Getting More from Amazon has Never Been This ...
Written: Jul 23, 2012
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How do you feel about free second day shipping? What if you could get unlimited video streaming? How would you feel if I told you that both are available for less than the price of Netflix or Hulu? Amazon has stepped into the video streaming ring with Amazon Prime.
Amazon features tons of shows across multiple networks. Favorites range from Nickelodeon to BBC. Toss in some Animal Planet, FOX, ABC, and Comedy Central, and you have a more complete look at what’s available.
Like other streaming services, Amazon Prime gives you device options. Have an Xbox 360 or Playstation 3? You’re in luck, Amazon supports these. Some Smart TV’s support Amazon Prime, along with the Roku appliance. The number of devices supporting Amazon Prime keeps growing.
While my computer isn’t powerful enough to stream Amazon Prime in HD, I enjoy watching shows and movies on my Playstation 3. Most shows are rendered at 720p and look great on my 1080p television. I’m slightly disappointed that movies seem to stream at 720p as well instead of the full 1080p, Blu-Ray quality. The sound is great, but because my wife has trouble hearing, I find the lack of subtitle options disappointing.
Adding to the package is the free second-day shipping. All products sold by Amazon and a few of their partners ship for free. This means that $5 CD you want to purchase doesn’t turn out to be $10 after shipping. This is great for the avid Amazon shopper.
The final bonus to the package is free access to thousands of Amazon books for the Kindle. The problem here is that you need a Kindle to use this part of the services. No other e-readers are supported at this time. Because I do not have an Amazon Kindle, I was not able to take advantage of this portion of the service.
Where the Amazon Prime package begins to break down is in the selection of content. Unlike Hulu, Amazon Prime has to wait for the season of a show to end before it can be watched. What’s worse is that Amazon Prime is several steps behind even Netflix, with only the first two to three seasons of shows. The most notable of shows is Mythbusters, which offers only the first 5 seasons. Netflix offers 7 seasons of Mythbusters.
Taking a step ahead of Netflix, you can add/remove items from your queue without having to install special software. When you have already watched a video, Amazon Prime will make the title transparent. This is great for when you forget what episode of what season you are on in long running shows.
While I enjoyed Amazon Prime, it just wasn’t enough to compete with Hulu nor Netflix. The key point that sells a service is the content, something that Amazon is severely deficient in. Unless you are constantly purchasing products from Amazon (and not their partners), Amazon Prime falls severely short on value. The question of recommending Amazon Prime or not definitely falls on the NOT RECOMMENDED side. A severely deficient video library and focus on Kindle books ruins what promised to be a good idea.
Recommended:
No
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About the Author
Location: MN, USA
Reviews written: 530
Trusted by: 36 members
About Me: Even the things I really enjoy deserve low ratings at times.
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