Amazon launches Prime streaming service

[Chris Miller]

Amazon has launched it's Instant Video Service. It's their answer to Netflix and comes as part of their Prime subscription. If you already have Prime, which offers 2 day shipping for free, then you now have access to Instant Video.

It's available for Windows and Mac via the browser and with some Blu-Ray players and set top boxes. Annoyingly, TiVo is not supported yet.

The number of titles available is a small fraction of what you get from Netflix or even from Amazon's Video Rental selection. I'm assuming that this will get better in the days ahead.

[UsualNoise]

Well, as an existing prime member this is a nice surprise. This will help compensate for my recently dropped TW cable!

[hurnik]

Nothing for my Tivo (as of yet) or my PS3 (my blu-ray player). Although I can watch Hulu via PlayOn for my PS3 anyway (although NOTHING for Tivo for Hulu).

If they did have it for PS3/Hulu then I'd probably consider it plus the 2-day shipping as a "bonus". (or the other way around).

But I wouldn't hold my breath on Tivo streaming Amazon (but you never know)

Although I'm picky. I don't have an HD TV and a TivoHD to stream non-HD and non-DD content (ala Netflix). I wants me surround sound in Dolby Digital and HD content.

[Chris Miller]

You'll need a TiVo Series 3 or later to get streaming video. If your Blu-Ray can play Amazon Video Rentals now, then all it should need is an updated client to handle their new service.

[hurnik]

TivoHD doesn't stream Hulu (probably never will) and currently doesn't do Amazon VOD. although even if it did, I'd be surprised if they can stream 720p with Dolby Digital.

PS3 doesn't do Amazon for some reason. Probably some dumb license thing that Sony has so that you have to pay $8/movie from Sony

[Chris Miller]

Mar 3, 2011 20:02:32 GMT -5 hurnik said:

TivoHD doesn't stream Hulu (probably never will) and currently doesn't do Amazon VOD. although even if it did, I'd be surprised if they can stream 720p with Dolby Digital.

PS3 doesn't do Amazon for some reason. Probably some dumb license thing that Sony has so that you have to pay $8/movie from Sony

I've watched a bunch of HD movies from Amazon Video on my TiVo HD. They came in 1080i HD, but not Dolby Digital. They do it as a download, not streaming, so the bitrate was quite good. I can usually watch the movies as they download. I remember watching Terminator Salvation as it downloaded. I gave it a 20 minute headstart, but it was downloading a little faster than I was watching it.

My Netflix movies come in at high quality, but I don't know what the bitrate was. I would expect the quality of the streaming would depend on the Internet bandwidth available to the TiVo. YMMV

The TiVo HD probably doesn't have enough horsepower to handle Hulu, you'll need a TiVo Premiere for that (and a subscription to Hulu Plus).

I think the only thing that is preventing you from watching Amazon Instant Video on your PS3 is just the lack of a client app. The PS3 definitely has the technical chops to handle Amazon's video stream. It's probably not a licensing issue, otherwise you would have never seen a Netflix client for the PS3.

I think what you are seeing here is that Amazon pushed out it's Instant Video Service before it was fully baked. They started out with a tiny selection of titles, but have a much large potential library already available. With Netflix well established with many clients (event the Nintendo 3DS) and a good sized library; it seems very odd that Amazon would make Instant Video available in such a limited fashion. From a business viewpoint, I don't understand how streaming on demand for free will not cannibalize their video download sales and rentals.

[hurnik]

Thanks Chris. I've watched HD Amazon downloads on my TivoHD. Full Dolby Digital and 720p and it was good. I had watched Netflix streaming a while ago, but no dolby digital and I think it was maybe 480i/p at best (obviously the TivoHD would upconvert).

I was just hoping to get some form of Amazon support for PS3, but it's probably out of their hands and Sony seems a little difficult to work with.

I forgot that Hulu is technically a variant of flash and therefore a "premier" unit may be required. But I'm surprised nobody's done an app like "PlayOn" for the Tivo (could be a Tivo thing though).

But the Premiere, from what I hear is still garbage (buggy and slow UI, etc.) Keep in mind, most of my movie watching is Blu-Ray on the PS3 on my 55" widescreen in my theater room. TivoHD is for my "regular" TV watching, if you will.

So I'm kinda spoiled by the 1080 resolution and whatnot.