'Not Fade Away'
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I can get Amazon on my Tivo, Roku, TV, and the Mac Mini that I use as a media center.
Roku is probably the best option for just streaming - it's under $100 and works with all the major streaming services (Amazon, Netflix, Hulu).
You also might want to check out Chromecast.
I Airplay the Amazon Instant Video app from my iPad to the AppleTV. Not the sharpest possible picture, I suspect, but fine for my purposes.
The Roku has a great user interface for Amazon.
I love my Roku box.
Cass, I too love my Roku. The only thing it won't play is Apple TV.
Yeah, the Roku is probably your best bet for simple Amazon playback. The low-end version is something like $39 and will probably serve your needs just fine. Even the most expensive ones are under $100. Plus it can do Netflix, Hulu Plus, Spotify, and Pandora and can even do a decent job streaming videos off a computer/server with the aid of Plex. I love my Roku and basically use it as my exclusive home entertainment provider: between Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon (grand total of $25/month for those subscriptions) I get more entertainment than I can watch, though I can't get everything out there.
The Chromecast doesn't do Amazon Video because Amazon is trying to spite Google (there is no Amazon video player for non-Kindle Android at all. Which is the only reason I don't buy videos from Amazon, so they're losing money on at least one front with that policy, but I assume they think the theoretical additional Kindle Fire market share the exclusivity grants is worth it.)
and the Mac Mini that I use as a media center.
This was my design but since it's in a different room, it never works quite as smoothly as I imagined.
Yeah, the Roku is probably your best bet for simple Amazon playback. The low-end version is something like $39 and will probably serve your needs just fine.
Low-end Roku wins.
Thanks!
Grumble. My (shitty) cable company (my only option unless I go to DirecTV) is jacking my rates, and when I called, was like "Well, if you give up phone service, it'll only go up $20/month!" which...no. *Supposedly* there's a company bringing fiber-optic to my neighborhood in Q1 of 2014...but they haven't updated their website or twitter since October, which makes me feel like that's not happening anytime soon. GRRR.
How is your internet speed? Have you thought of "cutting the cable". Using an AppleTV, or Roku, or media server connected to your TV. Then using Hulu+, Netlfix, Amazon Prime, & iTunes for your video entertainment?
News & sports has kept me from doing it. But, there are more and more sources for that. When my contract is up in a year or so, I may finally cut the cable.
omnis, the price for just-internet from the cable company is nearly as outrageous. If/when the fiber optic comes, then I will totally contemplate it--I figure between an antenna and Hulu/Netflix/Amazon, I'm set. While I like to watch HGTV on bingey couch weekends, all the shows I really watch are network ones.