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Is Amazon Prime streaming only?
mhstevej
Posts: 41 Forum Member
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Hi,
I'm a download/streaming newbie, so apologies for what might be a simple question.
I am considering going for Amazon Prime Video (yes, tempted by The Grand Tour), but I'm concerned over our broadband speed. We only get just over 1.5Mb/s, so what I'd like to check is, is the Amazon system streaming only, or can you download to a PC for future watching.
If it is streaming only, then what chance do we have of it working satisfactorily with our download speed.
And secondly - can you stream and/or download the same program to different devices - eg, a Fire TV stick plugged in to a TV, and then also to a laptop.
Thanks.
I'm a download/streaming newbie, so apologies for what might be a simple question.
I am considering going for Amazon Prime Video (yes, tempted by The Grand Tour), but I'm concerned over our broadband speed. We only get just over 1.5Mb/s, so what I'd like to check is, is the Amazon system streaming only, or can you download to a PC for future watching.
If it is streaming only, then what chance do we have of it working satisfactorily with our download speed.
And secondly - can you stream and/or download the same program to different devices - eg, a Fire TV stick plugged in to a TV, and then also to a laptop.
Thanks.
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Comments
3mb and over for anything streaming in HD.
I do use Netflix but I have fibre broadband with BT as well as BT TV.
I still know a few friends from mums side of the family that stay a mile or so from Falkirk and they struggle to watch anything streamed in HD with a 2.5mb download speed but they can watch streamed SD stuff almost fine.
Darren
Some content can be downloaded to a mobile device for off air viewing. You can use two devices at the same time on the same account. My grandson watches different content at the same time on his smart TV as I do. You can watch the same programme as many times as you want.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201460820
You can try it out for free.
I am not sure if the downloaded content can be casted to a TV via Chromecast or Apple TV, perhaps if someone knows this, then pass it on. (I won't be able to check until next week myself). But if this is the case, then you will be pretty much set.
If it did work with Chromecast, you could get yourself a cheap chromecast stick, download the shows onto your mobile device, then easily send them (wirelessly) to the big screen to watch in all their glory.
I'm concerned over your broadband speed (is 1.5mb even considered broadband?) Why is it so slow? I presume you are somewhere rather remote. If you live in a city with 1.5mb, perhaps there is another way to find something better?
Of note, the BBC iPlayer also allows offline downloads and that can be casted to your TV as well. All 4 have offline downloads, but I believe they block casting for licensing reasons.
What speed do the online checkers say you should expect?
You can't
It doesn't.
All4 has supported Chromecast for the best part of a year now...
If you do decide to go for Prime try holding off until Black Friday in a couple of week’s time because you may, and I say may, get an offer for a year’s Prime for £59.
It’s was what I was going to do but after a couple of months after cancelation of my then current Prime they gave me the discount anyway so I signed up again.
Are you saying that All4 begun casting downloaded content? I tried this a couple of months ago, and both AirPlay and Chromecast was blocked for downloaded content, but only allowed for streaming. That's great news that they added casting for offline content.
Sorry misread your post, I don't know about downloaded content as I've never tried
For UHD, obv. But you know Amazon is adaptive right?
Yes. I get about 10-15 seconds in 1080p and then it switches to UHD.
What I don't know is that when Ofcom/Openreach etc say "95% of people can get superfast fibre broadband" whether they include people in our position, ie, connected to a fibred exchange but with rubbish copper. If so, then the government stats and promises are meaningless.
Back to my original question - thanks to all for your replies. Pity about not being able to download to a laptop. I've bought the Firestick and will sign up to the free trial of Prime, and see how it goes.
Ta, Steve
Keep an eye on AFTV news, it is very good at advance discounts on Amazon, also good for Fire TV users with news of software updates, issues, new apps and even third party apps that you can sideload.
http://www.aftvnews.com/
I'm in the same boat as you, connected to a fibre enabled exchange but live too far from it for BT/Openreach to be bothered to allow us to use Fibre. In the meantime I live with a crappy 1.5meg BB speeds.
I was wanting to sign up to Amazon prime for The Grand Tour, but have refrained as my internet is just too slow for Amazon Prime to work effectively.
Hopefully some nice people will make the shows available through other means, which I can then download and watch offline (fingers crossed)
Some Amazon Prime titles can be downloaded for off line viewing. I won't know till tomorrow if The Grand Tour is downloadable.
I am guessing it will be as it is an Amazon Original. The reason some titles can't be downloaded is because the original distributors want more money for this or have conflicting license agreements.
I'll know for sure when I get home tonight, but interestingly enough it seems that Amazon accidentally switched off their geoblocking making some Australians think it was launched in their country. They could sign up and begin streaming original content (but some report only original content) and this included the Grand Tour.
Who knows eh...
One odd thing with this that I’ve never come across before is the need to enter my purchasing PIN before the streaming starts. I’ve only got the PIN set so I can’t accidently buy something yet if a particular stream is free with Prime it does not asked for the PIN however this is free but asked for the PIN.
Thought I better add before anyone gets excited, when I said free I mean free to Prime subscribers.:)
Interesting as it is on my phone (iOS). I have successfully downloaded the first episode of the Grand Tour.
Just had another check to see if this has been updated and I’m now getting the download button on my tab and phone.
Perhaps when I tried it last Friday I was using the standard Amazon app as that seems to only allow streaming but the Amazon Video app also allows the downloading.
I learn something every day.:D
Episode 1 - watched using the FireStick on a weekday afternoon. Streamed OK, but had to be in HD (there's no way to "downgrade" to SD on the FireStick).
Episode 2 - watched on FireStick at our preferred time - Saturday evening. Problems with buffering (well, I assume it was buffering - the screen kept going black for about 30 seconds every 5 minutes or so and we had clearly lost a bit of the program each time it did so).
Episode 3 - watched Saturday evening streaming in SD to a laptop connected to TV. No problems with buffering, and the picture quality was acceptable.
In the absence of a "download to PC" option, which we could schedule for a non-busy time and do in HD, we'll stick with the stream to PC in SD route.
So - anyone want a second-hand FireStick...