Has anyone tried this Amazon UnBox thing yet?
Anyone know anyone that has? Here's a sample page, sort of I guess... Link to UnBox "Ben and Jerry Biography" Is it going to play in that tiny format for $2? Or will it be full size? |
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| I've only downloaded TV shows and a movie from iTunes. Plays great on my computer but there's still nothing like owning the uncompressed version. |
| Hi,
This is crustybird's husband, as she noticed your post and asked me about it. I've never used the UnBox service, but it seems to get a lot of negative reviews online. You are buying a file which can be played only in the "UnBox Player" from Amazon on a Windows computer, or one of a short list of Microsoft "Play's For Sure" devices (not iPod's and not Microsoft's own Zune). I would imagine the player will allow you to play the movie full screen on your computer, but the image quality is worse than DVD and you won't be able to play it on your TV unless your PC is also in the living room. The player itself and the process of downloading the file all seem to have issues, and you can easily lose the 'right' to play the content. There are more reviews of it here: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060910-7704.html http://money.cnn.com/2006/09/18/technology/lewis_unbox.fortune/index.htm (I particularly like how the second review notes that you are prohibited from viewing the content in "hotel rooms, motel rooms, ... prisons, barracks, drilling rigs".) As an overall service, Apple's iTunes video download probably works the best at the moment. However, please note that all of these services are based on DRM technology. I'm not sure how familiar you are with DRM (Digital Rights Management .. or as some call it Digital Restrictions Management), but it is an increasingly prevalent attempt by big media companies to control how you are allowed to listen to and view content you have purchased. The RIAA and MPAA advocate DRM to protect themselves against piracy, but as all new music and movies is still readily available in CD/DVD which can be easily pirated, DRM does nothing but infringed on consumer's legal rights to fair use of purchased copyrighted content. What this means is that if you download a song and want to paying it on a portable device, your home stereo, and as a ringtone for you cellphone you will most likely have to buy it 3 separate times. Great for big media companies .. terrible for consumers. As the single largest purveyor of DRM'ed content, Apple is presently being sued by 4 European countries to loosen the restrictions on iTunes content so it will work with competing portable media devices. (iTunes has actually been ruled as illegal in one of them.) My take on the matter is to never buy DRM'ed content. CDs and DVDs cost about as much and have no evil usage restrictions. And as far as UnBox goes ... you'll have the movie faster by driving to your local Blockbuster. For more info on why DRM is bad for consumers, see here: http://defectivebydesign.org/en/what_is_drm_digital_restrictions_management |
| Thanks! |
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