Amazon VOD Adds HD Titles

SEATTLE: Amazon Video On Demand has added more than 500 high-definition TV shows and movies to its offering, and has linked up with Panasonic, making the online content platform accessible directly from Viera Cast-enabled TV sets.

Amazon.com’s new HD offerings come from an assortment of major studios and broadcasters, among them Warner Bros., Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, MGM, Universal Studios and Showtime. Top titles available now in HD on Amazon Video On Demand include new-release movies such as Frost/Nixon, Twilight and Yes Man and hit TV series including Californication, The Tudors, Smallville and Gossip Girl.

“Our customers have been asking us for two things: HD and the ability to watch movies and TV shows instantly on their television,” said Bill Carr, Amazon’s VP of music and video. “Today we are thrilled to begin offering HD and to add the distinctive Panasonic Viera Cast-enabled HDTV lineup to the growing number of televisions and devices supported by Amazon Video On Demand. We plan to continue making it easier than ever for customers to instantly enjoy their favorite TV shows and movies in HD from the comfort of their living rooms.”

Owners of the Viera HDTV Internet-enabled units will be able to select from Amazon Video on Demand’s more than 40,000 titles directly from the TV screen. Panasonic and Amazon are also working to bring the Amazon Video On Demand service to Panasonic’s 2009 line of Viera Cast-enabled Blu-ray players by this summer. Viera Cast sets already provide access to YouTube and Bloomberg News, among other services. Amazon Video On Demand, meanwhile, is also accessible through the Roku digital video player, TiVo and Sony Bravia Internet Video Link.