-
CNET editors' rating:
2.5
stars
OK
Detailed editors' rating -
Average user rating:
Write your own review - See all user reviews
Product summary
The
good: AOL Video is a Web-based site that offers a decent mix of TV shows, movies, and user-created content; the primary interface is well organized and user-friendly; video is supported on many Windows Media portable devices; good video quality; progressive downloading; you can view content in Windows Media Player.
The
bad: AOL Video suffers from a lack of movie content (this could change quickly); you can't burn movies to watchable DVDs; new movie releases are expensive; some parts of the interface (such as the movie section) are half-baked; some video playback bugs exist.
The
bottom
line: AOL Video aims to be a one-stop shop for video, but it needs more compelling content and reliable playback.
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 09/28/2006
Unlike iTunes, where you must shop for video within the application, AOL Video is as close as the nearest Web browser. The AOL Video interface is clean and well organized, and though there's a lot of content on the page, with the presence of definitive sections and scrolling logo-based buckets, it's easy to find what you need. The left-side column lists many video subgenres, including Celebrities, Comedies, Kids, and of course, Movies. You'll also get a link to a listing of all AOL's VOD Channels A-Z, where you'll see the logos of every network available on AOL, including Fox, A&E, MTV, the History Channel, and so on. The list is diverse and even includes esoteric brands such as Lime, National Lampoon, and TMZ.com. If this is to become a one-stop shop for video, however, it needs more major network content (not to mention a better sports section).
Fortunately, a wealth of free video content exists, both within the VOD Channels (Drama Rama, and so on) and from AOL users. Clicking User Created Videos actually takes you to the UncutVideo subbrand of AOL Video; unfortunately, that site's interface has a different look and feel and takes away from AOL Video's overall cohesiveness. You can find some interesting content (and submit your own) on UncutVideo, which is searchable by tags and is very much a user-driven community, like YouTube. However, you'll also find an uninspiring and plain interface.
Most TV shows costs $1.99 and can be previewed for 30 seconds. Movies are available starting at $9.99 (and up to $19.99)--not a bad price, though new movies will cost an exorbitant $19.99. More pressingly, AOL's movie section needs some work. First, you can't sort movies by genre and instead, get all of the offerings in one amorphous listing (conveniently, though, you can view all content in detail, grid, or list mode). Secondly, at the time of this review, the site offers only about 68 studio films (most coming from Sony Pictures and Universal Studios), and even the new listings aren't that new. Perhaps movies will be sortable by genre when there's a larger and more comprehensive collection (titles from Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox will be added soon). The site does list movies on the horizon (such as Jackass 2), some of which will be available on the same day as the DVD.
First, you'll need to sign in with your AIM or AOL screen name. You'll also need to have IE 6, Windows Media Player 10 (or higher), and the Hi-Q Delivery Manager installed before you can purchase and watch a video. If you're a first-time buyer, you'll jump to a screen that offers introductory details and the Hi-Q Delivery Manager download. "Hi-Q" is what AOL calls its high-quality TV shows and movies, and the download manager is a plug-in that manages your downloads (the back-end technology is provided by
- See more CNET content tagged:
- America Online Inc.,
- Universal Studios,
- VoD,
- movies,
- video
User reviews
-
Average user rating:
0 stars
Not yet available
Back to product review - My rating: 0 stars Write review
