Great Show! Terrible service!  
By AFWVFF74MEOGV on 2007-09-30
First off, let me say I am completely in love with The Office, and it is one of my favorite TV shows in recent history. The plot is engaging, the story entertaining and the characters very memorable. Even people who have not seen the first few seasons would not miss much if they start with the fourth season.
However, my review is more of the Unbox Amazon player and service than the TV show itself.
I write episode recaps and review of the office for a small fan website and even though I watch the show on TV when it first airs, I like to have a copy of it to rewatch again while I am writing. Last season I used the iTunes season pass to accomplish this, but since the Office is not available on iTunes this year, I decided to download the video from Amazon instead.
My first impressions were very good! It was very easy to plug in my current account information into their one-click shopping and buy the episode. However, I then had to download their proprietary software to play the video. Well, Amazon neglected to mention that the player would not work on a Macintosh computer, making my purchase completely worthless. Furthermore, they do not have any refund process in place, and even though I have not downloaded the video, and am incapable of downloading it, I have yet to receive a refund.
Luckily, my girlfriend also enjoys this show and does have a Windows computer and had downloaded it, so I went over to her place to watch it, and the video quality is terrible. It looks like it was recorded on a cheap VCR. Much much worse video quality than the episodes I downloaded last season off of iTunes. Despite that, the files are twice as large as the ones off of iTunes, to the tune of 1 GB per hour of video.
All in all i rate the video as a 10/10, but the service as 1/10.
Works with only PC not Mac
By A33Q5JUYVQZMSS on 2007-09-05
It's great that Amazon and NBC are offering this first rate TV show for download. But its compatibility with Mac and iPod users is not a smooth process at all. You'll need extra software to convert the show to a Mac or iPod compatible format. Most Mac or iPod owners would gladly pay the $1.99 fee here or at the iTune store for the convenience and the premium user interface, while any tech savvy PC users would likely download it free via other means. What's the use of a $1.99 show if you limited it to only one single platform while the show is actually free over the air. Hopefully, the executives of both NBC and Amazon can understand the reality of the current downloadable content market and lift the restriction.
No Mac support
By A27MB0S7I80U0Q on 2007-10-06
No Mac support equals poor customer service. iTunes has been successful because of the seamless transaction and viewing process. Until this functionality is fixed for Unbox Video Downloads, business will suffer. I look forward to Amazon raising this service to the service levels and standards of other Amazon product and services.
Kennedy
Mac support
By A3M20L6UMBD14A on 2007-11-13
I bought all 3 seasons via itunes and enjoyed them on my ipod and apple tv. NBC / Jeff Zuckerman - who I used to respect from his days at the helm of the today show have actually ruined my return to episodic tv. I haven't really watched a show since Seinfeld. Good move Jeff!
Another hilarious office episode
By A2TWCZ8PPPCG2D on 2007-09-01
This episode is really funny. It pokes fun at racial stereotypes, and how they affect the work place.
- Not MAC Compatible. Not Available in PR USA
By ADL2ZI2UW73K1 on 2007-09-20
It's not MAC compatible, but I gave it a chance an download it from my PC. After paying for the episode a window popped up saying that Amazon Unibox is not available in Puerto Rico because is non US.
- awesome!
By A3DRAM1P790HBY on 2007-10-19
$1.99 per show. It ends up being a little more expensive than buying it on the dvd, but I am willing to pay the price for convenience. My schedule is kinda hectic so I don't always get the chance to catch the shows. It buffers pretty quickly on my 5mb cable, so I can start watching it within a minute or 2. I do support the "Plays For Sure" system, I just wish I had more devices for it.
However, it is unfortunate for people to use these reviews as a way to bash NBC for dropping an inferior online distribution system. Apple should not have bit the hand that fed it.
As of right now, this show has a 2 1/2 stars out of 5. 5 out of 13 people voted 1 star. All 5 of those people are upset that their mac/ipod/itunes will not work with Amazon's Unbox. Don't pay attention to the star rating, as it's obviously skewed.
- Unbox Disappointing
By A2L6EW0XMEZP2A on 2007-10-27
Expats beware! Its extremely disappointed that Unbox is only available in the U.S. This isn't a problem for iTunes...not sure why Amazon can't solve for it like Apple can! I guess Amazon isn't a global company yet.
- This is a Shame
By A29DNQ050AURC6 on 2008-02-26
Apple, with iTunes, revolutionized downloading and digital subscriptions to TV. NBC blew it when they severed their ties with iTunes and the consumer suffers. Amazon seems to be perpetuating the pain by issuing their service for PC users only. I would wager that a huge percentage of people likely to pay for the downloads and the convenience are looking for it on a Mac. Amazon should seriously reconsider which platforms they are catering to.
- This show RAWKS!!!!
By A2WY4X18J0RUCN on 2007-09-22
My boyfriend and I watched all 3 seasons in one week. It was liek we were hooked on crack. We could not get enough. Now we feel so sad that we are done. So eager for the new season to start. I promise you will not be sorry this show is amazing!!!! Everything about it is AMAZING!!!!
- Please don't punish the Mac owners
By A39EGK6BSVRJBR on 2007-10-12
Please do not punish the Mac owners due to iTunes. MAKE IT MAC COMPATIBLE or get out of the download business. You are automatically excluding 5-10% of possible business.
- Simply the best comedy on television
By A1NIC7AP3OJLGJ on 2007-10-13
This show's comedy hits on so many levels, from slapstick, to surreal, to cerebral. The combination of characters is like none you've ever seen, even though they are derived from a British sitcom.
- This is pathetic! WHERE'S MAC SUPPORT?
By A6C19VKIRS1A3 on 2007-10-23
10% of all computer users today have Macs. At least iTunes let Windows users spend money! I guess it's Amazon and NBC's loss here, though I miss out too. At least they have the episodes online, though I can't watch them on my iPod. I can't believe they just totally nixed the whole Mac market. BAD IDEA!
- Proof that sometimes less is more
By A16QODENBJVUI1 on 2007-10-26
Minor Spoilers!
This is the first half hour episode of the season for THE OFFICE and the show is all the better for it. Although I enjoyed all four of the hour-long episodes that started the season, even on the very good ones my internal clock kept telling me that the show should be over after the first half hour. In the past, some of the extended episodes have worked quite well, in particular the superb "Beach Games" from late Season Three. The widely reported rumor last spring was that NBC wanted the show to expand to a full hour on a permanent basis. Hopefully the relatively flatness of the past four hour-long episodes has permanently squashed that idea.
In this episode, the Scranton branch is asked to participate in the making of a commercial to publicize Dunder Mifflin Infinity. But after learning that the Scranton people could only be involved in the final 2 or 3 seconds, merely enough time to wave at the camera, Michael insists on his people making their own video. There are many great moments in the episode, none so great as the "director's cut" of the Scranton-produced commerical that they play at Poor Richard's Pub after the officially authorized version plays on TV.
I have upset some people the past three years by letting it be known that I have not been a huge fan of Dwight. Sometimes he has been less of a real character than a caricature of a character. I'm finding that I'm enjoying him a lot more in Season Four as he struggles with his inner pain following his break up with Angela after he euthanized her cat. He constantly is going online to play the game Second Life, obviously for escapism. And he suffers uncomfortably as Andy recounts his efforts to get to First Base with Angela. One of the funniest bits of the episode comes when Andy tells him that he did get to first base with Angela, though she remained astonishingly unresponsive except to moan the letter D, which Andy bizarrely interprets to mean An-DEE, but which Dwight interprets in its more obvious sense.
So, all in all a great episode. The director, by the way, was Jason Reitman, son of Ivan Reitman.
- Unbox is Worthless!!!
By A3FCPJMOJ1CU3W on 2007-12-11
after spending all this money on itunes and i-pods...
why does amazone even sell ipods?
- Please Rate the Series not Unbox
By A34M93HBCHCMKA on 2007-12-15
If I read one more review which is supposedly referring to the series but actually is a bitter diatribe about the Unbox experience I'm going to scream. The disclaimer already says Unbox doesn't work with iTunes they should apologize for this? Why, when iTunes is not compatible with any other player besides the iPod line. So what unboxed doesn't work with MAC. Hello? MacHeads have iTunes! Any download service is going to be as fast as your Internet connection so if it's too slow, upgrade your Internet speed! Unbox is a great service with reasonably priced videos that is more user friendly an accessible than Cinema Now and Netflix. It is what it is. So can you just review the shows instead of Unbox? Some of us really want to know whether or not the show is download worthy. Which by the way, Season 4 of the office is not. Michael has gone from cute to annoying and the plots are only really funny when Dwight is in at the center of them.
- DO NOT PURCHASE IF YOU ARE MILITARY OVERSEAS!
By A23Z0DQDYI9BEK on 2007-12-22
Even though American Bases Overseas are considered American soil, the videos will NOT download on base. According to the player, we are considered overseas...Nice. You know Apple Itunes NEVER gave me this problem. Way to support the troops and boost morale!
- Office great, amazon unboxed sucks
By A2ENWLNQGG5W97 on 2007-10-19
The show is 5 stars, but I feel ripped off after I just bought and downloaded the last 4 episodes to find that I can't watch it on my iPod or convert it to DVD to watch it on my TV or Portable DVD player.
- This episode is hilarious
By A3F9XI2KF8VSRC on 2007-10-19
What a great show! Why only 1 star? Well amazon decided to reject us mac owners. (And to think I almost bought my macbook through amazon!) Looks like we can now add Universal and Amazon.com to the list with Microsoft of shoddy corporations that have complete disdain for their customers. Can anyone say - antitrust lawsuit. Sorry amazon but this just shows your complete hypocrisy and inward focused logic. I know you might despise iTunes, but don't take your adolescent hatred out on us ordinary citizens. But I guess when people can't find legitimate ways to win they all resolve to cheating.
- Office Good, Unbox Bad
By ACYRRN017DGZU on 2007-10-26
The bad thing is, the only people this will hurt are fans of The Office. iTunes was instrumental in the show finding an audience and making it past the first season, and now, well, Unbox is NOT going to generate the same kind of revenue because it's Byzantine and preposterously restrictive.
So thus, less revenue will be generated by The Office and cancellation will occur sooner.
Thanks, NBC. Go f*** yourself.
- Awesome Series
By AET9ZSXP9LH17 on 2007-10-31
I don't have cable or satellite because most shows on TV are worthless. This is not one of them. The character development, humor, story line and sub-plots are what makes this show a hit. I can't wait to get the next season.
It's a shame that people have to write reviews about Amazon's service or platforms rather than about the actual show.
- Awesome
By AHK3T14T03GGH on 2007-11-05
I just feel all warm and fuzzy inside whenever I sit down and the opening credits of "The Office" comes on. It's a great show.
- Don't listen to the other reviews!
By A111VETDTGPNTY on 2007-11-19
Many people are downvoting The Office because they have a Mac and didn't bother to read Amazon's information about the service. Had those "geniuses" bothered to read, they would know you can't put these videos on a Mac or an iPod. That's what makes them Mac users; they just pressed BUY and didn't realize that their Macs are garbage.
Enough Mac dissing, though; review for The Office. The Office is, frankly, the best show ever concieved by man. Steve Carell is amazing in the show. And the Unbox service? For a downloadable video service, nothing beats it. Sure, the image isn't DVD quality, but it isn't bad either, and for the price, you get MORE than you pay for.
It won't play on an iPod, but with all the DRM garbage you have to go through by owning one, those who have brains will have a Creative Zen or some other sort of player like that, and this will work for those people. Thumbs way up for the service and The Office, and thumbs way down for those Mac worshippers whose intelligence is what makes Apple their money in the first place.
- Just buy the DVD
By A2V2ZBZEZDEEDF on 2007-09-16
Forget all this online video stuff, just go to the DVD section on Amazon and buy it on DVD, it's a way better deal. It'll be better quality and you can play it on whatever device you want. If NBC doesn't want to have their videos on all online stores and cut out the Mac crowd entirely, then show your support and just buy the DVD.
- AMAZON, WE INVITE YOU TO ENTER THE 21ST CENTURY
By ALZVEK8ASL1L9 on 2007-10-14
HELLO, AMAZON
TO IGNORE MAC USERS AFTER THE SUCCESS OF ITUNES (HELLO,IT'S A MAC INVENTION), IS SHORT-SIGHTED AT BEST
HOW DO YOU THINK "THE PUBLIC" BEGAN DOWNLOADING TV SHOWS IN THE FIRST PLACE??? ON A WINDOWS MACHINE?? I DON'T THINK SO
EARTH TO AMAZON... COME IN
- Love the show! Hate the service.
By A327569QICLSEG on 2007-10-22
Sorry Amazon - you aren't going to get my business. This is a horrible service. Come on, a 10% discount for a subscription for the ENTIRE season? Utterly ridiculous.
The office is a great show - and I intend to not miss ANY episode and will just wait for the DVD to come out. It amazes me you are going to charge almost double for a season online vs. buying a hard copy of the season. What are you guys thinking?
And NBC - what is wrong with you?!?! Did you really think fans will follow you over to this? I will just start watching other TV shows on other channels. Not a big deal to me - our house will turn from NBC only to whatever shows I can get on iTunes. I follow my iPod and wherever it takes me.....
Bad move...bad bad bad move....
- OFFICE, BEST SERIES OUT THERE
By A2IMPPFSWJHWLB on 2007-10-22
Just plain and simply the best sitcom in the last ten years, gets better every week. Was kind of hoping it would have stayed on iTunes but such is life.
- Great episode!
By AQ64RNMDCZDJS on 2007-10-24
What a great episode! Almost every scene was a winner, which was great considering the episode was an hour.
- Call the MAC user WAAAAmbulance
By A11SOWIOBOZJ0J on 2007-11-24
The Office is hands down one of the funniest shows on TV right now. I'd consider it the Mary Tyler Moore of this generation. And since I opted to buy an Archos multimedia player instead of an ipod, I have NO issues downloading any episodes and watching them to or from work.
Just a thought to all you MAC users - sure, you can be angry at Unbox for not being MAC-compatible. You can be angry at NBC for not making the show available on itunes. But while you're at it, you could also be angry at itunes for a: not trying to work out an agreement with NBC when they felt they were being short shrifted, and b: not working with amazon to make unbox work with MACs. I'm sure amazon would love an extra 10% more business on their download model (probably more than 10%, as so many MAC users seem to be tech/download-savvy), but we all know how apple likes to insulate itself from competition...heck, itunes could have had 10% more business if they had opened up itunes to non-ipods sooner (and even now, there's only some music available DRM-free, no video content. Amazon saw an opening, and now they have video downloads (that, again, they'd probably LOVE to offer to MAC users if apple would open up the process a bit) and a wider selection of DRM-free 256K music at better prices. I'm just saying you can spread the blame around, is all...
BTW, any Mac owners with Tivo out there, consider this: Archos' optional DVR station can be hooked up to a TiVo (any DVR really) and you can record content to your player that way. So even if you forgot to TIvo a particular show, if it's available to download to a Tivo via unbox, you can record copies of shows or movies or whatever else you opt to watch. Unbox and Archos and Tivo, putting the "Ah!" in "Options" (whereas I put bad half-baked homonyms in reader reviews).
- UNBOX SUCKS!
By AY19A2RP8YZVN on 2008-02-21
The Unbox sucks. I will NEVER try to use it again and I will NEVER downnload a video from it. I was very eager to purchase and download season four of The Office. You would not allow me to purchase it without registering for some stupid Pepsi points which I did not want to do. There was no other way that I could find to purchase the product. I am going to write NBC and tell them that they should sell their product through i-tunes, which is much more user friendly and delivers quality product without having to coerce its customers into providing personal information to Pepsi. I am also a regular book, DVD, and CD customer, but I am so turned off by this experience that I am going to purchase my products from other sources from now on. I should charge you for my wasted time! Tell Pepsi that they lost you a loyal customer!
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