Amazon Prime shits all over my TV set

[Lionel Mandrake]

I got a shitty email from Amazon saying:

"Amazon will no longer be supporting the Prime Video app on your VIZIO Smart TV with VIZIO Internet Apps (V.I.A.) as of September 26, 2019. We are continually upgrading our service and this occasionally means we can no longer support certain device models."

Upgrading???? WTF?

[customerserviceguy]

1. Just do what I do

stop doing business with Amazon. Anything Amazon has that I need, I can get on eBay.

[klook]

2. Roku or Apple TV will give you access to Amazon Prime Video,

plus lots of other worthwhile content. Sure, it’s irritating that they’re abandoning support for the native TV app, but those devices are not too expensive and they open up a lot of other programming choices that you might find interesting.

[AJT]

3. Do you have to have one for each television?

[klook]

5. Sorry, not sure about that, since I have only one TV set. (Updated)

On edit: I believe so, yes — one per set. Maybe somebody with more knowledge on this subject can respond.

There may be other options, such as Sling, but I’m also out of my depth there.

[PoiBoy]

6. Yes...

..starting at about $30.00 per roku depending on features...

[MuseRider]

7. Yes.

I see that was answered above but I thought I would add this. We were really resistant to doing this, we had DirecTV and it was changing and very expensive but living in the boonies we were worried.

We LOVE Roku. Just so you know, it is so easy to use and you have so much flexibility with it. In case you were just worried as well as angry. I had no idea they would do that to you with a TV set. We had a Vizio but needed a new set so we kinda did this all at once.

Good luck finding something that fits you. I cannot believe they are doing this.

[AJT]

8. Thanks. I am going to try the Fire stick. If I don't like it

I'll send it back and look at roku.

[MuseRider]

9. We don't have that but I have

heard it is really nice. Sorry this happened. It really sucks to have to change up everything.

[AJT]

10. The TVs aren't old. Yeah, it sucks.

[MuseRider]

11. Even worse.

These days things I think of as still new are old in the eyes of everyone younger than me.

[catchnrelease]

12. We use Fire stick

I like it a lot, but I also use it with a Vizio tv, so I hope that won't be affected. Haven't had any notices from Amazon so far.

(We actually have 2, one for each of our tvs.)

[Demsrule86]

30. I like ROKU better as you get the free ROKU channel...also many apps you can download.

[Eliot Rosewater]

19. Yes, but they are cheap, roku stick $39 on Amazon

I want a new Sony OLED from Costco but I am reading that Sony struggles to deal with Amazon Prime.

I could use my roku but would want both apps to work.

Bummer.

[Demsrule86]

31. I am mad at Sony. They pulled the plug on Playstation vue which was a great streaming service...way

better than sling or Hulu plus which is what I have now...need local channels for sports for hubs.

[Demsrule86]

20. Yes you do...ROKU is my pick ...has a free channel too...

[yellowdogintexas]

22. ROKU also has Free Speech TV as a free channel

plus a bunch of other free channels.

We have a ROKU that is about 3 years old. We also have a Firestick on our bedroom TV

[FBaggins]

4. Same thing for my DVD player

They’re offering Amazon hardware as a replacement at roughly the price you could have gotten it for during their last sale.

[Backseat Driver]

13. Wow! That's not good!

We watch Prime Video quite often on our Vizio Smart D-series that utilizes Chromecast. Our goal was to cut cable, and there's an HD-antenna on our Wish List to collect reception of the local real-time network channels in our area. Will definitely push the timeline for that chop job farther away. I haven't received that email, but then I usually just blow away their emails that look like sales suggestions, although I do look at the ones with the weekly program guides. I'll be on the look-out for that notice for sure.

[Auggie]

14. I am not wowed by Prime's offerings ... Netflix is better quality IMO.

Also discovering how good PBS streaming is. Minimum donation of $5 a month signs you up.

[Lionel Mandrake]

16. I have both Netflix and Amazon Prime

Netflix has more good stuff, but every once in a while Amazon has something worthwhile that isn't on Netflix.

For me, Amazon Prime is mainly a way to get free shipping of merchandise. The free streaming of some of Amazon's content is just icing on the cake. Right now the icing tastes somewhat sour.

[Auggie]

17. Yes ... after Mrs Maisel and the Romanoffs I was out of things to watch

[hunter]

15. Yoiks. I'm glad we bought our television before they were "smart."

We have a Chromecast dongle our kid bought us years ago, but we don't use it.

Netflix still works from our DVD player. I'll be a little irritated if that stops working.

[Unusual777]

18. Amazon stinks

This is actually the 2nd time they've done this on a series of VizioTV's the latest debacle is infuriating because I have $3000 worth of prime video that I stream in one of my vacation rentals so I will have to buy 3 roku's.

the thing I don't like about roku's in a rental is they can change all of your settings add apps . You can't keep them from downloading apps or logging out of your Netflix for example in using theirs then once they leave other guests can't use Netflix because it's signed out of your account what a snafu.

Plus Amazon is in A-war with YouTube and you can't even have that app with prime..

No one cares about clients anymore it's all about stockholders in the money

[Demsrule86]

21. I use ROKU and get you tube.

[USALiberal]

24. Roku works great for me with Netflix, Disney, Hulu, Prime and youtube. nt

[greymattermom]

23. I have that problem too.

One of my tvs only gets Netflix now. The other one gets both Netfix and Prime. They both used to get both. I hate it when that happens.

[greymattermom]

25. I got a message like that and it quit working on one of my tvs,

but suddenly it started working again. No message.

[SledDriver]

26. Rec'ing this just for the post title

Gave me a good laugh 😂

[snowybirdie]

27. Had to use Firestick

When Netflix was no longer in my Samsung tv. Chalk it up to technology advancement.

[PBC_Democrat]

28. I understand your annoyance ...

But the technology driving the stream services is changing rapidly (for the better).

All of the major streamers have announced that they are dropping support for older devices (TVs, DVD players, streaming boxes).

Netflix, Hulu, Roku, and Youtube have all made changes in the last six months. It's just too cumbersome to try to make all of the content available for every version of every platform.

Several responders have suggested streaming devices - I agree with them. It will still happen to you in a few years but the cost to adapt will be lower.

It's just a matter of time until all of our older devices, including phones, simply don't work. The biggie will be when the older flip phones are rendered obsolete. I live in a retirement community and a lot of my neighbors are in their 80s & 90s, so that will be rough.

[Ferrets are Cool]

29. I will chime in with what has already been suggested...just buy a Roku.

They are cheap and work great. Nuff said.