Amazon Begins Streaming, Selling TV Shows, Movies in 4K Resolution

9 Dec, 2014 By: Erik Gruenwedel

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Amazon Dec. 9 announced it has begun streaming select Ultra-HD TV shows, movies and specials in 4K resolution for Prime Instant Video members at no additional charge.

The free value-add contrasts with Netflix’s decision to charge a $3 monthly surcharge for subscribers opting for 4K content.

Prime members with a compatible 4KTV can now watch Amazon original series “Alpha House,” “Transparent” and children’s series “Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street” in 4K resolution, which is four-times the clarity of 1080p.

In addition, BBC thriller “Orphan Black,” and upcoming Amazon Studios’ primetime series “Mozart in the Jungle,” “Bosch,” “Hand of God,” “The After” and “Red Oaks” will be available for streaming in Ultra-HD later this year and in 2015.

The seven new pilots from Amazon — “Cocked,” “Down Dog, Mad Dogs,” “Man in the High Castle,” “Point of Honor,” “Salem Rogers” and “The New Yorker Presents” — also will be offered in Ultra-HD early next year.

Prime Instant Video is also streaming Sony Pictures movies Funny Girl, Hitch, Philadelphia and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 4K resolution.

Amazon Instant Video is selling a selection of movies (priced from $19.99) in 4K resolution, including After Earth, American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Elysium, Godzilla, Hancock, Moneyball, The Mask of Zorro, The Monuments Men, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, The Da Vinci Code, The Patriot, Think Like a Man Too and This Is the End, among others.

“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,” Michael Paull, VP of Amazon Digital Video, said in a statement.

Amazon Prime is also streaming in 4K musical performance, Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek LIVE!
 

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