STREAMING GUIDE
MAKE THE MOST OF AMAZON PRIME
THE BATTLE FOR viewers continues in what is becoming an increasingly competitive industry. Subscriptions to video streaming platforms continue to grow at a rapid rate, with services working hard to regularly provide new content able to be watched instantly from any device. As one of the biggest tech companies in the world, it may not be surprising then to learn that Amazon has a video streaming platform of its own. Prime Video launched in the United States in 2011, but it wasn’t until December 2016 that the service expanded to over 200 countries including Australia. Now two years later Prime Video has reached 600,000 Australian subscribers and continues to rise. While that number may be less than the likes of Stan or Netflix, it’s Amazon’s collection of original shows that make it a worthwhile contender in the streaming stakes. Whether Amazon Prime Video is for you will depend on what you enjoy watching – for some it may be only video service worth paying for. In this guide we’ll run through the steps to setting up an account before showing you how to stream through Amazon’s many hours of content.
THE BASICS
ANOTHER STREAMING SERVICE? With every new video platform comes the question of whether it’s worth adding to your streaming toolkit. Let us start by saying that while Amazon Prime Video may have less to offer when compared with the likes of Netflix, there’s still plenty to rave about. Starting with its back catalogue, Prime Video offers TV classics such as Seinfeld,
Parks & Recreation and 30 Rock along with more recent shows like This is Us and The Night Manager. There’s also plenty of films on the platform with titles such as 50 First Dates, Men in Black and Venom. The other big drawcard is Prime’s growing collection of Amazon Original series, including the TV thriller Homecoming starring Julia Roberts, action drama Jack Ryan and the (unofficial) Top Gear spinoff The Grand Tour. This combined with a price point lower than competitors means Prime Video is definitely worth your consideration when it comes to choosing something to watch.
THE COST. While streaming services may be similar when it comes to features, what makes Prime Video really stand out is its low subscription price. While plans on Stan and Netflix start at $9.95, signing up to Amazon Prime Video costs just $6.99 per month. And not only does a Prime subscription give you access to unlimited on-demand video streaming, you also get additional benefits across Amazon’s larger range of services including books, music and shopping – we’ll talk more about this later. GETTING STARTED. To begin, visit www. primevideo.com/ and select the option to start a 30-day free trial. The beauty of Prime Video is that you can use your existing Amazon account. Once logged in, you’ll be asked to add a credit card to be charged at the end of your trial. Like other streaming services, you can cancel at any time before the 30 days is up and not pay a cent. Don’t forget to download the Amazon Prime app for your smartphone or tablet.
BROWSING. To get an idea of what’s on offer, you’ll want to start by visiting the Prime Video homepage. It’s here that you can scroll through a range of categories to see recently added and trending programs, along with genres ranging from romantic comedies to thrillers. At the top of the page are options for filtering Prime’s catalogue to just TV, films, or shows that are child-friendly. After finding a program you like, click on its tile to see a synopsis, cast and trailer. Also handy is the ability to view IMDb ratings – useful for deciding whether something is actually worth watching.
STEP IT UP A LEVEL
SEARCH. If you’re on the hunt for a particular show or film, then you’ll want to make use of the search tool. Located in the top-right corner of your browser, like other services you can search for a program or genre, plus look for shows featuring a particular actor or actress.
WATCHLIST. As you browse the Prime catalogue you can add programs to a personal watchlist that can be accessed from all your devices. Simply hover over a program’s tile and select Add to Watchlist. To access your watchlist, click your profile icon in the top-right corner of your browser.
X-RAY. One of the more unique features of Prime is its ability to pull information from IMDb directly onto the now playing screen. Available for select shows and films, a small box will appear alongside the playback controls showing things like the cast, soundtrack and trivia. On the iPhone app you can even shift back and forth between scenes.
DOWNLOADS. Don’t let a lack of Wi-Fi ruin your streaming experience. Prime Video lets you download select shows to your device for watching without an internet connection. To save content to your Android or iOS smartphone, simply tap the download icon displayed on a film’s synopsis page. For TV shows you can choose to download individual episodes or an entire season. This feature is especially great for avid phone users with a limited data plan.
KIDS. While there’s plenty of content to keep you entertained, it’s also great for the littler ones in your household. Accessed from the top of any page, the kids section offers a wide range of programs for children, with popular shows such as Spongebob Squarepants, films like Despicable Me, plus a collection of Amazon Original series. AUTOPLAY. A key feature of any streaming service is the ability to watch entire seasons of
shows in one sitting. Thanks to Prime’s auto play feature, you don’t need to leave the comfort of your couch. Accessed from the settings screen of your browser or app, enabling auto play means the next episode of a show will automatically begin playing once the current one ends – it’s a binge-watcher’s dream.
GOING PRO
4K STREAMING. While UltraHD streaming is limited to the most expensive plans on both Stan and Netflix, Amazon Prime gives all of its users the ability to watch select shows and films in 4K. That being said, the number of supported devices is limited to select Samsung, Sony and LG smart TVs.
MOBILE DATA. It’s important to remember that unlimited streaming doesn’t necessarily equal unlimited data. In fact, watching a film over 4G can very quickly use up your phone plan’s data inclusion. Luckily in the settings section of the app you can adjust the video quality, plus restrict streaming to Wi-Fi only.
SIMULTANEOUS VIEWING. One feature that Amazon Prime Video lacks is the ability to set up multiple profiles for different users. That being said, Amazon does let you simultaneously watch up to three different titles at any one time – a feature not available on the most basic plans of Stan or Netflix.
SUBTITLES. In addition to enabling subtitles for a program (just tap the text icon on the now playing screen), you can also adjust its size, background and colour in order to improve visibility. Some programs also feature audio description narrations which you can enable from the same menu.
RESTRICTIONS. Readers with younger viewers will likely want to set up restrictions to limit what can be watched. If enabled, any attempts to stream something beyond your chosen age range will require a pin. To set it up, click your profile icon in the top-right corner of your browser and select Account & Settings. In addition to a pin, iPhone users can also choose to use a fingerprint.
PRIME BENEFITS. As mentioned earlier, subscribers to Amazon Prime get a range of benefits that go beyond video streaming. For example, subscribers can get free two-day delivery on locally stocked products and free standard delivery on international orders over $49. Users with a Kindle e-reader will also benefit from free access to a regularly updated collection of over 1,000 e-books. Last but not least, a prime subscription gives you the ability to stream over two million songs from Amazon’s online music service.