Seems to work fine, from the short test I gave it. I played the first few minutes of the pilot of "Pretty Little Liars" (SHUT UP! I like that show!), and the quality was ok, it buffered fairly quickly.
But like I said, I already have Netflix streaming, and the two offer basically the same stuff with few differences, so it is somewhat redundant. But I'll hang it to it, just in case.
AirPlay not working doesn't really bother me, since my 27" iMac is in the same room as my TV. What I REALLY don't get it is why AirPlay doesn't work with HBO GO. But that's a different discussion.
Yep... I agree. I could see Amazon failing to release an Apple TV app (although, from what I understand, this is much more selective and closed than the App Store). I wrote a review for the Amazon Instant Video app for iPad. I don't think very much of it. As we all have noticed, it doesn't have proper AirPlay support. You can either AirPlay the audio or do screen mirroring with 4:3 aspect ratio. Given the myriad choices for content that the Apple ecosystem offers, this Amazon app is not compelling. It's like they are trying to play in the major leagues with a minor league product. Even Comedy Central, Adult Swim, and PBS app fully support AirPlay. Amazon is a huge company with a lot of money. They can hire talented developers. My suspicion is they did this so the iPad will not outshine the Kindle, especially given that an iPad Mini is likely.
iOS is not starved for content. The Amazon Prime offerings are ridiculous -- stuff like "Superstar" and the Beavis and Butthead movie that is over a decade old. Turner and Hootch anyone? Sure, you can access a much better selection of content from Amazon, if you are willing to pay a la carte. It is sometimes slightly less expensive than iTunes, offers the convenience of streaming, but has lesser quality. One major reason iTunes does not offer streaming is that it is difficult to get high frame rates. HD resolution is one thing. 30fps is another. Why buy an HDTV only to watch jittery video? I have compared iTunes content to Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon -- all the same show. iTunes is clearly the best picture. The last time I rented a movie from Amazon, it was a disaster of stuttering, low resolution video, and my internet connection was fine (tested it on SpeedTest). I'm not going to pay for crap.
I am downloading Season 5 of Breaking Bad from iTunes right now. It is dead slow. I would rather watch it with quality than save a few bucks and have it "now". I only watch 1-2 hours of TV in the late evening. Breaking Bad season 5 in HD is actually slightly more expensive on Amazon. The annoying thing is they don't show you the price. They say the season pass is 5% less than buying each HD episode and have a link to buy it with one click. Lame. So I did the math -- it costs 74 cents more than iTunes, but has lesser quality. That's why they don't show the price. Most people won't do the math and may assume Amazon is cheaper than iTunes, because in general it is. Cheap trick. The only advantage to Amazon is that you can watch it right away, at the expense of quality.
Amazon's content is great if you have a Kindle Fire, as there are fewer options than the Apple ecosystem. For me, Amazon is not a compelling selection. I also rarely buy from iTunes. Netflix Streaming + DVD and Hulu Plus pretty much covers it all. If I really like something and want it right away, I buy it from iTunes.
It's always nice to have options. I deleted the Amazon Instant Video app. Without proper AirPlay support it is useless. I don't really watch content on my iPad. It wasn't worth the space on my iPad!
You can rent or buy content from Amazon, but you have to do it through their site. They don't want to pay 30% to Apple. I don't think they can afford it -- they would lose money. It makes for a much more cumbersome user experience. I personally don't like the way Amazon sells some things. Look at Breaking Bad Season 5 -- they don't even show a price for the season pass. Do the math, and you'll find it costs more than iTunes. Probably why they don't post the price, but make it a word problem. Bad user experience, all around... I have been an Amazon customer for about a decade, and even have their credit card. I am not an Amazon hater. That said, I think sometimes they resort to cheap tricks. It is reasonable to be informed of the price of a purchase, without having to do the math yourself. Why do you think they didn't implement proper AirPlay support? It would make the Kindle Fire appear to be inferior, and if an iPad Mini is released, the Kindle Fire will be kindling...
I mean, even the PBS app has proper AirPlay support. NPR Music has proper AirPlay support (you can watch full length concerts on your TV!). So Amazon, this super huge mega corp, can't implement AirPlay properly?
iOS users, just as an aside, there is a plethora of free content for the Apple ecosystem. I am probably preaching to the choir, but Comedy Central, Adult Swim, PBS, TV.com, and many more have apps that let you watch free content (with ads) and AirPlay it onto your AirPlay receiver (be it an Apple TV or an AV receiver that supports AirPlay, which is a standard, just like Podcasts). The PBS app, in particular, is pretty awesome. The video is not HD, but you can watch quite a lot of PBS content via AirPlay, including the PBS NewsHour, which is updated every day on the PBS app.
The way I see it, iOS users are swimming in content. Amazon's offering brings nothing new to the table, and it was delivered late and with inferior quality. I deleted the app. Not worth the space...
It partially supports AirPlay. The app has an AirPlay icon, but when you tap it, it is audio only. You can do AirPlay screen mirroring, but you only get 4:3 aspect ratio (not widescreen) and the video stutters when there are key-frame transitions (an edit from one scene to another). I wrote a review of it, if you are interested. The long and short of it -- given what iOS/Apple users already have, and our expectations to be able to watch content on an HDTV, the Amazon app is minor league. I deleted it.
In the wake of Hulu Plus being released for Apple TV, and the fact that they vastly improved their iPad app (with a really cool AirPlay mirroring "split screen" implementation), the Amazon app seems inept. Late to the game with inferior quality...
Netflix + Hulu + iTunes have all the bases covered with major league quality. Amazon shows up with a minor league app, and spits chaw all over their cleats...
Netflix, in particular, has vastly improved over the past year. I cancelled it a while back, as I had seen everything that was good, and the quality was lacking. The streaming would pause, stutter, etc. I signed up for Netflix streaming a few months ago, because they had season 6 of "Peep Show" (an awesome British comedy series), and when I saw how much better they had become, I kept the membership. I have oodles of content lined up on my queue. Out of all the content providers, I'd say Netflix is the best. Hulu Plus is a great way to save money if you want to watch recent TV shows, albeit with a 1-7 day delay and commercials. For everything else, iTunes fills the gap. I would never use iTunes on it's own, as it is expensive. But I often buy seasons of the premium cable shows, such as Breaking Bad. As I have cancelled cable, buying a season of Breaking Bad in HD quality for $22 is a great deal!
The Kindle app is great. It works well enough and the titles are cheaper. It is not as pretty as iBooks. I'm sure this is old news for most, but Apple was caught red-handed, colluding with publishers to fix prices on e-books. The price of iBooks was so expensive (as much as the physical book) that I naturally went with Kindle.
I'm not an Amazon hater. I even have an Amazon credit card. I use the Kindle app for my e-books. I just think their Instant Video app fell short and isn't worthy of the storage space... I mean, come on... PBS and NPR have better media apps than Amazon. I would consider this app an epic fail, given the competition.
When the Kindle e-reader came out, my gut reaction (which I still believe) is that it is silly to have a tablet dedicated to reading. Computers are general purpose machines. I would never buy a Kindle, and the Kindle Fire is too locked down (even compared to an iPad!) and limited to appeal to me. Sure enough, my iPad can do e-books, video games, create music (GarageBand, Music Studio), create video, yadda yadda. It is a general purpose machine, as computers are intended to be. That's what I learned in CS101 in college. Sure, a computer can't do everything, but one thing that separates a computer from a TV or DVD player, is that it can do many things... If you look at all the game consoles, they figured that out too. They can surf the web, play music, play video... Even the newer TVs and disc players have converged with computing technology.
The original Kindle tablet, albeit with a really cool e-ink display, never made sense to me. E-readers don't make sense. The Amazon advertising that shows people struggling to view their iPad in sunlight is bogus. That's all they got going for them -- an e-ink display. Sure, the Kindle looks better in sunlight, but if you crank the brightness on your iPad it will do fine. Now try writing a multitrack song on your Kindle...
Comments
Seems to work fine, from the short test I gave it. I played the first few minutes of the pilot of "Pretty Little Liars" (SHUT UP! I like that show!), and the quality was ok, it buffered fairly quickly.
But like I said, I already have Netflix streaming, and the two offer basically the same stuff with few differences, so it is somewhat redundant. But I'll hang it to it, just in case.
AirPlay not working doesn't really bother me, since my 27" iMac is in the same room as my TV. What I REALLY don't get it is why AirPlay doesn't work with HBO GO. But that's a different discussion.
It does NOT support AirPlay.
Yep... I agree. I could see Amazon failing to release an Apple TV app (although, from what I understand, this is much more selective and closed than the App Store). I wrote a review for the Amazon Instant Video app for iPad. I don't think very much of it. As we all have noticed, it doesn't have proper AirPlay support. You can either AirPlay the audio or do screen mirroring with 4:3 aspect ratio. Given the myriad choices for content that the Apple ecosystem offers, this Amazon app is not compelling. It's like they are trying to play in the major leagues with a minor league product. Even Comedy Central, Adult Swim, and PBS app fully support AirPlay. Amazon is a huge company with a lot of money. They can hire talented developers. My suspicion is they did this so the iPad will not outshine the Kindle, especially given that an iPad Mini is likely.
iOS is not starved for content. The Amazon Prime offerings are ridiculous -- stuff like "Superstar" and the Beavis and Butthead movie that is over a decade old. Turner and Hootch anyone? Sure, you can access a much better selection of content from Amazon, if you are willing to pay a la carte. It is sometimes slightly less expensive than iTunes, offers the convenience of streaming, but has lesser quality. One major reason iTunes does not offer streaming is that it is difficult to get high frame rates. HD resolution is one thing. 30fps is another. Why buy an HDTV only to watch jittery video? I have compared iTunes content to Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon -- all the same show. iTunes is clearly the best picture. The last time I rented a movie from Amazon, it was a disaster of stuttering, low resolution video, and my internet connection was fine (tested it on SpeedTest). I'm not going to pay for crap.
I am downloading Season 5 of Breaking Bad from iTunes right now. It is dead slow. I would rather watch it with quality than save a few bucks and have it "now". I only watch 1-2 hours of TV in the late evening. Breaking Bad season 5 in HD is actually slightly more expensive on Amazon. The annoying thing is they don't show you the price. They say the season pass is 5% less than buying each HD episode and have a link to buy it with one click. Lame. So I did the math -- it costs 74 cents more than iTunes, but has lesser quality. That's why they don't show the price. Most people won't do the math and may assume Amazon is cheaper than iTunes, because in general it is. Cheap trick. The only advantage to Amazon is that you can watch it right away, at the expense of quality.
Amazon's content is great if you have a Kindle Fire, as there are fewer options than the Apple ecosystem. For me, Amazon is not a compelling selection. I also rarely buy from iTunes. Netflix Streaming + DVD and Hulu Plus pretty much covers it all. If I really like something and want it right away, I buy it from iTunes.
It's always nice to have options. I deleted the Amazon Instant Video app. Without proper AirPlay support it is useless. I don't really watch content on my iPad. It wasn't worth the space on my iPad!
You can rent or buy content from Amazon, but you have to do it through their site. They don't want to pay 30% to Apple. I don't think they can afford it -- they would lose money. It makes for a much more cumbersome user experience. I personally don't like the way Amazon sells some things. Look at Breaking Bad Season 5 -- they don't even show a price for the season pass. Do the math, and you'll find it costs more than iTunes. Probably why they don't post the price, but make it a word problem. Bad user experience, all around... I have been an Amazon customer for about a decade, and even have their credit card. I am not an Amazon hater. That said, I think sometimes they resort to cheap tricks. It is reasonable to be informed of the price of a purchase, without having to do the math yourself. Why do you think they didn't implement proper AirPlay support? It would make the Kindle Fire appear to be inferior, and if an iPad Mini is released, the Kindle Fire will be kindling...
I mean, even the PBS app has proper AirPlay support. NPR Music has proper AirPlay support (you can watch full length concerts on your TV!). So Amazon, this super huge mega corp, can't implement AirPlay properly?
iOS users, just as an aside, there is a plethora of free content for the Apple ecosystem. I am probably preaching to the choir, but Comedy Central, Adult Swim, PBS, TV.com, and many more have apps that let you watch free content (with ads) and AirPlay it onto your AirPlay receiver (be it an Apple TV or an AV receiver that supports AirPlay, which is a standard, just like Podcasts). The PBS app, in particular, is pretty awesome. The video is not HD, but you can watch quite a lot of PBS content via AirPlay, including the PBS NewsHour, which is updated every day on the PBS app.
The way I see it, iOS users are swimming in content. Amazon's offering brings nothing new to the table, and it was delivered late and with inferior quality. I deleted the app. Not worth the space...
It partially supports AirPlay. The app has an AirPlay icon, but when you tap it, it is audio only. You can do AirPlay screen mirroring, but you only get 4:3 aspect ratio (not widescreen) and the video stutters when there are key-frame transitions (an edit from one scene to another). I wrote a review of it, if you are interested. The long and short of it -- given what iOS/Apple users already have, and our expectations to be able to watch content on an HDTV, the Amazon app is minor league. I deleted it.
In the wake of Hulu Plus being released for Apple TV, and the fact that they vastly improved their iPad app (with a really cool AirPlay mirroring "split screen" implementation), the Amazon app seems inept. Late to the game with inferior quality...
Netflix + Hulu + iTunes have all the bases covered with major league quality. Amazon shows up with a minor league app, and spits chaw all over their cleats...
Netflix, in particular, has vastly improved over the past year. I cancelled it a while back, as I had seen everything that was good, and the quality was lacking. The streaming would pause, stutter, etc. I signed up for Netflix streaming a few months ago, because they had season 6 of "Peep Show" (an awesome British comedy series), and when I saw how much better they had become, I kept the membership. I have oodles of content lined up on my queue. Out of all the content providers, I'd say Netflix is the best. Hulu Plus is a great way to save money if you want to watch recent TV shows, albeit with a 1-7 day delay and commercials. For everything else, iTunes fills the gap. I would never use iTunes on it's own, as it is expensive. But I often buy seasons of the premium cable shows, such as Breaking Bad. As I have cancelled cable, buying a season of Breaking Bad in HD quality for $22 is a great deal!
The Kindle app is great. It works well enough and the titles are cheaper. It is not as pretty as iBooks. I'm sure this is old news for most, but Apple was caught red-handed, colluding with publishers to fix prices on e-books. The price of iBooks was so expensive (as much as the physical book) that I naturally went with Kindle.
I'm not an Amazon hater. I even have an Amazon credit card. I use the Kindle app for my e-books. I just think their Instant Video app fell short and isn't worthy of the storage space... I mean, come on... PBS and NPR have better media apps than Amazon. I would consider this app an epic fail, given the competition.
When the Kindle e-reader came out, my gut reaction (which I still believe) is that it is silly to have a tablet dedicated to reading. Computers are general purpose machines. I would never buy a Kindle, and the Kindle Fire is too locked down (even compared to an iPad!) and limited to appeal to me. Sure enough, my iPad can do e-books, video games, create music (GarageBand, Music Studio), create video, yadda yadda. It is a general purpose machine, as computers are intended to be. That's what I learned in CS101 in college. Sure, a computer can't do everything, but one thing that separates a computer from a TV or DVD player, is that it can do many things... If you look at all the game consoles, they figured that out too. They can surf the web, play music, play video... Even the newer TVs and disc players have converged with computing technology.
The original Kindle tablet, albeit with a really cool e-ink display, never made sense to me. E-readers don't make sense. The Amazon advertising that shows people struggling to view their iPad in sunlight is bogus. That's all they got going for them -- an e-ink display. Sure, the Kindle looks better in sunlight, but if you crank the brightness on your iPad it will do fine. Now try writing a multitrack song on your Kindle...
Originally Posted by Apple Dystopia
…Apple was caught red-handed, colluding with publishers to fix prices on e-books.
Gonna have to stop your website spam right there. Not what happened.
Actually, it is what happened...