Watch Out Netflix, Amazon Streaming Video to Prime Users

ageoffri writes "Amazon has announced that they will include streaming with a subscription to Amazon Prime. The free 2 day shipping on a huge selection of products either sold directly by Amazon or fulfilled by Amazon is already worth the Prime cost. Now add in streaming that works out to just under $7/month and it gets better. Sure the selection isn't that great yet but this has the ability to really change the streaming market!"

"Sure, the selection isn't great yet..."

[eln]

So it's basically Netflix, with the exact same shortcomings of Netflix. I'd gladly pay at least twice what Netflix currently charges for streaming if I could get their entire collection that way. Unfortunately, the content providers haven't yet pulled their heads out of their asses and figured out that digital distribution is the future, so we're still stuck waiting for DVDs in the mail for most reasonably modern and/or highly rated content.

As digital distribution becomes more ubiquitous, more and more people will turn to piracy unless the content providers start allowing more of their stuff to be streamed legally. Hopefully they'll figure that out instead of fighting streaming every step of the way.

works in linux

[Anonymous Coward]

Not only works in Linux, but it works *well* in Linux.

Netflix can eat it.

Re:We're Amazon!

[Omestes]

fast and cheap books

More expensive than a paperback isn't my definition of cheap.

Their 3rd parties are a mixed blessing, as well. 90% of the time they aren't cheaper than driving down to a used bookstore and grabbing it, once you factor in the very silly shipping prices. I had a $0.99 book shipped to my house, it had $3.99 shipping. Upon getting it I noticed it shipped from less than five miles away, about a 10 minute drive, and for that I waited a week. Last time I went to the used bookstore I cross-referenced Amazon prices, the used bookstore won every single time once shipping was accounted for.

On rarer books (more uncommon than anything) their prices can get ridiculous. I've found a couple books listed for +$100, for a ten year old trade paperback that most bookstores can still probably order for you.

Their shipping... oh lord. I just ordered some stuff from Amazon after using Newegg for most of my needs, I now realize that I am spoiled. I order some random bit of hardware from Newegg with free to $0.99 shipping and it comes to my door within three days, no matter what. I order the same thing from Amazon (not even a third party), with $4.00 shipping and it comes to my door in a week, if not more (and spends around 4 days in a warehouse for no reason), and generally in a beaten up box 18 sizes too large with nothing but an airbag for protection.

I do use Amazon, I'm even fond of them, but they aren't the greatest thing in the world, and they haven't done everything right. They actually are quite mediocre on several areas. They win because they are big, ubiquitous, and convenient.