Amazon Launches Monthly Prime & Monthly Prime Video

tubemonkey · 04-18-2016, 09:50 AM

Amazon just launched standalone monthly Prime and Prime Video services. Prime will cost $10.99/month and Prime Video will cost $8.99/month. Annual Prime is still $99/year (=$8.25/month).

Amazon Ups the Ante on Streaming Video, Challenging Netflix

Quote:

Prime membership will be offered monthly for the first time to all U.S. customers for $10.99

Amazon.com Inc. is firing a shot across the bow of Netflix Inc. by attempting to become a primary destination for streaming video.

The Seattle online retailer said Sunday it will begin offering its video-streaming service as a stand-alone option for the first time. A monthly subscription will cost $8.99, a dollar less than the most popular plan from Netflix.

Quote:

Amazon has been offering its video service as a perk for subscribers of its $99 annual Prime shipping service. Prime membership also will be offered monthly for the first time to all U.S. customers for $10.99, Amazon said Sunday.

An Amazon spokeswoman said the new monthly option could be turned off or on as customers wished, a possible benefit for shoppers during the busy holiday season.

Conan46 · 04-18-2016, 11:05 AM

I think the standalone video subscription may be popular. Perhaps cord cutters like myself switching between Hulu/Netflix/Amazon based upon new content arriving in their respective catalogs.

sun surfer · 04-18-2016, 11:36 AM

Wow. Sounds like a great option. I got my Prime yearly though for I think it was $69 on a promotion. If I can get it again that cheap this year I will probably keep the yearly as that's almost half off the monthly cost for a year. If I have to pay full price, I may go to the monthly option for convenience.

Conan46 · 04-18-2016, 11:50 AM

I bought way more stuff on Amazon the year that I was on Prime, like 4-5 times as much stuff. So it would actually save me money to only subscribe for a few months to a full Prime membership ($10.99). As for video, sign up for a month and binge watch Doctor Who for $8.99, not a bad deal

tubemonkey · 04-18-2016, 01:37 PM

I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop -- either a price hike for Prime (because of Prime Video) or the removal of Prime Video from Prime.

fjtorres · 04-18-2016, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop -- either a price hike for Prime (because of Prime Video) or the removal of Prime Video from Prime.

The price hike already came. Last year.

jscris · 04-18-2016, 01:52 PM

Prime Video is great for those with unlimited bandwidth. Amazon, however, unlike Netflix, doesn't allow a choice of quality and will decide for you, based on speed available, whether you should have HD or not. Netflix gives choices. When we watch Amazon Prime it takes at least 3 times the bandwidth of a similar length movie on Netflix at lowest quality, which is our choice. As with the kindle, Amazon decides what you get. If this has changed recently, I'd love to know how to choose a lower quality on Prime Video. The only way around this that we've found it is to use something like a Wii that connects to the tv without an HD cable.

Cosimo · 04-18-2016, 01:55 PM

I think the stand-alone streaming service will be a huge fail based on the quality of programs / movies they currently offer.

DiapDealer · 04-18-2016, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jscris

Prime Video is great for those with unlimited bandwidth. Amazon, however, unlike Netflix, doesn't allow a choice of quality and will decide for you, based on speed available, whether you should have HD or not. Netflix gives choices. When we watch Amazon Prime it takes at least 3 times the bandwidth of a similar length movie on Netflix at lowest quality, which is our choice. As with the kindle, Amazon decides what you get. If this has changed recently, I'd love to know how to choose a lower quality on Prime Video. The only way around this that we've found it is to use something like a Wii that connects to the tv without an HD cable.

When I watch anything on Prime, I always choose the SD option (a per title setting) instead of the HD one. On the Roku and the Amazon Fire TV, this is under "Other ways to watch (or something to that effect)". My internet is sketchy and slow, but I've never had a bit of trouble when streaming SD instead of HD on Prime Video.

tubemonkey · 04-18-2016, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fjtorres

The price hike already came. Last year.

But with added content, Amazon has spun Prime Video into a major video streaming service capable of going head-to-head with Netflix and Hulu.

Now that it's being offered as a monthly subscription, I just don't see them continuing to offer it as one of the many "freebies" you get with an annual Prime membership.

DiapDealer · 04-18-2016, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cosimo

I think the stand-alone streaming service will be a huge fail based on the quality of programs / movies they currently offer.

I actually prefer Prime Video's titles to Netflix/Hulu, at the moment. That will change of course ... it always does. And then I'll gravitate to Netflix/Hulu again. The new monthly plan will allow a lot more people to do the same thing, so I doubt it will be a huge fail. People will simply put Prime "in the rotation." *shrug*

tubemonkey · 04-18-2016, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cosimo

I think the stand-alone streaming service will be a huge fail based on the quality of programs / movies they currently offer.

Time will tell just how successful it is. If the numbers are good, I see them making changes to Prime because of it - either a price hike or removal.

Barbara1955 · 04-18-2016, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jscris

Prime Video is great for those with unlimited bandwidth. Amazon, however, unlike Netflix, doesn't allow a choice of quality and will decide for you, based on speed available, whether you should have HD or not. Netflix gives choices. When we watch Amazon Prime it takes at least 3 times the bandwidth of a similar length movie on Netflix at lowest quality, which is our choice. As with the kindle, Amazon decides what you get. If this has changed recently, I'd love to know how to choose a lower quality on Prime Video. The only way around this that we've found it is to use something like a Wii that connects to the tv without an HD cable.

Best way to get around that is to Down Load the movie then You pick... Not Amazon DL Movie play better No Buffering! Win-Win

Barbara1955 · 04-18-2016, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop -- either a price hike for Prime (because of Prime Video) or the removal of Prime Video from Prime.

They remove Movies from Prime I fore see a Lot of people Stop using it.

jscris · 04-18-2016, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

When I watch anything on Prime, I always choose the SD option (a per title setting) instead of the HD one. On the Roku and the Amazon Fire TV, this is under "Other ways to watch (or something to that effect)". My internet is sketchy and slow, but I've never had a bit of trouble when streaming SD instead of HD on Prime Video.

Netflix offers more choices than just SD and HD, however, I haven't noticed an option for either when streaming Prime Video. It just says Watch Now. If it's there, I'm sorry, I've missed it. Netflix still does offer more options for playback: Auto, based on speed, Low, up to .3gb per hour, Medium, up to .7gb per hour, and High, up to 3 gb per hour for HD and 7gb per hour for Ultra HD.

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04-18-2016, 11:05 AM	#2
Conan46 Fanatic Posts: 575 Karma: 3400000 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: Paperwhite 3	I think the standalone video subscription may be popular. Perhaps cord cutters like myself switching between Hulu/Netflix/Amazon based upon new content arriving in their respective catalogs.

04-18-2016, 11:36 AM	#3
sun surfer languorous autodidact ✦ Posts: 4,235 Karma: 44667380 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: smiling with the rising sun Device: onyx boox poke 2 colour, kindle voyage	Wow. Sounds like a great option. I got my Prime yearly though for I think it was $69 on a promotion. If I can get it again that cheap this year I will probably keep the yearly as that's almost half off the monthly cost for a year. If I have to pay full price, I may go to the monthly option for convenience.

04-18-2016, 11:50 AM	#4
Conan46 Fanatic Posts: 575 Karma: 3400000 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: Paperwhite 3	I bought way more stuff on Amazon the year that I was on Prime, like 4-5 times as much stuff. So it would actually save me money to only subscribe for a few months to a full Prime membership ($10.99). As for video, sign up for a month and binge watch Doctor Who for $8.99, not a bad deal

04-18-2016, 01:37 PM	#5
tubemonkey monkey on the fringe Posts: 45,852 Karma: 158733736 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Seattle Metro Device: Moto E6, Echo Show	I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop -- either a price hike for Prime (because of Prime Video) or the removal of Prime Video from Prime.

04-18-2016, 01:52 PM	#7
jscris Addict Posts: 399 Karma: 123456 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Central US Device: k1 - KAO2, IPads	Prime Video is great for those with unlimited bandwidth. Amazon, however, unlike Netflix, doesn't allow a choice of quality and will decide for you, based on speed available, whether you should have HD or not. Netflix gives choices. When we watch Amazon Prime it takes at least 3 times the bandwidth of a similar length movie on Netflix at lowest quality, which is our choice. As with the kindle, Amazon decides what you get. If this has changed recently, I'd love to know how to choose a lower quality on Prime Video. The only way around this that we've found it is to use something like a Wii that connects to the tv without an HD cable.

04-18-2016, 01:55 PM	#8
Cosimo Groupie Posts: 160 Karma: 3337854 Join Date: Jun 2014 Device: Kobo Glo HD	I think the stand-alone streaming service will be a huge fail based on the quality of programs / movies they currently offer.