4 ms·

I watched Apple’s live presentation with Oprah and other stars, and I was very enthusiastic about having another platform. Since then, we got Amazon Prime for

I watched Apple’s live presentation with Oprah and other stars, and I was very enthusiastic about having another platform. Since then, we got Amazon Prime for the bundled media (I had been on my brother’s business Prime membership that did not include video). Amazon did a good job of integrating other paid services like Netflix, HBO Now, and CBS streaming. The user experience is actually pretty good, and the only hardware needed is a very inexpensive Firestick that our daughter and son in law gave us. With no cable or satellite service, good internet, and monthly costs of $10 Prime, $15 Netflix, $6 CBS (for Star Trek), and $15 HBO Now, we have way more entertainment than we could every watch, and a reasonable cost. Friends who can’t give up cable are stuck because they are addicted to channel surfing the “news” shows, which I argue is a really unhealthy activity. No new and no commercials works for me.

rchaud 7y ago
No commercials? I have Prime Video, and every single episode starts with a commercial spamming some Amazon Original show. One major gripe I have about these services is the non-transparent way they "disappear" shows or seasons from their collection. At one point all 17 seasons of L&O: SVU were available on Prime (in Canada), but now only Seasons 1-6 are available. The dropdown still lists all the seasons w/ full episode details, but once you select the season, it says "No longer available". It's obvious their goal is to phase out "third-party" programming in favour of store brand stuff. At a point, it's honestly just better to buy the DVD/Blu-rays of the shows you enjoy and put them on a Plex server.
biztos 7y ago
FWIW Amazon Prime has been brutal about VPNs over the last few years, at least the ones I've tried. I'm still a Prime customer but even some Prime Originals can't be viewed in Europe and I haven't had much success with the standard (paid) VPN experience. Apple, on the other hand, is happy to sell me anything from the US store and let me download or stream it anywhere in the EU when I'm there. I imagine people affected by this make up a negligible part of the market, but I find it a compelling differentiator. Not that I'd give up Prime... in addition to the whole "ship to nowheresville" thing, Patriot[0] bought them this cinephile's loyalty for at least a few years. [0]: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4687882/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4687882/
- tinus_hn 7y ago
  Amazon Prime, like Netflix, streams a lot of licensed content. Part of the license is about territory which forces these companies into policing VPNs.
  - biztos 7y ago
    Yes, but is it not odd that this applies to some original content, and that Apple apparently views things differently?
    - tinus_hn 7y ago
      It is considered a privilege for Apple to distribute your app, while Netflix pays to distribute your media. It would surprise me if the block didn’t happen with the complete service, original or not.

rchaud 7y ago

No commercials? I have Prime Video, and every single episode starts with a commercial spamming some Amazon Original show. One major gripe I have about these services is the non-transparent way they "disappear" shows or seasons from their collection. At one point all 17 seasons of L&O: SVU were available on Prime (in Canada), but now only Seasons 1-6 are available. The dropdown still lists all the seasons w/ full episode details, but once you select the season, it says "No longer available". It's obvious their goal is to phase out "third-party" programming in favour of store brand stuff. At a point, it's honestly just better to buy the DVD/Blu-rays of the shows you enjoy and put them on a Plex server.

biztos 7y ago

FWIW Amazon Prime has been brutal about VPNs over the last few years, at least the ones I've tried. I'm still a Prime customer but even some Prime Originals can't be viewed in Europe and I haven't had much success with the standard (paid) VPN experience. Apple, on the other hand, is happy to sell me anything from the US store and let me download or stream it anywhere in the EU when I'm there. I imagine people affected by this make up a negligible part of the market, but I find it a compelling differentiator. Not that I'd give up Prime... in addition to the whole "ship to nowheresville" thing, Patriot[0] bought them this cinephile's loyalty for at least a few years. [0]: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4687882/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4687882/

tinus_hn 7y ago
Amazon Prime, like Netflix, streams a lot of licensed content. Part of the license is about territory which forces these companies into policing VPNs.
- biztos 7y ago
  Yes, but is it not odd that this applies to some original content, and that Apple apparently views things differently?
  - tinus_hn 7y ago
    It is considered a privilege for Apple to distribute your app, while Netflix pays to distribute your media. It would surprise me if the block didn’t happen with the complete service, original or not.