By Tim Hardwick
Amazon Prime Video content no longer includes Dolby Vision HDR or Dolby Atmos surround sound at the ad-supported tier that is included with all Amazon Prime subscriptions.
This news was first reported by the German website 4KFilme and picked up by The Verge. Instead of higher quality options that previously came at no additional cost, Prime Video streams in HDR10 with Dolby Digital 5.1.
That is, unless you pay an extra $2.99 for the ad-free Prime Video service, in which case you can keep the higher audio quality. The change was confirmed by Amazon to The Verge.
“Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos features are only available in the ad-free option in their respective titles,” an Amazon spokesperson said.
Most Prime Video viewers will be Amazon Prime members, which costs 14. $99 per month or $139 per year if you pay annually. Prime Video is also available as a separate subscription for $9.99 per month, or $12.99 per month if you add the extra cost for Dolby Vision HDR or Dolby Atmos surround sound. Ads were introduced to basic Prime Video subscriptions in the US on January 29.
By comparison, Disney+ costs $9.99 with ads, and Netflix can be purchased for $6.99 per month with ads. although the content is streamed in 1080p. . Meanwhile, an Apple TV+ membership costs $9.99, down from the previous $6.99. Apple introduced the boost on October 25, but there are no restrictions on streaming quality.
Tags: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime[ 132 comments ]
