Amazon slashes 4K video prices in apparent reaction to iTunes 4K deals

AppleInsider · September 25, 2017 7:21PM

Amazon has dramatically reduced the costs of 4K movies on Amazon Video, undercutting prices at Apple's iTunes for streaming on the Apple TV 4K.

Some titles on Amazon now cost as little as $5, though most are between $7 and $19. Thanks to deals with several movie studios, Apple is typically charging $19.99, an amount still below rivals like Walmart's Vudu.

Amazon was previously charging upwards of $30. The company has presumably negotiated its own agreements, since studios might otherwise protest given their terms with Apple.

Amazon has a smaller 4K selection than iTunes, and has temporarily stopped selling new Fire TV set-tops in advance of an anticipated refresh. The hardware already supports 4K, but Amazon may try and match the HDR (high dynamic range) compatibility found on devices like the Apple TV 4K, Chromecast Ultra, and recent Rokus. The new Apple TV is the only streamer of the group to support both Dolby Vision and HDR10.

The price cut could draw some people away from iTunes, especially given the imminent arrival of a native Amazon Video app for the Apple TV. While it missed the Apple TV 4K's launch on Sept. 22, the app could be appealing not just for individual prices but because people who have an Amazon Prime membership get some free movies as a perk.

eightzero · September 25, 2017 7:48PM

Score. Competition is good.

foggyhill · September 25, 2017 7:55PM

And they say Apple is the one taking people to the cleaner...

When Amazon has killed most of retail, you'll see how "good" Amazon is.

I already find they're worse than Alibaba/Aliexpress which is not even based around here on price

basically they're using their other services as enticement for not so hot prices.

ericthehalfbee · September 25, 2017 8:02PM

Ouch. Imagine people who bought Amazon movies in 4K and now see them at a much lower price.

I wonder if someone files a class action to get refunded? If it was Apple lawyers would be lining up.

gmgravytrain · September 25, 2017 8:35PM

foggyhill said:

And they say Apple is the one taking people to the cleaner...

When Amazon has killed most of retail, you'll see how "good" Amazon is.

I already find they're worse than Alibaba/Aliexpress which is not even based around here on price
basically they're using their other services as enticement for not so hot prices.

The reason why Amazon is so beloved by Wall Street's biggest investors is because it is a destroyer of companies. That's what matters most to the greedy big investors. They wouldn't care if every other retailer went out of business as long as Amazon share price continues to climb. However, it's always dangerous when one company devours all market share because then they can charge whatever they want without impunity. The Feds don't think Amazon is becoming a monopoly but it certainly looks like it's headed that way. Apple isn't close to becoming a monopoly because it's market share is practically insignificant. It shows by way of Apple's crappy P/E compared to rival companies and the constant worry about Apple's doom. Apple has no interest in taking all market share like some companies do. Apple stays with the high-end market share and that's about it. Anything Apple does, Jeff Bezos and Amazon will try to match or undercut Apple. Wall Street will say, "how wonderful." Amazon is taking on mighty Apple and beating it at it's own game. Apple has no intentions of getting into a price war with Amazon which is wise in the long run, but it makes Apple look bad to investors and the news media in the short haul. Little Amazon KOs mighty Apple in one punch. Amazon can lose money and still come out smelling like a freshly-bloomed rose to investors. Apple not so much.

StrangeDays · September 25, 2017 8:42PM

just release the damn Apple TV Prime viewer app already. i mean come on. it’s not that complicated, the ipad player already exists...wtf, amazon.

gtj333 · September 25, 2017 9:26PM

Any chance Amazon Prime app for AppleTV doesn't launch ? People have been known to announce things but change their minds later.....

Or, more like is it the case that Amazon wants to announce the app at their own event - where they will say that you can watch AMZ 4k video on Apple TV for $179 or $39 on Firestick.

fofer · September 25, 2017 9:27PM

sog35 said:

TOO. LATE.

Just be warned: there are reports that some 4k movies bought on iTunes have lost the 4k feature and are only 1080p now.

Someone bought Oblivion for $5 on iTunes with 4k. Couple days later it only plays 1080p.

Is it Apple's fault? Or the studio? Who knows.

Lesson is if you want to be 100% sure you still need to buy physical media.

Too. Soon. This is clearly a temporary glitch and 4K purchases will be restored to 4K playback soon.

hmurchison · September 25, 2017 9:34PM

ericthehalfbee said:

Ouch. Imagine people who bought Amazon movies in 4K and now see them at a much lower price.

I wonder if someone files a class action to get refunded? If it was Apple lawyers would be lining up.

Case would be dismissed. Every purchase comes with a defined return date. Once past that you have little recourse regarding price changes.

entropys · September 25, 2017 9:39PM

sog35 said:

TOO. LATE.

Just be warned: there are reports that some 4k movies bought on iTunes have lost the 4k feature and are only 1080p now.

Someone bought Oblivion for $5 on iTunes with 4k. Couple days later it only plays 1080p.

Is it Apple's fault? Or the studio? Who knows.

Lesson is if you want to be 100% sure you still need to buy physical media.

If you purchase a movie, you should physically download it to your computer rather than stream it each time. Then you have it in the format you paid for.

gilly33 · September 25, 2017 9:47PM

I’ll stick to streaming only on the Apple TV. Any movies I want I will get the Blu-ray format.

ireland · September 25, 2017 10:51PM

These prices explain piracy. Treat people fairly and they treat you fairly. Treat people like idiots and they won’t accept, nor should they. Like the FBI piracy stages on BDs. If you treat people like garbage you get what’s coming to you. The music industry regard steaming is leagues ahead of Hollywood in this regard. $5 per month for a student. That’s how you stop them stealing. Give them high quality content at the tips of their fingers at an enticing and fair value. This is why Netflix is where it’s at: fair monthly price without ads. Other players are trying to swim without arms. Apple has no clue what it’s doing in this regard. Apple should be Netflix right now. They were asleep at the wheel regarding where TV/Movie streaming has been headed for years. And they are asleep re Apple TV too. It should have a surperb first-party dedicated gaming controller with physical buttons—it should be considered a great console by the average consumer. It should offer a Netflix like plan. The hardware should be priced far less. And it should have a decent regular remote. Tone deaf. The UI is pretty decent, but the UI is only one leg on a very wobbly stool. Where Apple TV is at now it should have been at 5 years ago. It should be 5 years along from where it is now with all the obvious areas where it falls well short sewn up.

eightzero · September 25, 2017 10:52PM

entropys said:

sog35 said:

TOO. LATE.

Just be warned: there are reports that some 4k movies bought on iTunes have lost the 4k feature and are only 1080p now.

Someone bought Oblivion for $5 on iTunes with 4k. Couple days later it only plays 1080p.

Is it Apple's fault? Or the studio? Who knows.

Lesson is if you want to be 100% sure you still need to buy physical media.

If you purchase a movie, you should physically download it to your computer rather than stream it each time. Then you have it in the format you paid for.

ATV4k does not support that. Stream only.

sirlance99 · September 25, 2017 11:09PM

entropys said:

sog35 said:

TOO. LATE.

Just be warned: there are reports that some 4k movies bought on iTunes have lost the 4k feature and are only 1080p now.

Someone bought Oblivion for $5 on iTunes with 4k. Couple days later it only plays 1080p.

Is it Apple's fault? Or the studio? Who knows.

Lesson is if you want to be 100% sure you still need to buy physical media.

If you purchase a movie, you should physically download it to your computer rather than stream it each time. Then you have it in the format you paid for.

Can’t download 4K

jbdragon · September 25, 2017 11:54PM

StrangeDays said:

just release the damn Apple TV Prime viewer app already. i mean come on. it’s not that complicated, the ipad player already exists...wtf, amazon.

You can AirPlay at least to the Apple TV, even to the AppleTV 3 if you want. Which even when Amazon releases their App it still won't be on the AppleTV3. AirPlaying is really what people are doing when using a Chromecast as there's no interface on that device, let alone native app's. At least it's a option.

lorin schultz · September 26, 2017 10:44AM

entropys said:
If you purchase a movie, you should physically download it to your computer rather than stream it each time. Then you have it in the format you paid for.

Try that with a 4K movie purchased from the iTunes Store and let us know how it works out.

SPOILER ALERT!

The movie will stream in 4K, but the download will be 1080. Apparently it's not a glitch, it's on purpose. Why? Your guess is as good as anyone else's.

lorin schultz · September 26, 2017 11:06AM

ireland said:

These prices explain piracy. Treat people fairly and they treat you fairly. Treat people like idiots and they won’t accept, nor should they. Like the FBI piracy stages on BDs. If you treat people like garbage you get what’s coming to you. The music industry regard steaming is leagues ahead of Hollywood in this regard. $5 per month for a student. That’s how you stop them stealing. Give them high quality content at the tips of their fingers at an enticing and fair value. This is why Netflix is where it’s at: fair monthly price without ads. Other players are trying to swim without arms. Apple has no clue what it’s doing in this regard. Apple should be Netflix right now. They were asleep at the wheel regarding where TV/Movie streaming has been headed for years. And they are asleep re Apple TV too. It should have a surperb first-party dedicated gaming controller with physical buttons—it should be considered a great console by the average consumer. It should offer a Netflix like plan. The hardware should be priced far less. And it should have a decent regular remote. Tone deaf. The UI is pretty decent, but the UI is only one leg on a very wobbly stool. Where Apple TV is at now it should have been at 5 years ago. It should be 5 years along from where it is now with all the obvious areas where it falls well short sewn up.

I don't WANT streaming. I want to purchase and store my content locally.

Partly because of "collector syndrome." I like knowing that what I paid for is accessible.

Partly because I want access to my content without an internet connection -- with blocked ports on the WiFi at work, complete absence of signal on the public transit system, and the painfully high cost of LTE data, streaming is neither convenient nor affordable. Even if I could get a signal on the train, my viewing there would chew through my entire data plan in a week. With locally stored content I can watch as much as I want without incurring huge bills.

Partly because Netflix has let me down. Twice I've started watching something, gone away, and when I came back it was no longer available (expired license agreement maybe?). Not a big deal with a movie, but it's annoying when it's a TV series. I don't want to be dependent on someone else for availability. If I buy and download, I know it'll be there when I want to watch.

What's bugging me is the PRICE of content on the iTunes Store compared to buying physical media. I don't get why it costs anywhere from half-again to twice as much through iTunes. Is that Apple's doing or are the studios cashing in?

airnerd · September 26, 2017 2:02PM

foggyhill said:

And they say Apple is the one taking people to the cleaner...

When Amazon has killed most of retail, you'll see how "good" Amazon is.

I already find they're worse than Alibaba/Aliexpress which is not even based around here on price
basically they're using their other services as enticement for not so hot prices.

Of course Amazon is going to be worse on price than the Chinese competitors. For one it won't take a month for the product to arrive, and when it does it will be authentic and not some knockoff.

mac_128 · September 26, 2017 2:57PM

jbdragon said:

StrangeDays said:

just release the damn Apple TV Prime viewer app already. i mean come on. it’s not that complicated, the ipad player already exists...wtf, amazon.

You can AirPlay at least to the Apple TV, even to the AppleTV 3 if you want. Which even when Amazon releases their App it still won't be on the AppleTV3. AirPlaying is really what people are doing when using a Chromecast as there's no interface on that device, let alone native app's. At least it's a option.

Do we know for a fact that Amazon won't include TV 3 support? I think it's highly unlikely but haven't heard anything official one way or the other ...

mac_128 · September 26, 2017 3:03PM

eightzero said:

entropys said:

sog35 said:

TOO. LATE.

Just be warned: there are reports that some 4k movies bought on iTunes have lost the 4k feature and are only 1080p now.

Someone bought Oblivion for $5 on iTunes with 4k. Couple days later it only plays 1080p.

Is it Apple's fault? Or the studio? Who knows.

Lesson is if you want to be 100% sure you still need to buy physical media.

If you purchase a movie, you should physically download it to your computer rather than stream it each time. Then you have it in the format you paid for.

ATV4k does not support that. Stream only.

TV doesn't appear to support 4K streaming via iTunes HomeSharing. At least it doesn't seem to support 4K movie files. I get the message that TV doesn't support the video type, even though in some cases the encoding is identical to the 4K files shot on my iPhone, which it does play, but they don't look like their 4K at all. And since there's no way to determine the native resolution source, there's no way to check.

StrangeDays · September 26, 2017 4:31PM

ireland said:

These prices explain piracy. Treat people fairly and they treat you fairly. Treat people like idiots and they won’t accept, nor should they. Like the FBI piracy stages on BDs. If you treat people like garbage you get what’s coming to you. The music industry regard steaming is leagues ahead of Hollywood in this regard. $5 per month for a student. That’s how you stop them stealing. Give them high quality content at the tips of their fingers at an enticing and fair value. This is why Netflix is where it’s at: fair monthly price without ads. Other players are trying to swim without arms. Apple has no clue what it’s doing in this regard. Apple should be Netflix right now. They were asleep at the wheel regarding where TV/Movie streaming has been headed for years. And they are asleep re Apple TV too. It should have a surperb first-party dedicated gaming controller with physical buttons—it should be considered a great console by the average consumer. It should offer a Netflix like plan. The hardware should be priced far less. And it should have a decent regular remote. Tone deaf. The UI is pretty decent, but the UI is only one leg on a very wobbly stool. Where Apple TV is at now it should have been at 5 years ago. It should be 5 years along from where it is now with all the obvious areas where it falls well short sewn up.

Wait, why should Apple be Netflix? Apple makes insane profit selling hardware is its ecosystem. Netflix makes a smaller amount of money streaming content to anybody. Why does Apple need to be Netflix?

Amazon slashes 4K video prices in apparent reaction to iTunes 4K deals

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