Online retailer Amazon.com announced today that its 40,000-item library of movies and television programs will now be available via the Roku digital video player. Previously, the $99 device only supported streaming video rentals from Netflix.

According to the Roku website, “Rentals [from Amazon] are available in prices ranging from 99 cents to $3.99, for a 24 hour viewing window. Purchased movies and TV shows are kept in the Amazon VOD ‘your video library’ for easy access from a PC, Mac, or TV. ”

Roku fans seem very happy about the Amazon/Roku announcement.

Consumers are increasingly getting their news and entertainment online, and devices like the Roku player and Apple TV (among others), and services like Hulu, Netflix, and Boxee make accessing online media simple. As these devices become ubiquitous, the entertainment industry landscape changes rapidly and dramatically.  Will there be bricks-and-mortar movie rental stores five years from now?