The sea of online video choices can be a bear to navigate, but once you figure out which services work best for you, you'll be rewarded with a rich array of content for your desktop and portable devices. Use this comprehensive chart to help make your choices.
| |
Amazon Unbox |
CinemaNow |
Google Video (beta) |
Guba |
iTunes Music Store (video section) |
Movielink |
Vongo |
Wal-Mart Video Downloads (Beta) |
| Content available, type |
Mainstream movies; TV shows |
Mainstream and independent movies; old TV shows; music videos; adult films (linked to, but are technically on a different URL) |
TV shows; music videos; user generated content |
Mainstream and independent movies; TV shows; user contributed content |
Mainstream movies; TV shows; music videos; short films; video podcasts |
Mainstream and independent movies; TV shows |
Mainstream and independent movies; live stream of the Starz channel |
Mainstream movies; TV shows |
| Content providers |
20th Century Fox; Paramount; Sony; Universal; Warner Bros.; Lionsgate; MGM; plus many TV networks |
20th Century Fox; Disney; MGM; Miramax; NBC Universal; Sony; Warner Bros.; Lionsgate |
CBS; Sony BMG Music; Warner Music; MTV Networks; Charlie Rose |
Warner Brothers; Sony; plus independent studios |
Disney; Paramount; Lionsgate; Miramax; over 40 TV networks; the four major music labels; plus independents |
MGM; Paramount; Sony; Universal; Warner Bros.; Disney; 20th Century Fox; New Line; Artisan; plus independents |
Sony; Disney; Starz; independents |
20th Century Fox; Disney; Lionsgate; MGM; Paramount; Sony; Universal; Warner Brothers; MTV Networks |
| Number of titles available |
"Thousands" of movies and TV shows (doesn't provide an exact number) |
More than 4,000 titles; about 500 for rental, 85 for purchase (thousands of small and foreign titles for online streaming) |
Thousands, mostly user-submitted |
More than 1,000 (premium content) |
More than 400 films, 350 TV shows, 160 short films, 5,000 music videos, and thousands of video podcasts |
About 1,400 for rental, 1,000 for purchase |
More than 2,600 titles (currently about 1,000 movies) |
More than 3,000 (about 1,500 movies) |
| Format |
Windows Media Video |
Windows Media Video |
Google's GVI for paid content; AVI for free content |
Windows Media Video |
H.264 |
Windows Media Video; Real Video |
Windows Media Video |
Windows Media Video |
| Bit rate(s) |
2.5Mbps |
300Kbps or 700Kbps for streaming content, 700Kbps for downloaded content, 1,200Kbps or 1,500Kbps for purchases |
700Kbps |
1.3Mbps |
1.5Mbps |
1.3Mbps |
1.3Mbps |
1.5 to 1.7Mbps for TV use; 500Kbps to 810Kbps for PMC use |
| Viewable on portables |
Yes, any Windows PMC |
No |
Most free titles can be downloaded for the video iPod and the PSP |
User-generated content only; iPod and PSP |
Yes, 5th generation iPod with video |
Yes, OQO only |
Yes, subscription content only; certified to work with the Toshibia S and V series |
Yes (TV shows available only for portable use) |
| Plays on TV |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes, with Apple TV (out soon) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Downloads viewable on more than one computer |
Yes, as many as two PCs |
Yes, as many as three PCs |
Yes; requires signing in and redownloading content |
Plays on one or two PCs, depending on provider |
Yes, as many as five computers and unlimited iPods |
Yes, purchased content on as many as 3 PCs |
Yes, three PCs or devices |
No, limit of one PC; three portables |
| Requirements |
Windows XP |
Windows 2000 or higher; IE 6 or higher; WMP 10 |
Windows 2000 or XP, as well as downloadable Google Video Player for paid content; Windows or Mac for free content |
Windows XP or newer; WMP 9 or higher |
Mac OS X 10.3.9 or higher or Windows 2000/XP; iTunes 7; QuickTime 7.1.3 or higher (Mac) |
Windows 2000, ME, XP, or Vista; WMP 9 or higher |
Windows 2000, XP, or Vista; WMP 9 or higher; downloadable Vongo player |
Windows XP or higher; IE 6.0 or higher; WMP 10 or higher |
| Streaming/Free Content |
| Free content |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
| User can upload own content |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes, video podcasts |
No |
No |
No |
| Online streaming |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes, user-generated content |
No |
Yes, trailers |
Yes, Starz Channel |
Yes, trailers |
| Rentals/Subscriptions |
| Rental price |
$1.99 to $3.99 |
$3.99 for new arrivals; $2.99 for all others |
Day-pass rentals typically $1.99 |
Rentals $2.99 |
- |
$0.99 to $4.99 |
$3.99 |
- |
| Time limit on rented content |
Can store for 30 days; must watch in 24-hour period |
Can store for 30 days; must watch in 24-hour period |
24 hours |
Can store for 30 days; must watch in 24-hour period |
- |
Can store for 30 days; must watch in 24-hour period |
Can store for 30 days; must watch in 24-hour period |
- |
| Subscription available |
No |
Yes, but not for mainstream films |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
| Subscription price |
- |
$29.95 per month or $99.95 per year |
- |
- |
- |
- |
$9.99 per month |
- |
| Purchases |
| Purchase price |
$7.99 to $14.99 |
Most purchases $15 to $20 |
$0.99 to $14.99 |
Movies $9.99 to $19.99; TV shows $1.79 |
$1.99 to $12.99 |
Most purchases $8.99 to $19.99 |
- |
Purchases $7.50 to $19.88 for movies; $1.96 for TV shows |
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