Using Amazon Instant Video to Watch Movies and TV Shows

I wish I was American. 

It's not often that I even consider that, given that I live in a beautiful part of the world, surrounded by my friends and family.  But Britain doesn't have Amazon Instant Video, as I found out to my cost.

I'd carefully selected precisely the movie that I wanted to watch.  Then I'd decamped into the kitchen for proper film-watching food.  Perfectly prepared, with my munchies spread out on the desk before me, I reached my mouse into Amazon and pressed play.

"Sod off, you red-coat limey!  This will teach you to demand taxation without representation and burn down Fort McHenry!" It screamed back at me. 

Well, I'm paraphrasing. The actual error message was this:

Naturally I was a little put out, as I'd already lined up the next ten things that I wanted to see!  I'd spent half an hour browsing the lists and adding things to my watch list!

(That's a kind of holding page, or wishlist, so you can easily find them again later.  When you buy them, they move into your Amazon Video Library instead.)

I had popcorn.

I did what anyone would do in these circumstances.  I contacted an American friend, then got her to rent the video and watch it with me, via a live streaming video platform.  It seemed a little cheaper than relocating to the States and giving up my British citizenship.

I'm not sure that the movie would be worth the loss of a nice cup of tea.  But the Amazon service certainly looked very attractive.

It also demonstrated just how much clout the company has in the entertainment world.  I was looking through Today's Deals, which offer desirable titles at bargain prices, as long as you get in there fast enough.

I was also staring at something which stunned me.  You could watch DVDs of movies which hadn't yet made it into the theaters!

The main thing that really impressed me was the sheer range of films on offer. 

After a few minutes, I started to challenge it not to have any movie that I could name.  It didn't fail me.  (Well, apart from the whole being able to actually watch them thing.  Ok!  Ok!  I'm over it now. Last mention over.)

Can it beat you?

Once I'd got bored of challenging it, I went for some serious movie choosing. The range can be quite overwhelming, so I went for the expedient ploy of searching for a film which I know that I enjoyed. Then I checked out the 'customers who bought this item also bought' section underneath.

That's when I found documentary movies that I hadn't even heard about before. I made half of my selections from there.

The fact is that you don't always want to buy a whole DVD for a movie that you'll only watch once or twice. You only have to store them, or give them away, or else they are just sitting there collecting dust.

Amazon Instant Video offers a middle ground. More films than you'd ever be able to slot into a physical video library, but cheaper than going to a theater. Happy days!

I know someone who has disdained the television entirely, in order to watch Dr Who: Season 7 on Amazon Instant Video.

He could enjoy it free of charge, but the action stops every few minutes for yet another commercial. By the time he's finished scowling his way through 'buy this hair-dryer' and 'zOMG! This deodorant will make EVERYONE love you', he'd half forgotten what was happening in the show. 

He opted instead for parting with $1.99 per episode to watch Dr Who in one continuous stream.  It makes him happy.

It's not just Dr Who either.  There are hundreds of TV shows there.  Downton Abbey is obviously topping that list, though Breaking Bad isn't far behind.

Another really cool thing about Amazon's service is that you're not restricted as to where and how you watch your rental.

It can be streamed on your computer; downloaded for watching off-line; transferred to your television; or shown on a range of devices from iPad to XBox.  There are some provisos concerning High Definition videos, but that's about it.  The full range is given on the Getting Started page.

Amazon Instant Video would suit those who only occasionally want to watch things.  It's a kind of pay as you go service. 

If you were going to make a regular habit of this, then you're straying into the realms of Amazon Prime or Netflix.  Annual subscriptions there mean watching movies and TV shows for free.  (Give or take the cash that you parted with for the subscription itself.)

But Amazon Instant Video is perfect for those moments when you really want to see something, but don't crave it enough to buy the actual DVD.  You could even consider this a trial run and, if it's good enough, purchase your own physical copy later.

Enjoy your movie!