TiVo Offers Direct Movie Downloads

TiVo on Tuesday bolstered its movie and television show download offering with Amazon by adding the ability to order programs directly from the set-top box. Previously, customers had to use their computer to make the purchase on Amazon, which would begin the download process.

Amazon Unbox, as the service is called, offers both purchases and rentals with prices starting at $3.99 USD. The company also offers a selection of 99-cent movie rentals on the weekends. Even with the on-TiVo ordering, however, the video will not be instantly viewable as it still needs to download. Apple is expected to add similar purchasing functionality through iTUnes to its Apple TV device sometime in the future.