Amazon Rolls Out 4K Video Streaming for Prime Instant Video

Looking for more 4K content to stream on your Ultra HD TV set? Amazon has you covered.

The company just announced it will now offer certain movies and TV shows on its Prime Instant Video Service in 4K, or Ultra HD, which offers four times the number of pixels as standard full HD for ridiculously clear images.

The move comes after rival Netflix started rolling out 4K video streaming in April. But unlike Netflix's 4K offering, which costs $3 a month more than its standard streaming plan, you won't need to pay anything extra to view Amazon's super high-resolution content. It's included with an Amazon Prime membership, though you'll need a pricey 4K TV set to view it.

The list of 4K-ready content includes Amazon original series Alpha House and Transparent as well as Sony movies like After Earth, American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and This Is the End.

Also available in 4K are the BBC thriller Orphan Black and the concert "Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek LIVE! Plus, Amazon's new lineup of shows debuting later this year and next year, including Mozart in the Jungle, Bosch, Hand of God, The After, and Red Oaks, will also be available for streaming in Ultra HD.

"We want to deliver the best entertainment experience, and offering Ultra HD movies and TV shows raises the bar on quality and innovation that customers have come to expect from Amazon," Amazon Digital Video Vice President Michael Paull said in a statement.

Meanwhile, video-sharing site Vimeo is also getting into 4K. You can't yet stream Vimeo videos in 4K, but the site on Monday announced that users can now download 4K video files for super-clear visuals on compatible screens like the Retina 5K display found on the latest iMac.

Streaming 4K media from a smartphone to an ultra high-definition TV, meanwhile, is now closer to reality. By the end of 2015, manufacturers will begin replacing current USB 3.0 ports with the next-gen USB 3.1, which doubles the transfer rate from 4.8 Gbps to 9.6 Gbps.

For more, see 60 Geeky Movies, TV Shows on Amazon You Should Stream Now.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes.

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app.

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth.

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light.

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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