# Prime Users, How's It Working Out?



## sledgehammer1367066128

Is the selection worthwhile?

Streaming OK, or are their glitches?

I'm thinking about signing up but haven't pulled the pin yet.


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## oldschoolecw

Sledge Hammer! said:


> Is the selection worthwhile?
> 
> Streaming OK, or are their glitches?
> 
> I'm thinking about signing up but haven't pulled the pin yet.


I love it, my subscription ends in 2 weeks, boy the year has gone by quick. And I am all set to re-subscribe for another year, I buy alot of stuff at Amazon so Prime is well worth it for me.


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## Chris Blount

It's not bad. The selection is getting better. I use Amazon a lot for buying stuff and having the streaming service included is definitely a plus. The quality isn't too bad either.


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## oldschoolecw

Chris Blount said:


> It's not bad. The selection is getting better. I use Amazon a lot for buying stuff and having the streaming service included is definitely a plus. The quality isn't too bad either.


I have cut back so much on my Dish Network package that it's also cheaper for me to buy and subscribe to shows like The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad and many others with Amazon VOD.


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## sledgehammer1367066128

I buy some items from A, but not a lot. I'm not picky about shipping and can wait the week or so for normal processing, so Prime wouldn't really be about that.


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## Nick

I got prime mostly as a backup to Netflix, but for movies, prime is not nearly as well organized as Netflix. I find that I am ordering less stuff over the net and that includes Amazon. With Netflix adding 3k titles I may drop prime next time around. We'll see.


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## bytored

HarpoonIPA said:


> I have cut back so much on my Dish Network package that it's also cheaper for me to buy and subscribe to shows like The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad and many others with Amazon VOD.


Exactly! I love Amazon Home Video. I cut back on my DTv account and am buying full seasons or by show as they become availaible. In the long run its still way cheaper then paying 95$ per month just to get the few chanels I do watch.


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## CliffV

There is a huge variation in the quality of the streaming apps. I watch both Netflix and Amazon Instant Video on my Panasonic DMP-BDT210 BluRay player. The Amazon App sucks in comparison to the Netflix app. Fast Forward isn't usable on the Amazon app but is very usable on the Netflix app.

Amazon also doesn't have anything comparable to the Netflix "Instant Queue". The interface for searching for shows on Blu Ray players or TVs is awful. So I like to build a list of shows to watch from my PC. Amazon really needs to allow me to add Prime Instant Videos and other rented instant videos to my "Your Video Library".

I own Amazon Prime for the free 2-day shipping. Otherwise I wouldn't buy it for just the videos. The selection is too small. My wife have streamed more Pay-per-view Amazon instant videos than the ones that come free with Amazon Prime.


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## dmspen

Amazon Prime Video is great...as long as you get it as a 'bonus' for subscribing to Amazon Prime. I've had cases where the Network Connection Utility that checks for internet speed to determine video quality barfed on my Comcast 35Mbps connection and streamed a low res movie.

The big annoyance is the non-video fast forward and rewind. You can fast forward but with no video, you can't tell where you are. Same for rewind.


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## CATCRAW

For me the Amazon Prime is a good value and the selection keeps getting better. We have had NO streaming issues with the movies. I got so tired of Netflix and the constant streaming interuptions (which had nothing to do with my internet connection or router) I finally gave up and canceled. Have not had 1 issue with Amazon. I also utilize the free 2 day shipping and Kindle book borrowing features that are included with Prime.


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## Stewart Vernon

My father subscribes to Amazon Prime... I remember looking a lot on Netflix for things to recommend to him when he had that, and most were not on streaming... Amazon has had most of what I wanted to recommend to him, and most of that has been on the free-with-Prime subscription.


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## dpeters11

Sledge Hammer! said:


> I buy some items from A, but not a lot. I'm not picky about shipping and can wait the week or so for normal processing, so Prime wouldn't really be about that.


Another level is added when you don't have to have minimum purchases. Need an ink cartridge, Amazon. I pretty much even stopped using Monoprice. I just get an Amazon Basics cable, factoring in Monoprice shipping, it's faster and cheaper through Amazon.


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## The Merg

Amazon Instant Video isn't too bad. On my iPad the interface is pretty good however, the Watchlist needs to be improved. You can currently add non-Prime and Prime items to your Watchlist, but you can only watch the Prime items (unless you have purchased the non-Prime items via the PC). When looking at the Watchlist, the Prime and non-Prime items are interspersed among each other making it difficult to sometimes see what you can and cannot watch. On my TV, Amazon does not have a Watchlist so you need to search for anything you want to watch. At least on the TV, if it is a non-Prime video you can purchase it there.

- Merg


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## chscott

I have been using Amazon 99% / 1% Hulu Plus via a PS3 for pay services and have a simple OTA antenna for the networks. I am going to ditch Hulu , does not pay off for what I watch. Prime has an awesome selection of TV shows. Been watching Justified, Falling Skies and some old Star Trek shows. I don't miss DirecTV at all and certainly don't miss giving them my money.

If I could change one thing about Prime, it would be to have a grid menu selection system instead of scrolling from left to right.


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## archer75

I just signed up for both amazon prime and netflix since getting my roku so I can make some direct comparisons. As far as websites go I prefer the layout of netflix better. However the picture quality on amazon is better and more of what I watch is in 5.1 surround on amazon whereas the same titles on netflix are sometimes only in 2 channel.
Amazon seems to have more tv shows, especially those that are airing or haven't made it to disc yet. And i'm talking about the free stuff. And both services have things the other one doesn't so i'm happy to have both.

Hulu on the other hand is just useless.


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## Christopher Gould

I just signed up for both amazon prime and netflix since getting my roku so I can make some direct comparisons. As far as websites go I prefer the layout of netflix better. However the picture quality on amazon is better and more of what I watch is in 5.1 surround on amazon whereas the same titles on netflix are sometimes only in 2 channel.
Amazon seems to have more tv shows, especially those that are airing or haven't made it to disc yet. And i'm talking about the free stuff. And both services have things the other one doesn't so i'm happy to have both.

Hulu on the other hand is just useless.


You must not have netflix's 1080p super hd. In my opinion it's much better than amazons 720p.


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## Rich

CliffV said:


> There is a huge variation in the quality of the streaming apps. I watch both Netflix and Amazon Instant Video on my Panasonic DMP-BDT210 BluRay player. The Amazon App sucks in comparison to the Netflix app. Fast Forward isn't usable on the Amazon app but is very usable on the Netflix app.
> 
> Amazon also doesn't have anything comparable to the Netflix "Instant Queue". The interface for searching for shows on Blu Ray players or TVs is awful. So I like to build a list of shows to watch from my PC. Amazon really needs to allow me to add Prime Instant Videos and other rented instant videos to my "Your Video Library".
> 
> I own Amazon Prime for the free 2-day shipping. Otherwise I wouldn't buy it for just the videos. The selection is too small. My wife have streamed more Pay-per-view Amazon instant videos than the ones that come free with Amazon Prime.


Ever try a Sammy or Sony BD player? I gave up on the Pannys a couple years ago. Been wondering if they got their streaming fixed.

Rich


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## Rich

Christopher Gould said:


> You must not have netflix's 1080p super hd. In my opinion it's much better than amazons 720p.


I get 1080p on Amazon.

Rich


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## Christopher Gould

I get 1080p on Amazon. 

Rich


I'd swear I read prime streaming was 720p. I'm probably wrong.


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## Nick

Nick said:


> I got prime mostly as a backup to Netflix, but for movies, prime is not nearly as well organized as Netflix. I find that I am ordering less stuff over the net and that includes Amazon. With Netflix adding 3k titles I may drop prime next time around. We'll see.


i decided to keep Amazon prime, it's a good backup for Netflix -- they kinda fill each other's content holes, and I abso-freakin-lutely love Roku's new 'global search' feature. It's the _kibbles 'n bits_ app for finding movies, whether by title, actor or director.

On a related note, I have a couple who are big gamers, having more than one platform with which they also streamed Netflix shows. I convinced them to get Roku and they love it, saying it's much easier and simpler to use and they are 'blown away' by the number of choices (channels) on Roku.

For a one time only cost of less than (not then) a hundred bucks, it is, without question, the deal of the decade and the best way to go for streaming content.


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## SayWhat?

I haven't tried much streaming from anywhere yet. Even though I have 3M DSL now, I'm still stuck in the Satellite mindset of limited bandwidth and restrictions. My ISP insists they do not have any bandwidth cap and never will.

That said, I'm also confused by the requirements and my capabilities

Amazon states they need "Minimum recommended connection speed of 900 Kbits/sec for SD and 2Mbps/sec for HD." ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/?nodeId=201112530 )

Speedtests I've done recently show: " 3.93 Mbps 491 kB/s "

So, I really don't know what would happen. I have run a couple of shows from my ISP's TV page and they ran OK until the modem rebooted.


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## Laxguy

You might as well get your feet wetter with a free trial from Netflix. I get just under 3 MB down*, and the picture quality varies. 

*According to Speedtest, but it's a very short test, and doesn't account for post-initial-burst throttling that ISPs may do....


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## phrelin

Streaming.... My tendency was to limit it to the occasional "oops, missed that episode." We'd watch a missing episode on a computer from the TV network.

But then we watched a few old BBC shows free through Amazon as we have been Prime customers for years, and years....

More recently I have broken down and am now using my 3-year-old Panasonic Blu-Ray player which has Viera Link to watch a few more shows from Amazon, some free, some not. It works fine on our 720p Pany Plasma without paying for HD which surprises me.

It's obvious that having this Amazon option will affect subscription choices in the future. For instance, the next subscription tier with Dish is $15 a month which would give us BBCA, the only channel in that tier we regularly watched other than AMC which got dropped to a lower tier. The current BBCA new show I'm curious about is "Broadchurch". Episode 1 is available for free at Amazon. I know the remaining 7 will cost about $14.00 - less than a month for the tier containing BBCA.

Anyway, I now have to seriously evaluate Starz and Showtime as premiums. I'd have trouble giving up HBO. I suppose the next issue is Netflix.But it really is the equivalent of a premium channel subscription. And I already have Amazon Prime for the shipping.

Life just gets more complicated.


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## Rich

Christopher Gould said:


> I'd swear I read prime streaming was 720p. I'm probably wrong.


Now I'm wondering too. I'll check it later.

Rich


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## Christopher Gould

Now I'm wondering too. I'll check it later.

Rich


This is what I found

To watch HD videos you need a fast broadband connection (3.5Mbits/sec or higher). Our 2.5Mbps HD files are streamed in high-quality 720p resolution. We'll automatically detect your connection speed, send you the highest quality stream your connection can support, and display the stream quality on the video player. When you are successfully watching HD, the stream quality on your video playback bar will turn blue and the letters "HD" will be illuminated.


Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk mobile app


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## Rich

Christopher Gould said:


> This is what I found
> 
> To watch HD videos you need a fast broadband connection (3.5Mbits/sec or higher). Our 2.5Mbps HD files are streamed in high-quality 720p resolution. We'll automatically detect your connection speed, send you the highest quality stream your connection can support, and display the stream quality on the video player. When you are successfully watching HD, the stream quality on your video playback bar will turn blue and the letters "HD" will be illuminated.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk mobile app


Huh. I just checked one movie and my TV says it is receiving 1080p. I'm using a Sony BDP 5100 for Amazon. That BD player is the only streaming device I have that gets Amazon. My Sammy E6500s don't get it, so I have nothing else to try. Since I bought the 5100 so that I'd be able to take advantage of my Amazon Prime account, every time I've used it I've gotten a 1080p reading from my TV and the PQ is almost as good as NF's "Super HD".

Rich


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## Christopher Gould

Maybe the player up converts or the FAQ hasn't been up dated


Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk mobile app


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## Rich

Christopher Gould said:


> Maybe the player up converts or the FAQ hasn't been up dated
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using DBSTalk mobile app


It does upscale, but I don't think that's what's going on. Let me check out another program. I know _Star Trek: TNG _has the first season in 1080p, but the rest are not. I'll try one of them and see what the TV tells me...got it. It must be the upscaling Sony BD player. I get 1080p on the seasons that don't show a Blu Ray envelope (you'd have to look at the list to see what I mean) but the PQ is pretty crappy.

Rich


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## Athlon646464

Amazon Prime was a no brainer for us, we've been Prime subs for years. They are every bit as good as Netflix in terms of streaming quality and reliability for us.

As a matter of fact, I've thought about canceling Netflix because we'll have Prime anyway for the quick and free shipping. The wife squashed that idea though because she wants to watch 'Lilihammer' and 'House of Cards' seasons two when they come out.

I should look into a cheaper way to get just those two shows. Maybe suspend my account until they are released?


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## billsharpe

I signed up for the month's free trial of Amazon Prime last week to get quick free shipping on two small orders. I also tried the Amazon Prime movie/tv show service and was pleasantly surprised at the number of free programs available there. I have installed the Amazon Prime TV Streaming app on my iPod Touch and expect to continue the Prime service after the free month.

I don't buy a whole lot from Amazon, but I probably will buy more in the next year. I also use Amazon's charge card, which offers 3 points (corresponding to 3%) in rewards for purchases at Amazon.


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