Deutsch
English
Often, the more an offer is advertised the less clear it becomes what it is all about. With Amazon Prime, it is even more difficult as the name is used for a bundle of different services. Amazon is bundling products that originally were meant to be separate. "Prime Instant Video" and free premium shipping seem to be the two most important aspects. But what exactly do they mean and is Amazon Prime really worth $99 a year?
Prime Instant Video
Picture an online video rental store that lets you roam about freely. Amazon does not give an exact figure on the number of available movies and series but the repertoire is comprehensive and constantly growing. Everything happens online, always available - as long as you have Internet access, preferably with an unlimited plan. You may search for individual titles or browse through categories and genres. Your Amazon Prime membership allows you to watch everything in this area (explicitly titled Prime Instant Video) for free. There are no discs or downloads involved, everything gets streamed.
What streaming is all about
Back in the days, you'd either purchase a movie or rent it. Streaming takes a different approach: You watch your movies online in a dedicated video player, that's all there's to it. When and how often is up to you, there are no physical copies left on your PC and the screen stays black without an Internet connection. You don't really own Prime movies but you can access them and watch them free of ads. All you need is a capable computer (no high-end system required) and an Internet connection with a bandwidth of at least 6 Mbit/s or more for smooth, high definition playback.
If you intend to use Amazon Prime with your TV set you have different (more or less convenient) options. You can hook up your PC to your TV via HDMI cable, connect the two devices wirelessly or rely on Amazon Fire TV / Fire Stick that comes as a small receiver box and a remote made for Prime. With a little luck you already have the Amazon Prime App on your new Internet-enabled TV.
Which movies / series are available with Prime?
Think of it as a traditional, huge video rental store. These tend to charge the most for the latest blockbuster movies - and exactly these movies are unavailable or far and few between with Amazon Prime. This doesn't mean Amazon's movie offer is small, outdated or shabby but if you intend to watch the newest and most popular series, look elsewhere. The range of movies and series in itself is vast, covering everything from comedy to horror movies! Fans of classic shows such as The X-Files, Downton Abbey or Supernatural will spend many happy hours in front of their PCs. But there's a hitch: The most recent episodes for any series are always pay to watch. And these are particularly tempting once you get into the spirit and start your movie/series marathon. This buying impulse is what Amazon is counting on. You're presented with the latest movies and episodes and a few clicks is all that stands between you and more movie joy. $4.99 for a blockbuster title and $2.99 for a new episode can add up quickly.
It's a bit weird that prices vary depending on image resolution with HD costing a bit more. If you ever tried to watch a movie in standard (SD) resolution on your computer monitor you were in for a blurry surprise, no movie joy there. It is fair to mention that some classics are also shown in HD resolution leading to rather strange effects: It becomes very easy to notice how cheap these productions were and you will immediately notice sloppy make-up, laughable special effects or amateurish background actors. This is where modern technology becomes a blessing and a curse. But browsing through the offer and discovering old gems, also with the help of the countless Amazon-style user recommendations, is still fun. If you prefer to watch movies in their original language you will find the service lacking since most films are localized with only a few undubbed pilot episodes. However, watching Godfather 2 will turn into an unexpected language course in Italian Mafia speak since Amazon simply left lengthy Italian language passages untouched and added incomprehensible subtitles to turn the whole thing into a guessing game. In all fairness, this is a rare exception, 99% of the available movies are alright.
Important: Notice the difference between Prime Instant Video (free for members) and Instant Video Shop (pay to watch)! Watching videos from Instant Video Shop will cost you but not only does this service's name sound very similar to Prime Instant Video, it also looks almost the same. Make sure to look out for the "Available with Prime Instant Video" notice and the green play button. Amazon has designed this area in a fair manner but new members should take care to make sure their movie is listed with Prime.
Free premium shipping
Premium shipping seeks to guarantee delivery on the next day after your order and is usually $6 per delivery but free for Prime members. Most deliveries are on time and delivery tracking makes everything so much easier and hassle-free. But not all items include this option, the many offers from third-party retailers usually take the usual time to arrive and mostly incur shipping fees. And Prime items are often more expensive, this may be a way for Amazon to make up for the savings on shipping it grants you with Prime. This is why it pays to compare offers, there's really no free beer with Amazon.
Additional services
To make its offer more attractive, Amazon has added additional services. This includes unlimited photo uploads to Amazon's Cloud Drive (available through their web site), a free kindle book monthly, a discount on express deliveries and the right to take part in special discount offers such as Amazon BuyVIP.
Conclusion
It may depend on your viewing and shopping habits whether Amazon Prime is for you. If you're after the latest movies, a collector or plagued by a slow Internet connection you'd be better off saving the money. But if you're in love with movies and series and frequently order on Amazon you may strike a bargain with Amazon Prime. A little over $8 a month gets you a load of entertainment in a technically sound package that covers a broad range of cinematic genres. Whether you should go with Amazon Prime or try other offers such as Maxdome, Netflix, Whatchever, Snap or what have you is up to you. If your life depends on Game of Thrones or you love to watch movies in their original language, look elsewhere. And remember that you can only watch movies online, if that's alright with you, you may just try it for a month free of charge (also possible with Netflix) and decide later.
Amazon Prime’s pricing and services may vary between different countries. Make sure to take a close look before you order anything.
Update: In countries like the United States or the UK (but not Germany), Amazon also offers Prime Music, where you can stream millions of music tracks without being interrupted by ads. I am terribly jealous! :)
I don't watch much TV at all. I don't see much point in sitting in front of a TV when there are other things I would rather be doing.
don't watch much tv so its not suitable for us to spend so much money for very little
It wasn't available in Oz the last time I checked.
I have been a Prime member for several years now, and the shipping pays for the membership! It is a welcome bonus to be able to watch movies, listen to music and store pictures. To me, its a WIN WIN!!
First of all, In response to the comment by Leonard Mackenzie, You should be able to download the Amazon app to enable you to watch films on your IPad, I do it all the time ... and it is a damn good reception too!
Secondly, regarding the Fire Stick ... I cannot see the point of it. I bought it during the recent Prime weekend for £19.99, connected it and was faced with charges for using the additional channels offered!
Having already paid for Prime (for the past 3 years) I felt that the 'Stick' was a waste of money. I use Prime for books and films and the things that I have ordered have all had the comment ' not eligible for Amazon Prime' so I don't order from them very often any more. I love my Kindle Paperwhite and, thanks to the Fire Stick, I will be sticking with that but Prime can be handy, just not the Fire Stick!
I've had Prime for quite some time now (i.e. several years). The 2-day shipping is worth it's weight alone. Yes, if you buy from someone other than Amazon, you're most likely not going to get it. But you're not buying FROM Amazon so that does kind of make sense and it is clearly mentioned when you're purchasing. Then you have the Video which I've used a few times. It works just like Netflix, so no complaints there. Then, here in the US, we are also blessed with streaming music. Then you get all the "extra" stuff too. For me, if you purchase enough online products, you can save the $99 easily. Remember folks, 2-day shipping is not cheap, the regular shipping is, but not 2-day. And, when I have an issue, Amazon has taken care of things immediately with no questions asked. All in all, it is worth it in my humble opinion!
DISCLAIMER: I am not a paid spokesman, nor do I work for Amazon. I am just a simple, happy customer! :-)
Whoa, streaming music! Thank you for this information, I will update this text soon.
What about the music? No body has mentioned that. Which makes me look at even the comments as suspect.
Well... There is no music included in Germany. Is this different in your country?
As a prime member I have noticed that they say XX series available then you get through four or five series and have to pay I will never pay them to watch a series that at some point will move to prime as a part of the subscription service, I would rather wait until it is on their service for free than pay them extra to see it.
Amazon had a series of lightning sale and other offers last week. prime subscribers had a 30 min period to buy before other customers got their chance. Some things were nearly sold-out to prime subscribers.
Moreover, some items were offered to prime subscribers at lower prices than other customers, causing customers to be "disappointed".
(In the UK, the word disappointed is usually used as a replacement for very robust language).
There are plenty of other companies offering the stuff that Amazon does, sometimes cheaper, sometimes more expensive.
I never trust the Amazon supposed % "savings". It's usually hogwash, but the actual price could be an attractive one.
Ta!
No drama. :)
Excellent article. After reading other blurbs on Netflix, Presto,Stan etc and being confused, this article at least tells me exactly where I stand if I purchase this product.
Thanks! Worthwhile information.
Considering I've had Amazon Prime since it was first developed, purely for the free fast shipping, I'd say it's well worth it. Anything additional is just gravy.
In general, the free shipping is only for 2-day delivery (though 1-day is discounted). However, if you live close enough to an Amazon distribution center, as I do, you can indeed get free 1-day delivery on *some* items, and even free same-day delivery on some.
Amazon Prime is best seen as paying a single fee to cover multiple deliveries, with a video service thrown in as a bonus. I don't have it, because I don't buy frequently enough to make it worthwhile. What I do buy is often from other sellers on the site, or I will wait an extra day or two and use the Super Saver option for free delivery.
For people who are buying stuff from Amazon every week or two I should imagine it's excellent.
As to the lack of video downloads, I am sure it took great restraint on your part to not mention Ashampoo Snap, of which I have used several generations, and its ability to record high quality video as one sees it on the screen.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!
Sir, with due respect, I have slowly become free of my computer, now having 3 iPads. Yesterday I tried to get a film via Amazon. "BRASSED OFF". Then I found out that I couldn't have it on an iPad. Why not. iPads are in everyday use now.
Is there some way the iPad can be used for films.
I have a kindle, but don't like it the battery always runs down so quickly.
I would appreciate your input as you are trying to clarify these problems.
Regards
Len. Mackenzie
Amazon is really good and really bad at some things. The Amazon listings are exaggerations. They say there's say 300 titles, but there are far fewer, as they consistently list the same show multiple times, and even without ANY differences (no HD or 3D, etc.) They consider a season a separate listing, unlike Netflix. They also invite members with review requests, even if you only watched 2 minutes!
So if you pay the 99 (last year it was 89) that's $8.25/month for unlimited free viewing of 1,000s of shows; complaints aside, you cannot beat that deal, AND if you also shop at Amazon, the free shipping will completely recoup your investment over the year - you should consider buying supply items through them to get the free shipping and assure yourself the 99 was a good investment. Not a perfect service, but hard to beat.
all good news!
Thanks for your blog. I agree with everything you said, I had Prime for a year and also Netflix. I have a very high end computer and very fast internet connection so it all worked great for me, but I found that going a la carte and pay as you go works best - I pay for what I get, when I get it. Love the concept of streaming movies, though, but they need to add more new movies to keep it interesting.
You forgot to mention Consoles when writing about streaming.
I can watch Amazon Prime through my PS3 perfectly, it is one of the video options on the console along with TV channels etc.