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Apps Amazon Instant Video

lparsons21 said:
But the Fire tv has Flixster which can link your Vudu to it.
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I don't use Vudu or Flixter... but here is my understanding:

Flixter plays your UV collection. You can add to your UV collection through Vudu... but I believe you can also buy UV films directly from the studios. That's essentially what is happening with your free digital download when you buy a Blu-ray.

So Flixter doesn't have anything to do with Vudu (or Walmart). It's just accessing your UV library. Vudu purchases show up there... but it isn't affiliated with Vudu. UV purchases from any seller will show up there.

Vudu sells content, but Flixter doesn't... and thus, is not a direct competitor to Amazon's digital content on Fire TV.

It is more like the VLC player on the AppleTV. It accesses files that iTunes won't play since you purchased them elsewhere... but VLC doesn't sell anything, so they are not a direct competitor to iTunes. It's just a media player with access to your library.
 
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Yeah, since I don't use either one these days, I had forgotten how they all worked together. Probably won't be using them going forward either. I've got a nice 4K tv and prefer 4K content if available. Netflix, Amazon and UltraFlix provide that.
 
UV isn't a format or an ecosystem. UV is just a data base that records your purchase so you can access at any storefront. In a perfect world (how it's suppose to be) Apple and Amazon join UV. Then all codes and purchases show up any place you want them, ie itunes....and you just buy the streaming box you want, because all storefronts would be accessing your purchases listed in the UV data base.

Until then, if you want itunes AND a storefront that has joined UV you will need another box. The fire TV will obviously get you Amazon, and it has one UV app in Flixster (which was just bought buy Fandango). Flixster is not a very user friendly app though, and not sure what is going to happen later this year as Flixster and M-Go will be combined into one new Fandango, storefront.
Roku is a much better choice because they have the Full Amazon app plus, Vudu..Flixster....Cinemanow...well all of them, except itunes of course.
 
tanfan said:
if you want itunes AND a storefront that has joined UV you will need another box. The fire TV will obviously get you Amazon, and it has one UV app in Flixster (which was just bought buy Fandango).
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Yeah... and this, in my view, is one of the primary reasons that Amazon Instant Video isn't coming to Apple TV. If Flixster comes to Apple TV, and Amazon Instant Video joins... then the Apple TV will be the only set top box that has access to all three options - which would be an enormous advantage over the competition.

None of Apple's competitors are interested in giving Apple this built-in advantage... which is why we are in the situation we're in.

So, you can blame Apple for sticking to their iTunes exclusivity, you can blame Amazon for not making an app, you can blame the whole UV system for their role in trying to kill an iTunes monopoly... but in every case, these are companies (or groups of companies) that are protecting their own interests.

The consumer is the one who is disadvantaged... but it's the situation at hand, and I don't see it changing in the foreseeable future.

So, you can own multiple devices... or you can pick a side - just like in the past when you could buy a Blu-Ray and an HD DVD player... or you could just pick which format you thought best.

This particular battle seems primed to drag on longer than the ones in the past, and the only way around it, as far as I can tell, is to remove DRMs from your library and load them all on Plex.
 
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As much as I would like to be able to disagree with your conclusion, I think you are spot on.
For me the combo of FireTV, my smart Tv, and to a lesser extent, the Apple TV, I'm pretty well covered. The only way to get it all would be an HTPC but none of those implementations cover it all either and most failed because of horrible UI's and general buginess.
 
I am all in on Apple TV 4 (for my TV Boxes) and would love to see Amazon Prime Video on it. I use iTunes for all movie/tv Purchase and Rentals.
But since I have a 1x VIZIO 4K 70" TV it has Amazon, Netflix and UltraFlix so I have access to all of these from the TV Remote for 4K and Amazon (for the little I use them) and I can still have only the Apple TV 4 for everything else including Live TV via the Channels App and HDHomeRun Turners thru-out the house.
 
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d21mike said:
I am all in on Apple TV 4 (for my TV Boxes) and would love to see Amazon Prime Video on it. I use iTunes for all movie/tv Purchase and Rentals.
But since I have a 1x VIZIO 4K 70" TV it has Amazon, Netflix and UltraFlix so I have access to all of these from the TV Remote for 4K and Amazon (for the little I use them) and I can still have only the Apple TV 4 for everything else including Live TV via the Channels App and HDHomeRun Turners thru-out the house.
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Yeah, I'm all in on the Apple TV too. I, like you, use the Channels App with HDHomeRun, so I love never needing to change the input on my TV. In that way, I feel like the Apple TV has succeeded in redefining the TV experience (at least in my house).

I also sideloaded Kodi, which I only use very occasionally... but it's a nice thing to have access to when needed. In my case, between Kodi, Plex, Hulu, Netflix, iTunes, and Live TV... I don't really have much to complain about regarding the Apple TV. It meets virtually all of my TV watching needs, and then some.

I realize others are bought in on Amazon and UV... so this is far more frustrating for them. I am only mildly annoyed about the lack of an Amazon app, because although I am a Prime member... it was mostly about shipping. I've never used it much for streaming. It would just be a nice extra to have - but it's not coming. I'll probably not renew my prime membership in June, because I don't really use the shipping often enough to make it worth it.

So, for my part, I understand the frustration of others, and would feel that folks are justified in being angry, or choosing not to get an Apple TV. For my part though, I just shrug my shoulders, because I've mostly been bought in as a primarily Apple customer for years.
 
We use the shipping like crazy. Almost as importantly to me, the British boys will be starting up their new car show this year. So yeah, not getting rid of Prime. I just need a browser on the Apple TV and then I wouldn't have to change inputs.
 
Going to have to admit defeat and get a Fire TV or Roku 4. Can't be arsed waiting around for developers to make apps for the Apple TV when the others have them all ready and waiting to go.
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derekshank said:
I'll probably not renew my prime membership in June, because I don't really use the shipping often enough to make it worth it.
Click to expand...

You can get a separate Video membership without the shipping option now.
 
off_piste said:
You can get a separate Video membership without the shipping option now.
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That does me no good. I don't use the video (at least not until there is an AppleTV app).

I'd probably prefer it the other way around. Go back to Prime being $79... and keep the "instant video" membership separate.

I do use the prime shipping... but in most cases, I probably don't need 2-day shipping - and the number of times that I do need it probably wouldn't end up being more than $99.

It's probably mostly a mental block. I know that $20 of that $99 is for a video subscription that I never use... and that eats at the thrifty side of my personality.
 
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I thought there were rumors that Amazon was actually going to bring PrimeVideo to the ATV4, but it seems to have gone quiet. Is there any news? Is there any hope? I use Prime for shipping but have never really watched PrimeVideo because I have ATV. One of my TV's is a smart TV, but the interface for Amazon Prime is horrible on it, so I gave up after briefly trying it. I'd certainly explore more if I could do so on my AppleTV.
 
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Hi!

Unfortunately, Amazon is viewing Apple TV as a direct competitor to their Amazon Fire TV. They've gone so far as to stop selling the Apple TV at Amazon.com

With the way Amazon is viewing Apple right now, I doubt we'll be seeing an Amazon Prime app for Apple TV anytime soon.

Some customers find that they can AirPlay videos from the Amazon app on their iPhone to their Apple TV, but I've found it to be pretty buggy.
 
Yea, I knew that before the Holidays they stopped selling ATV's, but then there was a rumor that they might actually develop an app after Apple made it clear that they wouldn't block it. Then things went quiet. I think it's stupid on Amazon's part. I'm not going to go buy a FireTV just to watch their stuff. I have AirPlayed a couple of shows that I knew I wanted to watch from my phone, but I'm not going to ever really go deep into PrimeVideo unless I can just use it natively on the ATV.
 
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No one really knows "who" is not wanting to go forward with Amazon for ATV
I picked one up upon first release, this wasn't the prime reason I return it, but it certainly added weight to the desire...

I don't see why Apple or Amazon would care where you consume a stream, it's the service than makes money not the hardware.
 
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The rumor was just that, a rumor. It was never made by an Amazon or Apple employee with knowledge of the app.
 
I was also wondering this same thing. Good to see I'm not alone;
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/amazon-prime-video-app-update.1956295/

As a work around you can stream the iOS app to your TV.

webbuzz said:
The rumor was just that, a rumor. It was never made by an Amazon or Apple employee with knowledge of the app.
Click to expand...
Not true.

https://www.macrumors.com/2015/11/28/apple-tv-amazon-prime-video-tvos-app/

https://twitter.com/danimal/status/670404993506127872/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc^tfw
 
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Well that was fast. Here is what they said;

---- Original Message: ----

Hello, considering that Amazon already has an app for iOS (which we use and love) I was wondering how much longer it will be to download an Amazon Prime app for the new Apple TV 4?


---- Amazons Response ----

Thank you for contacting Amazon.com.

Per your email, I can understand that you would like to know how to download Amazon Prime app for Apple TV 4. I will surely assist you and support you with information which you need with this regard.

Based on the nature of your query, I've checked our list of compatible devices and see that Amazon Video isn't currently available on Apple TV.I understand that it will be very disappointing for you and I apologies for the inconvenience caused to you due to this.

Thank you for letting us know that you would like to use our service on your device.

We're working to expand our Amazon Video service to a broader selection of devices. Please be assured that I've forwarded your suggestion to our business team.

To see the most up to date list of compatible devices, please go to:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/video/ontv/devices


With the fact that Amazon already has a iOS app and that iOS and TVoS are so similar, it wouldn't take much to produce a Apple TV app. It appears that the Apple TV 4 app is being held back (for what ever reason) deliberately, and this reflects poorly on Amazon. Hopefully soon an :apple:TV app will be made available.
 
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I too would love to see the Amazon app native on the ATV4. But I am not holding my breath for it.

Amazon and Apple compete on a number of fronts, including on both hardware and content distribution. It is a current fact that each content service and streaming box is going to have some unique capabilities/services that the others simply won't have.

You'll either need to employ work arounds (such as using the Amazon iPhone app and Airplaying to the ATV)
--OR---
Make an investment in a couple of streaming boxes (such as ATV + FireTV)
--OR--
Ignore that particular service

In reality, it is not much different than how TV services have always been. A certain network may be available on DirecTV but not on Dish Network. Or, a certain network might only be available in certain packages. You have to make a choice of which networks to forgo.
 
Amazon Prime Video is truly awesome on my iPad Pro. For me it enhances the use I get from what is a rather cumbersome tablet. It's not heavy just rather bulky.
 
All the original "source" did was post a picture of some text with zero verification. He could've just typed it in a text editor and claimed it was from Amazon to get attention on his Twitter feed.

None of the tech blogs bothered to, you know, verify the information. Everything took the tweet as gospel.

Even if the tweet was valid, which it is not, low level customer service agents are basically minimum wage employees. You don't get exclusive information talking to your local retail store employee, same thing there.

Until people actually wise up to this, it was all just click bait to drive traffic. Simple
 
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