Amazon Unbox and Tivo
So just recently, Amazon Unbox got hooked up to Tivo. If you have a Series 2 or Series 3 Tivo on a broadband internet connection, you can buy videos through Amazon Unbox and save them directly to the Tivo. (If you sign up for this now, you'll get a $15 credit free to use on videos.)
You do NOT need to install the crappy Amazon Unbox software on your computer to use this.
I tried the service out and downloaded a season 2 episode of Supernatural onto my Toshiba DVD Recorder/Tivo. It worked like a charm -- bought it with one click on Amazon, and it was on my Tivo shortly after. I didn't see exactly how long the download took, and also I have a v. souped-up internet connection. I'm seeing people report 1-5 hours for downloads with a quick google. When finished, the video shows up in a folder called "Amazon Unbox" on your Now Playing list. The good news for vidding purposes is, the quality is terrific (much better than my usual cable, looks as good as the S1 DVDs), and it does NOT have a station bug at all, meaning that this can probably be used to get bug-free source without waiting for the DVDs to come out.
The bad news is that the copyright protection would not allow me to record the episode to the built-in DVD recorder. However, far as I can see, you can plug the Tivo's video output into a standalone VCR or DVD recorder and record it off that way. *rolls eyes at the stupid* There also seems to be software that can crack the Amazon Unbox DRM, but I haven't tried it.
More bad news: the selection of movies and shows is currently pretty mediocre, and a bunch of the stuff that is available in Amazon Unbox is NOT available for download to Tivo. You have to search unbox video downloads for "tivo" to see what's out there. Renting movies remains brain damaged -- you get to keep the movie on the Tivo for 30 days, but as soon as you start playing it, a 24-hour clock starts and the movie will be deleted after that, whether or not you have actually finished watching it.
However, it is $3.99 to rent most movies, and instant-gratification-lover me is v. happy with the idea that I can download a movie and have it ready to watch in an hour or two. Episodes of TV shows are $1.99 apiece to buy (no option to rent), and you can keep them on the Tivo however long you want or transfer them to the computer and/or a portable device, theoretically, although I have not tried this at all myself, and that probably would require installing the Amazon Unbox software.
Anyway, so all that said, if you already have a series 2/3 Tivo and you already have an Amazon account, I would say this makes it worth registering and getting the $15 credit, if only to experiment with.
You do NOT need to install the crappy Amazon Unbox software on your computer to use this.
I tried the service out and downloaded a season 2 episode of Supernatural onto my Toshiba DVD Recorder/Tivo. It worked like a charm -- bought it with one click on Amazon, and it was on my Tivo shortly after. I didn't see exactly how long the download took, and also I have a v. souped-up internet connection. I'm seeing people report 1-5 hours for downloads with a quick google. When finished, the video shows up in a folder called "Amazon Unbox" on your Now Playing list. The good news for vidding purposes is, the quality is terrific (much better than my usual cable, looks as good as the S1 DVDs), and it does NOT have a station bug at all, meaning that this can probably be used to get bug-free source without waiting for the DVDs to come out.
The bad news is that the copyright protection would not allow me to record the episode to the built-in DVD recorder. However, far as I can see, you can plug the Tivo's video output into a standalone VCR or DVD recorder and record it off that way. *rolls eyes at the stupid* There also seems to be software that can crack the Amazon Unbox DRM, but I haven't tried it.
More bad news: the selection of movies and shows is currently pretty mediocre, and a bunch of the stuff that is available in Amazon Unbox is NOT available for download to Tivo. You have to search unbox video downloads for "tivo" to see what's out there. Renting movies remains brain damaged -- you get to keep the movie on the Tivo for 30 days, but as soon as you start playing it, a 24-hour clock starts and the movie will be deleted after that, whether or not you have actually finished watching it.
However, it is $3.99 to rent most movies, and instant-gratification-lover me is v. happy with the idea that I can download a movie and have it ready to watch in an hour or two. Episodes of TV shows are $1.99 apiece to buy (no option to rent), and you can keep them on the Tivo however long you want or transfer them to the computer and/or a portable device, theoretically, although I have not tried this at all myself, and that probably would require installing the Amazon Unbox software.
Anyway, so all that said, if you already have a series 2/3 Tivo and you already have an Amazon account, I would say this makes it worth registering and getting the $15 credit, if only to experiment with.