Prime Video Is Planning to Remove Its “basic” Access to 4K Video Streaming.
Bad news for Prime subscribers: starting April 10, Amazon will limit Prime Video streaming quality to 1080p for “basic” users. If you want to continue watching Prime Video content in 4K, as before, you’ll have to pay an additional $4.99 per month . Otherwise, your Prime Video shows and movies will look a little blurrier than you might be used to.
This is part of a series of changes Amazon will be making to its streaming services next month. On April 10, Amazon will begin offering customers a new “Prime Video Ultra” plan. This option will be ad-free and include streaming up to 4K in Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. You’ll also be able to stream content on up to five devices simultaneously (instead of the current limit of three), and download up to 100 movies and TV shows (instead of 25 with the basic plan).
This plan will cost you an additional $4.99 on top of your Prime subscription, which currently costs $14.99 per month . Amazon charges us an additional $2.99 for ad-free Prime Video access, so if you’re already paying for that privilege, you’ll only need to pay an extra $2 for the benefits of Amazon Ultra, including 4K access, which you already have.
If you decide to keep the “basic” Amazon Prime Video package as part of your Prime subscription, you’ll still get some new benefits. While you’ll lose 4K streaming, you’ll get Dolby Vision (but not Dolby Atmos, though I suspect this won’t matter to many viewers who watch Prime Video through their TV’s built-in speakers). You’ll also get one additional simultaneous stream (four instead of three) and the ability to download up to 50 movies and TV shows simultaneously (again, up from the current 25).
New subscription features are always welcome, especially when they don’t require additional costs. But removing existing features and locking them behind a paywall is unacceptable. It might pay off for Amazon, and users might pay extra to watch content in the highest possible resolution. But even then, they’ll have to pay more for access to the same quality content they may already receive “for free” with their Prime subscription.