Erica in OR Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 We're considering switching from Netflix streaming to Amazon Prime to get their streaming. Anyone out there have/had both and give me any pros/cons for a switch? Are the choices as good? The only drawback I can see is that Prime is billed by the year and Netflix by the month, although we'd also get the free two-day shipping on our orders. We stream Netflix to our Roku and it looks like we could do the same with Amazon. What's fueling the switch is that Netflix recently removed Stargate SG-1 (DH is halfway through) and all their workout videos. A call to customer service said they were working on agreements to get them back, but didn't have a date. Erica in OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 We have both and prefer Netflix most of the time.More free stuff. Also, although the Roku interface made both easy to use, we now have a net ready tv, and the Amazon interface is no where near as easy to use as the Netflix one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 We have both. Netflix has more TV shows that we like, Z. usually gets to watch one show a day and there are a lot of kid shows on there. Netflix also has more recent movies that dh and I are interested in watching. I find more movies for us to watch as a family on Amazon Prime. Just the other night we wanted to watch The Wizard of Oz and it was on Amazon for $3.99 but not available at all on Netflix. I’ve found that to be true of a lot of older family movies, like many of the Disney movies. I think if I was only going to do choose only one for the streaming I’d do Netflix though since it’s really free beyond the monthly fee, the Amazon Prime ones we want to watch are often an additional small charge. There are some free videos but it seems the ones we want usually have a small rental fee. Amazon Prime does also have the free shipping, which we make good use of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 We have both, and rarely find stuff on Amazon to watch. I would not get Prime for that reason (I love it for the actual shipping, and I figure it pays for itself due to me not having to 'fill in' orders to reach $25) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 My kids watch netflix streaming all the time (we also get 2 CDs out at a time as well) I have yet to find anything I want to watch on amazon prime in the free section, anything we would want is something you have to pay for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatA Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 We've gone back and forth on this. We had netflix for years, had Prime when they started offering free movies. Then we switched exclusively to Prime, then back to both. For a week now we've gone back to just Prime. Sigh. :tongue_smilie: It's not as good as Netflix. But we only have a few shows that our son watches. And that's really the only TV we watch. Not out of choice, we just can't ever find anything we both agree on. I usually watch my "womanly" shows (as my husband calls them). Amazon just got season 2 of Downton Abbey. (woot!) And he watches his boring whatever shows. :001_smile: Amazon is not updated with new stuff as often or as quickly. So, it depends on what you watch, and how frequently. It definitely is a downgrade, IMO. But not too much. You can see why we keep switching back and forth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 We have both and watch Netflix streaming more often. We also use the other benefits of Prime, so it's nice having that as an option. I've noticed that several of the BBC series that I can only get on DVD on Netflix (like Lark Rise to Candleford) are available for streaming on Prime. It really depends on what specific show you're interested in. I'm going to subscribe to the next season of Doctor Who on Amazon Instant so I can see it immediately instead of waiting for it to get to Netflix as I have before, but you don't have to have Prime to watch current seasons of shows since it's an extra charge anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 We have both and watch Netflix streaming more often. We also use the other benefits of Prime, so it's nice having that as an option. I've noticed that several of the BBC series that I can only get on DVD on Netflix (like Lark Rise to Candleford) are available for streaming on Prime. It really depends on what specific show you're interested in. I'm going to subscribe to the next season of Doctor Who on Amazon Instant so I can see it immediately instead of waiting for it to get to Netflix as I have before, but you don't have to have Prime to watch current seasons of shows since it's an extra charge anyway. would that be the same as buying it in itues? I have found the picture quality of Amazon to be not as good as Netflix. And (this might be me) I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to search on Amazon for shows I can download. But, the few times I have tried, I could not find only things that are streaming. For example, Netflix cut waaaaaaay back (might be non-existent) on streaming exercise videos. I wanted to see how many Amazon offered. I can't find a way to do that. It isn't set up to look for a general category. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 We have both and use Netflix more. We mainly use the Amazon streaming for those times when we miss a show and can't find it anywhere else. It usually costs, so that's why we don't do it often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in OR Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 Thanks for the information everyone! DH is trying a month for free (guess he really wanted to watch the show) and we'll see what we think. If it isn't better, we can cancel, although I'm sure we'll probably hear the siren call of the free two-day shipping. Erica in OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 This week marks the first time I streamed something on Prime because it wasn't available to stream on Netflix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 So, the text for Amazon Prime says, "Unlimited instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with Prime Instant Videos." In reading the comments here, does that not mean FREE unlimited streaming? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelenNotOfTroy Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 It is free unlimited streaming for the shows and movies that are free, not everything that is available for instant watching is free. Stargate SG-1 is now free, but was not prior to this summer (I have been re-watching it). I have had both and would prefer Netflix because everything that is available is included, but much of what I used to watch they no longer have. Also, I do not always have Windows installed as my operating system and can use Amazon without it, but not Netflix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Michelle* Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 would that be the same as buying it in itues? I have found the picture quality of Amazon to be not as good as Netflix. And (this might be me) I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how to search on Amazon for shows I can download. But, the few times I have tried, I could not find only things that are streaming. For example, Netflix cut waaaaaaay back (might be non-existent) on streaming exercise videos. I wanted to see how many Amazon offered. I can't find a way to do that. It isn't set up to look for a general category. I've found it easiest to search for shows on the Amazon site and add them to the Watchlist from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 We have both and use Netflix more often. In fact, we mostly use Amazon to buy current seasons of shows we watch. Amazon Prime is first and foremost a shipping program. Everything else is a perk. If you don't use Amazon for purchases, then you might be disappointed with Prime as a streaming option. Still, even if you use it only for streaming, it only costs a little over $6 a month. Netflix offers more though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mytwomonkeys Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 just a an additional thought. if you have roku, you could get noknok. it's a private channel, but offers lots of great shows. it's free too. there are several private channels for roku, but noknok is my favorite. we also have playon.tv, which was $38 for the year (we watch it through the wii or roku). it also has a ton of additional shows and channels. not sure about stargate though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 just a an additional thought. if you have roku, you could get noknok. it's a private channel, but offers lots of great shows. it's free too. there are several private channels for roku, but noknok is my favorite. we also have playon.tv, which was $38 for the year (we watch it through the wii or roku). it also has a ton of additional shows and channels. not sure about stargate though. Thanks. We have Roku boxes. I'll take a look. Reviews were mixed. Do you have any problems with noknok? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest disgustedwithAmazonPrime Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 I have Netflix both dvd and streaming. I also have Amazon Prime. I am very disgusted with my Prime Membership. Seems like everytime I want to watch streaming TV series I have to pay extra. At $79 a year for a Prime Membership I didn't even get free shipping on the last item I bought. I missed an episode of a tv show and went to Amazon to watch and had to pay $1.99 to watch. I just added season 1 of Justified to my watchlist, but I am afraid to start watching because they have a button of options to buy. What gives? I don't think $79 a year is worth it if you don't get what was promised when you signed up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Amazon video has two parts. It has the prime videos, but also paid videos. It is like iTunes and Netflix combined in one. That said, we use both with regularity, although Netflix slightly more. Amazon has little bear, pushing daisies, veronica mars, and some different episodes of mythbusters than Netflix, all of which get watched a lot at our house. More and more they have different shows and movies and compliment each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 What I've found with Prime is that some seasons will be free, but others won't. My DD is really into the food network shows and they're on prime, but not on netflix, and I've told her, on pain of losing TV privileges, that she is NOT to watch anything not on the watch list. No clicking "see other seasons", nothing-because there will be things like seasons 4,5, 7, 9 and 10 available free, but the others cost-and since Prime is tied into the Amazon account that is set up for one-click for Ebooks, and has to be logged in to watch, I could see her easily accidentally spending quite a bit without noticing it. With Netflix, I also don't want her to watch out of our instant queue, simply because those are the shows I've filtered, but there's no risk of one episode being free and the next costing money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 We have both. We mostly use Netflix. I have prime for the shipping, the streaming is just a nice bonus. The kids were introduced to Gilligam's Island this week though prime. :) Also, if we want to "rent" something to watch on Amazon, we have to put in a separate pin #, that is not necessary for the free/prime shows, so I don't have to worry about the kids running up charges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdybird Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 When we decided to rid ourselves of cable 2 years ago, we were all gung-ho about Netflix. We had used it for our kids since streaming became available in 2010 (?) and it was great. They had an excellent selection back when they still carried Starz! and Nickelodeon programing. We paired Netflix with personal hard drives and Wiis for our older ones and an Xbox for ourselves and that was all we needed. Then Netflix dropped Nick and Starz. Got rid of some of the PBS shows too. Now, their kids lineup is mostly stuff from Hub and B-knockoffs from Redbox, mixed with the occasional "classic" from the 80s or 90s. Then their movie selections became utter crap for a good long while. In fact, they still are for the most part. They try to market their original content too much, imo. And their selection of preschool programming these days is laughable at best. My kids like Leapfrog and PBS stuff, but beyond that, Netflix has nothing to offer. Last year, we decided to shell out for Prime. I do a lot of ordering through Amazon, so it made sense. The Instant Video feature was a bonus. The downside was that we had to ditch the Wiis and move to Rokus for DS1 and the littles. Prime never did load like it should have on our kids' Wiis. DH has since made a Plex server for some our downloaded and digital back ups and we use that for some things as well (although the lack of true parental controls, Wii compatibility and the cost has kept us from fully implementing it across the board.) We are seriously considering getting rid of Netflix this summer. We are waiting to see if they are going to pick up anything worth watching within the next six months. Also going back and forth about purchasing all seasons of My Little Pony and Ninjago since AP doesn't carry either one for "free". Yes, neon colored ponies and lego ninjas control my purse strings...sadly enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in OR Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 Interesting that this got resurrected after a year and a half. We ended up just doing the month trial back then and not going for Prime. A couple months ago we decided to do the trial again and keep it on and have been happy with it so far. I agree with nerdybird. Netflix has changed and is less worth it now. We've talked about getting rid of Netflix now and just keeping Prime. Erica in OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMary2 Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 I use them for different purposes - Netflix is where I get most of our educational viewing in. I use Amazon Prime streaming because in most cases I can get a current episode of a program, the next day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted February 13, 2014 Share Posted February 13, 2014 We have both. We also have Hulu Plus, and if I was going to have just one Hulu would be it. But Amazon Prime we'd probably have for the shipping alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggie96 Posted February 14, 2014 Share Posted February 14, 2014 We have both. We mostly use Netflix. I have prime for the shipping, the streaming is just a nice bonus. The kids were introduced to Gilligam's Island this week though prime. :) Also, if we want to "rent" something to watch on Amazon, we have to put in a separate pin #, that is not necessary for the free/prime shows, so I don't have to worry about the kids running up charges. Kids are being introduced to Gilligan this week also! :) We use Netflix and Amazon equally. We find that they are a great compliment to each other, including the free and charge streaming on Amazon. I purchased Prime originally for shipping, which is very cost effective with Christmas alone. When streaming, our Prime account requires a password to prevent "accidental" purchases. We've started buying full length kid movies on Prime. It saves a little money and works out great for streaming on mobile devices instead of needing a DVD player. Oh darn it...just realized that this was an old post resurrected by someone clearly disgusted with Prime. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica in OR Posted February 15, 2014 Author Share Posted February 15, 2014 Kids are being introduced to Gilligan this week also! :) We use Netflix and Amazon equally. We find that they are a great compliment to each other, including the free and charge streaming on Amazon. I purchased Prime originally for shipping, which is very cost effective with Christmas alone. When streaming, our Prime account requires a password to prevent "accidental" purchases. We've started buying full length kid movies on Prime. It saves a little money and works out great for streaming on mobile devices instead of needing a DVD player. Oh darn it...just realized that this was an old post resurrected by someone clearly disgusted with Prime. :( Yeah, by someone who doesn't understand what Prime instant streaming really means. I'm going to have to add Gilligan's Island to my watchlist now. I remember watching that pretty much every day as a kid. Erica in OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted February 15, 2014 Share Posted February 15, 2014 We have both but mainly use Netflix for kid stuff and old tv shows. However, dh and I did watch one if my favorites tonight, You've Got Mail, on Amazon Prime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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