Quote:
Originally Posted by stumped
PS does anyone have a view on the full HD stream quality vs the highest quality download for later file.
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I have random thoughts, but no hard facts. Amazon adjusts the stream quality depending on the quality of your internet connection at the time. Speed of your connection is a primary factor, but quality can also be reduced when there are random problems on the interent, etc. which is why you'll see bitrate reports comparing the different services that don't always seem to match up (some will say Amazon is better, some iTunes, some Vudu, etc.). The download on the other hand is going to be of a standard quality throughout. I don't know however, as I've never seen any bitrate comparisons between a stream and download from Amazon if you're getting the top end of things with the download or if it's been downgraded at all to keep the file size smaller. Some services also send a different file quality depending on the device it's being downloaded to, but I don't know if Amazon does that or not.
I've downloaded a fair amount of Prime stuff for offline use on a tablet and never had any qualms about the quality vs when I streamed to the same device, but can't say I thought it was any better/worse either.
I do seem to recall that for downloaded stuff it's the download is only good for so long without the device being connected to the internet so keep that in mind if you're planning to store any Prime content for an extended period. As I recall it's somewhere along the lines of needed to watch it no longer than 14-30 days after downloading (depending on the license with the studio) and once you start watching it something like 48-72 hours to finish it.