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Anyone notice a difference between Netflix and Amazon Prime?

Thump553

Thump553

Lifer
I have both and there are many occasions (especially prime time evening hours) where I can't load a show in Amazon Prime, or it buffers all the time and much of the rest of the time it is very low picture quality. Meanwhile Netflix is fine 99% of the time. Happens whether I am accessing via a Roku 2 or directly via the smartTV.

I'm using Comcast cable, second to the highest speed category (just below gamer level) and everything is hard wired. The only thing unusual in our setup is I have an OOMA phone but that is extremely rarely in use.

Any ideas? Driving me crazy as I pay a small fortune for my internet speed and am really interested in watching Treme, which is only on Amazon.
 
I had this problem with some shows in particular... but haven't experienced this in over a year. Call Amazon and let them know about it... their customer service is great and will definitely do something about it.

Also, if you don't mind, share the show/movie/episode number and we we can try and see if its that particular show or something more general...
 
Could be your Cable? Keep in mind, prime time is when the average person is getting home and watching TV couch surfing as well. Cable is a shared connection. Factor in how high quality the video is and I can see it lagging....
 
Netflix puts boxes in the ISPs filled with their content to cut down on how much you have to stream across the internet.

With that said in my experience Amazon Prime usually has better overall picture quality when you can get the stream going. Try playing the show on your computer in a web browser to see if the problem is on the Amazon/ISP side or if the problem is the client.
 
The prime interface sucks more, but I would have to say that shows buffer faster and the quality is better than netflix.
 
vi edit said:
The prime interface sucks more, but I would have to say that shows buffer faster and the quality is better than netflix.
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The prime interface definitely sucks. It still drives me nuts that they separate each season of a show, so my recommended list is like 7 entries of the same show (one for each season). Netflix figured this out years ago. It's annoying enough that I don't use prime, and don't recommend it to anybody who's just looking at it for streaming.
 
Prime stream quality is abysmal, especially in peak hours. Can't even sustain a reliable 360 stream. Netflix and Youtube will both stream 1080p with no problems during the same time periods. Even off-peak, Amazon is hit-or-miss.

I would never pay for Prime for video, but I consider it a bonus with the shipping benefits.
 
We primarily (99%) watch on our older Roku 2 XS, and I've seen the same problem consistently.

We did have Comcast until moving and it was a lot less noticeable then, but now with the joys of living under the shadow of the Death Star AT&T, we see it all the time.

Amazon will be borked so bad the menus won't even load (titles, images, etc) let alone playback. But Netflix or YouTube will work fine.
 
I have no trouble with Prime, streams fine here. Reads 1080i/1080P depending on the room/TV I use it, with rare hiccups.

Sometimes it takes a minute (usually a lot less) to buffer before the imagine quality rises.

But I've never used Netflix so I guess I can't compare.

Use HBOGO and MAXGO also, just never Netflix I guess.

Is all on PC here though.
 
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gorcorps said:
The prime interface definitely sucks. It still drives me nuts that they separate each season of a show, so my recommended list is like 7 entries of the same show (one for each season). Netflix figured this out years ago. It's annoying enough that I don't use prime, and don't recommend it to anybody who's just looking at it for streaming.
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Yup, Prime interface and video quality both suck compared to Netflix. I'm still fairly disappointed with Netflix's streaming library however.
 
Beer4Me said:
I'm still fairly disappointed with Netflix's streaming library however.
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As Netflix has gotten more popular its content has gotten more expensive. When they first started Netflix was paying the same rates as Greyhound paid to show movies on their buses. Nowadays there are tons of competitors (like Amazon) for the content, plus content makers are pushing their own services (like HBO Go) which makes them less likely to let Netflix licence their best content at any price. Finally add on top the fact that Netflix is accelerating cord cutting and the death of cable, and content providers are scared to let Netflix be to video what iTunes is to music.

That is exactly why Netflix has been pushing original programming recently. Eventually their licenced library will be mostly b-level content outside of those original shows. Five years from now you will only keep Netflix if you want to see the new House of Cards or Orange is the New Black and not because it is an on-demand Redbox replacement.
 
I constantly go between my iPad (AT&T 4G) and my PC. Truthfully I've never noticed a difference.

As far as layout is concerned, Netflix is vastly superior to Amazon.
 
On a Roku 3 Netflix is always perfect, Amazon or HBO Go suck hairy buffering balls....on Comcast cable internet.
 
I connect through a PS3. Amazon Prime is definitely slower. I don't know if Netflix sends it faster, or has a better compression algorithm, or what. Netflix rarely buffers, and when it does it's not nearly as bad as Prime.
 
I'm curious if you guys who have issues with one service but not another experiment with VPN services?

Sometimes I see a difference going through a VPN or not.

Also, for those with bad prime streaming, do you guys use chrome? Amazon prefers microsoft silverlight, which chrome doesn't support.
 
Kelvrick said:
I'm curious if you guys who have issues with one service but not another experiment with VPN services?

Sometimes I see a difference going through a VPN or not.

Also, for those with bad prime streaming, do you guys use chrome? Amazon prefers microsoft silverlight, which chrome doesn't support.
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They should really get out of using Silverlight. Even Microsoft's own new browser doesn't support it anymore.

Netflix's streaming is great. Haven't used enough of Prime yet to know for sure but the few times I used it it was fine.
 
poofyhairguy said:
That is exactly why Netflix has been pushing original programming recently. Eventually their licenced library will be mostly b-level content outside of those original shows. Five years from now you will only keep Netflix if you want to see the new House of Cards or Orange is the New Black and not because it is an on-demand Redbox replacement.
Click to expand...

I don't think anyone ever thought it was that. It's fantastic for shows that you may have missed when they were on or enjoy rewatching (Friends, Seinfeld, X-files etc). Their documentary selection is also fantastic and they're good for kids' movies/shows.

All those things alone give it more content than I could ever watch in my lifetime. Any current movies they happen to throw in are just gravy for me.
 
Have never been a fan of Amazon Prime's streaming. Netflix almost always "just works", we enjoy their original programming, and their Chromecast support is key for me.
 
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