primevideo.com
Before reviewing Amazon Prime Video, I realized that it offers 2-days free shipping. I didn't know much about the streaming service and wasn't expecting anything from it, but now I love it. I love Amazon Prime Video's original programming as well as its vast library of popular TV Shows and movie collections. It is mind-boggling how this internet giant manages to keep itself at the top of the pyramid in all of its ventures. With Amazon Prime, not only is Amazon competing with Netflix in the online streaming industry, but also with leaders in logistics, music streaming, data storage and multimedia industries.
Bundling services for cohesive offering
As a Prime member, you automatically receive free access to Amazon Prime Video, which offers a significant all-inclusive digital experience at an affordable price. In addition to its free video streaming capabilities, Prime also includes free services such as Prime Delivery, Prime Kindle, Prime Photos, and Prime Music. Accordingly, our review of Amazon Prime Video will provide an in-depth look at the features and benefits of this powerful membership.
What is Amazon Prime Video?
You can also access Amazon Prime Video through the Amazon app on your TV.
With Amazon Prime Video, you can watch a plethora of original and popular content. These include TV shows, Originals, and popular movies. The impressive content library boasts of TV shows and movies along with additional content which is available for paid-purchases or rentals as well. You can also access Amazon Prime Video through the Amazon app on your television.
History
Since its inception in 2005, Amazon Prime has been a hugely successful service with a large following across the United States. In 2007, Amazon launched Amazon Prime in Europe, primarily as a free shipping scheme. However, over the past decade, Amazon has completely transformed the Prime network by adding a host of free services under a simple subscription model. Consequently, we will only be discussing their Streaming Services in this blog post.
Design
Many people might not like my opinion, but I don't like the way Amazon Prime looks. It feels too much like a shopping website and the content isn't well segregated either. The homepage is unattractive with little to no visual appeal.
If you land on primevideo.com, you will be given the option to click on amazon.com. Both of these pages have minimal aesthetic value. Once you are on the page, you can choose from options such as Prime Originals, Prime Video, Movies, TV Shows and Kids. There are video highlights for notable movies and shows which are available for streaming and rest everything is organized horizontally. Thus, by scrolling you can check out popular TV Shows and Movies along with recommended content.
Under the main slideshow, you can find additional menu items such as "All Videos," "Your Videos," and "Included with Prime." Among these, I like the "Your Videos" section because it makes it easy to pick up where you left off.
Though the landing page is not bad by any means, when compared to other streaming services such as Netflix, Stan, and Hulu, you?ll feel the gulf in quality. The design is pretty basic with the main color scheme following a blue color instead of the orange one for e-commerce. Rest, the menus, the banners, and the content presentation are honestly from 2005.
The design of the streaming interface varies depending on the device, but it is relatively intuitive and quick. The only positive aspect I can take from it is that there is consistency across different devices. Whether it's on a Smart TV, Roku, Fire device, mobile phone, Chromecast or tablet, the streaming works fine.
Content
I think that the main thing that makes Amazon Prime Video so great is the quality of their content. They have a really large library, and they're constantly adding new titles. Some of the best shows on Prime Video are ?The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel?, ?Electric Dreams?, ?Bosch?, ?Sneaky Pete?, ?Red Oaks? and ?The Grand Tour.?
Netflix is known for their high quality original content. They have not backed down and continue to allocate budgets towards this project. Their efforts to save "The Expanse" and renew the sci-fi action drama for its fourth season just shows their commitment towards this project. You would be excited to hear that it is also producing a series based upon the popular franchise "The Lord of the Rings".
While the Prime Originals are the streaming platform's strength, it also offers popular HBO series such as The Sopranos, Deadwood, Boardwalk Empire, The Wire, and Oz. Apart from these shows, it also offers other popular shows such as Justified, Mr. Robot, Hannibal, Chuck, The Americans, Recreation and The X-Files for no additional cost.
Desktop/Mobile experience
I haven't had any compatibility issues with the streaming service. I've tried it on my Android and iOS devices along with gaming consoles and fire devices. I'm sure it works well on major gaming consoles (Xbox, PlayStation, and Wii) and set-top boxes (Google TV, Nvidia Shield, Apple TV 4K and Roku) as well. One thing I would like to point out is that it doesn't natively support Chromecast devices.
You can stream three titles on Prime Video from the same account at once. However, only two accounts can stream a particular title simultaneously, which can be frustrating if three people want to watch the same content simultaneously.
Picture and sound quality
Amazon Prime Video is one of the streaming service providers that has a decent catalog of 4K and HDR content. Its ground-breaking deals with international broadcasters allow it to showcase popular content alongside its own shows.
Picture and sound quality are truly amazing and I agree - the stream in general works well. Plus, I want to point out that the best Amazon Prime video experience is delivered on Amazon's Fire TV (not a surprise). Thus, if you're considering Amazon as a viable option against cable television, I'd advise you to get a Fire TV.
Plans & Pricing
Amazon Prime Video is a subscription-based streaming service that differs from other platforms in that it has different prices based on the plan chosen. The basic Prime package costs $99/year and works out to be around $8.75/month. This might look cheap when compared to services like Netflix, but the added benefits, such as HD and 4K content, make it feel more valuable in actuality.
Amazon Prime Video allows you to sign-up for its own library of content and also provides the option of adding other content for a monthly fee. For instance, you can add HBO for $14.99/month, Showtime for $8.99/month, Cinemax and CBS All Access, each for $9.99/month.
Remember that prime channels are not inclusive for Amazon video subscribers. To watch these channels, you need a full Amazon Prime account. Furthermore, Prime Channels that I just mentioned above cannot be shared across household profiles - which is a considerable catch.
Before you take the plunge and subscribe to Amazon Prime Video, you should definitely try out its 30-day trial. This period is ideal for you to decide if the service is good enough for you. If you're a student, be pleased to know that Amazon Prime Video also provides a Student plan which lowers the Prime subscription rate from $99/year to $59/year. All you need is a .edu email address.
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