Amazon.com Launches Amazon Unbox(TM), a Digital Video Download Service with DVD-Quality Picture.SEATTLE -- Amazon.com (Nasdaq:AMZN AMZN Amazon.com (NASDAQ symbol) ): --Amazon Unbox Offers Thousands of DVD-Quality Picture TV Shows, Movies and Other Videos From Around the World; Unbox RemoteLoad(TM) Technology Allows Customers to Buy From One PC and Download to Another; "Star Trek  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. ," VH1 Make Digital Download-to-Own Debut Amazon.com (Nasdaq:AMZN) today announced the launch of Amazon Unbox Amazon Unbox is an Internet video on demand service offered by Amazon.com which according to their website is available to "U.S. customers located in the 48 contiguous states, Alaska, Hawaii, and the District of Columbia". (TM), a new digital video download service offering customers thousands of television shows, movies and other video content from more than 30 studio and network partners from Hollywood and around the world. Unbox is the only video download service to offer DVD-quality picture. In addition, Unbox RemoteLoad(TM) technology allows customers to buy from one PC (such as an office computer) and download to another (such as a home computer). Customers can visit www.amazon.com/unbox to try the Unbox service with a free TV show. Unbox offers triple the video quality of the leading commercial Internet video Video material obtained from the Internet. It may refer to streaming video from real time broadcasts, streaming archival material or downloading video files for watching later, all of which are viewed on the computer. services, delivering content encoded at 2,500 kilobits per second (unit) kilobits per second - (kbps, kb/s) A unit of data rate where 1 kb/s = 1000 bits per second. This contrasts with units of storage where 1 Kb = 1024 bits (note upper case K). using the ultra-efficient VC-1 Advanced Profile codec (1) (enCOder/DECoder) A hardware circuit that performs analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) and digital-to-analog (DAC) conversion. When analog signals are entered into a computer, cellphone or other device via a microphone or video source such as VHS tape or analog TV, . At no additional charge, Unbox also automatically includes a second file optimized for playback on any Windows Media-compatible portable device. In addition, Unbox uses progressive download, eliminating the need to wait for the entire video to download before watching. This means the typical cable broadband customer can start watching any Unbox TV show or movie within five minutes of ordering. "Amazon Unbox offers TV and movie enthusiasts a fast, convenient way to watch thousands of their favorite videos from around the world," said Bill Carr, Amazon.com's vice president of digital media. "Now Amazon.com customers can choose to get videos delivered to their doorstep from Amazon's DVD DVD: see digital versatile disc. DVD in full digital video disc or digital versatile disc Type of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. store or choose Amazon Unbox and download DVD-quality picture movies or television shows to their PC." Unbox RemoteLoad technology offers customers the convenience of shopping for Unbox videos on Amazon.com from any Internet-connected PC -- like their PC at the office -- and download their videos to that PC or any other connected PC -- like their PC at home. Plus, customers get the added flexibility of taking their video collection on the go using any Windows Media video-compatible portable device, including the popular Creative Zen Vision:M. "Amazon has built the ultimate solution for anyone who has ever had a friend or coworker co·work·er or co-work·er n. One who works with another; a fellow worker. tell them that they missed a great TV show last night," said Carr. "Now customers can visit Amazon.com while at work and download DVD-quality TV shows and movies to their PC at home or wherever it is most convenient for them to watch." Amazon Unbox customers will be able to access their videos in the Amazon Your Media Library, a personalized Web page that indexes and organizes their media purchases from Amazon.com, including books, CDs, DVDs and Unbox Videos. Your Media Library provides each Unbox customer a place to keep track of their Unbox video purchases, and even download them to an additional PC. Amazon Unbox customers can download episodes of their favorite television shows that aired as recently as last night or favorites from decades past. Unbox offers current hits from top networks like CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. with "CSI CSI Crime Scene Investigator CSI CompuServe, Inc. CSI Commodity Systems, Inc. CSI Commodity Systems Inc. (Boca Raton, FL) CSI Crime Scene Investigation (CBS TV show) CSI Christian Schools International " and "Numb3rs" and FOX with "24" and "Prison Break" as well as classics like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Firefly" and "Star Trek." Unbox also offers a broad selection of popular shows from cable networks such as A&E, Cartoon Network, Discovery Channel, FX and several channels from MTV Networks, including Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, MTV MTV in full Music Television U.S. cable television network, established in 1980 to present videos of musicians and singers performing new rock music. MTV won a wide following among rock-music fans worldwide and greatly affected the popular-music business. and VH1. From September 14th through September 27th, all of the final, cliffhanger cliff·hang·er n. 1. A melodramatic serial in which each episode ends in suspense. 2. A suspenseful situation occurring at the end of a chapter, scene, or episode. 3. episodes from last season's "CSI," "CSI: Miami" and "CSI:NY" will be available for $0.01 to celebrate CSI Week and the launch of the season for all three "CSI" series. Several television series and films will make their digital download debut with Amazon Unbox, including all 79 episodes of the original "Star Trek" series (plus the pre-Shatner original pilot), many anime series including "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (機動戦士ガンダムSEED [シード] ." HGTV HGTV Home and Garden Television , FINE LIVING TV Network and VH1 are three networks making their digital download debut, offering titles such as "Design on a Dime Design on a Dime (sometimes referred to as DoD) is a redesigning television series on HGTV. It features one or more people who want a room, etc. made better. The Design on a Dime team uses a $1000 budget typically and remakes the room. ," "America's Dream 18" and "Breaking Bonaduce," respectively. Movies available on Unbox include new releases such as "V for Vendetta vendetta (vĕndĕt`ə) [Ital.,=vengeance], feud between members of two kinship groups to avenge a wrong done to a relative. Although the term originated in Corsica, the custom has also been practiced in other parts of Italy, in other ," "Inside Man," "Failure to Launch," "RV" and "Walk the Line" as well as numerous classics like "Ben Hur," "Chinatown" and "Poseidon Adventure" from top studios including 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) . Entertainment and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. Unbox will also have independent films from studios such as Focus Features, Fox Searchlight and Lionsgate, including "Akeelah and the Bee," "Brokeback Mountain" and "Friends With Money." Amazon Unbox also offers a broad selection of international television shows and films from the UK, Korea, Hong Kong and Japan. These include the epic Korean period drama "The Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-shin Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-shin or Immortal Yi Soon-shin (informal US title) is a Korean television show based on the life of Admiral Yi Sun-shin. It was first broadcast in August 2004 in Korea and later in the United States near the end of August. "; the popular BBC BBC in full British Broadcasting Corp. Publicly financed broadcasting system in Britain. A private company at its founding in 1922, it was replaced by a public corporation under royal charter in 1927. comedy "Coupling"; Hong Kong's "Hand of Death," directed by John Woo starring Jackie Chan; and Japan's "Escaflowne." Unbox customers can purchase television series episodes for $1.99 per episode, purchase most movies for between $7.99 and $14.99, or rent the latest movies for $3.99. To learn more about Amazon Unbox and to download your first television show free of charge, visit www.amazon.com/unbox. Participating Television Networks A&E, Adult Swim, Animal Planet, BBC, The Biography Channel, Cartoon Network, CBS, Comedy Central, Discovery Channel, Discovery Health Channel, Discovery Kids, E! Entertainment Television, FINE LIVING TV Network, FOX, Fuel TV, FX, HGTV, The History Channel, KBS (KiloBits per Second) Could also be KBs for kilobytes. See Kbps and kilo. KBS - Knowledge-Based System (Korean Broadcast System), Logo, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, The N, PBS PBS in full Public Broadcasting Service Private, nonprofit U.S. corporation of public television stations. PBS provides its member stations, which are supported by public funds and private contributions rather than by commercials, with educational, cultural, , Speed, Spike, Travel Channel, TV Land and VH1. Participating Movie Studios 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation. It was established in 1978 as Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment. , Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Lionsgate and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. Unbox Partner Quotes CBS "With its broad and extensive user base, impressive marketing capabilities and the Unbox technology, Amazon.com is uniquely positioned as a programming platform in the online world, and we're excited to be one of their charter content providers," said Larry Kramer, President, CBS Digital Media. "The site is a perfect vehicle to further extend the reach of our Network brand and create more opportunities for audiences to discover current and classic CBS programming." Fox Entertainment Group "We expect the convenience of Amazon's Unbox to be a catalyst in expanding the reach of our digital offerings," said Peter Levinsohn, President, Fox Digital Media. "Amazon has made a name for itself as having the biggest selection of physical goods online. We are happy to be a part of its effort to realize this same goal in digital content." MTV Networks "VH1 has chosen Amazon Unbox for our download-to-own premiere of select shows because it offers viewers a flexible and high-quality way to enjoy their favorite programs -- the very qualities our 30-something viewers find important," said Tom Calderone, executive vice president and general manager, VH1. "We are excited to join the other MTV Networks' brands in this launch, and to extend VH1's hit shows to yet another platform." Paramount "Amazon is one of the great trusted brands in the digital space with an excellent track record of building direct consumer relationships via the Internet," said Thomas Lesinski, President, Paramount Pictures Digital Entertainment. "We are very excited about Amazon's new Unbox service, which will provide consumers with a convenient high-quality option for downloading movies directly to their computers." Sony Pictures Home Entertainment "This agreement with Amazon is very exciting for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. It represents the first time one of our established customers has embraced digital distribution," noted Benjamin S. Feingold, Worldwide President of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Digital Distribution and Acquisitions. "Sony and Amazon share the goal of delivering outstanding entertainment to consumers whenever they want it, on whatever platform they choose to experience it and in the most efficient manner possible, and we are delighted to partner with Amazon in fulfilling this mission." Universal Studios Home Entertainment Universal Studios Home Entertainment (formerly Universal Studios Home Video or MCA/Universal Home Video) is a home video company founded in 1979. It is a division of Universal Studios. It was originally known as MCA Videocassette, Inc. (USHE USHE Utah System of Higher Education USHE Universal Studios Home Entertainment ) "We are pleased to partner with Amazon on this exciting venture, which offers a convenient and flexible alternative for purchasing and enjoying Universal films," said Craig Kornblau, President, Universal Studios Home Entertainment. "Consistent with NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. Universal's strategy for ubiquitous content distribution, we are very excited to align with Amazon, a top-tier partner that is on the forefront of a unique new electronic sell-through technology to deliver our entertainment product: The Unbox Experience." Warner Bros. Entertainment "Warner Bros. digital distribution strategy is to provide consumers with access to our world-class entertainment through as many platforms, devices and channels possible," said Simon Kenny, President, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution. "Amazon is the Internet's leading online retailer, and our customers are already comfortable acquiring entertainment from the website. Unbox is a natural extension of this and a good fit for Warner Bros." MGM MGM in full Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. U.S. corporation and film studio. It was formed when the film distributor Marcus Loew, who bought Metro Pictures in 1920, merged it with the Goldwyn production company in 1924 and with Louis B. Mayer Pictures in 1925. "Delivering on our strategy of distributing MGM movies and television series on robust new digital platforms, we are very pleased to be able to offer MGM programming to the launch of Amazon's Unbox service and hope to include additional product in the weeks to come as the service undoubtedly flourishes," said Douglas A. Lee, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Digital Media at MGM. "We are thrilled to extend our partnership with Amazon as it introduces its millions of users to its new service, and welcome them to receiving new ways of obtaining MGM's extraordinary library of films and television," he said. About Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc., (Nasdaq:AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as health and personal care, jewelry and watches, gourmet food, sports and outdoors, apparel and accessories, books, music, DVDs, electronics and office, toys and baby, and home and garden. Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, and www.joyo.com. As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise. Forward Looking Statement This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings All actions that are authorized or sanctioned by law and instituted in a court or a tribunal for the acquisition of rights or the enforcement of remedies. and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, significant amount of indebtedness, inventory, limited operating history, government regulation and taxation, payments, fraud, consumer trends, and new business areas. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K Form 10-K A report required by the SEC from exchange-listed companies that provides for annual disclosure of certain financial information. Form 10-K See 10-K. for the year ended December 31, 2005, and all subsequent filings. |
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