Netflix Vs. Amazon Prime

paytonpenn

Level 30 Nature/Healer
OK, I decided to check out Hulu.

A question to those that subscribe, if you go with the plus, do you have access to all seasons/series of the shows?

I signed up for the free trial subscription, and I'm not sure if I'm only getting partial access, or if Hulu only gives you limited what I see.

Hope that makes sense.

Thanx,
This is a heads up to anyone with Hulu, check out Misfits.

Sorry for the bold. Also sorry about how the story went.

If you don't see all seasons available I don't think they have them for that show, I feel it varies similar to Netflix.
 

max

Out to lunch
I tried Hulu Plus ($8/month) but the movie selection wasn't good, and TV shows are available on free Hulu, as long as you don't need 'em the next day. Free Hulu isn't available via smart TV's, Tivo, or tablets, but with Google Chromecast ($35 and you need an HDMI port) you can stream Hulu from your computer to your TV. Personally I don't think Hulu Plus is worth the $.

Netflix is the winner for overall quantity of content in the movie dept., but Amazon has the plus of free 2 day shipping and a free e-book loan per month if you're a tablet reader. I expect Amazon will continue to increase their content as well. I used Netflix years ago for DVD's through the mail, but they started playing games with availability, reserving new releases for those who didn't rent as much. I suspected they were doing that and cancelled, and later I read about a guy who proved it by setting up dummy accounts in his relative's names. New releases were consistently available to the dummy accounts but not for his own 'frequent user' acct. I still hold a grudge against Netflix for that. I'll probably give Amazon a try, considering the plus of free 2 day shipping.

Which service you choose really depends on what you want to view. Netflix is still king for movies, while Amazon and free Hulu gives you a lot of TV shows and the other Amazon perks.
 

zymos

Well-Known Member
Chromecast is pretty amazing. My son got the showcast app (on android) and we can now watch pretty much anything, usually in hi def- tons of stuff still even in theaters.
 
zymos,

basement farmer

My face is melting...
Yeah, if my trial subscription is any indicator, I'm not really that impressed with hulu.

I agree with you that NF plays games. That's part of the reason I dropped it. But I am thinking of giving it another chance.

I tried Hulu Plus ($8/month) but the movie selection wasn't good, and TV shows are available on free Hulu, as long as you don't need 'em the next day. Free Hulu isn't available via smart TV's, Tivo, or tablets, but with Google Chromecast ($35 and you need an HDMI port) you can stream Hulu from your computer to your TV. Personally I don't think Hulu Plus is worth the $.

Netflix is the winner for overall quantity of content in the movie dept., but Amazon has the plus of free 2 day shipping and a free e-book loan per month if you're a tablet reader. I expect Amazon will continue to increase their content as well. I used Netflix years ago for DVD's through the mail, but they started playing games with availability, reserving new releases for those who didn't rent as much. I suspected they were doing that and cancelled, and later I read about a guy who proved it by setting up dummy accounts in his relative's names. New releases were consistently available to the dummy accounts but not for his own 'frequent user' acct. I still hold a grudge against Netflix for that. I'll probably give Amazon a try, considering the plus of free 2 day shipping.

Which service you choose really depends on what you want to view. Netflix is still king for movies, while Amazon and free Hulu gives you a lot of TV shows and the other Amazon perks.
 
basement farmer,

pigfoot

Dabs are vapor too!
I ditched cable for video (kept internet). Best move I made in a long time. Really dislike the cable co. Got a Roku box for Netflix - love it. HD + 5.1 : ) I can get the locals only (unscrambled) off the cable, and DL shows off usenet to watch later. I use plex on my pc to serve them to the plex client on the Roku - it's awesome. Zero commercials. Amazon Prime sounds great too, love free 2 day shipping. But either one, for $8/mo. compared to cable is a great deal
 
pigfoot,

NinjaMindTriks

Ninja Vapor Enthusiast
OK, I decided to check out Hulu.

A question to those that subscribe, if you go with the plus, do you have access to all seasons/series of the shows?

I signed up for the free trial subscription, and I'm not sure if I'm only getting partial access, or if Hulu only gives you limited what I see.

Hope that makes sense.

Thanx,
You are seeing all that you get with the free trial. They only have whole series of certain shows, most are limited.
 
NinjaMindTriks,

deadheadbill

I can see clearly now the smoke is gone...
I have both. everything that follows is imo.

Netflix has Amazon beat in the categories of ease of use, user interface, a good selection and their streaming protocol.

Amazon has some exclusives which is great, but there is a fair amount of overlap. Also, Amazon streams like shit. I can watch a show flawlessly on Netfix with no interruptions. Go immediately to Amazon and get their "your connection is too slow, wanna try again msg".

Bottom line for me is. If I didn't live in the boonies and use the 2 day ship almost weekly, I would drop Amazon.
 
deadheadbill,
  • Like
Reactions: Enchantre

IIIQBIII

Vape Obsessed
I have all 3 services. Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, and Netflix.

I like them all. I cut off my "cable". I just use those services with internet. There is some overlap but there are enough unique shows for me to keep them all.

Currently I use Amazon Prime the most. Hulu Plus is next because I do not watch TV, this is my replacement for cable, and lastly Netflix, whose tv shows and movies I have been watching for YEARS, so I have exhausted most of their catalog that interests me.

I wouldn't cut any of them, but if I HAD TO, it would be Netflix. Oh ya the technology I use to access all these services is my Xbox One. Perfect device for it all. I can switch back and forth between services instantly. Its a very smooth UI.
 
IIIQBIII,

NinjaMindTriks

Ninja Vapor Enthusiast
This is a heads up to anyone with Hulu, check out Misfits.

Sorry for the bold. Also sorry about how the story went.

If you don't see all seasons available I don't think they have them for that show, I feel it varies similar to Netflix.
The misfits is an awesome show. Loved it. Also check out Peep Show, give it a few episodes to get used to it. It is available on all 3 services I believe. I watch it on Netflix though because I prefer their layout the best.
 
NinjaMindTriks,

Vicki

Herbal Alchemist
Quick question to those that have Amazon Prime. Since it costs $99.00 a year, do you think it's worth the cost? I noticed that quite a few items do not qualify for free 2 day shipping(that bothers me), and their movie/TV library is lacking as well. What do you think?

On a side note, we have Netflix right now.
 

paytonpenn

Level 30 Nature/Healer
2 day shipping isn't very beneficial if you understand Amazon you'll be able to find other sellers for the same product with different shipping options while they wont be 2 day I've never had to wait more than 5 days and unfortunately I too noticed many items I wanted to not have the 2 day option anyway. Even with Amazon's 35+ shipping I've seen other competitors offer the same product at a lower price to combat the shipping costs.

I personally live on Netflix and use http://www.tubeplus.me/ on my phone with the Chrome beta to stream to my Chromecast amazing quality in comparison to watching on the browser on my PC. Its ridiculous, also prevents my friends from seeing the interface unless they also want to choose something. But like J. Driscoll I'm not going to pay for that stuff. If you want to or support the evil cable companies and entertainment industry you may want to forget this paragraph.

Most case scenarios its on Netflix, in the end I find Netflix to have great content and extremely good original content. Amazon Prime just ends up with me feeling like I wasted 100 dollars on something I used not even once a month consistently as rarely are my items 2 day shipping available and the video content is the same if not worse.
 
Last edited:

syrupy

Authorized Buyer
I have both, but it feels like an apples-to-oranges comparison. What Netflix offers, streaming and through mail, is well defined. A person can do the math on how many movies they watch, compare it to Redbox, etc. Amazon Prime is this conglomerate of services. Because of Prime, as a kindle user, I can download a lot of prime movies and watch them offline, free lend of prime kindle books, use the x-ray feature to look up imdb info while movies play, bunch of other stuff. You're right Vicki, that their content is way behind Netflix, but catching up.

Still Netflix streaming rules the movie/tv roost. I think it's because they are so focused on what they do. Amazon is (and I love them) this big blob of a company.
 

EveryDayAmnesiac

Well-Known Member
FWIW, the options of what to stream for "free" through your Amazon Prime membership suck floppy donkey dick, IMO.

True, there are a handful of gems in there if you really search. But for the most part, it's utter crap.

I have a student version, which is cheaper of course. I have found the 2 day shipping to work out quite nicely, but I do wonder if, by buying from Amazon, that I'm not just supporting an evil entity, like going to Wal-mart. :shrug:
 

grokit

well-worn member
I've tried both streaming services and prefer netflix for variety.
I use netflix for two blu-rays a month, so I have an excuse to fire up the hts.

Otherwise everything is streamed on the internet,
mainly live sports and tv series off pirate sites, and some youtubes.
I refuse to pay for both bandwidth and content!
:rant:
 

darkrom

Great Scott!
Quick question to those that have Amazon Prime. Since it costs $99.00 a year, do you think it's worth the cost? I noticed that quite a few items do not qualify for free 2 day shipping(that bothers me), and their movie/TV library is lacking as well. What do you think?

On a side note, we have Netflix right now.


IMHO when I had a trial of amazon prime I found it less than worth it to say the least. You feel great when something ships free, but it seems rare. Most things are free...if you bundle tons of other stuff with it.

As for amazon instant video, it is TERRIBLE compared to netflix. I'm not that crazy about netflix, but I am keeping it for now. Amazon instant video was pretty damn painful to use and navigate, and the selection made netflix look huge.
 

Vicki

Herbal Alchemist
You all made excellent points. I'm probably just going to cancel the Prime membership before the trial period ends. I just don't see it being worth $99.00 a year, at least for us. Besides, we already have Netflix, and love that. The only reason we were even considering keeping Prime was for the 2 day shipping, but as people here stated, that is lacking as well. There are just too many items that they won't ship under the 2 day Prime shipping, and that's a big strike against them, as far as I am concerned anyway.
 

darkrom

Great Scott!
I was going to get prime 100% for the shipping. During my trial less than 20% of the things I wanted to order had free shipping. Unless you order from amazon CONSTANTLY IMO it isn't even close to worth it.
 
darkrom,
  • Like
Reactions: Vicki

Vicki

Herbal Alchemist
I was going to get prime 100% for the shipping. During my trial less than 20% of the things I wanted to order had free shipping. Unless you order from amazon CONSTANTLY IMO it isn't even close to worth it.

I had the same experience. For example, I recently placed an order from Amazon for 3 items. Only ONE of the three items were eligible for free Prime shipping. IMO, that's unacceptable. They really need to address this issue if they want to get and keep Prime customers.
 
Vicki,
  • Like
Reactions: darkrom

zymos

Well-Known Member
I've been a prime member for years (and still have the 79$ deal for almost another entire year).
We do tons of shopping on Amazon, and rarely buy anything that DOESN'T ship free with prime.
Also, we occasionally even receive orders the next day, even though we don't live in or near a major metro area. 2 day shipping is worth it for our family, considering we might not have time to drive across town for whatever item in the next two days anyway.

The videos are just a bonus- if I was only concerned with that, it would be Netflix, hands down.
 
zymos,
  • Like
Reactions: syrupy

darkrom

Great Scott!
Today I got an email that netflix is rising in price $1 a month. Not for current members but new members only. If the media companies can't get it together, then I will be glad to rely 100% on my 8TB media center. You know what is ALWAYS a good experience....Piracy. These companies need to provide a service, not a hassle, if they expect to get my money. I'm sticking with netflix for now...for some reason, but honestly there aren't many good values out there when it comes to media these days. The one big exception that comes to mind is google play music. $8 a month for unlimited music streaming. Its a service that is actually more convenient than piracy for once, unless of course you are getting ripped off with limited bandwidth. One way or another it seems like everyone is out to screw everyone.


Zymos I'm 100% on your page. The amazon video library should be looked at as a bonus for those who make good use of prime already. The video service by itself is worth less than $5 a year IMO, the selection is that slim.
 

syrupy

Authorized Buyer
I can't get my Hannibal fix on Netflix. Then again, I can't my Orange Is the New Black fix on Amazon. They both suck, lol.

/still waiting for cable tv where you can pay by the channel only the ones you want.
 

darkrom

Great Scott!
[QUOTE="syrupy, post: 592707, member: 16306"
/still waiting for cable tv where you can pay by the channel only the ones you want.[/QUOTE]


I think google fiber is going to let us do that whenever it rolls out all over the place. If not, the fact that the internet is about 100x faster than most current connections...for the same price.... will make up for that in my eyes.

I can't see myself paying for cable in 2 years.
 
darkrom,
Top Bottom