Movie Downloads Coming to TiVo through Amazon

TiVo is bringing Amazon's Unbox movie download service to a small group of beta testers.

Starting today, a small group of TiVo Series 2 and Series 3 owners will be able to download feature films through their TiVos using Amazon’s recently launched Unbox movie service.

How will it work? TiVo users will create a link between Unbox and their specific TiVo that will allow for direct movie downloads to either a PC or a TiVo set-top. Movie downloads will then appear in the TiVo’s Now Playing menu.

The TiVo-Unbox beta test will eventually expand to all TiVo subscribers, but there are notable exceptions:

• To work with Unbox, TiVos must have a broadband connection.
  
• TiVo’s built-in networking features—TiVoToGo and Multi-Room Viewing—don’t work with Unbox downloads.
  
• People who use the DirecTV TiVo can’t use Unbox with their systems.
  
• According to USA Today, Comcast users will also be blocked from the service when the long-gestating TiVo-Comcast relationship yields a Comcast DVR with TiVo software later this year.
  
• Mac users cannot download movies to their computers, but they can download to a TiVo.

Most Unbox movies cost $14.99 to download and TV shows are around $1.99 per episode. Rentals are also available for $1.99-$3.99.