Apple announced on Wednesday that starting today, Amazon Prime Video would finally land on the Apple TV. Additionally, users will also get to access Prime Video content on the Apple TV app, where U.S. viewers can now tune in to live sports like the NBA and ESPN too.
The move comes just a day after Google announced the drastic measure to pull YouTube from all Amazon devices starting next year if the e-commerce giant refused to play nice and sell their products on their website. Some have pointed out the timing seems to be awfully coincidental.
Streaming services heating up their battle benefits consumers the least, particularly on the eve of the holiday season where boxes, sticks, and devices that allow people to access their content are a hot item to give as a gift.
It's here. It's really here. Prime Video is now available on Apple TV. pic.twitter.com/dYQIUY5EAw
— Prime Video (@PrimeVideo) December 6, 2017
4K Prime Video content has sound bugs on Apple TV
As usual, users online detected the news even before Apple officially announced the launch of the service on their platform. Shortly after issuing the press release, though, there were already reports coming up about some functions that were not quite working on the Apple TV.
Concretely, the most troubling issue seems to be the sound at the moment. In spite of making available content in Ultra 4K HD on Prime Video for subscribers with compatible TV sets, Amazon seems to have overlooked sound fidelity in favor of image quality.
Users say they notice the audio feed from these 4K streams is inferior in quality when compared with the actual feed they should be getting. Sound for these movies and shows is limited to 2.1 channels (2 speakers and 1 subwoofer) instead of the standard 5.1 fidelity that should be available for these videos.
Meet Apple TV App.
Everything you watch. All in one place.
And now @PrimeVideo is here.
On your iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.https://t.co/t8HrwrXyqT pic.twitter.com/RRWdHDJT0L— Apple TV (@AppleTV) December 6, 2017
Streaming feud leaves consumers with fewer options
As it stands, the latest development in the war for your TV time leaves viewers with two main options if they want to access both YouTube and Amazon Prime Video without hassle from a single device: the $179 Apple TV and the $99 best-of-its-class Roku.
Both of these streaming boxes offer the two services from the get-go, without any twists and turns in order to access any particular site. Google’s own Chromecast can tune into Amazon original content, but it requires a workaround method to make it work.
If Amazon caves in to Google’s demands before the year ends, though, YouTube will remain free to watch on Fire tablets and the Amazon Echo Show. Nevertheless, the timing of both announcements seems to suggest there were countermeasures in place by Amazon, perhaps expecting a drastic move like the one Google just made.
Source: Apple
