RichC2

Just depends on your tastes.

I like Justified. Good Wife is pretty good. Warehouse 13 is pretty popular. Suits, Covert Affairs, Sons of Anarchy, Sherlock, Grimm, Dowton Abbey, Doctor Who, Grimm, Workaholics, Awkward, Fringe, Parks and Rec, Damages, Pushing Daisies, West Wing, etc;

Seriously, if Amazon fixed their interface they'd be solid.

Easy

Well, as you mention Justified... I almost jumped on the latest season but noticed just in time that although it is listed under prime with the rest of the "free" seasons, the latest season isn't free at all. I didn't think much of that. If it isn't free (with prime) it shouldn't be listed when you go through the prime link.

Jay G.

Why? They want people to buy it, even if they have Prime. Amazon Instant is interesting because it's a mix of buy/rent titles and "free with Prime" streaming. It's not like Netflix where unlimited streaming is the only option.

Why would you jump on the latest season though? Have you already seen the previous ones?


Anyone watch the Amazon-exclusive shows like Betas and Alpha House? It's interesting that they're going the "one new episode a week" release schedule, instead of the episode dump Netflix does for its exclusive shows.

RichC2

That's part of the overall interface I have complaints about. Their mixture of Free and Purchase is very rough around the edges.

It makes sense, mind you, since not every user out there is a Prime users, but there are things that should be done to make it a better overall experience.

Easy

I didn't like it because of they way they advertise... "Free with prime!" They don't say "Free with prime, except the latest season!" Though maybe they should. I have no interest in buying digital files for TV or movies. I'll buy the physical media when it arrives.

I jumped to the latest season because I own the rest on Blu.

Easy

Exactly. IMO Amazon Streaming should show all available seasons of "Justified" but going through the Prime link should show only free seasons. In the current jumble... well, I feel the need to exercise extra caution. If it was their goal to make me feel uncomfortable, they nailed it.

Jay G.

Here's what I see when searching Justified on Amazon Instant:



The seasons that are free with Prime are clearly marked as such. In addition, you can click on the filter "Prime Eligible" on the left to see only those seasons eligible with Prime.


Also, I'm pretty sure most of the Amazon Instant viewing apps only show the Prime eligible seasons. I know the Xbox 360 app only shows Prime shows/seasons via a search; if I want to buy/rent something I have to go back to my PC to do so.


I think it's important to not view Prime as a service on its own. Rather, you're using the Amazon Instant service, and Prime streaming is an optional feature on it.

RichC2

This hurts it regardless. There's a reason why Prime Instant Streaming hasn't really caught on despite having many of the same big titles as Netflix, and several bigger TV shows.

On the other hand, the inability to purchase helps the Xbox app. I'm guessing Microsoft wanted too high of a percentage of the in-app sales, or something You definitely can purchase them on the Roku.

The interface on everything except the Kindle and iPad is pretty horrible too, imho.

Groucho

Spring Breakers is up. Better to watch it there than on Netflix because you can remove things from your "recently watched" list.

Jay G.

Are you sure it's that? It's not because Netflix had a 3 year head start on unlimited streaming, and started with its customer base of DVD customers, while Amazon Prime started with a base of customers wanting free shipping?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netfli...ideo_streaming
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_Instant_Video

Or maybe it's Amazon Prime's upfront annual fee vs Netflix's monthly subscription basis?

Amazon Prime's market share doubled over the past year, while Netflix's market share dropped. Netflix is still dominant, but Amazon Prime is making in roads:
http://www.marketingcharts.com/wp/te...re-dips-30114/
http://www.deadline.com/2013/06/netf...tv-market-npd/

Groucho

Pet peeve...this is essentially a meaningless statistic. For all we know, Amazon Prime could have gone from one customer to two.

Jay G.

Actually, it went from 1% market share to 2%, so there.

RichC2

Possibly. But it's still a terrible interface.

And I meant users. I honestly struggle to find people that have Prime that bother with Prime Video. A couple were taken aback by how easy it was to purchase stuff (which I argued isn't completely true but eh). Others just hated the interfaces.

I'm in the latter. The setup is awful.

DJariya

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...YC6TFHYE6QBFV5

Vikings season 1. The 1 hour drama series from History channel has now been posted.

I bought the BD that came out a few months ago because it featured the unrated and uncut episodes that didn't air on TV. No word if the streaming version is uncut or the broadcast version.

Season 2 doesn't come back until Spring 2014, so you all have time to catch up.

TheBigDave

Thanks for the heads up. I missed the last couple episodes and I've been hoping to finish the season. I'm looking forward to Season 2.

buzzdalf

any confirmation on whether the Vikings episodes are uncut on prime?

rduncan

Curious if others have seen formerly free shows, with Prime, all of a sudden showing up as requiring payment?? I've been watching "The Inbetweeners" free and had finished the first season and only had one remaining second season episode unwatched. Decided to go ahead and finish up the season last evening when I saw every episode, every season was now showing at $1.99 each....no longer free with Prime. OK, not expensive but wonder if others have noticed this type of change?? Initially I wondered if my prime membership had expired or something but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Thanks,

Rick

otmetrud

Streaming licenses on a lot of titles do expire. It's not unusual.

TheBigDave

It happens all the time. That just means it's no longer eligible for Free Prime Streaming. Unlike Netflix which removes titles that are no longer available, Amazon also sells the movies. So even though it's no longer available for free streaming, they'll still offer it for purchase.

davidh777

I can believe that the people you talk to don't use the streaming. But I myself use it and know a number of people who do (including some on this forum). I didn't use it for quite a while but finally tried it and have found a number of things to watch. TV selection tends to be better than movies, and yes, titles do drop in and out, but that's pretty standard, as people have mentioned.

I have some issues with the interface, but I don't use Netflix or Hulu so I can't compare.

rduncan

Well thanks folks. I wish I would have known so I could have gorged on the remaining episodes. I like it but not enough to pay for them (even at the relatively inexpensive prices). Between this and Acorn annual price going up I may have to upgrade my cable TV package. OK, just kidding.

Easy

The interface is device dependent. I discovered this because I was streaming via a PS3 and bought a Roku. I bitched (I think justly) about nearly buying episodes of Justified unintentionally via the PS3. When I went through the prime link in the Roku that season simply did not show up and obviously could not be purchased by accident. Problem solved.

As for why people don't use it... Honestly, its a moving target and a fragile one at that. A lot depends on an individual's internet connection and equipment. A year ago I couldn't stream from Amazon to save my life but with a slight bump in speed (to 15 Gig) and new Asus router (finally dumped that Linksys) my problems are mostly gone. Mostly. If I want to see news, weather, amusing clips or a TV show that marginally interests me streaming is fine. But... if I want to immerse myself it a good movie with the best quality picture and surround I use physical media. End of story.

printerati

It's also available on both Netflix (which is where I watched it) and Hulu (Plus only?). Netflix also has (or, at least, had) the movie.

RichC2

The Roku 3 app is terrible which is the one I'm talking about. It's functional but extremely archaic, especially when compared with its sibling Netflix and Hulu apps.

The streaming quality of most movies is excellent on Netflix and especially Vudu.

OldDude

I'm pretty new to Prime, but I find it easier to select things via my computer, throw in watchlist, and then just select things from the watchlist on my Roku (2 XS). When the watch list is empty (or nearly so), I go back and search some more via computer.

If you use all the Prime features (free shipping, streaming, borrowing ebook) it is dirt cheap, and the quality (of streaming) seems OK. I can work around the selection interface.