Hands-On With the New Amazon Prime Video App for Apple TV

[DotCom2]

Right now almost all the content I watch comes through one input and using one box and one remote, the Apple TV. iTunes movies, Netflix, Vue, and HBO Now. The exception is Prime Video, which requires managing an additional device, switching inputs, and an additional remote.

With this release, everything I watch is now consolidated and simplified into one input and one remote, that is outstanding. And props to Amazon for integrating with the TV app, I just wish Netflix and Vue would do the same.

Not to mention Bluetooth for headphone pairing.

 

[adnbek]

I don't find it to be quite optimized yet. There's some lag between when you make a swipe and when it registers on screen. A minor issue but I'm glad it's finally here!

 

[archer75]

My Denon receiver says I am playing Dolby PLII Cinema. Not 5.1 as mentioned.

But, I have only left, center, right Denon speakers. No rear.

Am I losing anything by not having 5.1 supported?

Well you're losing out on surround by not having rear speakers. Your receiver is simulating surround which is what dolby pro logic does. It won't be as accurate as actually have real 5.1 seperation. Even up front with just your 3 speakers. But probably good enough for your needs.

 

[HiRez]

Not to mention Bluetooth for headphone pairing.

Yes, also a good point.

And, if not for the Prime Video ATV app, I'd now have to be considering buying a new 4K box to stream Amazon in 4K since my 4K HDR OLED is showing up this week. That's a tough sell for 1 app considering I already had to bite the bullet on a nearly $200 upgrade to the ATV 4K when I already had the most recent model. In other words, the more streaming boxes you have, the more likely you will have to spend more money to upgrade them all when new technologies emerge (after dithering for a while, I already decided to not upgrade my PS4 to a PS4 Pro and skip it until he PS5). Upgrading 1 box is a lot easier to swallow.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Yes, they are having issues at Amazon with the delivery of 5.1 audio. Nobody is getting 5.1 audio. Amazon just removed all the 5.1 audio information from the program descriptions in order to cover their butt's until they get this fixed. Who knows how long it will take them to fix the error. In the meantime, it is a useless app.
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To be fair, this is supposed to be a "hands on" article and I too would have expected that they would call out that the actual experience is disappointing in that it currently does not deliver 5.1 audio. I would expect a 'hands on" article to walk me through the actual hands on experience.

It isn't a useless app, just because it (temporarily) doesn't have 5.1 audio. Programs can still be watched and listened to just fine.
[doublepost=1512609676][/doublepost]I bought a Sony Bravia 60" 4K HDR Pro tv on Thanksgiving. I tested the new app using the built-in Amazon app function, as well as using the 4K AppleTV and both work very well. Haven't experienced any buffering or picture problems.

As to the selection, it is (currently) very weak on 4K offerings, just like Netflix and Hulu.

Edited to add: If you have access to a college email address, you can get Amazon Prime Video for $50 a year for 4 years.

 

[J12300]

Looks like a AMAZON Issue for the 5.1 audio: Coming Soon

.

 

[WaltCD]

Amazon Prime or Netflix? More specific the TV content not what Amazon offers i.e. music, kindle etc.

Both!
They both have wonderful features.
Netflix is limited to its content, but has many exclusives. Netflix still does DVDs/Blu-ray through the mail, as well.
Amazon has tons of freebies (included with Prime) plus, you can buy/rent nearly anything you want to watch (similar to Apple TV/iTunes).

I think Amazon Prime is a must for most households, for many reasons other than the video content.

 

[HiRez]

Both!
They both have wonderful features.
Netflix is limited to its content, but has many exclusives. Netflix still does DVDs/Blu-ray through the mail, as well.
Amazon has tons of freebies (included with Prime) plus, you can buy/rent nearly anything you want to watch (similar to Apple TV/iTunes).

I think Amazon Prime is a must for most households, for many reasons other than the video content.

I mostly agree with this (I have both) but if I had to choose one for video, it would be Netflix easily.

Amazon is annoying because as far as I know there's no way to say "never show me stuff I can't watch with Prime". It's all mixed together, along with stuff that you have to pay for (often different seasons within the same show) and you have to inspect each item to know. There are groups for Prime videos, but as you navigate around clicking on links you invariably get thrown back into the "everything" pool at some point.

Also, Amazon does not have separate viewer accounts with queues like Netflix so everyone who watches gets their videos all mixed together, and they don't get separate bookmarks for each item like with Netflix.

 

[ErikGrim]

A pretty pointless application for the Apple TV 4K given that the all modern 4K TV's have the ability to run the Amazon Prime Video application within their own OS anyways.

Who the heck uses the TV interface for anything?

 

[iosuser]

My Denon receiver says I am playing Dolby PLII Cinema. Not 5.1 as mentioned.

But, I have only left, center, right Denon speakers. No rear.

Am I losing anything by not having 5.1 supported?

Same here, ATV4 connected to a Denon receiver. I noticed it wasn’t outputting 5.1 audio immediately. Then I selected to airplay audio to the same denon receiver, and then switched back. The receiver displayed Dolby Digital 5.1, YES. I then switched to another movie and it was back to two channel

Seems to be a bug. It took Amazon a while to do 5.1 audio on my Sony 4K TV also, which is in another room not connected to my ATV4. I might be picking up an ATV 4K for that TV shortly.

 

[rugmankc]

Well you're losing out on surround by not having rear speakers. Your receiver is simulating surround which is what dolby pro logic does. It won't be as accurate as actually have real 5.1 seperation. Even up front with just your 3 speakers. But probably good enough for your needs.

Thanks,

Yeah, I (my wife) doesn't want to add rears. No good place. But, I got really got good Denon speakers and it sounds great. But, in reading recent posts sounds like we will get 5.1 at some point.

 

[Bob1985]

Looks great. Already unplugged my Roku which has a terrible UI compared to the ATV. Thank you Amazon and Apple. 5.1 might be broken, as other said, but I'm fine with that for now.

 

[tgwaste]

All the other App designers should pay attention as the layout for the Amazon Video app is fantastic and kills everyone else.

 

[MarkNY]

Very strange that they were able to implement 4k HDR but not 5.1 audio. It's hard to understand how stuff like that happens.

 

[Glideslope]

I don't find it to be quite optimized yet. There's some lag between when you make a swipe and when it registers on screen. A minor issue but I'm glad it's finally here!

Yes. We noticed this tonight while using it for the first time. We have a 4K ATV. For some odd reason the track pad does show increased lag.

 

[Polaris340]

I'm having sound issues with Amazon Prime Video on Apple TV:

I streamed some programs just to test the app on my Apple TV 4K and found the sound quality to be inferior to streaming video from Netflix or HBO Go and the movies/TV shows from Apple iTunes.

To confirm this problem, I used my Denon receiver's on-screen reporting of incoming source audio. It showed that unlike all the other sources I mentioned, Amazon Prime is delivering only two-channel (left and right) audio compared to the 5 +1 channel Dolby Digital from the other sources.

I contacted Apple about this and they suggested I speak with Amazon about this problem. Amazon tech support claims the sound should be the same on the Apple TV app as it is on the Amazon Prime app for my LG TV. My own experience tells me that it isn't.

If you experience the same problem, let Apple and Amazon know. If you get full Dolby Digital 5.1 sound from the Amazon Prime app, I'd like to know, so I can ask Apple to help figure out why my Apple TV 4K doesn't deliver that quality from this specific app.

Prime video on Apple TV is giving me only stereo sound... very disappointed, how could they mess this up

 

[Smearbrick]

Yes, they are having issues at Amazon with the delivery of 5.1 audio. Nobody is getting 5.1 audio. Amazon just removed all the 5.1 audio information from the program descriptions in order to cover their butt's until they get this fixed. Who knows how long it will take them to fix the error. In the meantime, it is a useless app.
[doublepost=1512606638][/doublepost]

To be fair, this is supposed to be a "hands on" article and I too would have expected that they would call out that the actual experience is disappointing in that it currently does not deliver 5.1 audio. I would expect a 'hands on" article to walk me through the actual hands on experience.

Useless because of audio?

 

[ThatGuyInLa]

Hahahah!
2.0 audio only. PASS.
4k? (Can’t confirm) PASS
No HDR. PASS

 

[Hoosier317]

Very strange that they were able to implement 4k HDR but not 5.1 audio. It's hard to understand how stuff like that happens.

It's clearly only a bug. Their own tech specs on their website for the app on the Apple TV specifically state it is capable of 5.1 audio. I am certain it will be corrected very soon.

 

[2268473]

Amazon have said they are aware of people experiencing issues with surround sound and are actively working on a fix. "Most problems are solved within 2-3 business days"...

 

[teflonthadon]

A pretty pointless application for the Apple TV 4K given that the all modern 4K TV's have the ability to run the Amazon Prime Video application within their own OS anyways.

[doublepost=1512614431][/doublepost]i have AppleTV version 4 non-4k with a LG OLED TV w/HDR and Dolby Vision... so why download this app if i can't watch 4k with the app unless i upgrade to a 4k AppleTV which makes no sense to me bc i can watch HDR and Dolby Vision with NetFlix and Amazon with the TV native App webOS ?.. someone pls tell me different

 

[Jovian9]

Have one of those TVs. The UI sucks on mine. This will be a welcome way to avoid it. Maybe others aren’t as difficult.

Also, this will put all my content in one place. Easier and more familiar.

Agreed. I have two 4k televisions and the UI sucks on the Vizio (but it's pretty good on the Hisense tv). I'd rather have it all in one place. Especially since I have kids and them controlling the receivers doesn't always work out well.

 

[DonK57]

Useless because of audio?

Apple TV currently supports 7.1 through my Denton. When Is upgraded sound including Atmos due for the 5th Gen.
On the Apple TV 5th gen I get 7.1 for native apple movies.
The Amazon app for the Apple TV only has stereo. No 5.1. 7.1 or Atmos.
I bought the latest Apple TV hoping this would be updated right after I came out.
On the latest Roku I get 4K with Dolby D+ DSS for Prime and even atmos for VUDU.
And yes even 4K HDR on my Samsung.

 

[lunarworks]

A pretty pointless application for the Apple TV 4K given that the all modern 4K TV's have the ability to run the Amazon Prime Video application within their own OS anyways.

My ideal 4K TV is just a dumb screen.

 

[Explorz]

It isn't a useless app, just because it (temporarily) doesn't have 5.1 audio. Programs can still be watched and listened to just fine.

For me it is a useless app. Why in the world would I watch a program in stereo when I can watch it on my TV's version of the Amazon app in full 5.1 audio? And, no, programs can not be listened to "just fine." That's like losing a leg and having the doctor say, you'll still be able to play soccer on the olympic team just fine.
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Useless because of audio?

Yes. Useless because I have the Amazon Prime Video app on my TV that works with full audio. So, yes, no reason whatsoever to use the ATV Amazon app = USELESS.
[doublepost=1512618550][/doublepost]

Amazon have said they are aware of people experiencing issues with surround sound and are actively working on a fix. "Most problems are solved within 2-3 business days"...

By "people experiencing issues" I think you mean everyone.

 

[davidg4781]

Is there really that much content? I’ve browsed on my brother’s TV and didn’t find anything that buzzed me. I pay for a Prime so I downloaded the app.

I think I’m just not interested in watching movies much anymore. Right now I follow a few channels on YouTube and I’m watching Family Guy on Hulu.