PS3 gets Amazon Instant Video

PlayStation 3 owners are getting another option for streaming movies and TV shows today, as Sony and Amazon have launched the Amazon Instant Video app for the system.

Already available on mobile devices, PCs, and a variety of Internet-connected TVs, Amazon Instant Video is a library of 120,000 streaming TV shows and movies available for purchase or rental, 25,000 of them in high definition. The service also includes a perk for users of the online retailer's Amazon Prime service in the form of full access to a selection of 17,000 shows as part of Prime's $79 annual membership fee. Amazon Prime also gives customers free second-day shipping on many orders and the ability to borrow a variety of books for Kindle devices.

The PS3 app will include Recently Watched and Next Episode features, as well as personal recommendations based on customers' viewing habits. The app will also sync up with Amazon servers so users can start streaming on one device and then move to the PS3 and pick up where they left off, or view content they purchased on other devices on the console. To give interested gamers an opportunity to try out the service, Amazon is offering the pilot episodes of more than 100 TV shows free to all PS3 users.