Video Moves Offline For Amazon Prime Members

The tech site Gizmodo reported Wednesday (Sept. 2) that Amazon Prime is offering subscribers the ability to download movies, TV shows and other programs from the Amazon catalog.

That’s a boon to travelers, opines the site, as now Amazon Prime members boarding flights can download entire seasons of shows and then binge watch them, offline, for hours. And that, of course, means no need for an Internet connection during the flight.

And it is also just an add-on for Amazon Prime subscribers, who shell out $100 annually for the service — which offers up, in addition to the standard two-day shipping option, music, photos and other media platforms. Gizmodo says the latest addition to the Amazon Prime roster represents a coup of sorts, as subscription-based peers have been unable to offer offline playback due to licensing and other issues. “All you’ll need,” says Gizmodo, “is the company’s newly refreshed Amazon Video app” that is available for both iOS and Android operating systems.

Amazon has been adding new features to its Prime service, with recent expansions focused on bringing more consumer choices to the Prime subscriber base. In addition to launching hyperlocal delivery services in metropolitan areas, the company has also been boosting the roster of merchants and shipping from independent warehouses.

And in its latest video twist, noted tech trade Wired, there’s no dependency on technology to watch streaming video. There’s also the new name, Amazon Instant Video, replacing the Prime Instant Video moniker that had already been in place before Wednesday’s announcement. The offline component also may have a strategic advantage; Amazon can conceivably compete with Netflix for content and video, as the latter firm mandates an Internet connection, while streamers may indeed want to avoid that tether.

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