Amazon Prime Video Streaming Quality

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Stormbringer
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Amazon Prime Video Streaming Quality

Post by Stormbringer » Tue Oct 08, 2019 8:56 am

Guys,

I want to ask a question I've never had any luck with finding answers to by Google-searching.

When I bought my first "smart TV", I think it was early 2012. It was a Sony Bravia 32". It did not have the Netflix app, but it did have Amazon Prime, which we relied on a lot.

In those days, on that TV, before any show began, there would be a black screen with a green "loading bar" which seemed to be determining the quality of the network connection, then when this was established, the show would begin streaming in the highest quality available.

In 2015 we moved house and bought a new TV. It was another Sony Bravia, this time 48". I noticed that the Amazon app on the TV had completely changed format. Also, and this is the worst thing, now whenever you start streaming an Amazon show, it doesn't do that "loading bar" anymore, it just instantly starts playing the show... IN THE WORST QUALITY POSSIBLE. Seriously, it starts off so blurry you can't make out any details at all. Then, after about 3 or 4 minutes, it gradually starts "stepping up" until it gets to HD level.

Does anyone else in the world have this problem? Is it an Amazon thing, or a Sony Bravia 2015 model thing?
Between tedium and fright
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The hissing of rats
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Re: Amazon Prime Video Streaming Quality

Post by Sly Boots » Tue Oct 08, 2019 8:59 am

In my experience, neither, I've had it in Netflix occasionally as well. My guess was that it's down to the quality of the wi-fi signal. For info I access our services via an Amazon Firestick device as opposed to through our Bravia itself.

If you're asking specifically about that loading bar I assume it's down to the model of the TV, I've never seen it streaming Prime shows through the Firestick.

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Re: Amazon Prime Video Streaming Quality

Post by Stormbringer » Tue Oct 08, 2019 9:02 am

In my experience, Netflix always starts in perfect HD, every time.

Amazon, however, seems to assume the worst by default, then changes later on if it decides my 200 Mbps connection is really good enough.
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Such is the song of the nether world
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Re: Amazon Prime Video Streaming Quality

Post by Rusty » Tue Oct 08, 2019 9:07 am

When running it through my PC directly (onto a 4k tv screen) it's instantly at the best quality but that does use an ethernet cable.
When I setup my girlfriend's mum's TV it took about 30 seconds to get up to speed. That included BBC iplayer too.
-- To be completed at some point --

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Re: Amazon Prime Video Streaming Quality

Post by Wrathbone » Tue Oct 08, 2019 9:07 am

I got a 4k Bravia last year (I think the model was post-2015 but I may be wrong) and I stream over an 80mb fibre connection. The streaming quality is generally great on all built-in apps, with maybe a few seconds at the start where it evaluates the connection speed and adjusts resolution.

One thing I find curious is iPlayer, which is fine on the Bravia but often unstable and low-res on other devices, including PC browsers. Streaming on other apps on those devices is fine.

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Re: Amazon Prime Video Streaming Quality

Post by Raid » Tue Oct 08, 2019 9:58 am

I've not had that problem watching on a (second gen I think) Amazon Fire stick, but then you'd sorta assume that Amazon video would look great on the device made solely to push Amazon video.

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Re: Amazon Prime Video Streaming Quality

Post by Sly Boots » Tue Oct 08, 2019 10:05 am

Raid wrote:
Tue Oct 08, 2019 9:58 am
I've not had that problem watching on a (second gen I think) Amazon Fire stick, but then you'd sorta assume that Amazon video would look great on the device made solely to push Amazon video.
I only get it occasionally, and even then it's not routinely at the start of the show, it's as likely to occur midway through and never for very long, which is why I put it down to wi-fi signal.

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Re: Amazon Prime Video Streaming Quality

Post by Drarok » Tue Oct 08, 2019 10:09 am

I've seen the shitty-quality-then-ramp-up thing, but it's usually only for a few seconds right at the start. If I'm lucky, it's during the forced ad for some other Amazon show. I'm watching on an Apple TV.

I threw out my Fire stick because it was fucking useless. Every time I wanted to watch something on it, it has gone to sleep and then totally crashed. No way to wake it up other than pulling the power and plugging it back it. I was using the official PSU too, so it shouldn't have been under-powered. One time after I rebooted it again it deleted all the data it had so I had to log into my account and set it up afresh, which was a shit experience having to type my fucking password in. Junky fucking thing. 😠
Raid wrote:
Thu Jan 28, 2021 2:24 pm
And that's the story of why I'm not allowed near pregnant women for the next few weeks.

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Re: Amazon Prime Video Streaming Quality

Post by Sly Boots » Tue Oct 08, 2019 10:10 am

Drarok wrote:
Tue Oct 08, 2019 10:09 am
I've seen the shitty-quality-then-ramp-up thing, but it's usually only for a few seconds right at the start. If I'm lucky, it's during the forced ad for some other Amazon show. I'm watching on an Apple TV.

I threw out my Fire stick because it was fucking useless. Every time I wanted to watch something on it, it has gone to sleep and then totally crashed. No way to wake it up other than pulling the power and plugging it back it. I was using the official PSU too, so it shouldn't have been under-powered. One time after I rebooted it again it deleted all the data it had so I had to log into my account and set it up afresh, which was a shit experience having to type my fucking password in. Junky fucking thing. 😠
Sounds like a faulty unit, ours has been totally without issues since we got it about four years ago.

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Re: Amazon Prime Video Streaming Quality

Post by Raid » Tue Oct 08, 2019 10:13 am

We replaced a first-gen Chromecast with the Fire stick, finally ending the torment of our phones not being able to see said Chromecast to cast to it. The Fire stick has been a bloody godsend by comparison. We've still had problems with it though; it seldom outright crashes, but it does occasionally just drop to the menu for no reason, like a soft reboot.

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Re: Amazon Prime Video Streaming Quality

Post by Stormbringer » Tue Oct 08, 2019 10:14 am

I've just remembered that the Netflix app seemed to stop working properly on my TV a few years back, so we actually plugged our Sony blu-ray player into the router and started streaming through that instead, using the onboard apps. But, it made no difference as far as Amazon Prime Video is concerned -- exactly the same issue with the quality-ramp-up at the start.

I'm probably exaggerating when I say "3 or 4 minutes". It is in reality more likely to be about 30 seconds, but it's still irritating when Netflix works perfectly form the second it starts.
Last edited by Stormbringer on Tue Oct 08, 2019 10:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
Between tedium and fright
Such is the song of the nether world
The hissing of rats
And the jarring chants of angels

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Re: Amazon Prime Video Streaming Quality

Post by Drarok » Tue Oct 08, 2019 10:14 am

Well it's in the bin now, right place for it! :x
Raid wrote:
Thu Jan 28, 2021 2:24 pm
And that's the story of why I'm not allowed near pregnant women for the next few weeks.

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