Amazon may raise Prime prices.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Sregener

What is tech stuff? Ten years ago, you would have spent $2000-3000 to get a computer fast enough to decode the streaming video, $10,000 for the HDTV to watch it on, and your 1.5Mbps Internet connection would have run somewhere around $300/month and would only be available from the phone company.

Hardware is cheaper. Connection speeds are faster. If you look at what $10/month would buy you in content a decade ago, I don't think you have much right to complain about what it buys you now.

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Damn. And I was soooo counting on the prices of stuff I like to remain the same forever.

Wow, DD, you really know your audience. I'd never have dreamed that, on a forum of readers, the smiley face would actually be necessary for either of our comments. Shows what I know.
I need to dumb it down, I guess.

[DiapDealer]

The internet is sooo not sarcasm friendly.

[sadievan]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

The internet is sooo not sarcasm friendly.

You can't put anything on the internet that isn't true.

[sadievan]

What it boils down to is if people want the service bad enough they'll cough up the $$$.

Carol

[ApK]

Originally Posted by sadievan

What it boils down to is if people want the service bad enough they'll cough up the $$$.

Carol

Old joke:
"How much are the cupcakes, little girl?"
"$10,000 each."
"Woah! You're not going to sell many."
"I only need to sell one."

Point being, sure, IF someone wants it bad enough, they'll pay anything. The trick is to price it so that LOTS of people will buy it even if they only want it a little, and still make money it.

As Louie DePalma so eloquently put it, "An exact figure...":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOfql6Uj7C8#t=2m46s

[fjtorres]

And here's another shoe dropping:
http://recode.net/2014/04/23/amazon-...der-hbo-shows/
I'm thinking Netflix shouldn't have bragged that they wanted to be the HBO of streaming.

...starting in May, you’ll be able to get some of the premium cable channel’s older stuff online — via an Amazon Prime subscription.

That means Amazon Prime subscribers will be able to see shows that have already run on HBO, like “The Sopranos” and “The Wire.” And they can also watch older seasons of some shows that are still on the air, like “Girls,” three years after they air.

It’s the first time HBO has offered access to its catalog via a streaming video service that’s not its own HBO Go. And it gives Amazon an important bragging right/differentiation point as it tries to gain ground on rival Netflix.

People familiar with the deal say HBO did not shop the catalog to Netflix or other potential Amazon rivals. UPDATE: Morgan Stanley estimates the shows could “potentially be valued at $200-$250M” over the course of deal, plus more depending on how many new shows HBO feeds into the pipeline.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by Sregener

What is tech stuff? Ten years ago, you would have spent $2000-3000 to get a computer fast enough to decode the streaming video, $10,000 for the HDTV to watch it on, and your 1.5Mbps Internet connection would have run somewhere around $300/month and would only be available from the phone company.

Hardware is cheaper. Connection speeds are faster. If you look at what $10/month would buy you in content a decade ago, I don't think you have much right to complain about what it buys you now.

On the other hand, I've been renting the same cable company owned modem for almost 10 years. It has matched the bumps in connection speed and I now get north of 25Mbits/s. These increases in speed have usually been accompanied by price hikes, and there have been price hikes because of various other excuses, uh, reasons.

But until 2 years ago, the modem rental was steady at $5/month. Since then, it has nickel and dimed up to $7. This is about to push me into buying one instead of renting. I probably should have done that long ago, but probably would have just kept on renting at $5. So this is going to end up costing them.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

On the other hand, I've been renting the same cable company owned modem for almost 10 years. [...] the modem rental was steady at $5/month.

Wow! A $600 cable modem!

[fjtorres]

ZDNet has some estimates on the size of Prime and the cost of Prime Video:
http://www.zdnet.com/amazons-hbo-dea...tag=TRE17cfd61


"The analyst also estimated that Amazon will spend about $2 billion to license streaming content in 2014, up from $1.2 billion in 2013. Again, it's all about Prime engagement for Amazon. Kirjner adds:


We think there are more than 25 million domestic Prime homes, possibly going to 40 or 50 million in a few years. Clearly a portion of these will sign up for Netflix. But we believe a number of these may decide they don’t need Netflix, either for their children (as Amazon children's content improves) or for themselves as they find enough content within Prime Video.

Either way, Amazon's recent Prime price increase has likely been spent with the HBO content licensing deal."

I think the actual amount Amazon is paying HBO is now said to be $300 million over a three year period. I have no idea how much Amazon will charge Prime users for these shows, but you can bet they won't be free. That is, the Prime membership won't cover these shows. The Amazon Prime membership is worth the money if you ship a lot of stuff, but it is worthless for Prime video. Nearly every show that Amazon has available for streaming will cost you a small fortune to stream, especially if you stream it in HD quality. I have a Prime membership for the shipping, but I rarely use their rip off video streaming. The only things worth streaming are the freebies, and those are few and far between. Everything else is way over priced.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by jswinden

I think the actual amount Amazon is paying HBO is now said to be $300 million over a three year period. I have no idea how much Amazon will charge Prime users for these shows, but you can bet they won't be free. That is, the Prime membership won't cover these shows. The Amazon Prime membership is worth the money if you ship a lot of stuff, but it is worthless for Prime video. Nearly every show that Amazon has available for streaming will cost you a small fortune to stream, especially if you stream it in HD quality. I have a Prime membership for the shipping, but I rarely use their rip off video streaming. The only things worth streaming are the freebies, and those are few and far between. Everything else is way over priced.

What are you talking about? Are you saying the article is wrong?
Prime video is ONLY the freebies. The paid stuff is just Amazon Instant Video and has nothing to do with Prime. Any one can order it, Prime membership or no.
The article (or at least the snippet in this thread) says the newly acquired old HBO shows will be available via Prime. That means free with subscription.

ApK

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by jswinden

I have no idea how much Amazon will charge Prime users for these shows, but you can bet they won't be free. That is, the Prime membership won't cover these shows.

From http://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemc...prime-members/

“HBO has produced some of the most groundbreaking, beloved and award-winning shows in television history, with more than 115 Emmys amongst the assortment of shows coming to Prime members next month,” Brad Beale, Amazon’s director of content acquisition, said in a statement Wednesday morning. “HBO original content is some of the most-popular across Amazon Instant Video—our customers love watching these shows. Now Prime members can enjoy a collection of great HBO shows on an unlimited basis, at no additional cost to their Prime membership.”

(bold mine)

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by jswinden

The Amazon Prime membership is worth the money if you ship a lot of stuff, but it is worthless for Prime video. Nearly every show that Amazon has available for streaming will cost you a small fortune to stream, especially if you stream it in HD quality. I have a Prime membership for the shipping, but I rarely use their rip off video streaming.

What. Are you. Talking about?

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

What. Are you. Talking about?

Who knows? Prime streaming is all free if you have a Prime account.

Amazon has a number of Prime series' streaming that I've been wanting to see that Netflix doesn't even have available on DVD yet, so I'm quite happy to have this added benefit. I anticipate it's just going to get better as time goes on.