Changes to Prime Video from April 10. You will have to pay extra for a 4K image

The new subscription brings several technical improvements, but it also involves some inconvenience for existing customers. The highest image and sound quality will be available after paying an additional fee.

New plan Prime Video Ultra was valued at additional $4.99 per month (or $46 when paid annually). This amount will be added to the standard subscription Amazon Prime. As part of this package, American users will receive:

• no commercial breaks in films and series (excluding live sports and selected licensed content),
• exclusive access to 4K UHD resolution and Dolby Atmos surround sound,
• possibility of simultaneous playback on five screens (an increase from the previous three),
• download limit increased to 100 titles (previously 25).

The regular basic plan in the US will therefore be limited to HD quality (now enhanced with Dolby Vision support). To wipe away tears, Amazon increases the limit of simultaneous streams in the cheaper variant to four.

The content library itself – including hits such as Fallout, The Boys and sports broadcasts – remains identical for both plans. The company explains these steps as a necessity investing in premium productions and willingness to adapt to market competition standards.

Polish viewers use the service on completely different, much more favorable terms and for now they do not have to fear similar cuts. The standard Prime Video offer in both countries is drastically different. In the United States, a basic subscription costs money $139 per year and has been forcing viewing for a long time commercial advertisements during broadcast (and it’s not about Amazon’s own ads), and now it also loses 4K support.

Meanwhile, in Poland, users still enjoy a much more affordable offer. Despite the January increases, Polish Amazon Prime costs only PLN 69 per year. For this amount, we still get access to the highest quality 4K UHD image and bcancer of commercial breaks in standard VOD materials. Although the Polish library of titles is more modest and does not include American sports leagues, our version of the service remains free from the technical limitations that Amazon is currently serving to viewers in the US.