Amazon Prime Video Now Offered as Standalone $8.99 Monthly Service

[mattopotamus]

I have had Prime for many years... but have never used the video part of it.

Main reason? The lack of any place to play it. None of my TVs or my new Apple TVs support it. Sure, I could pull out my iPad... but why bother... plenty of other places to watch stuff that are supported right on my ATV.

Plus their video quality used to be pure crap when I did try it once... I've heard it's improved a lot lately though.

If they ever release a tvOS app then I may take a peak...
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The thing is... I don't WANT another decice to deal with at all. Getting my wife to press the ATV button on our remote is hard enough... no way is she going to want to mess with yet another device. There is just too much friction involved with dealing with multiple devices.

They have very good Picture Quality now, one of the few to actually have 4K HDR. I very much agree about needing another device. I have an ATV and then use google cast for everything else. Amazon is not available on either of those options. I will not buy a fire stick, roku, etc for just 1 service.

 

[69Mustang]

Amazon won't compete with Netflix if they are not on the ATV and you cannot Google cast the app.

Like the article says, at $8.99 amazon prime is cheaper....I'm confused

Unlikely. APV can be accessed through the same conduits as Netflix minus the ATV. Not being on the ATV is not the hardship you seem to think it is. It's on TV's, gaming consoles, and other streaming devices. Missing one device ain't gonna kill 'em. It would be nice for it to be on the ATV, but even if it never gets an app Amazon will be okay.

 

[Zedcars]

Because Love Film has always been junk and Amazon's attempt to use it as a way to push people into paying for prime has failed.

I couldn't disagree more. I've been using Love Film (now absorbed into Amazon Prime) for many years and I think the service is fantastic for the price. I get the DVDs delivered to my door quickly as soon as I have returned the last one. Once it didn't arrive at all and they were quick to send a replacement. They have a huge selection, old and new. Their streaming service is not quite as good but then neither is Netflix. (UK user)

 

[drewsof07]

Same here

Looks like one of the contributors may have a broken "1" key, check out the article on recycling

 

[rdlink]

Maybe this signals Amazon's intent to finally put the Prime app on TVOS.

 

[dorsal]

So Amazon video is $8.99 and video plus Prime shipping is $10.99. Then I just want Prime shipping for $2.00 a month.

 

[Carlanga]

Hope it fails. If it becomes successful I can see it being an extra addon for prime at half the standalone price or something similar. Amazon already offers one free month of prime so idk who is this for tbh. Especially considering it is still not in all devices like the atv. You can even watch Netflix and Hulu in the ps vita.
I have all three services and I only watch some hours a year on Amazon video vs a ton on Netflix and Hulu
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So Amazon video is $8.99 and video plus Prime shipping is $10.99. Then I just want Prime shipping for $2.00 a month.

Or just do your first month free?

Unless one can re-up their subscription in the months they want then I see this failing. Is good to grab your costumes that need things on high seasons like xmas etc but idk

 

[mattopotamus]

Unlikely. APV can be accessed through the same conduits as Netflix minus the ATV. Not being on the ATV is not the hardship you seem to think it is. It's on TV's, gaming consoles, and other streaming devices. Missing one device ain't gonna kill 'em. It would be nice for it to be on the ATV, but even if it never gets an app Amazon will be okay.

or google cast like I said, which is a pretty big deal.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

What am I missing here? Amazon Prime is $99 a year. That's $8.25 per month and also includes shipping and music streaming -- book loans on some titles too if you have a Kindle. Does the stand-alone service have a deeper library? Is this a foretelling that Prime is going to have another increase? Or feature decoupling?

Otherwise why set the stand-alone price .75 more than the regular Prime price? But also Prime video and music is a great benefit, but the libraries are not deep or wide enough as a stand-alone IMHO.

 

[nburwell]

Maybe this signals Amazon's intent to finally put the Prime app on TVOS.

One can only hope!

I paid $75 for my Prime subscription when Amazon was running a deal on it. The only reason I would subscribe monthly would be if I planned to binge watch one of their original shows, then cancel after a month or two. I primarily have Prime for the free two-day shipping. I hardly use the Amazon Video app. Now if they released a app on the ATV4, then I could see myself using Prime video much more.

 

[rolsskk]

Netflix will face increased competition IF rivals get continue to increase the quality level of original content.

That's true to an extent, but I also think a key component is also the ease of use and access, as well as an intuitive UI. Right now, Amazon fails hard in that aspect, as they have failed in stopping the bleed of pay-to-play content and prime videos, that coupled with the lack of an ATV app keeps me from using it.

I give Amazon credit for designing a really good app for iOS. It's much more responsive than Netflix's and the X-ray feature scratches that itch I get when I see an actor who looks so familiar that I get distracted from the story just trying to figure out who they are. However, this bs with limiting their app on certain boxes is just stupid. I use their service less because of this. I will only use AirPlay once in a blue moon because the experience is just not good. Amazon is wearing sunglasses while driving at night. See also the $300 e-reader.

I agree that their set-top territorialness is absurd, and it frustrates me that they spend time working on their apps, and don't even bother to improve the web browser experience (especially if they're not going to support the ATV).

I have had Prime for many years... but have never used the video part of it.

Main reason? The lack of any place to play it. None of my TVs or my new Apple TVs support it. Sure, I could pull out my iPad... but why bother... plenty of other places to watch stuff that are supported right on my ATV.

That, coupled with their inability to make a it a smooth experience is was deters me from using it more often.

What am I missing here? Amazon Prime is $99 a year. That's $8.25 per month and also includes shipping and music streaming -- book loans on some titles too if you have a Kindle. Does the stand-alone service have a deeper library? Is this a foretelling that Prime is going to have another increase? Or feature decoupling?

Otherwise why set the stand-alone price .75 more than the regular Prime price? But also Prime video and music is a great benefit, but the libraries are not deep or wide enough as a stand-alone IMHO.

What it sounds like is it's a pay-as-you-go service, where as the Prime Shipping is an annual cost, vice a monthly cost.

 

[maxsix]

Unless you're only planning to subscribe for a month or few then why would you possibly go for this over Prime? Does Amazon really think people are dim enough not to notice you'd be paying more for less?

Sadly...
There are legions of very dim consumers.

 

[69Mustang]

or google cast like I said, which is a pretty big deal.

Still not a big deal. Besides, APV can be cast through a Chromecast or AirPlay to an ATV. For a visual reference of just how much of a deal it isn't, here's a list of Prime video compatible devices: http://www.amazon.com/gp/video/ontv/devices/#Streaming Media Player

 

[GhostRaider]

I also see this .99 problem lol I thought Netflix and Amazon had a .99 plan or something. I was about to jump in

 

[ChromeAce]

Prime is also on TiVo.

 

[512ke]

Amazon's app rocks on iOS.

I recently went on a work trip and tried to download and view offline content on iTunes for iOS. What a mess.

Amazon shows how it's done. Reminds me of the old days of Apple software elegance.

 

[rdlink]

One can only hope!

I paid $75 for my Prime subscription when Amazon was running a deal on it. The only reason I would subscribe monthly would be if I planned to binge watch one of their original shows, then cancel after a month or two. I primarily have Prime for the free two-day shipping. I hardly use the Amazon Video app. Now if they released a app on the ATV4, then I could see myself using Prime video much more.

Agreed. I NEVER use it, even though I own a Roku stick. Fact is that compared to ATV4 the Roku is a total pain to use. Amazon is really close to losing me as a Prime customer if they don't move on the ATV app very soon. And without free two day shipping I will be ordering far less often from them. Especially since they've lost the taxation advantage in my state.

 

[jlc1978]

Unless you're only planning to subscribe for a month or few then why would you possibly go for this over Prime? Does Amazon really think people are dim enough not to notice you'd be paying more for less?

While I agree if you buy a lot from Amazon then ann annual Prime membership is the way to go. However, monthly fees allow binge watching for much less if you aren't a frequent Amazon purchaser.
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Agreed. I NEVER use it, even though I own a Roku stick. Fact is that compared to ATV4 the Roku is a total pain to use. Amazon is really close to losing me as a Prime customer if they don't move on the ATV app very soon. And without free two day shipping I will be ordering far less often from them. Especially since they've lost the taxation advantage in my state.

An ATV app would be a plus. I use a Firestick and while it works gine it is one mote device to mess with. One advantage is its ability to run Kodi and get access to anlot more programing.

 

[GenesisST]

Given that Amazon (to date) has offered their yearly pass at a decent discount at least once a year, it doesn't make much sense to go monthly unless you're planning on going on/off throughout the year

I use it from Canada, so the rest of the full Amazon Prime, like free 2-day shipping, etc, doesn't apply to me. And since I get prepaid credit cards every time I am in the US, I like to not spend it all on one purchase.

(and keep this quiet, I don't want Amazon to block me, if they care, or get the wrath of the inept CRTC here... )

 

[mattopotamus]

Still not a big deal. Besides, APV can be cast through a Chromecast or AirPlay to an ATV. For a visual reference of just how much of a deal it isn't, here's a list of Prime video compatible devices: http://www.amazon.com/gp/video/ontv/devices/#Streaming Media Player

I can't argue with you. It is a problem for me and many others. Casting in a chrome browser is awful for video playback. Airplay to the ATV does not work IIRC. You either only get audio or video (cannot remember which one).

 

[doboy]

Best thing about Amazon Prime Video is the ability to download and watch offline.

 

[Plutonius]

Netflix will face increased competition IF rivals get continue to increase the quality level of original content.

Hopefully the Amazon catalog will be much bigger than what they currently supply for free on Prime. Comparing the amount of titles in Netflix vs the number of free titles on Prime, Netflix is much better.

 

[0007776]

Unless you're only planning to subscribe for a month or few then why would you possibly go for this over Prime? Does Amazon really think people are dim enough not to notice you'd be paying more for less?

There are a lot of people who will just look at the upfront cost and think that this is cheaper. Also there will be people who are on a tight budget, and bad at saving who can make a small monthly payment work, but won't or can't pay $99 at once. It's the same thing as payment plans on a phone vs buying outright.

 

[nburwell]

Agreed. I NEVER use it, even though I own a Roku stick. Fact is that compared to ATV4 the Roku is a total pain to use. Amazon is really close to losing me as a Prime customer if they don't move on the ATV app very soon. And without free two day shipping I will be ordering far less often from them. Especially since they've lost the taxation advantage in my state.

I actually flirted with the idea of getting a Roku or Amazon Fire TV Stick to stream Amazon Video from. I know we can AirPlay from our iOS devices to the ATV, but I'd much rather prefer a native ATV app instead. Plus, I don't feel like giving Amazon more of my money for the Fire TV Stick (even if it is $40).

 

[macduke]

Hmmm, this makes me think that it won't be much longer until Amazon Prime Video is unbundled from Prime completely. IDK why else someone would pay more for the video service and not want any of the benefits of Prime. I mean surely most people could find something to order from Amazon. I've had Prime for years but never watch the video because it's difficult to watch it on anything. They need a freaking tvOS app already!