Amazon to launch streaming service, free for Prime members

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 30 Jan 2011 1:30 User comments (8)

Engadget has posted screenshots this weekend of Amazon's upcoming subscription streaming service, one that should directly rival Netflix.

The service will offer free, unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows to Amazon Prime members.

Reads a now removed page:

"Your Amazon Prime membership now includes unlimited, commerical-free instant streaming of 5,000 movies and TV shows at no additional cost."

Amazon Prime is $79-a-year (and free for anyone with a .edu email) and offers users free 2-day shipping on all items, and discounts on even faster shipping options.

At that price, Prime (before any other benefits) is still cheaper per year than Netflix's streaming-only option, which is $8 per month.

Additionally, Amazon already offers rentals and digital movie purchases, giving it more angles of attack in the online video market.

Tags: streaming Amazon Netflix Prime

<China blocks 'Egypt' from Sina, Sohu and Tencent >Verizon will sell 25 million iPhones in 2011

130.1.2011 14:34

lissenup2

Inactive

Sweet. I'm a Prime member because of finishing school and my girlfriend will be one too since she just started nursing school at 32 years old.

Prime is totally free for those in school so GO GET IT. Did all my Xmas shopping via Amazon.

230.1.2011 15:26

ffocus06

Send private message to this user

Member

I still think netflix is going to win this one. Can you get Amazon videos on your 360, PS3, or Wii? Can you get it through blu-ray players or TVs? Can you get it on your phone? I can use netflix on all of those things. It's going to be hard to incorporate all of those things for use with Amazon when Netflix already has it.

Also I thought I saw a thing on the news the other day where they were talking about going to streaming only, which would save them 300 million dollars a year on shipping costs. It'd be nice to get all the movies they have.

330.1.2011 16:00

lissenup2

Inactive

Originally posted by ffocus06:
I still think netflix is going to win this one. Can you get Amazon videos on your 360, PS3, or Wii? Can you get it through blu-ray players or TVs? Can you get it on your phone? I can use netflix on all of those things. It's going to be hard to incorporate all of those things for use with Amazon when Netflix already has it.

Also I thought I saw a thing on the news the other day where they were talking about going to streaming only, which would save them 300 million dollars a year on shipping costs. It'd be nice to get all the movies they have.

I can't dispute............Netflix has the market and truly rocks. It's just pretty cool that Amazon will allow FREE use of this for us Prime members that are taking classes.

430.1.2011 20:00

Aarbyy

Send private message to this user

Junior Member

Oh yes, Amazon, the good folks (among others) who went after Wikileaks.

531.1.2011 00:39

gamerguy51

Unverified new user

Originally posted by ffocus06:
I still think netflix is going to win this one. Can you get Amazon videos on your 360, PS3, or Wii? Can you get it through blu-ray players or TVs? Can you get it on your phone? I can use netflix on all of those things. It's going to be hard to incorporate all of those things for use with Amazon when Netflix already has it.

Also I thought I saw a thing on the news the other day where they were talking about going to streaming only, which would save them 300 million dollars a year on shipping costs. It'd be nice to get all the movies they have.

you sure can watch amazon on your console, with PlayOn. ;)

631.1.2011 03:23

TBandit

Send private message to this user

Member

WOW wish i knew about students getting prime free before coulda done all the shoopping online

731.1.2011 06:22

KillerBug

Send private message to this user

AfterDawn Addict

Originally posted by ffocus06:
I still think netflix is going to win this one. Can you get Amazon videos on your 360, PS3, or Wii? Can you get it through blu-ray players or TVs? Can you get it on your phone? I can use netflix on all of those things. It's going to be hard to incorporate all of those things for use with Amazon when Netflix already has it.

Also I thought I saw a thing on the news the other day where they were talking about going to streaming only, which would save them 300 million dollars a year on shipping costs. It'd be nice to get all the movies they have.

I could agree with almost everything there, except the phone...those bastards refuse to release an Android app.

As for the $300,000,000 savings...don't forget that people pay for those services, and they pay more than they would for streaming only. Realistically, it would be a loss, at least at current shipping prices.

83.2.2011 08:34

cyprusrom

Send private message to this user

AfterDawn Addict

Originally posted by KillerBug:

Originally posted by ffocus06:
I still think netflix is going to win this one. Can you get Amazon videos on your 360, PS3, or Wii? Can you get it through blu-ray players or TVs? Can you get it on your phone? I can use netflix on all of those things. It's going to be hard to incorporate all of those things for use with Amazon when Netflix already has it.

Also I thought I saw a thing on the news the other day where they were talking about going to streaming only, which would save them 300 million dollars a year on shipping costs. It'd be nice to get all the movies they have.
I could agree with almost everything there, except the phone...those bastards refuse to release an Android app.

As for the $300,000,000 savings...don't forget that people pay for those services, and they pay more than they would for streaming only. Realistically, it would be a loss, at least at current shipping prices.

If you factor in just the cost of one stamp, shipping might seem cheap...but if you add the cost of manufacturing the packaging, the manpower to pack/sort/ship/receive, cost of discs and replacements needed because damage/loss...then I can see how that would get rather costly...

	Android 16 will launch sooner than expected (01 Nov 2024 6:45) Google announced that upcoming Android 16 will break the traditional once-a-year cycle of major Android launches. Next Android is poised to launch in Q2 of 2025, so Android 16 should ship before end of June, 2025.
	Winamp ends its "open source" project that wasn't really open source (20 Oct 2024 11:12) Less than a month after the legendary MP3 player Winamp made its source code public, the company has made a sudden U-turn and removed its code from distribution. 2 user comments
	Winamp released its source code - but didn't go open source (25 Sep 2024 12:38) The source code of Winamp has now been officially released. However, it hasn't become a pure open-source project, as its licensing terms prohibit the creation of new, different versions.
	Does your phone rattle? Here's why it happens (25 Aug 2024 8:30) When you shake your phone and hear a light rattle, clatter, or jingle, it's likely not broken. The culprit is probably the optical image stabilization (OIS) system in your phone's camera, meaning everything is functioning as it should. 2 user comments
	CEO of Messaging App Telegram Arrested in France (25 Aug 2024 7:12) French authorities have detained Pavel Durov, CEO of the messaging service Telegram, amidst an ongoing investigation to determine whether Telegram moderates its platform adequately. 1 user comment

	Does your phone rattle? Here's why it happens When you shake your phone and hear a light rattle, clatter, or jingle, it's likely not broken. The culprit is probably the optical image stabilization (OIS) system in your phone's camera, meaning everything is functioning as it should. 2 user comments
	Guide: Phone battery drains quickly - how to fix (iPhone / Android) In this guide, we go through the most typical reasons for rapid battery drain with phones, and look at potential reasons or solutions.
	What happens if you don't update Android? Sometimes it can be tempting to avoid updating to a new Android version. What happens if you decide to delay major updates to the OS?
	What IP rating for dust and water resistance means An IP classification (such as IP68) is given to mobile phones, Bluetooth speakers, and other devices, but what do these classifications mean? 1 user comment
	Guide: Is Your Wi-Fi Sluggish or Slow? Here's How to Fix Do you have problems with you Wi-Fi? Slow connection or is it cutting off constantly? This guide aims to remedy these problems. 1 user comment

Amazon to launch streaming service, free for Prime members

8 user comments

Latest news

Reviews

Guides

News archive

Subscribe

Sections:

Follow us:

	Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra review - obstacle avoidance doesn't work as it should, otherwise almost perfect robot vacuum We put the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra through a very, very long review process. The $1800 mopping robot vacuum is almost perfect, but its obstacle avoidance was surprisingly bad, considering the price - and compared to its competitors.
	Sharge x OnePlus Pouch review: Beautiful power bank that supports SuperVOOC charging In our review, we take a look at Sharge's power bank that supports OnePlus SuperVOOC quick charging technology as well as standard USB PD charging. It has small design flaws, but despite those, the Pouch is very nice product. 1 user comment
	Roomba Combo j7+ review - Clever trick allows robot vacuum finally to tackle home with rugs and carpets Roomba Combo j7+ is the very first Roomba model to combine robot vacuum with mopping features. And Roomba Combo j7+ does all that with a very clever trick, which tackles the problem with mopping and carpets. But is it any good? We found out.