With their 'Disc+ on demand' service, the on line retailer Amazon are giving consumers the option of streaming DVD and Blu-ray to their PC immediately after purchase.

Amazon's thinking behind 'Disc+ on demand' is to provide instant gratification in the form of streaming to PC, Mac or another compatible device at standard definition quality while continuing to dispatch the higher quality hard copy in the usual manner.

When buyers make a purchase from Amazon with Disc+ On Demand, a digital version is automatically added to their Amazon Video Library. This is a permanent owned copy of their purchase with no time limiting factors for viewing.

The quality of the digital version will depend to a certain degree on the speed of your internet connection. Amazon recommend a 450 Kbits/sec minimum but recommend a connection speed of 1.5 Mbits/sec.

Amazon have recognised that physical storage media such as DVD will become an outmoded method of media delivery. Their new service is a clever first step in converting a buying public hooked on physical ownership of their film collection.

The only problem with Disc+ on demand at the moment is that it will be limited to a small range of Films and TV programmes. Available in the US only just now, we are hoping that it will be available in the UK soon.