Tivo Video Downloads

[Canucklehead]

I am probably going to upgrade to the Series 3HD shortly, and I was curious about the video downloads, particularly the cost per movie download.

I currently use Netflix and love it. I get 2 movies at a time, and typically go through 2 each weekend, so 8 a month for $15/month, averaging $2-movie or so.

I wanted to compare the cost of downloading movies from Tivo to Netflix, but I can't find any of the fees. If someone could enlighten me it would be much appreciated.

Some other questions about the service that I have

Can you watch the movie unlimited times, or after you watch it does it expire?
And can you also download movies in HD? If so, does it cost more?

Thanks in advance

[RonDawg]

The fees from Amazon Unbox (I assume that's what you're talking about) vary. For movie rentals, they are generally $2.99 to $3.99, though they occasionally offer 99 cent rental specials. Movie purchases are up to the full price of the DVD version, though they are usually $9.99-$14.99. TV shows are usually $1.99 per episode, but in the beginning of the TV season many of the studios were offering free downloads of their newest shows to gain additional exposure. Go to Amazon.com/unbox for the details of the costs.

Purchases can be viewed at any time, just like you bought the DVD. Unless there's a blackout period you can re-download them to the same TiVo or to a second machine (PC or another TiVo), good for when you accidentally erase them.

Rentals must be viewed within 30 days of purchase, and once played are automatically deleted in 24 hours. You can play them unlimited times within that 24 hour period.

If you go through two DVD's per weekend, your Netflix plan will likely be cheaper, though not as convenient as Unbox. The downsides to Unbox is that not all of their downloads are available in TiVo format, are automatcally letterboxed (an issue if you have a widescreen set), and they are not in HiDef.

[scandia101]

Stick with Netfilx. The selection at Unbox is so pathetically limited it isn't even funny.
for instance, they have the new Ocean's Thirteen, but not Ocean's Eleven or Ocean's Twelve. Than the selection gets even more limited when you want movies that are Tivo compatible.
In case you didn't know, this service is available to anyone in the U.S., not just Tivo users. Go to http://www.amazon.com/unbox and check it out for yourself.

[flatcurve]

The video download services are in their infancy. I think we'll be seeing much greater selection from Unbox and others (like Vudu) within the next year as studios start to see it as a new source of revenue rather than a threat to existing ones. Any new distribution system like this always has these hiccups out of the gate.

The real question is: are they going to give the writers a cut of that? :rolleyes:

[dslunceford]

My understanding is that Unbox rentals are not OAR for all (or most?) movies. As such, I can't see spending a dime on downloads....

[wmcbrine]

No, they all seem to be OAR. It's just that the Tivo version is delivered as letterboxed 4:3 instead of true 16:9, wasting resolution if you have a 16:9 set. (Never mind that they don't do HD.)

[dslunceford]

No, they all seem to be OAR. It's just that the Tivo version is delivered as letterboxed 4:3 instead of true 16:9, wasting resolution if you have a 16:9 set. (Never mind that they don't do HD.)

If it's letterboxed 4:3, than it can't be OAR, or am I missing something? on a 16x9 display you'd have to use a stretch mode to fill the entire screen, no? Otherwise you'd have gray/black bars on right and left of screen?

[wmcbrine]

If it's letterboxed 4:3, than it can't be OAR, or am I missing something?For a 16:9 movie, a 16:9 presentation is OAR. But so is a letterboxed 4:3 presentation (which is what Unbox does). What would not be OAR would be a 4:3 presentation where the sides were cut off, instead -- proponents call this "full-screen" (i.e., it fills the screen of a 4:3 set), but it's better termed "pan and scan".

on a 16x9 display you'd have to use a stretch mode to fill the entire screen, no?Yes, although in this case I (and my set) would call it a "zoom" mode, as it preserves the original aspect ratio.

Otherwise you'd have gray/black bars on right and left of screen?And on the top and bottom, yes. AKA the "postage stamp" look.