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Amazon Prime worth getting?

MrXiro

MrXiro

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Nov 2, 2007
3,850
599
Los Angeles
I have an Apple tv 3 with Netflix and am using my sister's Hulu plus account. I recently picked up a Sony Streamer for cheap and have both Netflix and Hulu on there to put in my bedroom (atv3 is in living room) and it has the option for Amazon Prime video... Wondering if the choices they have are worth getting over already having access netflix and Hulu Plus (which I hate... Nothing good to watch and 8 bucks a month should have either NO commercials or a hell of a lot less, like 2, one at the start and one at the end.)

Anyone have all three or can actually recommend Amazon Prime?
 
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nissan.gtp

nissan.gtp

macrumors 6502
Aug 22, 2007
386
35
Virginia
got it, recommend it.

2-day shipping for everything, and Amazon Prime video has some decent stuff. Only downside is you'll probably buy more stuff. :D
 
Weaselboy

Weaselboy

Moderator
Staff member
Jan 23, 2005
34,133
15,596
California
I have Netflix and Amazon Prime, and honestly the video part of Amazon Prime does not add much if anything on top of what you get with Netflix. Now the free shipping and free Kindle Lending Library are well worth the price of Amazon Prime IMO, and I just view the videos as a little freebie. But getting Prime for the video only? Nah.
 
actripxl

actripxl

macrumors 6502
Aug 24, 2002
309
65
Chicago, IL
1. Hulu plus is good (stop being a baby about the ads you say two are okay and most have 4 for a 45min episode, thats under 2 mins, quit whining). There are plenty of things to watch that are excellent and not available on either Netflix nor Amazon. I get horrible OTA reception and Hulu+ allows me to watch new shows like Grimm, Once Upon A Time, Supernatural, and the Daily show (excellent!) making the $7.99 price worth it.

2. Amazon prime is not worth the movie selection alone, I'm still on the free month trial and will not renew since I don't have to have my items shipped by the 2nd day. Most of the stuff on Amazon prime is on Netflix but much more condensed since its not filled with either extremely old movies or bargin bin crap as filler.
 
MrXiro

MrXiro

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Nov 2, 2007
3,850
599
Los Angeles
actripxl said:
1. Hulu plus is good (stop being a baby about the ads you say two are okay and most have 4 for a 45min episode, thats under 2 mins, quit whining). There are plenty of things to watch that are excellent and not available on either Netflix nor Amazon. I get horrible OTA reception and Hulu+ allows me to watch new shows like Grimm, Once Upon A Time, Supernatural, and the Daily show (excellent!) making the $7.99 price worth it.

2. Amazon prime is not worth the movie selection alone, I'm still on the free month trial and will not renew since I don't have to have my items shipped by the 2nd day. Most of the stuff on Amazon prime is on Netflix but much more condensed since its not filled with either extremely old movies or bargin bin crap as filler.
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Whining? Quit being a jerk.

I know for a fact its more than 2 min a show as I've been getting a full minute or more of commercials per break and they have 7 breaks per 42 min. long show. Is it as much as the original broadcast? No, but in the age where I pay for DVR and have the ability to skip watching them In general, 7-10 minutes (dont forget buffer time) on a paid streaming service is too much. I had no issue for basic HULU with the same amount but when I am paying for it, it is really not justified. Let's not forget you also need to pay for your own Internet service as well.

I'm sure you'll argue until you are blue in the face about how it's a great deal and I am glad you are happy to pay it (for the people who run Hulu that is). I for one don't use it much at all in comparison to my Netflix and am glad I am lucky that my sister is willing to pay for it. For the amount of content they offer for the price along with the amount of commercials it is it is unreasonable to me. Were they to add more content so that their service was a worthwhile alternative to cable or satellite maybe then I could actually believe in Hulu's amount of ads.

As for Amazon... I tested it out a year ago and it had nothing for me... Sounds that it is still about the same now then. That is sad because with today's new iPad app I was really hoping their service had improved. O
 
M

M87

macrumors 65816
Jul 18, 2009
1,259
290
The shipping is great, but I've never once watched a video on amazon. Seems like they have the same, if not crappier, selection as netflix.
 
E

EvilC5

macrumors 6502a
Sep 22, 2010
504
0
Hanover MD
I got it for the shipping also, 3.99 overnight is great for someone like me who loves instant gratification......

I have watched a few movies on their streaming service, they have some titles that netflix doesnt have, but I also like crappy 80's movies...lol
 
JoeBlow74

JoeBlow74

macrumors regular
Aug 2, 2012
218
9
MrXiro said:
I have an Apple tv 3 with Netflix and am using my sister's Hulu plus account. I recently picked up a Sony Streamer for cheap and have both Netflix and Hulu on there to put in my bedroom (atv3 is in living room) and it has the option for Amazon Prime video... Wondering if the choices they have are worth getting over already having access netflix and Hulu Plus (which I hate... Nothing good to watch and 8 bucks a month should have either NO commercials or a hell of a lot less, like 2, one at the start and one at the end.)

Anyone have all three or can actually recommend Amazon Prime?
Click to expand...



A friend of mine allowed me to use his account a while ago and I like the streaming. The whole delivery system kicks butt. The software checks your internet connection every time you stream a movie, then adjust the signal to maximize the PQ. PQ looks very good. "BUT" there is not that much content to watch. The content is very very limited.
 
T

takeshi74

macrumors 601
Feb 9, 2011
4,974
68
MrXiro said:
Amazon Prime worth getting?
Click to expand...
Completely subjective as is any question of worth on any topic. You can browse their selection and see what's Prime eligible. I find Prime worthwhile just for expedited shipping. As with any subjective matter, YMMV.
 
MrXiro

MrXiro

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Nov 2, 2007
3,850
599
Los Angeles
takeshi74 said:
Completely subjective as is any question of worth on any topic. You can browse their selection and see what's Prime eligible. I find Prime worthwhile just for expedited shipping. As with any subjective matter, YMMV.
Click to expand...

Taken out of context of course it is... But as this is an AppleTV and Home theater section I was asking in regards to the video streaming service and as stated, in comparison to Hulu and Netflix as well as in conjunction with them.

Why would one care about "shipping" when asking about video streaming service?
 
M

mikepro

macrumors 6502
Sep 3, 2010
453
61
MrXiro said:
Taken out of context of course it is... But as this is an AppleTV and Home theater section I was asking in regards to the video streaming service and as stated, in comparison to Hulu and Netflix as well as in conjunction with them.

Why would one care about "shipping" when asking about video streaming service?
Click to expand...

Because it's included as part if the service you are asking about, and therefor should be evaluated in the "worth" consideration.

You're coming across a bit abrasive in a thread you started, when people are trying to post helpful information for you.

All of this information could easily be found out by yourself if you simply looked at Amazon to see what is available on Prime, and decide for yourself if it is worth it to you, rather than ask the opinion of anonymous forum people. But, since you did ask, take your own advice and don't be a jerk.
 
spiderman0616

spiderman0616

macrumors 603
Aug 1, 2010
5,668
7,490
MrXiro said:
Whining? Quit being a jerk.

I know for a fact its more than 2 min a show as I've been getting a full minute or more of commercials per break and they have 7 breaks per 42 min. long show. Is it as much as the original broadcast? No, but in the age where I pay for DVR and have the ability to skip watching them In general, 7-10 minutes (dont forget buffer time) on a paid streaming service is too much. I had no issue for basic HULU with the same amount but when I am paying for it, it is really not justified. Let's not forget you also need to pay for your own Internet service as well.

I'm sure you'll argue until you are blue in the face about how it's a great deal and I am glad you are happy to pay it (for the people who run Hulu that is). I for one don't use it much at all in comparison to my Netflix and am glad I am lucky that my sister is willing to pay for it. For the amount of content they offer for the price along with the amount of commercials it is it is unreasonable to me. Were they to add more content so that their service was a worthwhile alternative to cable or satellite maybe then I could actually believe in Hulu's amount of ads.

As for Amazon... I tested it out a year ago and it had nothing for me... Sounds that it is still about the same now then. That is sad because with today's new iPad app I was really hoping their service had improved. O
Click to expand...

If you want HuluPlus to still exist, you're going to have to accept that they're going to show you commercials. They can't justify the service solely on subscriptions. Even with the commercials, the $7.99 is worth it, because, for example, a site like Fox.com will not let you view brand new episodes without proving you have a cable subscription.
 
SteppingStone

SteppingStone

macrumors member
Aug 6, 2012
70
0
Can't comment on Hulu, but we've got Amazon Prime and Netflix.

It seems like the available content on both streaming services changes often, depending on contracts, phase of the moon, etc. I can't say I find Amazon Prime streaming all that useful, although every now and then there's something worth watching.

Basically, get Prime if you order a lot (or plan to) -- it's totally worth it for the free shipping and not having to wait. For streaming, that's sort of nice but doesn't influence the value equation for me personally.
 
D

dgalvan123

macrumors 6502a
Feb 16, 2008
684
22
Netflix: completely worth it, especially for me because I have young kids and Netflix's kids show selection is fantastic. Many seasons of sesame street, blues's clues, or dinosaur train available at a moment's notice on our main TV or our iphone? Yes please.

Hulu: Best way to do this is to jailbreak your ATV2, install XBMC, install the Hulu plugin from Bluecop's repository. This allows you to watch Free Hulu (the kind that is officially ONLY available to watch on a computer, not a set-top box) OR Hulu Plus if you pay for a subscription. ALSO you can set XBMC to not play the commercials. As far as I know this is the only way to watch Hulu on your TV without having to watch ads. I use this everyday to watch the Daily Show commercial-free.

Amazon Prime: My wife paid for this for the shipping benefits. Worth it for us because we order a lot on amazon. It is not worth it just for the streaming video alone, though. I checked out the instant video streaming selection and it's no better than Netflix's. Used to be less extensive than Netflix's, actually. Not sure now.
(Note there is an Amazon Prime Video plugin for XBMC on a jailbroken Apple TV 2 as well.)
 
H

Hixalot

macrumors newbie
May 20, 2011
8
0
Echoing the others, the selection isn't worth it for video alone. If you like ordering on-line then the free 2-day shipping pays for itself.

Since I live in an area with horrid internet (seriously, best "hi-speed" I can get is 1.5 Mbps) I will chime in with the fact that Netflix streams very well and looks good, Amazon video was choppy and pixelated in comparison.
 
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