Content Amazon rolling out $7.99 monthly Prime option

CWatkinsNash · 11-06-2012, 12:37 PM

Figured this was the best place for this.

http://techcrunch.com/2012/11/06/ama...-amazon-prime/

If you are currently a "shipping only" guest member on someone's Prime account, the option will not show. Removing yourself from their prime won't make it show either. But what I did was:

Remove myself from my roommate's account.
Clear cookies, logged in from my account to verify I was removed. Option still didn't show - only showed yearly.
Sent myself a new invite from my roommate's account. This time when I logged back in (from Amazon.com - not from the invite link!) going to the Prime page showed the monthly option.

The reason I wanted the new monthly option is because of the way my entertainment budget works and because I no longer qualify for a free one month trial because of previously being a guest account. Yes, it's $12+ more per year this way, but it's still the same price as Netflix or Hulu Plus and I'm wanting to try out Amazon and H+ after using Netflix for ages. The yearly option is non-refundable after the first time you use it. Saving $12 doesn't count for much if I end up not using it enough.

sparklemotion · 11-06-2012, 12:46 PM

Nice, I like this idea! Thanks for posting about it.

pidgeon92 · 11-06-2012, 01:08 PM

Going a bit off-topic. I have Hulu+. It's great that I can see current episodes of some shows that I like, but the the commercials are a real turn-off. The worst thing about it is the horrible user interface. It's not obvious how to add a show to Favorites, then you have this godawful "queue" that shows you episodes of your Favorites that you haven't yet watched, then there is this list of "watched recently" which doesn't always update. If anybody has any tips on how to get the browser interface to be more user-friendly, I'd love to hear them.

CWatkinsNash · 11-06-2012, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

Going a bit off-topic. I have Hulu+. It's great that I can see current episodes of some shows that I like, but the the commercials are a real turn-off. The worst thing about it is the horrible user interface. It's not obvious how to add a show to Favorites, then you have this godawful "queue" that shows you episodes of your Favorites that you haven't yet watched, then there is this list of "watched recently" which doesn't always update. If anybody has any tips on how to get the browser interface to be more user-friendly, I'd love to hear them.

I haven't yet started my Hulu+ trial (have a two-week trial code) but I've used the regular Hulu and I agree that the queue is obnoxious. I recall adding a few seasons of a favorite old show thinking it would be like other services - the season in the queue / favorites then click-through to the episodes. But no. Endless list of individual episodes clogging the queue. Awful.

I will be using H+ with my Roku, though, and I haven't yet seen that interface. Since it's just another front-end for the same server-side services, I'm guessing it will be equally bad. But I'd really like recent episodes for shows that aren't on PlayOn (which I also have) so I'm going to try it out anyway.

I'm currently trying out the Amazon channel on my Roku. First impression - faster than Netflix using similar bitrate quality (SD). (I rarely stream HD - I've gotten bitten too many times by high-bitrate data hogs of mediocre quality. I have bandwidth caps and don't appreciate wasting it. Plus my eyes don't seem to notice enough of a difference, especially if the show or movie is engaging.)

Blossom · 11-06-2012, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

Going a bit off-topic. I have Hulu+. It's great that I can see current episodes of some shows that I like, but the the commercials are a real turn-off. The worst thing about it is the horrible user interface. It's not obvious how to add a show to Favorites, then you have this godawful "queue" that shows you episodes of your Favorites that you haven't yet watched, then there is this list of "watched recently" which doesn't always update. If anybody has any tips on how to get the browser interface to be more user-friendly, I'd love to hear them.

We have hulu+ but we bought a Roku that plugs into your TV. It's under $100 and well worth it. We get Netflix for $7.99, Hulu+ for $7.99 and Amazon Prime through his student account. There's all sorts of channels you get for free. We canceled cable. The Kindle Fire gets all this too but I prefer to watch it on a TV. It looks great. Now we got HD it looks even better. I was worried about my bandwidth caps but we don't even come close.

I agree on Hulu+ commercials seeing the same thing over and over and over is enough to drive a person nuts!

pidgeon92 · 11-06-2012, 02:08 PM

I have a Roku (actually, I have two), but I don't sit down to watch TV on the television anymore. Now I watch pretty much everything via the web on my iMac while using my desk treadmill. While I surf the web. Kills three birds with one stone.

Blossom · 11-06-2012, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

I have a Roku (actually, I have two), but I don't sit down to watch TV on the television anymore. Now I watch pretty much everything via the web on my iMac while using my desk treadmill. While I surf the web. Kills three birds with one stone.

I find it runs smoother through the Roku than a PC which can get interrupted by all that hard drive thrashing. The quality can't be beat either.

vxf · 11-06-2012, 02:57 PM

I watch Amazon video (I am a Prime subscriber) through either an Xbox or a PS3 - I have both hooked up. I love the service. I recently cancelled Netflix, because I just don't have much time to watch TV. And I don't have cable.

As far as the Amazon Video interface goes, for some reason I find it more friendly on the PS3 than on the Xbox. For example, I can't find a 'recently watched' list on the Xbox. On the other side, for some reason video seems smoother on the Xbox - I get some buffering pauses on my PS3 (very rarely... maybe once ever 2 movies I watch) but it never seems to happen on the Xbox. Not sure if it's just 'lack of the draw', because it's the same connection...

jswinden · 11-06-2012, 02:59 PM

I tried Hulu+ last year, but it would not work well with my Blu-ray player so I cancelled it. I didn't care for the web interface at all and never watch TV on a computer or tablet anyway. I tried Netflix but most of the movies I wanted to watch were unavailable through download. I wasn't going to pay extra for DVD service via the mail. Amazon Prime, which I have for shipping purposes, charges way too much for videos. True they have an extremely limited number of free videos, but the things I want to watch are pricey, especially when you get HD versions.

tubemonkey · 11-06-2012, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

The yearly option is non-refundable after the first time you use it.

Yep; and that sucks. It should be pro-rated.

CWatkinsNash · 11-06-2012, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Yep; and that sucks. It should be pro-rated.

Exactly, and it was the only reason I didn't have my own Prime account to begin with. That may be why they added this option - to get the people like me to sign up.

Blossom · 11-06-2012, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jswinden

I tried Hulu+ last year, but it would not work well with my Blueray player so I cancelled it. I didn't care for the web interface at all and never watch TV on a computer or tablet anyway. I tried Netflix but most of the movies I wanted to watch were unavailable through download. I wasn't going to pay extra for DVD service via the mail. Amazon Prime, which I have for shipping purposes, charges way too much for videos. True they have an extremely limited number of free videos, but the things I want to watch are pricey, especially when you get HD versions.

Hulu+ is great for watching the latest episodes of the shows on TV. We use it to watch Once upon a Time and Revolution. I also watch a few CW shows on there. NetFlix is great for watching entire seasons of past shows. Right now hubby is hung up on Beauty and the Beast from the 80s.

robertc88 · 11-06-2012, 03:24 PM

No one will believe me but I wondered long ago why amazon did not have a monthly option to compete against Hulu and Netflix. Cannot help but think the latter service will now lose even more members.

I hope b&n does something like this with their new video interface. If not, FAIL!

pidgeon92 · 11-06-2012, 04:48 PM

I'm still pretty enamored with Netflix, I like the way the website is set up. I have no trouble finding streaming content, particularly with TV series' I like. I just finished up the most recently available season of Damages, and I'm working on season 8 of Desperate Housewives and the last available season of Parks and Recreation. My husband and I watch Psych together, and they just added season 6 to streaming. We've also just begun watching the first season of Breaking Bad.

All with no commercial interruptions.

tubemonkey · 11-07-2012, 03:40 AM

Amazon is going after Netflix. It was just a matter of time.

11-06-2012, 12:37 PM	#1
CWatkinsNash IOC Chief Archivist Posts: 3,950 Karma: 53868218 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Fruitland Park, FL, USA Device: Meebook M7, Paperwhite 2021, Fire HD 8+, Fire HD 10+, Lenovo Tab P12	Amazon rolling out $7.99 monthly Prime option Figured this was the best place for this. http://techcrunch.com/2012/11/06/ama...-amazon-prime/ If you are currently a "shipping only" guest member on someone's Prime account, the option will not show. Removing yourself from their prime won't make it show either. But what I did was: Remove myself from my roommate's account. Clear cookies, logged in from my account to verify I was removed. Option still didn't show - only showed yearly. Sent myself a new invite from my roommate's account. This time when I logged back in (*from Amazon.com - not* from the invite link!**) going to the Prime page showed the monthly option. The reason I wanted the new monthly option is because of the way my entertainment budget works and because I no longer qualify for a free one month trial because of previously being a guest account. Yes, it's $12+ more per year this way, but it's still the same price as Netflix or Hulu Plus and I'm wanting to try out Amazon and H+ after using Netflix for ages. The yearly option is non-refundable after the first time you use it. Saving $12 doesn't count for much if I end up not using it enough.

11-06-2012, 02:59 PM	#9
jswinden Nameless Being	I tried Hulu+ last year, but it would not work well with my Blu-ray player so I cancelled it. I didn't care for the web interface at all and never watch TV on a computer or tablet anyway. I tried Netflix but most of the movies I wanted to watch were unavailable through download. I wasn't going to pay extra for DVD service via the mail. Amazon Prime, which I have for shipping purposes, charges way too much for videos. True they have an extremely limited number of free videos, but the things I want to watch are pricey, especially when you get HD versions. Last edited by jswinden; 11-06-2012 at 03:57 PM.

11-06-2012, 03:24 PM	#13
robertc88 Fanatic Posts: 555 Karma: 1579999 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: none	No one will believe me but I wondered long ago why amazon did not have a monthly option to compete against Hulu and Netflix. Cannot help but think the latter service will now lose even more members. I hope b&n does something like this with their new video interface. If not, FAIL! Last edited by robertc88; 11-06-2012 at 03:29 PM.

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11-06-2012, 12:46 PM	#2
sparklemotion dangerous when cornered Posts: 1,855 Karma: 22891237 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: USA Device: Kobo H2O, Kindle Paperwhite	Nice, I like this idea! Thanks for posting about it.

11-06-2012, 01:08 PM	#3
pidgeon92 Wizard Posts: 3,144 Karma: 8426142 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chicago, IL Device: Kindle PW2, Kindle Voyage, Kindle DXG, Boox M90, Kobo Aura HD	Going a bit off-topic. I have Hulu+. It's great that I can see current episodes of some shows that I like, but the the commercials are a real turn-off. The worst thing about it is the horrible user interface. It's not obvious how to add a show to Favorites, then you have this godawful "queue" that shows you episodes of your Favorites that you haven't yet watched, then there is this list of "watched recently" which doesn't always update. If anybody has any tips on how to get the browser interface to be more user-friendly, I'd love to hear them.

11-06-2012, 02:08 PM	#6
pidgeon92 Wizard Posts: 3,144 Karma: 8426142 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chicago, IL Device: Kindle PW2, Kindle Voyage, Kindle DXG, Boox M90, Kobo Aura HD	I have a Roku (actually, I have two), but I don't sit down to watch TV on the television anymore. Now I watch pretty much everything via the web on my iMac while using my desk treadmill. While I surf the web. Kills three birds with one stone.

11-06-2012, 02:57 PM	#8
vxf Guru Posts: 944 Karma: 1490348 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Norman, OK Device: Sony PRS 350, 900, 950; Kindles (ALL of them!); Kobo Aura One	I watch Amazon video (I am a Prime subscriber) through either an Xbox or a PS3 - I have both hooked up. I love the service. I recently cancelled Netflix, because I just don't have much time to watch TV. And I don't have cable. As far as the Amazon Video interface goes, for some reason I find it more friendly on the PS3 than on the Xbox. For example, I can't find a 'recently watched' list on the Xbox. On the other side, for some reason video seems smoother on the Xbox - I get some buffering pauses on my PS3 (very rarely... maybe once ever 2 movies I watch) but it never seems to happen on the Xbox. Not sure if it's just 'lack of the draw', because it's the same connection...

11-06-2012, 04:48 PM	#14
pidgeon92 Wizard Posts: 3,144 Karma: 8426142 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Chicago, IL Device: Kindle PW2, Kindle Voyage, Kindle DXG, Boox M90, Kobo Aura HD	I'm still pretty enamored with Netflix, I like the way the website is set up. I have no trouble finding streaming content, particularly with TV series' I like. I just finished up the most recently available season of Damages, and I'm working on season 8 of Desperate Housewives and the last available season of Parks and Recreation. My husband and I watch Psych together, and they just added season 6 to streaming. We've also just begun watching the first season of Breaking Bad. All with no commercial interruptions.

11-07-2012, 03:40 AM	#15
tubemonkey monkey on the fringe Posts: 45,477 Karma: 158151390 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Seattle Metro Device: Moto E6, Echo Show	Amazon is going after Netflix. It was just a matter of time.