Trying Amazon Prime Video

[Radioguy41]

Having finally gotten broadband after waiting 16 years I signed up for the Amazon Prime free trial today and am specifically looking at Britbox and perhaps Acorn as add-ons if I stick with it. I'm wondering what users are experiencing with the service. Any stutter, freeze, audio synch, buffering issues? How about Britbox or Acorn?

 

[ncted]

Having finally gotten broadband after waiting 16 years I signed up for the Amazon Prime free trial today and am specifically looking at Britbox and perhaps Acorn as add-ons if I stick with it. I'm wondering what users are experiencing with the service. Any stutter, freeze, audio synch, buffering issues? How about Britbox or Acorn?

No issues here. I've been using Prime Video since the beginning (and even a bit before when it was a Yahoo! channel, which I could stream through my Samsung TV in 2010.) Any issues I've had have pretty much been with my ISP, and not Amazon.

 

[osu1991]

No problems here. Streams in 4K HDR just fine for me

 

[rad]

Another 4K HDR streamer with no problems.

 

[Zookster]

I've had problems with audio sync on Roku (there's a thread here somewhere on it), and last summer, when Jack Ryan was released, the picture would go soft and pop back in intermittently. Some days it was fine, other days almost unwatchable on multiple devices (all other apps streamed normally, so not an internet issue on my end). I haven't watched much in the past three months, so my sampling isn't very recent. And it's been fine since, using a PS4 where audio sync isn't an issue. But that's what trials are good for, to see if it works fine for you and your setup, especially for the shows you plan to watch.

 

[Radioguy41]

Thanks everyone. I probably should have mentioned I have 2 options, a Vizio smart TV and a Samsung smart Blu-Ray player, both with built-in Amazon apps. Initially I've set it up on the Vizio so that'll be the first test platform.

 

[Bobby]

Works great on my Vizio, although I usually access Prime via my AppleTV or Firestick.

 

[SandFarmer]

We've had "Prime Video" for a long time now and have had no issues. Our old Internet was 150/5 and with two TV's streaming at the same time, it was smooth sailin'. Last month we moved from Comcast to CenturyLink Gigabit and in doing so lost HBO. So I have just added it on as a "Channel" and it's OK but not as inclusive with extras as the HBONOW app that I use on my AppleTV 4K. But since Gramma's TV in her "office" had the NOW app that disappeared when Samsung upgraded the HBOGO app, we could only add-on HBO to Prime instead of using the NOW app. I'd love to get BritBox, but need to do more looking into it. They are gearing up to compete with Apple TV+.

4K HDR is great, Audio is great all when present. The only complaint I have is all these OTT networks are mixing their International programming and I grab onto a program that look interesting and it's Spanish or French with subtitles. I watch a program to "Watch the Program" not the subtitles. I just wish they'd separate or label them better. Well and another that is there is so much to watch that it gets confusing. Also they are trying to find their "Center" and dumping programming that was a mainstay. Other than that it's a great benefit to having Amazon Prime. I think you'll enjoy it.

 

[navychop]

We watch Prime now and then.

We sub to Acorn directly. Acorn has Doc Martin, Britbox does not.


Sent from my iPhone using SatelliteGuys

 

[Radioguy41]

One reason I'm looking into Britbox, and maybe Acorn, is I have been a long time subscriber to Netflix DVD mail service and have loved it but it seems to me that their ability, or willingness, to stay up to date with releases is slipping badly. For instance they are now a full season behind the streamers on Vera, Shetland, Brokenwood, and Midsommer Murders, just to name a few. I have a suspicion the mail service may go away in the not too distant future which is all the more reason to make a move.

 

[ncted]

We've had "Prime Video" for a long time now and have had no issues. Our old Internet was 150/5 and with two TV's streaming at the same time, it was smooth sailin'. Last month we moved from Comcast to CenturyLink Gigabit and in doing so lost HBO. So I have just added it on as a "Channel" and it's OK but not as inclusive with extras as the HBONOW app that I use on my AppleTV 4K. But since Gramma's TV in her "office" had the NOW app that disappeared when Samsung upgraded the HBOGO app, we could only add-on HBO to Prime instead of using the NOW app. I'd love to get BritBox, but need to do more looking into it. They are gearing up to compete with Apple TV+.

4K HDR is great, Audio is great all when present. The only complaint I have is all these OTT networks are mixing their International programming and I grab onto a program that look interesting and it's Spanish or French with subtitles. I watch a program to "Watch the Program" not the subtitles. I just wish they'd separate or label them better. Well and another that is there is so much to watch that it gets confusing. Also they are trying to find their "Center" and dumping programming that was a mainstay. Other than that it's a great benefit to having Amazon Prime. I think you'll enjoy it.

Just wanted to make sure you were aware you can login to HBO Now with your Amazon credentials if you subscribe to the HBO Channel on Amazon. That way you get the benefits of both for one price.

 

[ncted]

Thanks everyone. I probably should have mentioned I have 2 options, a Vizio smart TV and a Samsung smart Blu-Ray player, both with built-in Amazon apps. Initially I've set it up on the Vizio so that'll be the first test platform.

I would think both of those should work fine.

 

[VictoriaFTA]

Amazon has much better audio/visual quality than any cable/pizza pan subscription satellite service. The standalone app versions of channels that Amazon offers are actually inferior to the ones hosted by Amazon's service.

I.E. the HBO "channel" on Amazon Prime Video has superior video and audio compared to the standalone "HBO Go" service.

Amazon can have 1080p video with bitrates up to 15 Mbps and 640 Kbps E-AC3 5.1 audio; HBO Go on the other hand, has 1080p video that's bitrate starved at 3 Mbps, and stereo audio. CBS All Access also has inferior encoding settings and stereo audio through CBS's own app.

So I always recommend subscribing to a service like HBO or CBS All Access through Amazon's "channel" offering for that service instead of directly subscribing through HBO or CBS's own apps for this very reason.

The two particular British channels you've mentioned are just fine on Amazon. Amazon even encodes European content at the correct framerate of 25 fps. Lots of other services marketed to Americans will incorrectly encode encode European content to 23.976 or 29.97 fps which of course looks terrible.