Amazon Prime Instant Video: Worth it?

[gothamhunter]

I'm going to be getting a Kindle and I notice how they have the option of renting books if you own Amazon Prime. I don't buy too much from Amazon, so the shipping would be nice but not extremely useful to me. However, I do stream video a lot from Netflix, so I was wondering if Prime was a suitable substitution or not. I did look through their current library and it seemed pretty lacking, and I couldn't find anything regarding upcoming releases either.

 

[NetGuySC]

I read about this comparison on another site.
From what I remember, if you order allot from Amazon, then the free 2nd shipping, that is included in the Prime membership, makes it a good deal.
If you're only interested in streaming video, then netflix is the better deal with their lower price and better selection.

 

[microAmp]

I only just started looking at it in the past few weeks, so far I'm not impressed with it with the typical movies I prefer but I didn't do Prime for the video either.

I'm at least enjoying the 1st season of Doctor Who (2005).

 

[zinfamous]

Not worth it for streaming alone. Amazon streaming is currently garbage compared to Netflix.

Prime is a great deal overall, however.

 

[jlee]

Prime is definitely worth it for me for the shipping perks. "Free" instant video is a bonus, but honestly I haven't really used it since I have Netflix already. To save $16/year, I don't think it's worth switching from Netflix.

However, once you have Prime, you may find yourself buying more from Amazon than you do now; 2 day shipping will make it very attractive. There are usually free Prime trials kicking around, so you should be able to get a 15 or 30 day period for free.

 

[Crono]

I have both Netflix and Prime, and no, Prime is not a great substitution for Netflix.

I wouldn't get Prime except for the shipping. Prime Instant Video is a nice bonus, but I hardly use it.

 

[manly]

And yet many howl that Netflix instant streaming bites.

 

[boomhower]

No, it's nothing compared to Netflix.

 

[Crono]

And yet many howl that Netflix instant streaming bites.

I like it for the documentaries (seen dozens of excellent ones so far) and TV shows. The movie selection isn't great, but it has gotten better over time.
Netflix is still the best subscription streaming video service, and probably will be for quite a while.

 

[thecrecarc]

Amazon prime's "prime" focus is the free shipping. And it is a great deal alone. The videos and kindle book rentals are extras that they add to the membership, and makes the already great deal, a fantastic deal. Nonetheless, the free prime video selection does not compete with a dedicated video service like netflix.

Also, I agree with jlee that once you have amazon prime, you'll notice the purchases you make on amazon go exponentially up.

 

[zinfamous]

And yet many howl that Netflix instant streaming bites.

Netflix is awesome. those that howl have shitty taste, and shouldn't be concerned with film, anyway.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I definitely wouldn't get it for the streaming, but it was an easy sell for me before they ever added streaming video. You may not shop much at amazon right now, they they are very competitive on pricing and they have pretty much everything from every category of things. The main thing that has always stood between me and Internet purchasing is the wait time to get anything at a reasonable shipping price. Amazon found a way to reduce that wait and price probably to the extent that is possible with current shipping technology. It really makes you more open to buying all sorts of stuff that you probably would not have purchased over the Internet before. I still have yet to use the streaming video, and I plan to use prime for as long as they offer it.

 

[gothamhunter]

Thanks for the feedback guys

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

So, two questions.

1. As of Nov 11 you guys were saying that the streaming selection of Prime wasn't good. Any better now?

2. How good are Kindle Fires as tablets? ie wi fi internet browsing etc?

I'm considering a lot things here, the shipping for one, the free kindle book per month, the Prime streaming selection is the tipping point one way or another I think.

 

[sjwaste]

The free prime selection still isn't great, but Netflix sucks for streaming too. Between the two of them, you'll have a nice selection of documentaries and older tv shows, which are good for me. But I subscribe to both. I'm not a prime member for the video though, and I wouldn't sign up for prime just based on the free streaming. It's just a nice bonus sometimes.

Amazon Instant Video itself is pretty good. We find ourselves renting movies from there more frequently than cable on demand. There are also a couple of TV series that I buy since they run current (the day after they air), are in HD and generally difficult to come by with Time Warner. Futurama is the best example I have.

We're getting very close to cutting out cable entirely, and just scaling back to voice and internet ($60/mo). We have Hulu Plus ($8/mo), Netflix Streaming-only ($8/mo) and Amazon Instant Video (some free, some paid). The plan would be to buy our Showtime and HBO shows that we like, although it takes a while for things to get there from HBO. We'd probably average out to under $80/mo, which is basically a $110 savings per month.

Live sports are still the issue, but my teams are all out of market so I can go with NHL Gamecenter and MLB.tv. NFL is a challenge either way since my team rarely plays on TV up here and there's no legit streaming option. So far, my solution has been to just not watch NFL football, and it's no big loss.

/tangent

 

[datalink7]

The free prime selection still isn't great, but Netflix sucks for streaming too. Between the two of them, you'll have a nice selection of documentaries and older tv shows, which are good for me. But I subscribe to both. I'm not a prime member for the video though, and I wouldn't sign up for prime just based on the free streaming. It's just a nice bonus sometimes.

Amazon Instant Video itself is pretty good. We find ourselves renting movies from there more frequently than cable on demand. There are also a couple of TV series that I buy since they run current (the day after they air), are in HD and generally difficult to come by with Time Warner. Futurama is the best example I have.

We're getting very close to cutting out cable entirely, and just scaling back to voice and internet ($60/mo). We have Hulu Plus ($8/mo), Netflix Streaming-only ($8/mo) and Amazon Instant Video (some free, some paid). The plan would be to buy our Showtime and HBO shows that we like, although it takes a while for things to get there from HBO. We'd probably average out to under $80/mo, which is basically a $110 savings per month.

Live sports are still the issue, but my teams are all out of market so I can go with NHL Gamecenter and MLB.tv. NFL is a challenge either way since my team rarely plays on TV up here and there's no legit streaming option. So far, my solution has been to just not watch NFL football, and it's no big loss.

/tangent

I'm considering this route as well after the football season is over. The only thing holding me back is I really enjoy both NFL and College football. Otherwise I wouldn't miss any other shows.

 

[tfinch2]

I'm considering this route as well after the football season is over. The only thing holding me back is I really enjoy both NFL and College football. Otherwise I wouldn't miss any other shows.

There is enough football OTA to keep me happy. Usually 2-4 games on Saturday, and 4 games on Sunday.

Only thing that sucks is the bowl games on ESPN.

 

[Leros]

Their selection seem very weak compared to Netflix, but I mainly watch tv shows.

 

[DesiPower]

yes, as it comes with prime membership's free 2nd day shipping

 

[SheHateMe]

NO.


But it comes with Prime..so, Im not complaining.

 

[xSauronx]

Prime is definitely worth it for me for the shipping perks. "Free" instant video is a bonus, but honestly I haven't really used it since I have Netflix already. To save $16/year, I don't think it's worth switching from Netflix.

However, once you have Prime, you may find yourself buying more from Amazon than you do now; 2 day shipping will make it very attractive. There are usually free Prime trials kicking around, so you should be able to get a 15 or 30 day period for free.

prime + rewards card = win. going to the store for almost anything besides food at this point is a rarity for me.

well...food and booze.

 

[Doppel]

Amazon Prime Instant Videos are complete and thorough crap. Not worth even $10/year. I never, ever use it. Ever. Nothing on there; makes Netflix look like it's pulling Blockbusters from the future in comparison.

Amazon Prime for shipping is God's sweet gift to mankind and if you don't shop enough on Amazon to make it worth it you need to start. $80/year to have 2 day shipping on the biggest selection of products known to the history of mankind at great prices is a fabulous thing.

 

[shortylickens]

Getting Prime just for the video is not worth it.
Its a nice little bonus for those of us who already appreciate the free or dirt cheap shipping.

Oh and Doppel: I've been watching you post for a while now and frankly you are way too ignorant about a variety of subjects to be making such formal declarations on a regular basis. Your opinions are most definitely not fact, and based on the way you express yourself, they arent even very good opinions.

 

[DaveSimmons]

> 1. As of Nov 11 you guys were saying that the streaming selection of Prime wasn't good. Any better now?

Not really. The only Amazon video I've watched this year is Dr. Who, but that's $2 an episode not free with Prime. ($26 for the season is still a lot cheaper than the $100/month I was paying for cable.)

> 2. How good are Kindle Fires as tablets? ie wi fi internet browsing etc?

- I've read several books on it. It's great for that.

- If a 7" screen is big enough for you, Netflix and Amazon video streaming works well.

- Audio quality is great. Local files and Amazon cloud streaming work well. I haven't gotten around to installing any PC-to-Android streaming apps since I have a 120GB iPod for music.

- Web browsing is meh. The browser's response to taps is a bit erratic so navigation to links can be annoying

- I got Bejeweled 2 free (Amazon free app of the day) and it works great.

- Sideloading is easy. No need to root the device, just make one preference setting change.

Note: there is no webcam or mic, so no skype, etc.

 

[Doppel]

Oh and Doppel: I've been watching you post for a while now and frankly you are way too ignorant about a variety of subjects to be making such formal declarations on a regular basis. Your opinions are most definitely not fact, and based on the way you express yourself, they arent even very good opinions.

Beyond the fact that I don't know why you're so butthurt over me...

You're also retarded. And that IS a fact (I'll explain why now). Here is a definition of an opinion:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Opinion

a belief or judgment that rests on grounds insufficient to produce complete certainty.

So of course my opinions are "most definitely not fact". If they were, they wouldn't be opinions. However, since you don't understand what an opinion is, and you've demonstrated that with grounds sufficient to produce complete certainty, I no longer merely hold the opinion that you're ignorant, as you have proven it yourself.

It sucks being owned so badly doesn't it? Don't poke the bear next time, bitch.