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Comment by YogeeKnows | Hacker News Reader

I have always hated Amazon Video. I don't think Amazon even comes close to Netflix from user perspective.

There is always the confusion of which video is free and belongs to Amazon prime (free) and which ones need to be purchased. Compare that to netflix - You see it, its yours to watch.

Amazon originals are a torture chamber, I cant even name one. Compare that to Netflix - I renewed my membership just to watch House of Cards.

Amazon, Google, Facebook they all fall into this same problem of having a consistent UI across all their offerings. This constraint of consistency leads to a UI design which might not be the best for that particular product. Netflix because it offers just one thing, video streaming, can design UI best for discovery and personalization and wins compared to Amazon video any given day.

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There isn't much confusion at all if you don't have any filters then it's clearly marked on the thumbnail of the video. When you search you can select filters. Depending on the app you use (browser, amazon firetv, mobile, smart tv etc.) you also (at least on my browser, phone and tv) select in the settings to filter out paid content.

Amazon has damn good originals: Alpha House(please make season 3!!!), Hand of God, Bosch, Mozart in the Jungle and TMITHC as well as some of it's new pickups like Sneaky Pete and Patriot (the Patriot pilot and premise was amazing) are much better than most Netflix offers(which for the most part offers allot of esoteric comedy / stand up shows and well orange is the new black which I've never bothered to watch). At least to my subjective tastes before the Marvel ("webinatic universe?!") shows came about Netflix only had The House of Cards (and well Marco Polo) as far as originals go.

The Man in The High Castle is pretty good. It's not the same level of production value or acting as many Netflix ones but it's still interesting.

It's not the same level of production value or acting as many Netflix ones

I disagree with that. I thought the production values were quite high. The sets and costumes were amazing. The actors were first rate, but mostly unknown (probably to keep costs down).

It's good, but its no House Of Cards.

I use Amazon (and Netflix) on my PS4 and I've never been confused about which video is free and which requires payment.

If the video is free, the button says "Watch now" or something.

If the video isn't free, there are one or two buttons saying "Buy SD for $XX.XX" and "Buy HD for $XX.XX".

The reason I personally like Amazon Video is that if a movie or TV show isn't free, 99% of the time they have it available for purchase, so I can still watch it. If Netflix doesn't have a movie or TV show, there's no recourse within Netflix, I have to go to another site or open a different app.

Also, to me Amazon's Transparent was on par in quality with Netflix's originals. I don't really use Amazon for their original content at the moment though.

I highly recommend Red Oaks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcGIvQJhbSY

(And view offline is a killer feature.)

I feel the opposite. Aside from original content, it "feels" that amazon has everything netflix has (at least for what I care about) + the option to see newer movies for a fair price (though I hate the games they're playing with burying the prices in submenus). Netflix has become my 2nd goto place after Amazon when I'm browsing for something to watch.

The trade-off is going to be different for different people.

If being able to take movies with you on your commute or on the plane is important, it doesn't matter if Netflix's UI is better since it isn't even accessible.

If on the other hand, you are mainly interested in streaming at home or where you have Wi-Fi, you could debate the merits of Netflix UI vs. Amazon UI.

Amazon has found a way to make any advantages Netflix has irrelevant for some set of users and some scenarios. And it looks like it is hard for Netflix to follow. The question is whether it will drive enough trial and adoption for Amazon.

> Amazon originals are a torture chamber

Man In The High Castle is an amazing[1] series. Transparent was pretty good. Shaun the Sheep. Orphan Black.

[1] Amazing.

Orphan Black is great, but it isn't produced by Amazon.

Shaun the Sheep and Orphan Black are BBC shows.

Shaun the Sheep isn't an Amazon original.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaun_the_Sheep

It looks like I was thrown off by the "Amazon Original Special" for The Farmer's Llamas.

>Amazon originals are a torture chamber, I cant even name one.

Transparent was pretty good, gut nowhere as good as 'making of a murderer'.

No one mentioned "Alpha House" with John Goodman & Clark Johnson. Of all the prime original series, it was my favorite.

oh Man, that show was brilliant. I am eagerly waiting for the next season.

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