Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Remember the days when you would nip down to your local video store and rent a VHS version of the Never-ending Story? No? Just me then?

Today, looks like a sign of times to come, as Amazon have announced a new online store of TV shows and Movies, called Amazon Video on Demand will open on Thursday.

Customers of the website will be able to watch any of 40,000 movies and television programs as soon as they order them because they are to be streamed direct to your computer. This goes one better than iTunes who make you fill up your heard drive with downloaded movies, creating a more YouTube type feel.

“For the first time, this is drop dead simple,” said Bill Carr, Amazon’s vice president for digital media. “Our goal is to create an immersive experience where people can’t help but get caught up in how exciting it is to simply watch a movie right from Amazon.com with a click of the button.”

Amazon, who is based in Seattle, has also struck a deal with Sony to place its Internet video store on the company’s Bravia line of high-definition TVs.

The video store will be accessible via the Sony Bravia Internet Video Link, which is a $300 tower-shaped device that funnels Web video directly to the HDTVs. This is likely to be integrated in to future TV sets, but for now is still pretty cool.

Mr. Carr said Amazon would pursue similar deals with other makers of TVs and Internet devices. “We can support both streaming and downloading,” he said. “Our goal is to continue to establish partnerships with all companies who have a connected device.”

Amazon Video on Demand will only be accessible to a limited number of invited customers on Thursday before it opens to other users later this summer.

The service allows users to watch from any computer after they have purchased the movie, by giving users a “Your Video Library” section on its website.

“I can be at my office, purchase a movie, and then it will be available on my television at home,” said Robert Jacobs, a senior manager at Sony Electronics. “Creating this on-demand available-everywhere access to premium content is going to be very attractive to consumers.”

Amazon Video on Demand is not expected to generate significant profits for Amazon, which must pay large royalties to Hollywood studios and develop the costly technical infrastructure required to make the service operate reliably.

But Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s chief executive, may have another goal in mind. Establishing a foothold on televisions could be a way to let couch potatoes and television advertiser’s link up to the rest of Amazon’s online store with a click of the remote control.

“That is certainly a possibility for the future,” Mr. Carr said.

In a sickening act, the family of one of the 7/7 London bombers are holding a party at his grave in Pakistan to “celebrate his life”. Shehzad Tanweer will be remembered “as a martyr” by over 400 relatives, according to an article in the evening standard.

MPs have branded the ?party’ a “damning insult” to the memories of the 52 commuters murdered in the bombings three years ago today.

The newspaper said that the party had been held twice before and is organised by the bombers Uncle Tahir Pervex, a property developer. Verses of the Koran and rice and curry are to be handed out at the event.

Andrew Dismore, MP for Hendon, north London was appalled at the family:

“It is absolutely appalling that his family are choosing to mark the date in this way. What are the Pakistan government doing about this?

“Five people from five different ethnic and religious groups died from my constituency on 7 July 2005 and this is a damning insult to their memory and their family members. Most Muslims would be absolutely horrified.”

Aldgate bomber Tanweer, 22, Mohammad Sidique Khan, 30, Hasib Hussain, 18, and 19-year-old Jermaine Lindsay also died when they detonated rucksack bombs on three crowded Tube trains and a No 30 bus.

News of the party came as families of victims of the bombings and survivors today gathered at King’s Cross station to remember the victims of the blasts. The pavements around the station, from where the four suicide bombers set off on their terror campaign, were crammed with commuters as passers-by stopped to pay their respects.

I can’t believe they are doing this. It’s terrible, and I offer my condolences to the families of the victims of the horrific incident three years ago.