> What are you working on, Jeff?

If you have an Amazon FireTV and been noticing all the game updates on it lately it seems they're pretty serious about being a cheap console for the living room.

Also, watching a game is a good signal that I might want to buy that game (or ones like it).

Good point. From a niche advertiser's point of view, this is better than regular TV. TV shows have product placement, but rarely revolve entirely around a product. But every "Let's Play" on Twitch is, on one level, an extended, entertaining commercial e.g. an infomercial. Which would make Twitch a massively interactive 24/7 infomercial, like QVC for gamers. To the eyes of Amazon, the internet's store for everything, that must be very attractive. It also raises the question of whether you could have a Twitch for other categories i.e. a 24/7 niche infomercial network that people actually want to watch.

Twitch is a huge opportunity for Amazon to sell games to viewers.

I'm not so sure that would be very viable. Right now, the top 4 most viewed games on Twitch are LoL, CS, Dota and Hearthstone, none of which can be bought on Amazon. Additionally, 3 of them are free-to-play.

Hearthstone card packs, "fulfillment by Amazon"?

I think the general strategy is "Google wants it, so I want it, fu Google".

Amazon also has a lot of tv shows and movies through Amazon Prime now. So they have something to do with video. Somewhat.

I've been an Amazon Prime customer for years, spend thousands of dollars a year at Amazon, but have never once used Amazon Prime for their video or audio content. Go figure.

Edit: If you use Amazon Prime for video/audio content, I'm curious!

It's definitely worth checking out. I've been using Amazon Prime Video as much as Netflix the past year or so. Probably more, actually, because of the ability to rent/buy movies that aren't available on Netflix or Amazon's free video selection (which doesn't seem to be far off from Netflix now).

I am using Amazon Music right now to listen to my music library. Recently, they made available every disc I have every purchases on Amazon available on the cloud. They are also making lots of additional discs available through Prime streaming.

I also use Amazon Fire TV to watch television shows and movies. May are included with a Prime subscription, others can be rented or purchased. My impression is that Amazon's compression and overall performance is better than NetFlix and Hulu Plus.

I went back to cable last year after years of Netflix/Hulu for my tv needs (there isn't a better option than Comcast for ISP and the Internet + Cable + HBO deal was more or less the same I was paying for Internet + Netflix/Hulu + TiVo), and Prime video has been a pretty adequate replacement for a lot of what I had been using Netflix to watch (which, honestly, is primarily children's programming, so your mileage may vary).

Their recent acquisition of HBO content has me using their streaming service pretty regularly now, but I'm almost done with The Wire now so I'll probably be using it less in the near future.

In the past, I have purchased currently running seasons of shows that I don't get on cable, like Doctor Who, Top Gear, and Parks and Rec.

Doctor Who. That's the only reason I use Amazon Prime Instant Video. I like Prime for the shipping and the no-extra-cost Kindle books, but with the Instant Video, I just use it to watch the back catalog of Doctor Who.

Although the HBO content is tempting, and we do use it to watch Under the Dome as well.

DOCTOR WHO!? Sold.

I really wish they'd include Unlimited Kindle as part of Prime :-/

Doctor Who is on Netflix, so unless they have access to the current season that isn't a win to me.

not via prime, but you can buy them as they come out.

I use it all the time. Since you ask. It's pretty much the easiest way to rent a relatively new movie.

Also watched all of star trek etc on there. A bunch of stuff.

It's not great, but it gets the job done.

It's not bad at all. I've watched a few seasons of Downton Abbey, Battlestar Galactica and a few others using it.

What is it you're trying to say? That because you choose not to use Amazon Primes' included streaming that it is, what?

Or was that just a very strange anecdote about your person usage of their services?

I explained my perspective, and was looking for other's to share theirs. I just don't understand what the service offers compared to Hulu or Netflix, that's all.

For less than the price of one year of Netflix, you get video streaming and free two-day shipping from the largest Internet retailer.

Which is to say, it offers all the stuff you use Prime for.

A statement of fact is not really a perspective. You just said you paid for prime but don't use prime video but forgot to say WHY. Now you have, but your original post was seriously lacking.

For all we know you didn't use Prime Video because of any number of reasons, you had satellite internet, it didn't work right, you didn't like their content catalogue, you can't get the video in the right rooms, you didn't know it existed, et al.

Rule 1 about online discussions: You can't read the tone of someone you're replying to.

"Be conservative in what you send, be liberal in what you accept"

Rule 1 about online discussions is: People can only read what you actually send. Not read your mind. Your post was vague and pointless and added nothing to the thread until you further clarified AFTER I asked you to.

They also have their own TV box, Amazon Fire TV.