TiVo Users Get Direct Amazon Unbox Access

TiVo has enabled used to order Amazon Ubox movies directly from their TiVO DVRs rather than forcing them to do the ordering through a computer.

Starting today, users of TiVo Series2 and Series3 set-top DVRs will be able to order movies and video from the Amazon Unbox video download service directly from their TiVo box, rather than configuring their Unbox purchases through a traditional Web browser.

The new “Buy on TV” feature enabled TiVo owners to browse the Amazon Unbox video catalog and choose titles for rental or purchase using just the TiVo’s remote control. When users have made their selections, they must enter a five-digit passcode in order to complete the transaction: the idea is to prevent an unauthorized user (like a house guest or sitter) to ring up charges on a TiVo owner’s Amazon.com account.

Amazon and TiVo announced their Unbox partnership back in February of 2007. As with Unbox purchases downloaded to Windows-based PCs, Amazon maintains a media library where users can re-download many of their purchased titles at will, so the downloads don’t constantly take up storage space on users’ DVRs. (New releases may only be available for re-download for limited times.) Depending on the rights granted with individual selections, users can download videos to up to two PCs or TiVo DVRs at the same time, sharing content throughout their home. However, TiVo’s TiVoToGo and Multi-Room Viewing features cannot be used with Unbox selections.

The Amazon/TiVo partnership is one of many examples of the many businesses competing for attention in the online video space; other competitors include Apple’s iTunes store (in conjunction with the Apple TV set-top device), Microsoft’s Xbox Live service, mega-retailer Wal-Mart, and mail-order giant Netflix, which just announced its Instant Delivery Internet-based video-on-demand service has racked up five million viewings in its first six months of operation.