me, because all indications were that it was fully downloaded). Rewatching it from the start, trying to fast forward past the interrupted point, and other such attempts to watch the rest of the film were futile.

It takes hours to redownload, so I couldn't download it again and watch it the same night. Xbox Live customer support wouldn't give me a refund or extend the expiration date, so I ended up unable to watch it because it expired 24 hours after I started watching and I had other things to do the following day. From that point I stopped using their movie download service.

Is this something to worry about with Tivo-Amazon as well? Does it recover properly from interruptions, and if not will Amazon give a refund or extend the expiration without having to take the case to the Supreme Court?


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

Purchases off of Amazon can always be re-downloaded as many times as you want, rentals can only be downloaded once so I'm assuming you are asking about rentals.

With the TiVo box, if a download fails, it is removed from the box and marked as a failed download in the Recording History screen. The box knows the download failed and as such should not remove the download request from the download queue on TiVo's servers.

_Theoretically_ the TiVo box should always try to download the video again in the future. This usually works, but sometimes the download gets "stuck". For example, when I tried to download an Amazon HD program, my TiVo locked up. I had to call Amazon and get them to push the download again (basically they removed the download from the queue and added it again).

I believe there's limit as to the number of times it will retry on a failure. I think this is around 5 times, after that it's gone for good. I'm not sure what happens at that point, but Amazon should be able to tell that the download never completed and issue a credit.

I'm not exactly sure what happens if you cancel a rental that's downloading from its Now Playing List detail screen. Canceling a download removes it from the box and the download queue. If it's a rental, the only way to add it again is to rent it again. There _should_ be indications that the video never downloaded and as such you can probably get a credit or something from Amazon, but your better off just not canceling rental downloads.


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## DjMikeWatt (Apr 16, 2008)

I started downloading "Burn After Reading" in HD. About 2 minutes after the blue light came on, I tried to play it (knowing it wouldn't work) just to see how much had downloaded. My TiVo affectionately told me to wait 7 hours and 39 minutes before trying to play this movie.

I ordered this movie at 2:17am, and it's now 3:22am. According to the info screen, it has downloaded 0:01 in that almost hour and a half.

I have Comcast High Speed and just ran a speedtest online showing an average of 17 Mbps down. So, what gives?? 

All I really want to know now is how to get my money back. I wanted to watch this tonight... not three days from now. 

... and people wonder why we use torrents.

EDIT: Correction... my speedtest showed over 20 Mbps down... 20,389 kbps, to be exact.


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## pusta (Aug 2, 2007)

DjMikeWatt said:


> I started downloading "Burn After Reading" in HD. About 2 minutes after the blue light came on, I tried to play it (knowing it wouldn't work) just to see how much had downloaded. My TiVo affectionately told me to wait 7 hours and 39 minutes before trying to play this movie.
> 
> I ordered this movie at 2:17am, and it's now 3:22am. According to the info screen, it has downloaded 0:01 in that almost hour and a half.
> 
> ...


I'm curious, where are you located? I have Comcast as well, and last week when I rented a movie for my wife, I noticed it took 12 HOURS to download. All other network activity was normal, (web browsing, Netflix streaming, etc), just Amazon downloads were slow. I was wondering if the Amazon CDN was having issues, or if Comcast was throttling me.


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## AbMagFab (Feb 5, 2001)

Is anyone else thinking that Comcast is throttling Amazon VOD specifically? It directly competes with their own VOD offerings.

It sure wouldn't surprise me. If I were Amazon, I'd be digging into this more.


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

If I recall- Morac also has comcast but he got Amazon to troubleshoot and they did somethign on their end.

But it sure does seem fishy that there's a bunch of comcast customers with problems. Might pay to check and see what their throttling policy of the week is...


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## gweempose (Mar 23, 2003)

I have Comcast, and they don't appear to be throttling me. I rented "The Girlfriend Experience" a few nights ago, and the download was very fast. I started watching the movie about a minute after the download began, and there was nary a hiccup. Of course, I wouldn't put it past Comcast to throttle people. If history has taught us anything, it's that Comcast is one of the greediest and most diabolocal companies on the planet.


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

gweempose said:


> I have Comcast, and they don't appear to be throttling me. I rented "The Girlfriend Experience" a few nights ago, and the download was very fast. I started watching the movie about a minute after the download began, and there was nary a hiccup. Of course, I wouldn't put it past Comcast to throttle people. If history has taught us anything, it's that Comcast is one of the greediest and most diabolocal companies on the planet.


it's clearly not universal- I'm also on comcast about an hour north of Morac if I'm remembering correctly and i haven't had problems either myself. (and again morac seems to have gotten amazon to make a change that corrected his slowdowns.)

I do think the comcast policies on throttling at some point talked about only filtering on congested nodes or something like that. So if they are filtering or whatever they may only be doing it in localized areas.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

Bummer, I don't see NCIS in HD. Due to conflicts tomorrow, Idol finale, us picking up the reair of DWTS, etc., we'll need to download the NCIS finale.

No biggie though....I'll take the SD version.


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## DjMikeWatt (Apr 16, 2008)

I'm located in Jersey City, NJ - just across the river from NYC.

Also, an update... now it's been 12 hours since I started this download and it says it has 0:14 downloaded.

Anyone know who I call at Amazon about this? A number or something?


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

MichaelK said:


> If I recall- Morac also has comcast but he got Amazon to troubleshoot and they did somethign on their end.


Amazon claimed to do something on their end, but I saw no change on my side. Downloads were still slow (though not 12 hours slow like the last person). It's been a few weeks since I've tried downloading again though.


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## DjMikeWatt (Apr 16, 2008)

I got to work and checked in on my TiVo using my Slingbox. In the last two and a half hours, it's gone from 0:14 to 1:18. So, it looks like the problem may be rectifying itself.

I contacted Amazon VOD service on the phone (really fast to get to a person, btw) and he didn't have a lot to say about it, other than that it was probably just a glitch that was hopefully and probably a one-time thing. Bad luck, basically.

I'll try again next time and see what happens.


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## kevinivey (Nov 8, 2002)

I have downloaded 3 hd pay per views ,and it's taken a little over a hour to download each, and was able to watch after about 20 minutes. my connection is 2 up ,and 8 down via twc.


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## pkscout (Jan 11, 2003)

jlb said:


> Bummer, I don't see NCIS in HD. Due to conflicts tomorrow, Idol finale, us picking up the reair of DWTS, etc., we'll need to download the NCIS finale.
> 
> No biggie though....I'll take the SD version.


It doesn't look like any of the CBS back catalog (or current seasons) is available in HD. I hope it just a matter of some time to get next season right and not that CBS wants to drive folks to their web site for the stuff.


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

How long does it take for Amazon to get a video up after air? Is it network dependent (i.e., maybe they want it exclusive on their website before offering to Amazon)? The NCIS finale is not up yet. I hope it is within a few days.


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

I rented my second Amazon HD video last night, "Terminator 3: Rise of the machines". It had none of the problems of my first rental. :up: Good movie, great quality. This service is seriously putting a dent in my plans to get a BD player.


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## pkscout (Jan 11, 2003)

jlb said:


> How long does it take for Amazon to get a video up after air? Is it network dependent (i.e., maybe they want it exclusive on their website before offering to Amazon)? The NCIS finale is not up yet. I hope it is within a few days.


Must be studio/network dependent. I have a download pass for In Plain Sight and it's always on my TiVo by Monday morning (it airs Sunday night).


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## mikeyts (Jul 10, 2004)

pkscout said:


> Must be studio/network dependent. I have a download pass for In Plain Sight and it's always on my TiVo by Monday morning (it airs Sunday night).


I think that there may be deals in effect with the sellers which determine this. As I recall, there's an eight-day-after-air delay on the availability of _House_ episodes, but one download seller had them on the day after.


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## adessmith (Oct 5, 2007)

I hope they have fixed the tranfer times. I never understood how they can call it "Video on demand"...
The time for a standard def movie was unbearable for us.
I hope netflix chooses to use their interface for a full fledged VOD service at some point. I wouldn't mind paying netflix a few dollars each for the latest movies if the "Video on Demand" service was truly "on demand".

The netflix instant queue, in my opinion, is leaps and bounds ahead of amazon. I can start watching a netflix HD video within seconds, It took hours sometimes for amazon.
If we just had the option to view the newer movies through netflix for a nominal fee, amazon would be dead to us!!!

Video "on demand" is typically an impulse purchase. If I have to plan to purchase the movie hours before I want to watch it I would rather stop by walmart on the way home and rent a redbox dvd for $1 and return it the next morning on my way to work.

Here is how the conversation goes at our house...

[sitting on the couch in the living room]
Wife: "hmmm... there is nothing good on TV or our Now playing list"
Me: "I wonder if there are any new movies on amazon"
[wife goes to amazon VOD and scrolls through the movies]
Wife: "oh, wow, I've been wanting to see that"
Me: "well, that says its purchase only, its too new to rent"
Wife: "arrgghh.. it always says that"
Me: "well, whats the use? Its already 9:00, by the time it one of these movies downloads we wont have time to watch all of it tonight"
[wife pulls opens her laptop and starts browsing the netflix instant library]
Wife: "did you ever see ______?"
Me: "no, that sounds good though"
Wife: "its in our instant queue"
Me: "ok, we'll just go ahead and watch it now, and I'll pick up that movie you wanted tomorrow, it'll be cheaper that way anyways."

We finaly gave up on amazon...


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## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

jlb said:


> How long does it take for Amazon to get a video up after air? Is it network dependent (i.e., maybe they want it exclusive on their website before offering to Amazon)? The NCIS finale is not up yet. I hope it is within a few days.





pkscout said:


> Must be studio/network dependent. I have a download pass for In Plain Sight and it's always on my TiVo by Monday morning (it airs Sunday night).





mikeyts said:


> I think that there may be deals in effect with the sellers which determine this. As I recall, there's an eight-day-after-air delay on the availability of _House_ episodes, but one download seller had them on the day after.


It's up, and already downloaded.


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## nrc (Nov 17, 1999)

adessmith said:


> I hope they have fixed the tranfer times. I never understood how they can call it "Video on demand"...
> The time for a standard def movie was unbearable for us.
> I hope netflix chooses to use their interface for a full fledged VOD service at some point. I wouldn't mind paying netflix a few dollars each for the latest movies if the "Video on Demand" service was truly "on demand".


Everything I've downloaded from Amazon has started within 15 minutes and usually within 5 minutes. My Amazon HD downloads have been at near real time, SD downloads are at faster than real time. This is with 8Mbs cable and wired ethernet.

If you're streaming Netflix and can't get downloads from Amazon real time then you're settling for lower quality. It's good that you have the option if it makes you happy.


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## pkscout (Jan 11, 2003)

adessmith said:


> I hope they have fixed the tranfer times. I never understood how they can call it "Video on demand"...
> The time for a standard def movie was unbearable for us.
> I hope netflix chooses to use their interface for a full fledged VOD service at some point. I wouldn't mind paying netflix a few dollars each for the latest movies if the "Video on Demand" service was truly "on demand".


I can't disagree that the name for the Amazon service might be a little misleading, but I guess it depends on how you use it, your expectations, and your network bandwidth.

In our case Amazon is a better choice that Netflix. Why?

1- We're on a 3mb DSL connection, so I can't ever get enough bandwidth to get the highest quality Netflix stream. But I can get the Amazon HD downloads.

2- Amazon HD has 5.1 surround. That's a big plus for us.

3- I don't really use Amazon as On Demand. Instead I get download passes for series I want. They download the night after the show is on (in most cases) and I watch them later. So how long it takes to download doesn't really matter as long as it's less than a day.

All that together means that today I canceled our cable service. We now have OTA HD and Amazon HD for the few cable network shows we watch. We don't watch any sports, live weather, or 24 hour news, so no loss for us. And it cut out TV bill in half (or it will over the course of a year).

Netflix may at some point do all of what Amazon does for us, but for now Amazon scratches a particular itch I have. Obviously YMMV.


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## tombonneau (Mar 26, 2009)

MickeS said:


> I rented my second Amazon HD video last night, "Terminator 3: Rise of the machines". It had none of the problems of my first rental. :up: Good movie, great quality. This service is seriously putting a dent in my plans to get a BD player.


If you have a good HDTV, Amazon HD should have no impact on your purchasing a BD player. BD is >>>>> than any other HD content.


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## daveak (Mar 23, 2009)

pkscout said:


> 1- We're on a 3mb DSL connection, so I can't ever get enough bandwidth to get the highest quality Netflix stream. But I can get the Amazon HD downloads.
> 
> 2- Amazon HD has 5.1 surround. That's a big plus for us.


We also have a 3mb DSL connection, but even though we can't get Netflix HD, we get the all the bars filled when we connect and watch. We just can't make it to the HD level with our bandwidth. The picture though certainly appears to be at least DVD quality (though it is upscaled, maybe it is not fair to compare). Of course there are a lot of movies I would probably never watch this way, as picture and sound quality are rather important to me. It is great for the kids and for history channel programming (and other compelling docudrama type stuff where the picture and sound does not need to be near perfect). And those very artsy movies that the wife so enjoys.

As for the Amazon HD. Big plus. And since we are also OTA your point about cable shows from Amazon is very good. Cheaper to go that way than cable and you still get an quality picture and decent sound. Though we have ordered very little, it is nice to have the feature. Now if it was subscription based like Netflix - Would we get both or cancel Netflix?


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## daveak (Mar 23, 2009)

tombonneau said:


> If you have a good HDTV, Amazon HD should have no impact on your purchasing a BD player. BD is >>>>> than any other HD content.


:up::up:

Now that is what I call HD quality and awesome sound. As a rule, I prefer BD for everything. Not financially possible. So I have levels.

1. The best movies I buy on Blu-ray (Actually, if I decide to by any movie, it is Blu-ray - I only buy movies I really like and sometimes movies I think I will really like).

2. The 'next' best movies are in my Netflix que, on Blu-ray (as available)

3. The next choice is putting the standard DVD in my Netflix que (only if the movie is not on Blu-ray).

And If I do not want to wait... which happens more often these days.

4. Amazon HD (if avaialble, not exactly 1,000s of choices yet) or Netflix Streaming. Depends on price vs. what quality I want (Amazon is better).

Though Netflix makes it so easy for me with a nice long list I created of things I want to watch, it is like a second NPL. 

5. A SD VOD from nearly any source (Jaman, Amazon, Cinema Now, etc...) if Netflix does not stream it or it is not on Amazon HD

Not written in stone by any means.

And lately I have been watching more movies and shows via item 4, though watching shows via the NPL on my TiVo is still the most viewed programming - that will likely change this summer. Though I have some catching up to do on a couple shows...


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## tombonneau (Mar 26, 2009)

daveak said:


> :up::up:
> 
> Now that is what I call HD quality and awesome sound. As a rule, I prefer BD for everything. Not financially possible. So I have levels.
> 
> ...


You, my good sir, are a smart man.  You basically described my exact behavior with choosing video media.

It's funny when I hear people rip Netflix Watch Instant or Amazon streaming video quality, because frankly once you have a BR there are only two categories of PQ:

1. BluRay
2. Non-BluRay

I watched Sin City BR the other night, then turned on Lost OTA HD, and for a minute I had to double-check I wasn't watching the SD feed.


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## MichaelK (Jan 10, 2002)

also- internet speeds are increasing all the time. The speeds people have today are sometimes multiples of what was availible just a few years ago.

Should amazon name it "video almost on demand" today and then rename it "video on demand" in a few years when technology catches up?

netflix didn't name themselves "discs in the mail" and rebrand to netflix. their intent has always been to be some kind of download delivery service in the end. 

seems like they are having some issues with certain comcast folks not getting anywhere near saturated speeds. Hopefully it's just growing pains and they figure it out shortly.


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## Joe3 (Dec 12, 2006)

Weird~?

Big three day weekend. Many staying close to home to survive this economy. TV shows have had their finals. Yet Amazon hasn't added any new HD movies to its list since it started.

Odd


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## kevinivey (Nov 8, 2002)

Joe3 said:


> Weird~?
> 
> Big three day weekend. Many staying close to home to survive this economy. TV shows have had their finals. Yet Amazon hasn't added any new HD movies to its list since it started.
> 
> Odd


*Wrong* many titles have been added since the launch and 
Several HD movies have been added this week:

Seven Pounds
Hotels for Dogs
The Uninvited

Now they have been slow to come, but the total amount of HD titles has increased quite a bit since the HD titles have come on line.

I rarely ordered pay per view HD from TWC when I had their HD box ,but have rented 6 titles from Amazon. 1080 24fps OAR titles from a pay per view service are not common place.

Very pleased with the quality of the movies in regards to video ,and audio. Puts indemand, psn,atv, and xbox live to shame.


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## morac (Mar 14, 2003)

kevinivey said:


> Very pleased with the quality of the movies in regards to video ,and audio. Puts indemand, *psn*,atv, and xbox live to shame.


I find that surprising because the PSN's file sizes for video downloads are nearly twice as large as Amazon's which would imply better quality. PSN's policies are a lot more restrictive than Amazons though.


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## kevinivey (Nov 8, 2002)

mikeyts said:


> Actually not true, if you go by the list at http://www.netflix.com/WiHD?ftr=false . I know that many new titles have been added, but apparently as many titles have dropped off. The total count shown there _is_ greater than when they started, by probably 70 or 80 titles, but the count has remained stable since about February. I've never seen that list contain more than 240 titles and it's currently at 234. (Of course, the count of episodes for current season series has steadily gone up).
> 
> As for overall instant watching title count, it certainly has gone up. When they started back in November they claimed 12,000 titles--according to instantwatcher.com, they're currently at 17,500. Unfortunately, the Netflix API that they're using doesn't allow instantwatcher.com to display or count titles which have HD encodings.


dude, we are talking about Amazon.


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## Joe3 (Dec 12, 2006)

If I go to my local Video Store at this time on Friday in front of a three day holiday weekend I wouldn&#8217;t find 


The Day the Earth Stood Still
Valkyrie
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

The selves would be empty.
But I would find plenty of

Hotels for Dogs.
The Uninvited


And I&#8217;d be stuck all weekend. I am saying its odd for any business to miss such an obvious sale. 

I can understand what the Netflix niche is all about and with Block Buster just around the corner it seems a wasted opportunity. All I can say the Kindle better be selling like hot cakes if this is going to be their On-Demand business model.

"On-Demand", their joking right~?


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## mikeyts (Jul 10, 2004)

kevinivey said:


> dude, we are talking about Amazon.


Oooops . Nevermind .


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## kevinivey (Nov 8, 2002)

Joe3 said:


> If I go to my local Video Store at this time on Friday in front of a three day holiday weekend I wouldn't find
> 
> The Day the Earth Stood Still
> Valkyrie
> ...


It's pay per view, new movies have NEVER been available to rent. studios want to sell DVDs and BDs. Video stores are on life support. Red box dvd rental ,and online are the future.


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## puckettcg (Feb 10, 2006)

Is there anyway to see what movies are being offered in HD? Everytime I click on the browse it takes me to some generic screen telling me how wonderful it is. What's so wonderful - even if I Search on HD, it doesn't return movies, only TV shows. Its pretty lame not to have an option to view a movie and send it to your TIVO from the computer.


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## kevinivey (Nov 8, 2002)

why not click movies in HD icon?


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## pkscout (Jan 11, 2003)

kevinivey said:


> why not click movies in HD icon?


Not sure if you're seeing something nobody else is, but when I go to the Amazon on demand section, the closet thing is a menu item that says HD Movies. That link takes you to this page. That only explains where you can watch HD movies, not what movies are in HD. I haven't found any way from the Amazon site to see a list of movies in HD. Not that it matters, since you can't order them in HD from the Amazon site. You can order HD TV shows from the web site, but the only way I've found to get the HD movies is directly from the TiVo. This has been pointed out in this thread before, and I hope they fix it soon so that I can use one of my Amazon affiliates to order movies as well as TV shows.


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