Amazon launches unlimited video streaming service for Prime customers

By Aemon Malone February 22, 2011

Amazon announced today that it has begun offering members of Amazon Prime access to instant video streaming of more than 5,000 movies and TV shows.

Subscribers who pay the $79 annual Amazon Prime subscription fee will get access to unlimited, commercial-free streaming at no additional costs, the Seattle-based retailer said in a press release. Amazon Prime already provides subscribers with free two-day shipping.

Amazon specifically mentioned some titles among the 5,000 available, including “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” trilogy, “Amadeus,” “Syriana,” and “Chariots of Fire.”

An Amazon video streaming service that would compete with Netflix has been anticipated for sometime, but until today it wasn’t clear how the program would be implemented. So far, it sounds like a good deal for consumers. Netflix offers a streaming-only plan for $7.99 a month — or just under $96.00 a year. Amazon’s Prime $79 annual membership is cheaper, and also includes free two-day shipping for most of Amazon’s retail products.

As far as number of titles available, it looks like Netflix may have the upper-hand — but it’s not clear by exactly how much. Netflix doesn’t disclose just how many titles it has available for streaming, but at least one analyst cited in a report by MarketWatch estimates that the total is somewhere in the neighborhood of 20,000 — four times as many as Amazon is currently offering.

Apple, Hulu, Google are some of the companies competing for a share of the Netflix-dominated video streaming market. Last week, Redbox announced that it was looking for a partner to help deliver its own instant video streaming service. At the time, Amazon was rumored to be a likely candidate for a Redbox partnership.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Deals

The Eero Pro Wi-Fi system is $200 off in early Amazon Prime Day deal

amazon prime members get early day deal on eero pro wifi system 23c7d375cdff1a4d95cf656360f8a456

Amazon Prime Day is finally upon us, and early access deals and exclusive offers for Amazon Prime members are already trickling in. Sure, smartphones, laptops, and speakers will likely be the hottest products in Amazon’s annual midsummer savings event, but there are plenty of other electronics bargains worth your attention. Now, Amazon Prime members only can secure an early Prime Day deal on a mesh network wireless router, with the Eero Pro Wi-Fi system now just $299, down from its original $499. Prime membership certainly has its perks, and early access to deals like this is a prime example.

Wireless routers are not the sexiest piece of tech in most homes. In fact, many owners may not even know how to set one up. But, an iffy Wi-Fi connection is unacceptable in 2019, so if yours is subpar, then a new wireless router might be your best bet. Digital Trends declared the Eero Pro to be the best home router kit of 2019, for its impressive combination of capabilities and range. With three Eero Pros included in the Prime Day deal, your new Eero system replaces a traditional Wi-Fi router, Wi-Fi extender, and internet booster, bringing fast and reliable coverage to spaces as large as a five-bedroom home. The second-generation Eero Pro is twice as fast as its predecessor and can be easily installed in minutes, and managed via mobile app. Best of all, the Eero Pro updates automatically once a month, ensuring you always have the latest upgrades.

Deals

Microsoft Surface Pro 6 gets $174 discount in advance of Amazon Prime Day

microsoft surface pro 6 review 3

It’s been nearly seven years since Microsoft released the first tablet in its Surface series, to generally less-than-stellar reviews. In the years since Microsoft has become a hardware heavyweight when it comes to mobile computing, and the Surface series remains the backbone of the brand’s offerings.

While it may not yet boast the popularity of the seemingly ubiquitous Apple iPad Pro, the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 is one of our favorite 2-in-1 laptops available right now. Now, ahead of Amazon Prime Day, the
Microsoft Surface Pro 6 can be yours for just $725,
saving you $174 on the original price. Your Prime Day wish list is likely long enough already, so secure these savings now, and leave yourself one less thing to shop for come July 15.

Computing

This Razer 27-inch QHD gaming monitor just got a massive discount

Playing a game on the Razer Raptor gaming monitor.

Razer has a reputation for making some of the best gaming laptops and peripherals on the market and is often viewed as the high-end equivalent of the gaming market, in the same vein as Apple or Mercedes. What you may not know is that Razer also makes high-end gaming monitors, and the Razer Raptor 27 is an excellent example of it, as it has a lot of great features under the hood that any gamer would love. While it usually comes at the steep cost of $800, Razer is offering a massive discount on it of %50, meaning you can grab the Raptor 27 for just $400, which is a steal.

Why you should buy the Razer Raptor 27
Right off the bat, one of the things that let the Raptor 27 compete with the best gaming monitors is the impressive 165Hz refresh rate at 1440p resolution. That means you get a lot of room to adjust whether you want a higher resolution for single-layer games or a higher refresh rate for multiplayer and action-packed games where each frame counts. Or, if you have one of the best GPUs right now, such as the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, you can easily push both the refresh rate and resolution to their limits, even on the highest graphical settings.