WWDC 2018 takes place June 4 to June 8 in San Jose, California.
Hands-On With the New Amazon Prime Video App for Apple TV
The long-awaited Amazon Prime Video app for the Apple TV finally debuted today after a wait that spanned six months since it was first teased at WWDC.
Apple's set-top box is one of the last platforms to support the Amazon Prime Video app, which is now available on third, fourth, and fifth-generation Apple TV models. We spent the afternoon checking out the new app for a hands-on look at its feature set.
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If you've used the Amazon Prime Video app on an iOS device or on another platform like a console, the interface will be immediately familiar, organized into sections that include Originals, Movies, TV, Kids, Video Library, and more.
Content available from Amazon Prime Video includes TV shows like "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and movies like "The Big Sick," with Amazon adding new options on a regular basis. Amazon Prime Video requires an Amazon Prime subscription, priced at $99 per year or $10.99 per month.
Movies and TV shows in Amazon Prime Video can be added to your Watchlist, which is synced across all of your devices, and the Apple TV's Siri Remote can be used to search for Amazon content from within the app.
Universal Search is also supported, so Amazon Prime Video content will come up in systemwide searches on the Apple TV, and integration with Apple's dedicated TV app is included in countries where the TV app is supported, with access to Up Next syncing and content recommendations.
Integration with the TV app is nice, as is Universal Search, because both features let you access Amazon content without needing to use the Amazon Prime Video interface.
For the 4K Apple TV and supported television sets, supported Amazon Prime Video content plays in 4K HDR.
Amazon Prime Video for Apple TV is available in more than 100 countries, and it is also available on iOS devices. [Direct Link]
Apple's set-top box is one of the last platforms to support the Amazon Prime Video app, which is now available on third, fourth, and fifth-generation Apple TV models. We spent the afternoon checking out the new app for a hands-on look at its feature set.
If you've used the Amazon Prime Video app on an iOS device or on another platform like a console, the interface will be immediately familiar, organized into sections that include Originals, Movies, TV, Kids, Video Library, and more.
Content available from Amazon Prime Video includes TV shows like "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and movies like "The Big Sick," with Amazon adding new options on a regular basis. Amazon Prime Video requires an Amazon Prime subscription, priced at $99 per year or $10.99 per month.
Movies and TV shows in Amazon Prime Video can be added to your Watchlist, which is synced across all of your devices, and the Apple TV's Siri Remote can be used to search for Amazon content from within the app.
Universal Search is also supported, so Amazon Prime Video content will come up in systemwide searches on the Apple TV, and integration with Apple's dedicated TV app is included in countries where the TV app is supported, with access to Up Next syncing and content recommendations.
Integration with the TV app is nice, as is Universal Search, because both features let you access Amazon content without needing to use the Amazon Prime Video interface.
For the 4K Apple TV and supported television sets, supported Amazon Prime Video content plays in 4K HDR.
Amazon Prime Video for Apple TV is available in more than 100 countries, and it is also available on iOS devices. [Direct Link]
Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tag: Amazon Prime Video
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)
[ 168 comments ]
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25 weeks ago
A pretty pointless application for the Apple TV 4K given that the all modern 4K TV's have the ability to run the Amazon Prime Video application within their own OS anyways.
You've obviously never met an Apple fan. If it ain't coming through Apple hardware, it ain't coming through.:D
25 weeks ago
A pretty pointless application for the Apple TV 4K given that the all modern 4K TV's have the ability to run the Amazon Prime Video application within their own OS anyways.
Have one of those TVs. The UI sucks on mine. This will be a welcome way to avoid it. Maybe others aren’t as difficult.Also, this will put all my content in one place. Easier and more familiar.
25 weeks ago
A pretty pointless application for the Apple TV 4K given that the all modern 4K TV's have the ability to run the Amazon Prime Video application within their own OS anyways.
Have to disagree. It’s really convenient not to have to navigate to different devices for different content. My ATV is my media hub including all our own (via the Plex app) and I certainly don’t want to have to be changing inputs just for Amazon VOD. Your scenario might be fine if you use a smart TV for all your digital media, but in that case I suggest that an Apple TV itself is pointless. Even before 4K, the market was filled with smart TVs with built-in access to a host of video sources, but I don’t think an Apple TV, or any other set top box or stick, was pointless then. Just my opinion.
25 weeks ago
It has crap, no 5.1 audio, and you dont mention it.
Paid shill article...
You should be embarrassed.
[doublepost=1512606331][/doublepost]
The nice part about having this is that I don't need to switch inputs anymore. Luckily I don't care for HD audio.
No streaming services offer HD audio anyway, nor does the Apple TV itself. What are you even talking about?
25 weeks ago
A pretty pointless application for the Apple TV 4K given that the all modern 4K TV's have the ability to run the Amazon Prime Video application within their own OS anyways.
Right now almost all the content I watch comes through one input and using one box and one remote, the Apple TV. iTunes movies, Netflix, Vue, and HBO Now. The exception is Prime Video, which requires managing an additional device, switching inputs, and an additional remote.With this release, everything I watch is now consolidated and simplified into one input and one remote, that is outstanding. And props to Amazon for integrating with the TV app, I just wish Netflix and Vue would do the same.
25 weeks ago
It has crap, no 5.1 audio, and you dont mention it.
Paid shill article...
You should be embarrassed.
Paid shill article...
You should be embarrassed.
25 weeks ago
I'm having sound issues with Amazon Prime Video on Apple TV:
I streamed some programs just to test the app on my Apple TV 4K and found the sound quality to be inferior to streaming video from Netflix or HBO Go and the movies/TV shows from Apple iTunes.
To confirm this problem, I used my Denon receiver's on-screen reporting of incoming source audio. It showed that unlike all the other sources I mentioned, Amazon Prime is delivering only two-channel (left and right) audio compared to the 5 +1 channel Dolby Digital from the other sources.
I contacted Apple about this and they suggested I speak with Amazon about this problem. Amazon tech support claims the sound should be the same on the Apple TV app as it is on the Amazon Prime app for my LG TV. My own experience tells me that it isn't.
If you experience the same problem, let Apple and Amazon know. If you get full Dolby Digital 5.1 sound from the Amazon Prime app, I'd like to know, so I can ask Apple to help figure out why my Apple TV 4K doesn't deliver that quality from this specific app.
I streamed some programs just to test the app on my Apple TV 4K and found the sound quality to be inferior to streaming video from Netflix or HBO Go and the movies/TV shows from Apple iTunes.
To confirm this problem, I used my Denon receiver's on-screen reporting of incoming source audio. It showed that unlike all the other sources I mentioned, Amazon Prime is delivering only two-channel (left and right) audio compared to the 5 +1 channel Dolby Digital from the other sources.
I contacted Apple about this and they suggested I speak with Amazon about this problem. Amazon tech support claims the sound should be the same on the Apple TV app as it is on the Amazon Prime app for my LG TV. My own experience tells me that it isn't.
If you experience the same problem, let Apple and Amazon know. If you get full Dolby Digital 5.1 sound from the Amazon Prime app, I'd like to know, so I can ask Apple to help figure out why my Apple TV 4K doesn't deliver that quality from this specific app.
25 weeks ago
I'm having sound issues with Amazon Prime Video on Apple TV:
I streamed some programs just to test the app on my Apple TV 4K and found the sound quality to be inferior to streaming video from Netflix or HBO Go and the movies/TV shows from Apple iTunes.
To confirm this problem, I used my Denon receiver's on-screen reporting of incoming source audio. It showed that unlike all the other sources I mentioned, Amazon Prime is delivering only two-channel (left and right) audio compared to the 5 +1 channel Dolby Digital from the other sources.
I contacted Apple about this and they suggested I speak with Amazon about this problem. Amazon tech support claims the sound should be the same on the Apple TV app as it is on the Amazon Prime app for my LG TV. My own experience tells me that it isn't.
If you experience the same problem, let Apple and Amazon know. If you get full Dolby Digital 5.1 sound from the Amazon Prime app, I'd like to know, so I can ask Apple to help figure out why my Apple TV 4K doesn't deliver that quality from this specific app.
Yes, they are having issues at Amazon with the delivery of 5.1 audio. Nobody is getting 5.1 audio. Amazon just removed all the 5.1 audio information from the program descriptions in order to cover their butt's until they get this fixed. Who knows how long it will take them to fix the error. In the meantime, it is a useless app.
[doublepost=1512606638][/doublepost]
...you do realize that Amazon's tech specs for the app on the Apple TV state that it is supposed to have 5.1 audio, right? It isn't working and that is clearly just a bug of some sort. It wasn't something that was left out or some type of shortcoming. It will likely be corrected within the next few days. The app was only launched this morning. Nothing about that makes this a "paid shill" article. Calm down.
To be fair, this is supposed to be a "hands on" article and I too would have expected that they would call out that the actual experience is disappointing in that it currently does not deliver 5.1 audio. I would expect a 'hands on" article to walk me through the actual hands on experience.
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