It almost feels like Amazon feels bad for enacting this ridiculous ad tier within Prime. I see so few (ads) in comparison with their rivals.

Haven't considered paying the $2.99 fee even once. Watched "Outer Range" recently and with T-Mobile sponsoring the season, only had a 30 second commercial to sit through at the beginning. I can live with that.

Prime member deals:
Dune 2 4k - $9.99
Kung Fu Panda 4 4k - $8.99

Many other Prime Day deals that don't require Prime.



2 month channel deals:
.99 / month: Starz; MGM+; Cruncyroll; Vix; Britbox; BET+; PBS (Masterpiece, Kids or Documentaries); Cinemax; AcornTV; Hallmark; UP; Lifetime Movie Club; Pure Flix; HIDIVE; A&E Crime; History Vault; Great Courses; MHz

50% off: Paramount+; AMC+

FYI, there's "A Haunting In Venice 3-Movie Collection" available on Prime Video for $4.99, containing the three Branagh Poirot movies.

This probably belongs in the pet peeves thread, but our (amazon.ca) prime deal for Dune 2 4k was $27.99. JFC, that's frustrating.

https://variety.com/2024/digital/new...ew-1236081109/

Amazon’s Prime Video Interface Update Promises to Make It Easier to Tell What’s Included With Your Subscription — and What Costs Extra

Amazon is launching the biggest update to the Prime Video user experience in two years — which the tech giant claims is simpler and more personalized, with the aim of helping you find something to watch faster than ever.

And the new UI specifically addresses something that’s annoyed Prime Video users for years: Now, according to Amazon, it will be easier to see what is included with a Prime membership and what you would need to pay extra for. In the updated user experience, logos for Prime and add-on subscription services (like Max, Paramount+, Starz, MGM+ and Crunchyroll) will appear on the hero and title cards of a movie or TV show to provide a visual indicator about which service the content is available on. If a title requires additional payment, a yellow shopping bag icon will be visible.

Prime Video’s new interface also features a navigation bar with single-click access to titles; an improved way for customers to browse, sign up for and manage add-on subscriptions; and personalized content recommendations powered by generative AI.

Amazon said the updated Prime Video user interface will begin to roll out globally Tuesday (July 23) and will become available to all customers (including on older devices) “in the coming weeks.”

According to customer feedback, it’s clear that many Prime Video users want “a more intuitive streaming experience,” said Kam Keshmiri, Prime Video’s VP of design. “With the improvements we have made to the user experience, customers will be presented with an easy-to-navigate entertainment destination where they can discover new titles and enjoy favorites, as well as sign-up or switch add-on subscriptions with just a few clicks.”

The new navigation bar on Prime Video has purpose-built destinations including “Home,” “Movies,” “TV Shows,” “Sports,” “Live TV,” and “Subscriptions” for active add-on subscriptions, like Max or Paramount+, allowing you to navigate by content type. A new “Prime” destination in the navigation bar lets you to browse movies, TV shows, sports and linear broadcasts available at no additional cost with a Prime membership. That section also provides information about other Prime benefits available in your country, such as exclusive deals and benefits.

Prime Video now lets you browse, sign up for and manage your active add-on subscriptions directly from the “Subscriptions” section in navigation bar. In addition to seeing what you’re already signed up for, you can find new options that are “uniquely recommended” based on your preferences, previous rentals and viewing history. In addition, the subscriptions destination will display deals and discounted bundles of subscriptions from third-party services. In the U.S., Prime Video has a lineup of more than 100 add-on subscriptions to choose from.

Just below the navigation bar is the “hero rotator,” which highlights content you can watch with a subscription, as well as titles available to rent or buy. The section also will include a range of promotions such as Prime member deals and subscription bundles. You can directly play, purchase or subscribe to watch content from the hero rotator.

When using a living room device, video content will auto-play on the hero rotator as you determine what to watch. And on the “Live TV” destination, recommended 24/7 channels will automatically start playing.

Amazon said Prime Video’s updated UI also features new animations, “smooth page transitions” and zoom effects.

Enhanced personalization features, created with the assistance of generative AI, will make it easier to find relevant content, according to Amazon. For example, the “Movies“ and ”TV Shows” destinations now display “Made for You” collections: Rather than organizing content from specific add-on subscriptions and different purchase options, Prime Video will present a more logical layout that groups titles tailored to your interests. In addition to recommendations, you can browse content by other categories such as “Top 10 in the U.S.” or “Trending Shows.”

Amazon said Prime Video’s personalized recommendations are generated using Bedrock, a fully managed AWS service for building and scaling generative AI applications with foundational models.

I never get any ads anymore other than a few seconds before the movie starts. Is it that way for everybody else?

I better check that I didn't accidentally get enrolled in the paid ad-free option somehow.

Since ads started, I've only gotten ads before the movie. I never get them during the movie.

The only things I watch on Prime are originals I like. Both Fallout and The Boys s4 were either ad free (except for a 15 or 30 second T-Mobile "presented ad free by") or maybe 1-2 ads at the beginning. Hopefully it is the same for Rings of Power.

I used to get multiple interruptions, each consisting of 5 ads that lasted between 2.5 and 3.5 minutes. At totally random times too, not at natural scene transitions. Maybe they figured I've been punished enough.

Yeah for movies it is a big block at the front. For TV it can be anytime. The Batman show had ads literally cut in the middle of scenes of dialogue. It was ridiculous.

Is 'with ads' accounts still no 4k? Or did they fix that?

You get 4K and HDR10 but no Dolby Vision or Dolby Atmos. I’m not paying $3 a month more for that. Especially if some content will still have “pre-baked” promo reels before the show like Max and Hulu do.

There's a $5 Prime Video offer for watching a Hyundai ad on Firestick. I got it on the screen saver. You just have to play the ad. It's advertising a list of movies you can watch to support Hyundai's charity.

Get ready for more ads in 2025.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024...ads-next-year/

So…

Prime 2 Day shipping is no longer guaranteed.

They are charging insane prices for Disney’s new releases on disc.

Not all products have a pre-order price guarantee.

Ad breaks are inconsistent and can happen during a scene.

Want to charge for no ads and Dolby Vision support.

Now they want to add more? Geez. Scamazon? More like Scumazon, amirite?

Also a lot of their products are stuff cheaply made overseas that cost less on Temu or AliExpress. Definitely they are Morphing into a company that rides on name value and not price point or quality.

Pretty much at this point.

Something good about Prime. They will not show any political ads during Thursday Night Football.

yet...

$5 Prime Video Credit for watching Gatorade Hydration/17 Again ad on Firestick/TV

Got near the end of the screensaver.

There is supposedly a Jif ad for $5, but I can't seem to get that one.

Got another one today. Still haven't seen Jif.

Volkswagen / Christmas Story / Jack Frost ad for $5
It's on the screensaver.

check your e-mail
I got a $3 move rental or purchase credit. Just for having Prime I guess.

Freevee to shut down. Content to migrate to Prime Video.

Was a stupid idea anyway to separate it

I think it was just a way to test the waters on how many people will watch content on their platform with commercials.