This app helps users find videos on Amazon Instant Video, an Internet service available only in the United States offering TV shows and films for rental and purchase. Subscribers to Amazon Prime have free streaming access to thousands of these videos for a lower monthly cost than competitors such as Netflix.
This app enables you to quickly find the best free and paid videos without navigating Amazon’s Web interface. If you are using this app with a Kindle Fire, you’ll be able to launch videos directly from the app or add them to your Watch List. (Android and iPhone users of this app cannot launch videos directly from the app. Instead, you should “save” desired videos to your Amazon Wish List, then authorize the transaction through Amazon’s website.)
The service was originally called “Amazon Unbox” and the Unbox name still refers to the locally installed player, which is now optional. Today, Amazon Instant Video is compatible with the Kindle Fire, Apple iPad, and hundreds of HDTVs, Blu-ray players, set-top boxes, and gaming consoles.
Most newer TVs can connect to the internet, many wirelessly, so you can connect to Amazon Instant Video directly. Also, the popular Roku streaming players can also connect to the internet and stream Amazon Instant Video titles directly to your TV.
Click here for a full list of devices compatible with Amazon Instant Video.
You can also watch Amazon Instant Video on any internet-connected PC or Mac. Learn more about watching on a PC or Mac
Compatibility
By default, AIV uses Flash Video in all web browsers with the Adobe Flash plugin installed. Customers may also download videos to TiVo Series 2 and Series 3 DVRs, except those made for use with DirecTV (DirecTiVo). Sony BRAVIA TVs equipped with an Internet Video Link device, and Panasonic VIERA TVs equipped with Viera Cast can also use Amazon VOD directly through the TV’s menu system.
The optional Amazon Unbox player lets users download higher-quality copies of videos. The Unbox player is compatible only with Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. Downloaded films include a full-resolution video file and can include a lower-resolution copy for portable devices. The content can be viewed using the Amazon Unbox Video Player, Windows Media Player, a Windows Media Center Extender such as an Xbox 360, a PlaysForSure portable device. Downloaded videos may be burned to a DVD for storage purposes, but the resulting DVD will not play on a DVD player.
It is not compatible with Apple TV.