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Amazon Planning March Launch for Apple TV Set-Top Box Competitor
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I find it very satisfying. It's just as good as Netflix IMO and better than hulu plus.
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What scumbag policies?
For the most part, yes. I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon, and frankly I don't use the video service at this point because right now doing so is inconvenient. But, if ATV had a channel, I'd certainly peruse it.
Incredibly it seems they make very little, therefore pay very little in tax.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/may/16/amazon-tax-avoidance-profits
..massive uproar in the UK not so long ago as they were branded a tax cheat given their billions in turnover, press neglected to highlight that you don't pay tax on turnover only profit.
Their business model seems to be undercut everyone else until you put them out of business then monopolise the market by 'political lobbying' to keep everyone else from breaking the monopoly they create. Then squeeze the content providers to try and lower costs in order to make some profit from sales.
Lots of companies buy other companies and technologies and invest in R&D/infrastructure but somehow still find a way make a profit.
Meh. I am an Amazon Prime user simply for the free 2-day shipping component. This gives me access to Amazon Instant Video on my iPhone, iPad, and Sony BRAVIA TV. I really haven't been impressed with the content. Not interested in watching Season 2 and Season 3 of a show that's in Season 6 and the movie selection is filled with dated titles I can watch on TBS Saturday afternoons.
It MAY support their own service?
I think it's pretty certain!!
It's may do more but I'm certain it'll do that. I think every internet media device I own (except my AppleTV) will tie in to Amazon.
I concur.
I don't care who it is that blows Comcast to pieces as long as someone does it. I was expecting Apple to do it but I'll settle for Amazon or Netflix doing it. Google... I guess would be an improvement over Comcast... Maybe... I'd rather someone did it other than Google.
Since the instant video app is already available on other devices, if Amazon does create their own box, will they take away the app from the Apple app store, etc? I don't think that makes sense. However if they come out with their own box, but leave the app on all the other devices, then what's the point of the box? Maybe it's me, but Amazon creating their own box does not seem to fit their current strategy. But maybe Jeff has some other plan that we don't know yet - something involving small remote helicopters maybe 
It always amazes me that people are quick to brand a company a "tax cheat" when in reality they are just following the rules put in place by the government. Until government changes the rules or they are caught red handed actually really cheating on their taxes then the peoples uproar should be with the government and not Amazon, Apple or google or any other large world wide company that legally takes advantage of tax laws to lower their tax exposure. They shouldn't have to give the government one penny more then they have to just like each one of us.
I might be splitting hairs - but the start of the article "In light of recent reports stating that Apple is hard at work on an Apple TV refresh, Amazon is allegedly readying a new Web TV box that would compete with Apple's set-top box and the Roku, according to Re/code" seems a bit off.
Amazon isn't working on a box just because of recent reports about an Apple TV refresh. In fact, Amazon has been working over a year on providing competition to Apple and Roku in the way of some hardware.
The top of the article seems to set the stage that Amazon is responding directly to the more recent rumors of an Apple TV refresh. I think a more honest analysis would be that Amazon, like with their Kindle line, is merely extending their line to further their ecosystem. While Apple TV is certainly popular, there are competing set top boxes which are "bigger fish."
Amazon isn't working on a box just because of recent reports about an Apple TV refresh. In fact, Amazon has been working over a year on providing competition to Apple and Roku in the way of some hardware.
The top of the article seems to set the stage that Amazon is responding directly to the more recent rumors of an Apple TV refresh. I think a more honest analysis would be that Amazon, like with their Kindle line, is merely extending their line to further their ecosystem. While Apple TV is certainly popular, there are competing set top boxes which are "bigger fish."
Very few that are as aggressive and successful as Amazon. Not saying it is the right thing to do, just that it is part of Amazons strategy to invest every last penny and more. And that Amazon is not a broken company, they do earn money, they just expand a lot.
Quick note: Amazon streaming is NOT on Tivo boxes. Only purchased videos can be watched on tivos.
No, just their strategy. They operate with negligible margins to out price their competitors. Occasionally they will generate profits just to make sure they can, but they don't plan on sustained profitability in the near term.
Samsung, Google, Intel, Microsoft, etc. all spend more on R&D/infrastructure than Amazon does. Of course they're in different industries that have higher margins. One of my problems win Amazon (or at least the people who support it's valuation) is this idea that they could be raking in the profits if they wanted to and that when the time comes they can just flip a switch and the profits will start flowing. Thing is Amazon supporters have been saying this for years. At what point does someone call their bluff and say "show me the profits"?
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And near term basically equals Amazon's entire existence.
Not surprising at all. More competition is good. We need it. Just as iOS and Android need each other. Without the other, there is no one pushing to be better than the other and both going back and forth trying to one-up the other. This only benefits the consumer. If there is only one player, they don't have to do anything to push for.
...just as ISP's are fighting against streaming content.
http://consumerist.com/2014/02/11/netflix-streaming-speeds-getting-worse-for-comcast-and-verizon-fios-customers/
Another device to allow more convenient streaming is just another service for ISP's to throttle.
And XBMC. I want to be able to do local streaming without transcoding. Oh just because its from Amazon let Netflix put their app on it as well. I need to have ALL streaming applications available from a single box or I am not buying it. I refuse to have multiple boxes for this streaming stuff when they are all basically the same hardware.
Of course all of this goodness is only available to certain countries anyway... in Canada, for better or for worse, Amazon is simply not an option.
Winni - Apple has shifted its tune - Cook saying it is an area of intense interest. Of course he keeps talking about that pipeline full of exciting products