Amazon Now Offers HD With On-Demand Movie Rentals

Amazon is now offering over 500 movies and TV shows in high-definition through its Video On Demand service. Major Hollywood studios and television networks have partnered with Amazon to bring recent movie releases and popular TV shows in HD to your TV--provided you have the right third-party hardware gear.

If you have a Roku digital video player, TiVo Series3, Sony Bravia Internet Video Link, an HD or HD XL DVR, or a Panasonic VIERA CAST-enabled TV, then you can rent HD movies for $3.99 to $4.99 and TV episodes purchases for $2.99 each. PC and Mac users can also get a dose of HD content through Amazon's online rental service. But only standard definition movies and TV shows in the HD format are available via your PCs.

Big-name Amazon partners include Warner Bros. Entertainment, Sony Pictures, Paramount, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Universal. Some titles available include recently released movies Twilight and Yes Man and TV series The Tudors and Gossip Girl.

On TiVo, the company says, the majority of HD movies rented through Amazon's service will come with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, while on Roku boxes the HD video will be streamed in 720p quality. On Roku boxes, the Amazon interface allows users to rent movies or purchase shows directly, unlike on Netflix where you have to manage your viewing queue from a PC.