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Amazon Prime Video Now Supports HTML5 Playback in Safari

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Apr 12, 2001
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Amazon Prime Video's HTML5 video player now supports Safari on Mac, as spotted by Reddit user netmute over the weekend.

amazon-prime-video.jpg

Amazon Prime Video previously required downloading the Microsoft Silverlight plugin for playback in Safari, or switching to an alternative browser such as Chrome or Firefox, which already supported the HTML5 video player.

Some users on Reddit reported that, while HTML5 is now supported, AirPlay Mirroring and Picture in Picture functionality is lacking. Additionally, it appears video playback is limited to 720p rather than full HD resolution.

Article Link: Amazon Prime Video Now Supports HTML5 Playback in Safari
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2016/12/11/amazon-prime-video-html5-safari/
This happened at least three weeks ago for me...

It was the day after The Grand Tour launched.
 
I'm still getting prompted to install Silverlight.

Brookzy said:
This happened at least three weeks ago for me...

It was the day after The Grand Tour launched.
Click to expand...

Phased rollout?

Never mind... I just read on Amazon that macOS 10.12.1 is required.
 
Having both an ATV4 and now an Amazon Fire TV (4K and Kodi capable), I have say Apple seems to be loosing the plot in a number of areas at the moment!
 
It appears to be browser agnostic (as it should be) as it works fine on my Firefox as well.

zorinlynx said:
How about some Apple TV support, Amazon?

Apple TV support = I immediately subscribe to Prime.

If you don't support me, why should I support you?
Click to expand...
I have two Prime accounts (one personal and one business) purely for the delivery benefits and I have never used it to watch any Prime video. Until Amazon launches Prime on Apple TV the whole video offering is a valueless "value-add" for me.
 
XTheLancerX said:
But still doesn't support Apple TV.
Click to expand...
zorinlynx said:
How about some Apple TV support, Amazon?

Apple TV support = I immediately subscribe to Prime.

If you don't support me, why should I support you?
Click to expand...

Still would be ****. Still wouldn't support 4K UHD and HDR, AppleTV has subpar image quality. Apple is the company of dinky consumer devices, long abandoning enthusiasts who desire quality.

I use the WebOS app embedded in the TV for AmazonPrime.
 
Menel said:
Still would be ****. Still wouldn't support 4K UHD and HDR, AppleTV has subpar image quality. Apple is the company of dinky consumer devices, long abandoning enthusiasts who desire quality.

I use the WebOS app embedded in the TV for AmazonPrime.
Click to expand...

To add a alternative point of view to this, I've found that Amazon Instant/Prime Video sometimes suffers from poor image quality and isn't anywhere near as consistent as the quality from Apple TV. This is in HD, nothing greater.

It reminds me of the quote where Apple say they go back to masters for their audio quality, rather than focussing on some arbitrary spec-based goal. It feels like they do the same with video image quality.
 
orbital~debris said:
To add a alternative point of view to this, I've found that Amazon Instant/Prime Video sometimes suffers from poor image quality and isn't anywhere near as consistent as the quality from Apple TV. This is in HD, nothing greater.

It reminds me of the quote where Apple say they go back to masters for their audio quality, rather than focussing on some arbitrary spec-based goal. It feels like they do the same with video image quality.
Click to expand...
Yes Amazon's 4K UHD is subpar, pushing a heavily compressed ~15mbps stream... But having that is better than their 3.5mbps HD stream available via airplayed ipad to appletv shenanigans.

There are other sources, YouTube and Vimeo that are pushing 30-50mbps 4K UHD HDR streams for content creators that other set top boxes can decode... and AppleTV does not support.
 
Like many other forum posters, I'd like you to wake me when there's an Apple TV app.
 
zorinlynx said:
How about some Apple TV support, Amazon?

Apple TV support = I immediately subscribe to Prime.

If you don't support me, why should I support you?
Click to expand...

Conversely, I won't buy an Apple TV because it won't do Prime, unlike every other device out there. The problem is certainly Apple and not Amazon. (My Prime subscription predates Amazon Prime Video and the Apple TV.)
 
zorinlynx said:
How about some Apple TV support, Amazon?

Apple TV support = I immediately subscribe to Prime.

If you don't support me, why should I support you?
Click to expand...

I'm 99% sure Apple TV support is lacking because Amazon video is MPEG-DASH only. There's no way to play DASH content on tvOS. The APIs are simply not there.

I believe that's also the reason it took them so long to go plugin-less on Safari--you can't simply use DASH+FairPlay on Safari. Netflix has been doing it for some time but I think they've had special privilege from Apple.
 
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Looks like I can't watch anything until I unplug my secondary monitor. The message from Amazon Prime reads:

"This video can't play on your device as it doesn't meet content protection standards. All of your displays and cables must be HDCP compliant. Try disconnecting video devices from your computer, including secondary monitors and TVs, refresh the page and try again. See our troubleshooting tips for more information. If this problem continues, please contact Amazon Customer Service at www.amazon.co.uk/video/contactus and refer to error 7279"
​
Not good if I'd like to watch it in the background.
 
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