Select 2014 4K UHD TVs are now ready to stream 4K TV shows and movies to Amazonians as announced this week. Prime members as usual get the best selection, gaining access to numerous 4K shows. Non-Prime members ‘4K choices are more limited. Well, that’s expected.
To watch Amazon’s 4K stream, you’ll need a compatible 4K TV from 2014; Samsung, LG, Sony and Vizio have all announced that their sets will handle the updated app. As with Netflix, Amazon’s 4K stream utilizes HEVC/H.265, so most 4K TVs from 2013 are not compatible. Sony’s FMP-X10 player will get Amazon 4K streaming in spring 2015.
Let’s take a sneak peek with CNET’s David Katzmaier on what he has to say on his first Amazon Stream splurge!
“The stream remained consistent at the highest levels, a testament to the excellent broadband at CNET’s lab. I had to queue up four TVs’ streams simultaneously before one failed with Amazon’s “the video is taking longer than normal to load.”
“This quick test was imperfect — there were plenty of variables including different TVs and calibrations — and I plan to put a variety of 4K sources to the test vs. Blu-ray early next year. But in the meantime, it indicates that 4K streams and Blu-ray are very close in quality, and I’d wager most viewers would have a difficult time telling them apart.”
Has anyone checked out the streaming service? Share us your thoughts.