Amazon wants a share of the couch potato's attention and is introducing a new movie streaming service called Amazon Video on Demand, according to the New York Times on Thursday. Amazon customers will have access to a catalog of 40,000 movies and TV shows. The announcement came just a few days after Netflix announced its partnership with Microsoft and the Xbox and one day after Sony's announcement of a direct to TV movie service.

The second generation service from Amazon allows the users to instantly start streaming and is not tied to the PC or TiVo like the original Unbox service.

On a parallel track, Amazon is also pursuing a deal with Sony to make the streaming service available to Sony Bravia users who have the Bravia Internet Video link.

On Wednesday, Sony announced its own video rental and purchase program for the PS3 in the U.S. Movies from Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros and Sony Pictures will be available.

Bill Carr, Amazon's VP for digital media said, "We can support both streaming and downloading. Our goal is to continue to establish partnerships with all companies who have a connected device." Implicit in that remark may have been Apple.

The Apple TV, Apple's "hobby" is coming under increasing pressure as a barrage of announcements from Microsoft, Netflix, Sony, and Amazon seek to earn a spot on the viewers' schedule for streaming video. Some utilize a box already in place such as the Xbox or PS3 and some exploit the emerging technology of direct-to-TV Ethernet.

Whether these new services will simply provide additional choices for viewers or, instead, numb them with a myriad of confusing choices remains to be seen. Moreover, at the rate these services are rolling out combined with Apple's focus on the iPhone, the Apple TV might remain a hobby for a long time to come.