Amazon posts 14 TV pilots on internet to gather viewer feedback

Amazon.com Inc's  experiment with original video production took a big step forward on Friday as the company posted 14 pilot TV shows on the Internet for free viewing.

Amazon, the world's largest Internet retailer, has been filming pilots in recent months for comedy and kids TV shows such as Alpha House, Betas and Teeny Tiny Dogs.

The company posted them all on the Amazon Instant Video section of its website to get feedback on which shows viewers like best. The pilots can also be watched on Amazon Instant Video apps through other web-connected devices like Roku, Microsoft's  Xbox and Nintendo's  Wii.

Based on viewers' reactions and reviews, the Amazon Studios production company will decide which projects to make into full TV series to be shown on Prime Instant Video, Amazon's subscription-based online video service.

Amazon and other technology companies are trying to transform Hollywood by delivering TV shows and movies over the Internet, rather than through traditional channels such as cable and satellite services.

Like Netflix, Amazon has decided that it must move beyond being a distributor of others' shows to producing quality programming of its own.