Amazon Prime/Smart TV

[Sue]

I am vaguely considering getting a Smart TV. Or at least, a new TV. Probably not before Christmas though.

I am presently on an Amazon Prime free trial which I signed up to by mistake. If I'm not going to use it I need to cancel it PDQ.

Does anybody use Amazon Prime for videos etc and if so how does it compare to Netflix (for example)? I just had a quick look, and it seems you have to pay for movies on top of the monthly payment?

I don't watch many movies but would watch documentaries and some TV programmes.

Are there any other advantages of Amazon Prime (apart obviously from being tempted to buy loads of stuff you don't really need?) I'm not bothered about the one day delivery, Amazon delivery is usually pretty quick anyway.

I haven't really got time to do loads of research online, so I'm hoping somebody will be able to give me the basics on here!

ETA: I presently have a Topfield box, but that's only useful if I remember to record something I want to watch .....

ETA: My experience of Prime to date has not been great - having given a preferred delivery slot, they sent a series of conflicting emails about when the item was going to come ....and then delivered it a day earlier than I'd asked without telling me (luckily I was in) so I really wasn't sure what the point of having specified a slot in the first place was :))

[Jules-and-Boo]

WE use Amazon Prime for shopping and music (could do without it, but like the music). Netflix for TV, which we love. We also have Sky but could easily do without it

There are lots of different options I don't fully understand so hopefully, the Forum will bring forth pearls of wisdom!

[nxjen]

I had the month?s free trial of Amazon but cancelled before the paid subscription kicked in. It kept me entertained for the month but didn?t feel there was sufficient of interest to become a regular customer. I might though take a month?s subscription some time in the future when they?ve got new programming. I?ve also had monthly subscriptions for Now-tv and Netflix, neither of which had sufficient to offer for me to keep up a regular subscription. So I just tend to flit from one to another, varying which one I have a month?s subscription for. At the moment it?s Netflix because the second season of The Crown is just about to be released.

[Sue]

Thanks, that's useful, so you can just do a month at a time?

This is all new to me :))

[fishbiscuits]

The content is reasonable and you have some good original shows and "box sets" you don't get with Netflix. Man In The High Castle and Walking Dead spring to mind. There are some movies included with Prime too - but you're right, you do have to pay for the majority of them. Netflix is better.

[nxjen]

It?s all new to me as well! Yes, you can cancel at any time but be careful you keep clicking through until it says your subscription is cancelled because one of them, I can?t remember which, keeps showing windows which say ?Are you sure you want to cancel? which you have to respond to before they?ll let you cancel. I think some movies and music is included free on Amazon Prime but for unlimited music you have to take out a further subscription.

I have a device that I plug into my non smart tv which turns it into a smart tv which means I can access iPlayer and the other catch up services meaning recording programmes has become a thing of the past. Takes a bit of getting used to but don?t think I could go back to recording programmes much as I loved my Humax PVR (which finally died on me).

[Sue]

nxjen Wrote:

> I have a device that I plug into my non smart tv

> which turns it into a smart tv which means I can

> access iPlayer and the other catch up services

> meaning recording programmes has become a thing of

> the past.

What's it called, nxjen?

I'm presently watching stuff via iPlayer on my laptop.

[nxjen]

It?s a Roku stick but you need an HDMI connection on your tv. There?s also the Google Chromecast but because there?s a row going on between Google and Amazon you?ll be unable to get Amazon on that device.

[bobbsy]

Amazon firestick works very well for catchup TV etc.

[Loz]

Having bought an all-bells-and-whistles Smart TV, which not only has the catchup stuff, but also Freesat and it records as well. My verdict? Don't. It's does everything you want, but not very well.

Get yourself a good quality screen and then add on an Amazon or Roku stick or even a Humax recorder. Just make sure the screen has at least one (and preferably more) HDMI inputs and maybe a USB or two.

As for the internet channels, well we used to have Netflix, but I cancelled that as I am more a movie person than a box set person, and the movies became a bit 'meh'. So, we switched to Prime and although the movies aren't really much better, the whole package makes it almost worth it - TV + One day delivery + Kindle lending + special sales.

[Sue]

Thanks Loz, it seems quite hard to find non smart TVs!

I have a ten year old 26" TV at the moment, looking to get a bigger screen to fit in the same space.

[Loz]

That's probably right, Sue - but just don't get hung up on the 'features'. Just find the best looking screen you can.

Second tip: you can't buy a screen that is too big, unless you cannot physically get it into the room.

[Ruffler]

There are many free films available on Amazon Prime and the list is updated regularly. It?s good to have a different range of TV shows available too. We?re fans of One Mississippi and Life in Pieces.

[Sue]

Loz Wrote:

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> That's probably right, Sue - but just don't get

> hung up on the 'features'. Just find the best

> looking screen you can.

>

> Second tip: you can't buy a screen that is too

> big, unless you cannot physically get it into the

> room.

It needs to fit on a shelf so I'm limited by the vertical dimension. I'm thinking 40". Screens are different now and although my 26" just fits in, I think a 40" would now (I've looked up some dimensions).

I have one of those long narrow living rooms (small terraced house with a through living room), I can't move the sofa and there's an open fire opposite, so the only place to put the telly is in the alcove.

I could make the shelf lower so there is more space above it, but I'd need to get someone to do that as they are floating shelves.

Anyway I don't want a TV dominating the room, I don't watch it that much ....

Another issue is that where the telly is is about the worst place in the house for a WiFi signal, so unless I move the router I'm going to have to get those power line things to increase the signal there (or get a more powerful router but I'm not sure that would work).

[Asset]

Yep, I've had a smart TV for a few years (Samsung) and the 'apps'; iplayer, Amazon Prime etc just stopped working on it. After trying to get them working various ways I won't bore you with, I've ended up buying an Amazon Firestick which has iplayer, Netflix and all the TV catch up things on it. You need a Prime account to have the selection of 'free' films and TV shows and personally I think it's worth it, I also think the picture seems better through the Firestick - not sure if that's my imagination or not.

So I agree, get a good quality screen with an HDMI connection and get a Firestick, keep your Prime account and lose yourself in TV consumption :-) I just binge-watched Peaky Blinders

[Sue]

Asset Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Yep, I've had a smart TV for a few years (Samsung)

> and the 'apps'; iplayer, Amazon Prime etc just

> stopped working on it. After trying to get them

> working various ways I won't bore you with, I've

> ended up buying an Amazon Firestick which has

> iplayer, Netflix and all the TV catch up things on

> it. You need a Prime account to have the

> selection of 'free' films and TV shows and

> personally I think it's worth it, I also think the

> picture seems better through the Firestick - not

> sure if that's my imagination or not.

> So I agree, get a good quality screen with an HDMI

> connection and get a Firestick, keep your Prime

> account and lose yourself in TV consumption :-) I

> just binge-watched Peaky Blinders

Sorry, I know this is a stupid question.

When you say the Firestick has Netflix on it, presumably you still have to pay for a Netflix subscription?

ETA: I'm wondering about getting a Firestick or similar and using it on my existing TV to see how I get on with it, before I decide what new TV to get ...... but I don't particularly want to get trapped in anything with a load of Amazon ads etc ....

[Loz]

Sue Wrote:

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> When you say the Firestick has Netflix on it,

> presumably you still have to pay for a Netflix

> subscription?

Correct - it just has the software to access Netflix. You have to add in a valid login/password.

[DulwichFox]

my PC has Netflix but of course you need a subscription.

I could then connect to my TV using HDMI

No need for new TV

DulwichFox

[Sue]

DulwichFox Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> my PC has Netflix but of course you need a

> subscription.

>

> I could then connect to my TV using HDMI

>

> No need for new TV

>

No, of course there is no NEED for a new TV, but as I said above, I would like a bigger screen!

I have connected my laptop to my TV in the past, but my laptop screen is smaller than my TV screen! :)

[Asset]

You can connect your laptop to the TV easily but in my experience the picture quality is not great and the user interface is not as good.

The Firestick has the added benefit of being portable so if you're travelling, staying in hotels, or with people who have no Netflix or Prime on their TV (the horror :-0) bingo, plug and play!

I don't mean to sound like an Amazon advert but I have to say I am enjoying the thing and the monthly price of the two subscriptions (Netflix & Amazon) is not far off the cost of the cost of one cinema ticket (Peckham Plex excepted).

I did have Sky movies until recently but got rid of that as the films are crap generally and it's Murdoch.

[Sue]

Ok I'm looking at the Roku Express. Seems the alternatives will soon no longer get YouTube :(

I am technologically challenged.

My ancient TV has an HDMI input (good) but no USB port (bad?)

Can I just plug it into the mains?

The stick not the TV obv.

[womanofdulwich]

I bought a roku plus in sainsburys dkh for ?30 on Friday. Seemed very cheap for what it was.😀

[Sue]

womanofdulwich Wrote:

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> I bought a roku plus in sainsburys dkh for ?30 on

> Friday. Seemed very cheap for what it

> was.😀

Thanks so much for that, I've just bought one there with Nectar points :)

It came up at the till as seventy pounds, so they took a while to get that sorted, but it wasn't a problem.

It's thirty pounds in other places too but DKH was rather quicker and more convenient!

[Sue]

I just want to say how happy I am with my Roku stick, it's brilliant.

Thanks again for all the help on this thread, especially the Sainsbury's mention!

Looking forward to Part Three of The Crown now, and have very belatedly discovered Sherlock :))